(1) Hōc imperante etiam in urbe monētāriī rebellāvērunt vitiātīs pecūniīs et Fēlīcissimō rationālī interfectō. Quōs Aurēliānus victōs ultimā crūdēlitāte conpescuit. Plūrimōs nōbilēs capite damnāvit. Saevus et sanguinārius ac necessārius magis in quibusdam quam in ūllō amābilis imperātōr. Trux omni tempore, etiam fīliī sorōris interfector, disciplīnae tamen mīlitāris et mōrum dissolūtōrum māgnā ex parte corrēctor.
notes
Aurelian suppresses a rebellion among the minters.
Hōc imperante: ablative absolute using a present active participle (AG 419). hōc refers to Aurelian
in urbe: Rome
monētāriī rebellāvērunt: This rebellion is misplaced chronologically by Eutropius and Sextus Aurelius Victor... Apparently while Aurelian was engaged with the Juthungi in 270/271 CE serious disturbances broke out at Rome. They may have been instigated by Aurelian's decision to close the mint to prevent thefts and fraudulent mintings. Felicissimus, the procurator or rationalis of the mint, who would have been responsible for the debasement of the coinage, chose to rebel and used the mint on the Caelian Hill as a stronghold. In view of the number of combatants killed and nobles subsequently executed, Felicissimus may have been supported by an extensive faction, possibly including the former supporters of Quintillus (Victor Epit. 35.4; Ammianus 30.8.8; H.A. Aur. 18.4, 21.5, 50.5) (Bird).
vitiātīs pecūniīs: "after they had debased the coinage" (Bird). ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419)
fēlīcissimō rationālī interfectō: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419)
Quōs: connecting relative, referring to the monētāriī (AG 308.f)
capite damnāvit: "condemned to death" (LS damno II.γ)
māgnā ex parte: "for the most part"
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
monētārius, ī [monēta, mint], m. |
a minter, coiner |
|
rebellō, āre, āvī, ātus |
to wage war again, rebel |
|
vitiō, āre, āvī, ātus [vitium] |
to make faulty, taint, corrupt, defile, dishonor |
|
Fēlīcissimus, ī, m. |
the name of the director of the mint under the emperor Aurelian |
|
rationālis, e [ratiō], adj. |
of or belonging to accounts; as subst., rationālis, is, m., an accountant |
|
Aureliānus ī, m. |
Lucius Domitius Aureliānus, Roman emperor, 270–275 A.D. |
|
crūdēlitās, ātis [crūdēlis, cruel], f. |
cruelty |
|
compescō, ere, uī, —— |
to confine, hold in check, repress, curb, restrain |
|
sanguinārius, a, um [sanguis], adj. |
bloodthirsty, bloody, sanguinary |
|
necessārius, a, um [necesse, necessary], adj. |
necessary, indispensable; as subst., an intimate friend, relative |
|
amābilis, e [amō, to love], adj. |
worthy of love, lovely, amiable |
|
trux, trucis, adj. |
wild, savage, stern |
|
interfector, ōris [interflciō], m. |
a slayer, murderer |
|
mīlitāris, e [mīles], adj. |
military; as subst., a soldier; rēs mīlitāris, the art of war, military operations |
|
dissolūtus, a, um [part. of dissolvō, to take apart], adj. |
lax, remiss, negligent, careless |
|
corrēctor, ōris [corrigō], m. |
a corrector, improver; a land bailiff, governor |