1.12 | Dickinson College Commentaries

(1) Nōnō annō post rēgēs exāctōs cum gener Tarquiniī ad iniūriam socerī vindicandam ingentem collēgisset exercitum, nova Rōmae dīgnitās est creāta, quae dictātūra appellātur, maior quam cōnsulātus. Eōdem annō etiam magister equitum factus est, quī dictātōrī obsequerētur.

(2) Neque quicquam similius potest dīcī quam dictātūra antīqua huic imperiī potestātī, quam nunc tranquillitās vestra habet, māximē cum Augustus quoque Octāviānus, dē quō posteā dīcēmus, et ante eum C. Caesar sub dictātūrae nōmine atque honōre rēgnāverint.

(3) Dictātor autem Rōmae prīmus fuit <T.> Larcius, magister equitum prīmus Sp. Cassius.

notes

Institution of the Dictatorship, 501 BCE

(1) gener Tarquiniī: Mamilius Octavus of Tusculum (Hazzard)

ad iniūriam socerī vindicandam: "for the purpose of avenging the injury against his father-in-law," gerundive denoting purpose (AG 500.4)

dictātūra: In times of military emergencies the dual command of the praetors/consuls had obvious weaknesses.

To offset them an emergency officer, originally called the magister populi and subsequently dictator, was created. He was nominated by a consul and, in turn, nominated a second-in-command (magister equitum). Though he did not replace them, his powers superseded those of the praetors/consuls as is indicated by the fact that he had twenty-four lictors, whereas the king or praetors/consuls only had twelve. According to tradition T. Larcius was the first magister populi (dictator), Spurius Cassius Vecellinus, consul of the preceding year, was the first magister equitum. The dictator held office for a maximum of sixth months, i.e., a campaigning season, and retired when his task had been completed (Bird).

magister equitum: According to Smith,

Along with the dictator there was always a magister equitum, the nomination of whom was left to the choice of the dictator, unless the senatus consultum specified, as was sometimes the case, the name of the person who was to be appointed. The magister equitum had, like the dictator, to receive the imperium by a lex curiata. The dictator could not be without a magister equitum, and, consequently, if the latter died during the six months of the dictatorship, another had to be nominated in his stead. The magister equitum was subject to the imperium of the dictator, but in the absence of his superior he became his representative, and exercised the same powers as the dictator (Smith sv dictator 1.634).

quī dictātōrī obsequerētur: relative clause of purpose (AG 531.2). dictātōrī is the dative object of obsequerētur (AG 370).

(2) Neque quicquam similius potest dīcī quam dictātūra antīqua huic imperiī potestātī: "Neither can anything be said to be more similar than the ancient dictatorship to the imperial power" (Hazzard). In English word order, Neque quicquam potest dīcī similius quam antīqua dictātūra huic imperiī potestātī. Imperium was the regular term for the power possessed by the magistrates. Here it refers to the power of the emperor (Hazzard).

tranquillitās vestra: "Your Serene Highness," Valens, Emperor of the East, 364-378 CE. In classical period tua would have been used, as only one person is referred to. In late Latin the pronouns of the second person plural take the place of the singular, just as "you" has taken the place of "thou" (Hazzard).

Augustus quoque Octāviānus: Augustus never held the dictatorship, though by virtue of his maius imperium proconsulare and tribunicia potestas he obtained virtual dictatorial powers (Bird).

ante eum C. Caesar: The dictatorships of Sulla and Caesar were quite different in character and scope, for the earlier dictators were appointed rei gerundae causa, i.e., to deal with a particular crisis. Sulla (and Caesar) were appointed legibus scribundis et rei publicae constituendae, i.e., to write laws and administer the state (Bird).

sub dictātūrae nōmine: in 45 BCE Caesar was made perpetual dictator (Hazzard).

rēgnāverint: cum here is causal (AG 549); rēgnāverint is perfect subjunctive.

vocabulary

Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates

gener, erī, m.	a son-in-law
Tarquinius, ī, m.	the name of a gens in early Rome, said to have come from Etruria; (1) (L.) Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome, 616—578 B.C.; (2) L. Tarquinius Superbus, the son of Priscus, the last king of Rome, 534—510 B.C.; (3) (Sextus) Tarquinius, son of (2); (2) (L.) Tarquinius Collātīnus, cousin of (3) and husband of Lucretia, consul 509 B.C.
socer, erī, m.	father-in-law
vindicō, āre, āvī, ātus [vīs + dīcō]	to claim; liberate; avenge, take vengeance on
dictātūra, ae [dictātor], f.	the office of dictator, dictatorship
cōnsulātus, ūs [cōnsul], m.	consulate, consulship
dictātor, ōris [dictō, to stay often], m.	a dictator, a magistrate with supreme power, chosen at times of supreme peril
obsequor, ī, secūtus sum	to submit to, indulge in, assist
tranquillitās, ātis [tranquillus], f.	calmness, stillness; Tranquillitās, ātis (as title of emperor), Serene Highness 2
Augustus, ī, m.	a title of honor given to Octavianus in 27 BC and after him to all the Roman emperors
Octāviānus, ī, m.	C. Iūlius Caesar Octāviānus, Roman emperor, 27 B.C.—14 A.D.
C.	abbreviation of the praenomen Gaius
Caesar, aris, m.	a family name in the Julian gens. (1) C. Iūlius Caesar, the famous dictator; (2) Sex. Iūlius Caesar, uncle of the dictator. Consul 91 B.C.; (3) C. Octāviānus, the emperor Augustus
rēgnō, āre, āvī, ātus [rēgnum]	to be king, rule
T.	abbreviation of the praenomen Titus 3
Larcius, ī, m.	T. Larcius (Flavus), the first dictator, 501 B.C.
Sp.	an abbreviation of the praenomen Spurius
Cassius, ī, m.	the name of a Roman gens