(1) Tiberius ingentī sōcordiā imperium gessit, gravī crūdēlitāte, scelestā avāritiā, turpī libīdine. Nam nūsquam ipse pūgnāvit, bella per lēgātōs gessit suōs.
(2) Quōsdam rēgēs ad sē per blanditiās ēvocātōs numquam remīsit, in quibus Archelāum Cappadocem, cuius etiam rēgnum in prōvinciae fōrmam redēgit et māximam cīvitātem appellārī nōmine suō iussit, quae nunc Caesarēa dīcitur, cum Māzaca anteā vocārētur. Hīc tertiō et vīcēsimō imperiī annō, aetātis septuāgēsimō octāvō, ingentī omnium gaudiō mortuus est in Campāniā.
notes
Tiberius Emperor, 14–37 CE
(1) Tiberius: The long, eventful reign of Tiberius (13–37 CE) merits less than eight lines in the Breviarium: even the accounts of the reigns of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius are longer (Bird).
gravī crūdēlitāte: probably the character of Tiberius was maligned by the Roman historians. The people disliked him on account of his "dark and gloomy temper, with no grace or geniality of manner, shunning the pleasures of the people, and seldom generous or open-handed." But we must note the many marks of bias and exaggeration in the common story, and we may well believe that the ancient writers formed too harsh an opinion of his motives in some cases and reported scandalous gossip too lightly (Hazzard).
ipse: Eutropius' critical statement of Tiberius' lack of personal involvement on the frontier seems incongruous with his earlier praise of Tiberius' martial prowess (Brev. 7.9).
(2) Archelāum: Archelaus of Cappadocia was summoned to Rome soon after the accession of Tiberius and accused of treason. His life was spared, but he was obliged to remain at Rome, where he died in 17 CE (Hazzard).
Caesarēa: called Caesarēa ad Argaeum to distinguish it from others cities of the same name. It was situated at the foot of Mt. Argaeus and was a place of great antiquity, its foundation having been ascribed to Mesech, the son of Japhet (Hazzard).
ingentī omnium gaudiō: this statement is in grim contrast to the two and a half paragraph eulogy marking the honors and deification of his predecessor Augustus (Brev. 7.8–10).
mortuus est: Tiberius died in Campania in 37 CE.
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| Tiberius, ī, m. |
Tiberius (Claudius Nerō), Roman emperor 14–37 A.D. |
| sōcordia, ae, f. |
dullness, carelessness; laziness, indolence |
| crūdēlitās, ātis [crūdēlis, cruel], f. | cruelty |
| scelestus, a, um [scelus], adj | wicked, infamous |
| avāritia, ae [avārus, greedy], f. | greed, avarice |
| nusquam [nē + usquam], adv. | nowhere, in no place |
| blanditia, ae, f. |
flattery; in pl., blandishments, allurements 2 |
| ēvocō, āre, āvī, ātus | to call out, summon |
| remittō, ere, mīsī, missus | to send back, relax; abate |
| Archelāus, ī, m. |
(1) a distinguished general of Mithradates; (2) Called Cappadox, king of Cappadocia, 36 B.C.–14 A.D. |
| Cappadox, ocis, m. | a Cappadocian |
| redigō, ere, ēgī, āctus |
to drive back; reduce; render, bring |
| Caesarēa, ae, f. |
the name given to several cities founded in honor of the Caesars |
| Māzaca, ae, f. |
a city in Cappadocia, later called Caesarēa ad Argaeum from Mount Argaeus upon which it stood |
| anteā [ante], adv. | before, formerly |
| Campānia, ae, f. |
a district of Italy on the western side, south of Latium |