(1) Vespasiānus huic successit factus apud Palaestīnam imperātor, prīnceps obscūrē quidem nātus, sed optimīs comparandus, prīvātā vītā inlūstris, ut quī ā Claudiō in Germāniam et deinde in Britanniam missus trīciēs et bis cum hoste cōnflīxerit, duās validissimās gentēs, vīgintī oppida, īnsulam Vectam, Britanniae proximam imperiō Rōmānō adiēcerit.

(2) Rōmae sē in imperiō moderātissimē gessit. Pecūniae tantum avidior fuit, ita, ut eam nūllī iniūstē auferret. Quam cum omnī dīligentiae prōvīsiōne colligeret, tamen studiōsissimē largiēbātur, praecipuē indigentibus. Nec facile ante eum cuisquam prīncipis vel māior est līberālitās comperta vel iūstior. Placidissimae lēnitātis, ut quī māiestātis quoque contrā sē reōs nōn facile pūnīerit ultrā exiliī poenam.

(3) Sub hōc Iūdaea Rōmānō accessit imperiō et Hierosolyma, quae fuit urbs nōbilissima Palaestīnae.

(4) Achaiam, Lyciam, Rhodum, Bȳzantium, Samum, quae līberae ante id tempus fuerant, item Thrāciam, Ciliciam, Commāgēnēn, quae sub rēgibus amīcīs ēgerant, in prōvinciārum fōrmam redēgit.

    Vespasian Emperor, 6979 CE

    (1) Vespasiānus: Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasian. He was proclaimed emperor at Alexandria on the 1st day of July, 69 CE, although it was a year before he entered Rome. He lived more like a private person than like the emperor of Rome. The many stories that are told of his avarice and his methods of raising money are probably exaggerated. Although he was frugal in his personal expenditures, he spent large sums in adorning the city. He was the first of the Flavian dynasty. The other were his two sons and successors, Titus and Domitian. He died on the 24th of June, 79 CE. "His last words were characteristic of his somewhat cynical humor, 'Alas, I think am becoming a god'" (Vae, puto deus fio, Suet. Vesp. 23.4) (Hazzard, quoting Creighton).

    huic: dative object of successit (AG 370), referring to Vitellius

    apud Palaestīnam: In February, 67 CE Nero gave Vespasian the task of suppressing the Jewish rebellion which he had largely completed by June 68 CE. The two Egyptian legions acclaimed him emperor on July 1, 69 CE and the Judaean and Syrian legions followed their example a few days later. In August the Danubian legions declared for him and marched into Italy, entering Rome on December 21st (Bird).

    prīvātā vītā: "in his private life," before he became emperor

    ā Claudiō: Eutropius seems to follow Suetonius closely:

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    During the reign of Claudius, Vespasian was sent as a legionary legate into Germany due to Narcissus' influence. Then he was transferred to Britain and engaged in thirty battles there. While he was there, he subjugated two mighty nations, more than twenty towns and the entire island of Vectis (which is situated nearby); he did this in part by the assistance of Aulus Plautius, the consular legate, and in part by the leadership of the Emperor Claudius himself.  Because of this he earned the triumphal regalia and in a brief period of time, two priesthood roles, as well as the consulship, which he held the last two months of the year. He spent the rest of his time until his consulship expired away from the public eye, fearing Agrippina's power over her son and her hatred of all Narcissus' friends (even after Narcissus perished). (Vit. Vesp. 4.1–2, Translated by K. Masters)

    (2) Pecūniae tantum avidior fuit, ita, ut: "He was very greedy for money, yet in such a way that..." A result clause follows (AG 537).

    nūllī: "from no one," dative with a verb of depriving, as usual (AG 381)

    Quam: connecting relative referring to pecūniam

    cum ... colligeret: concessive cum-clause (AG 549), followed as usual by tamen

    facile ... est ... comperta: "is easily found (in the historical record)," see LS comperio β. 

    iūstior: Vespasian was not only generous, but chose worthy recipients of his generosity.

    Placidissimae lēnitātis: genitive of quality with subsequent result clause (AG 345, 537)

    ut quī: "in as much as he" (LS ut I.B.4.c) followed as usual by subjunctive, pūnīerit.

    māiestātis ... reōs: "those charged with treason." maiestatis is genitive of charge, AG 352. The crime of maiestas (in full, crimen laesae maiestatis, "a charge of harming the majesty [of the state]" became common, and commonly abused, in the early principate. Emperors were nervous about potential conspiracies among the upper class. The law of treason was greatly expanded in scope, mainly in the reign of Tiberius. It led to the rise of a class of professional informers, called delatores, who benefitted financially from denouncing even stray comments critical of an emperor as treasonous. Unlike Tiberius and Nero, Vespasian was relatively lenient in punishing it.

    (3) Iūdaea: Judaea was annexed in 6 CE. Claudius briefly placed it under the control of Agrippa II in 41 CE but re-annexed it three years later (Bird).

    Hierosolyma: Vespasian was besieging Jerusalem when the war broke out between Otho and Vitellius. When he started for Rome he left Titus, his son, in charge... Titus captured the city after a stubborn siege of five months, September 8, 70 CE, and despite his efforts the Temple was burned (Hazzard).

    (4) Achaiam, Lyciam, Rhodum, Bȳzantium, Samum: see Achaea, Lycia, Rhodes, Byzantium, Samos

    Thrāciam, Ciliciam, Commāgēnēn: see Thrace, Cilicia, Commagene

    ēgerant: = fuerant

    in ... formam: "to the status of"

    Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates

     

    Vespasiānus, ī, m.

    (T. Flavius) Vespasiānus, Roman emperor 70–79 A.D.

    succēdō, ere, cessī, cessus

    to come up, advance; succeed, follow

    Palaestīna, ae, f.

    Palestine

    obscūrē [obscūrus], adv., comp. obscūrius, sup. obscūrissimē

    obscurely

    illūstris, e, adj.

    clear, distinguished, glorious

    Claudius, ī, m.

    the name of one of the oldest and most famous of the Roman gentes. (1.) Claudius I. Tib. Claudius Drusus Nero, Roman emperor, 41–54 A.D.; (2) Claudius II., M. Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, Roman emperor, 268–270 A.D.

    Germānia, ae, f.

    Germany

    Britannia, ae, f.

    Britain, England and Scotland; in the pl. includes Ireland

    bis

    (num. adv.) twice

    cōnflīgō, ere, flīxī, flīctus

    to strike together; contend, fight

    Vēcta, ae, f.

    an island off the southern coast of England, now the Isle of Wight

    adiciō, ere, iēcī, iectus

    to throw to, fling; add

    moderātē [moderātus], adv., sup. moderātissimē

    with moderation, moderately 2

    avidus, a, um, adj.

    comp. avidior; desirous, eager, greedy

    iniūstē [iniūstus], adv

    unjustly

    dīligentia, ae [dīligēns], f.

    diligence, activity, earnestness

    prōvīsiō, ōnis f.

    a foreseeing, foreknowledge; foresight, providence

    studiōsē [studiōsus, eager], adv.

    eagerly, zealously

    largior, īrī, ītus sum

    to give freely, distribute; bribe

    praecipuē [praecipuus], adv.

    chiefly, principally, especially

    indigeō, ēre, uī, — [in + egeō]

    to be poor, to have need of, want

    facile [facilis, easy], adv., comp. facilius

    easily; readily

    līberālitās, ātis [līberālis], f.

    generosity, kindness; a gift

    comperiō, īre, perī, pertus

    to find out, learn

    iūstus, a, um [iūs], adj.

    just, fair; proper, fitting, regular

    mēnsis, is, m.

    a month

    placidus, a, um [placō, to soothe], adj.

    calm, quiet, tranquil

    lēnitās, ātis [lēnis, soft], f.

    softness, smoothness, gentleness, mildness

    māiestās, ātis [māior], f.

    greatness, grandeur, dignity, majesty

    pūniō, īre, īvī, ītus [poena

    to punish

    Iūdaea, ae, f.

    Judea, a part of Palestine 3

    Hierosolyma, ōrum, pl. n.

    Jerusalem

    Palaestīna, ae, f.

    Palestine

    Achaia, ae, f.

    a district in the Peloponnesus. Later the Roman province of Southern Greece 4

    Lycia, ae, f.

    a division of Asia Minor

    Rhodus, ī, f.

    Rhodes, an island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea

    Bȳzantium, ī, n.

    a city on the Thracian Bosporus, later Constantinople

    Samus, ī, f.

    an island in the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Asia Minor

    Thrācia, ae, f.

    a large district in the southeastern part of Europe, between the Aegean Sea, Macedonia, and the Black Sea

    Cilicia, ae, f.

    a division of Asia Minor, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea

    Commāgēnē, ēs, f.

    a district in the northern part of Syria

    redigō, ere, ēgī, āctus

    to drive back; reduce; render, bring

     

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