16. Huic successit Pertināx grandaevus, ut quī septuāgenāriam attigisset aetātem, praefectūram urbī tum agēns, ex senātūs cōnsultō imperāre iussus. Octōgēsimō diē imperiī praetōriānōrum mīlitum sēditiōne et Iūliānī scelere occīsus est.
17. Post eum Salvius Iūliānus rem pūblicam invāsit, vir nōbilis et iūre perītissimus, nepōs Salvī Iūliāni quī sub dīvō Hadriānō perpetuum conposuit ēdictum. Victus est ā Sevērō apud Mulvium pontem, interfectus in Palātiō. Vīxit mēnsibus septem, postquam coeperat imperāre.
notes
Chapter 16: Pertinax Emperor, 193 CE
For more details, see Dio Epit. 74.1.1-3.4; Victor Epit. 18.3; H.A. Pert. 1.4, 12.1, 13.4, 15.6.
Pertināx: Publius Helvius Pertinax (Pertinax) was born in 126 CE and enjoyed a long, illustrious career. He was consul for the second time (with Commodus) in 192 CE and urban prefect when acclaimed by the senate as emperor on January 1st, 193 CE. On March 28th of that year he was assassinated by the praetorians at the instigation of Laetus, their prefect. Didius Julianus' complicity is not noted by either contemporary source (Dio and Herodian) and may be disregarded (Bird).
ut quī: "in as much as he," "seeing that he," explaining grandaevus (LS ut I.B.4.c.)
iussus: supply est (LS iubeo I)
Chapter 17: Didius Julianus Emperor, 193 CE
Post eum: Pertinax
Salvius Iūliānus: M. Didius (not Salvius) Julianus was probably the nephew of L. Octavius Cornelius P. Salvius Julianus, the jurist and ordinary consul of 148 CE. On the day that Pertinax was assassinated the praetorians auctioned off the empire and Julianus was the highest bidder. He was murdered in the palace on June 1st, 193 CE after ruling sixty-six days. The fictitious battle at the Milvian Bridge (clearly a reflection of the celebrated battle of 312 CE) and the confusion over Julianus' name are two shared errors by Eutropius and Victor which clearly demonstrate a dependence on the Kaisergeschichte [a lost source used by Eutropius] (Dio Epit. 74.11.2, 74.17.1–5; H.A. D.J. 1.1, 8.6–9.3; Victor Epit. 19.1–3) (Bird).
perpetuum conposuit ēdictum: this was a digest of the mass of edicts that had been issued by the praetors and the provincial governors. It was the basis of the Corpus Iūris Cīvilis of Justinian (Hazzard).
ā Sevērō: Septimius Severus, the next emperor
apud Mulvium pontem: probably a confusion on the part of Eutropius or his source with the famous battle at the Milvian Bridge of 312.
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| succēdō, ere, cessī, cessus |
to come up, advance; succeed, follow 16. |
| Pertināx, ācis, m. |
(Helvius) Pertināx, Roman emperor from January 1 to March 28, 193 A.D. |
| grandaevus, a, um [grandis + aevum, age], adj. | aged |
| attingō, ere, tigī, tāctus | to border on, touch, attain |
| praefectūra, ae, f. |
the office of overseer, superintendence; praefecture |
| cōnsultum, ī [cōnsulō], n. |
resolution, decree; senātūs cōnsultum, decree of the senate |
| praetōriānus, a, um [praetōrium], adj. |
belonging to the bodyguard; praetorian; as subst., praetōriānī, ōrum, pl. m., the praetorians |
| sēditiō, ōnis [sed + itiō, from eō], f. | dissension, rebellion, revolt |
| Iūliānus, ī, m. |
(1) Salvius Iūliānus, an eminent Roman jurist; (2) Salvius Iūliānus, Roman emperor from March 28 to June 1, 193 A.D. 17. |
| pōns, pontis, m. | a bridge |
| invādō, ere, vāsī, vāsus |
to enter; attack; seize, take possession of |
| perītus, a, um, adj. |
skillful, experienced, familiar with |
| nepōs, ōtis, m. |
grandson; nephew (late); pl., descendants |
| Hadriānus, ī, m. |
(P.) Aelius Hadriānus, Roman emperor 117–138 A.D. |
| Sevērus, ī, m. |
(1) (L.) Septimius Sevērus, Roman emperor 193—211 A.D.; (2) (Flavius Valerius) Sevērus, Roman emperor 306—307 A.D. |
| Mulvius, a, um, adj. |
Mulvian; Mulvius pōns, the Mulvian bridge, about two miles north of Rome |
| Palātium, ī, n. |
the Palatine Hill; the imperial palace, which was on the hill |
| mēnsis, is, m. | a month |