(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.
notes
Vespasian Emperor, 69–79 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"
vocabulary
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 |