(1) Ergō Hadriānō successit T. Antōnīnus Fulvius Bōiōnius, īdem etiam Pius nōminātus, genere clārō, sed nōn admodum vetere, vir insīgnis et quī meritō Numae Pompiliō cōnferātur, ita ut Rōmulō Trāiānus aequētur.
(2) Vīxit ingentī honestāte prīvātus, māiōre in imperiō, nūllī acerbus, cūnctīs benīgnus, in rē mīlitārī moderātā glōriā, dēfendere magis prōvinciās quam amplificāre studēns, virōs aequissimōs ad administrandam rem pūblicam quaerēns, bonīs honōrem habēns, improbōs sine aliquā acerbitāte dētestāns, rēgibus amīcīs venerābilis nōn minus quam terribilis, adeō ut barbarōrum plūrimae nātiōnēs dēpositīs armīs ad eum contrōversiās suās lītēsque dēferrent sententiaeque pārērent.
(3) Hīc ante imperium dītissimus opēs quidem omnēs suās stīpendiīs mīlitum et circā amīcōs liberālitātibus minuit, vērum aerārium opulentum relīquit. Pius propter clēmentiam dictus est.
(4) Obiit apud Lorium vīllam suam mīliāriō ab urbe duodecimō, vītae annō septuāgēsimō tertiō, imperiī vīcēsimō tertiō, atque inter dīvōs relātus est et meritō cōnsecrātus.
notes
Antoninus Pius Emperor, 138–161 CE
Historia Augusta, The Life of Antoninus Pius
(1) T. Antōnīnus Fulvius Bōiōnius: his full name was Titus Aurelius Fulvius Boionius Antoninus, called Pius because he persuaded the senate to grant to his adopted father Hadrian the apotheosis and other honors usually paid to deceased emperors.
genere clārō: ablative of source (AG 403.2.a)
meritō: "deservedly" "justly"
quī ... cōnferātur: "who might be compared," (LS confero B.4), subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic (AG 535).
Numae Pompiliō: dative after cōnferātur (AG 370). For more information on Numa, see Eutropius, Brev. 1.3
ita ut: "just as"
aequētur: "could be compared," subjunctive, like conferātur.
(2) honestāte: "integrity," "honesty"
prīvātus: "as a private citizen," i.e. before he became emperor
māiōre: supply honestāte
moderātā glōriā: ablative of description (or quality) (AG 415)
studēns: "eager to" + infin.
aequissimōs: "very fair," "highly equitable" (LS aequus II.B.1)
ad administrandam rem pūblicam: "to administer the state," gerundive denoting purpose (AG 500.4)
bonīs honōrem habēns: "paying respect to the good" (Hazzard)
amīcīs: "allied"
adeō: "so much so," introducing a result clause (AG 537)
dēpositīs armīs: ablative absolute with a perfect passive participle (AG 419). Neither Eutropius nor Victor mention the wars that Pius was forced to wage in Britain, where he built the Antonine Wall, western Mauretania, Germany, Dacia, Egypt, Greece and against the Judaeans (H.A. Pius 5.4–5) (Bird).
sententiaeque: "verdict," "judgment," dative object of pārērent (AG 367)
(3) ante imperium dītissimus: concessive: "(though) very rich before (taking) power"
quidem: "yet," "however," in a qualification or opposing thought (LS quidem B.2)
circā: "to each of" (various persons situated in various places) + acc. (LS circa II.A.4)
vērum: "however," despite his generosity
Pius…dictus est: According to the Historia Augusta,
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The Senate honored him with the name Pius. Perhaps they did this because he assisted the mobility of his elderly father-in-law so that he could be present at the senate house, (although, truth be told, it can be argued that this act alone is not that pious, since it is expected). Perhaps they did this because he spared those whom Hadrian ordered to be executed when the emperor was in the throes of illness. Perhaps it was because he bestowed countless and boundless honors upon Hadrian after he had died, contrary to popular opinion. Perhaps it was because he put safeguards and care into preserving Hadrian's life when the emperor had wished to kill himself. Perhaps they did this because he was simply a very kind-hearted man, and did nothing cruel throughout his lifetime (Ant. Pius. 2.3–7).
(4) Obiit: "he died" > obeō
apud Lorium: Pius died at his villa in Lorium in 161 CE.
mīliāriō ab urbe duodecimō: The Roman milestones were set up at intervals of 1000 paces, 5000 Roman feet, on the military roads. They gave the distance from the place from which the measurement was made, its name, the name of the person who erected the stone, and the name of the reigning emperor (Hazzard).
inter dīvōs: "among the gods." See apotheosis
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| Hadriānus, ī, m. |
(P.) Aelius Hadriānus, Roman emperor 117–138 A.D. |
| succēdō, ere, cessī, cessus |
to come up, advance; succeed, follow |
| T. |
abbreviation of the praenomen Titus |
| Antōnīnus, ī, m. |
the name of a dynasty of Roman emperors. (1) T. Aurēlius Antōnīnus Fulvius Bōiōnius Pius, 138–161 A.D.; (2) M. Aurēlius Antōnīnus Vērus, 161–180 A.D.; (3) L. Annius Antōnīnus Vērus, 161–169 A.D.; (4) L. Antōnīnus Commodus, 180–193 A.D.; (5) M. Aurēlius Antōnīnus Bassānius Caracalla, 211–217 A.D.; (6) M. Aurēlius Antōnīnus, Heliogabalus, 218–222 A.D. |
| Fulvius, ī, m. | the name of a Roman gens |
| Bōiōnius, ī, m. |
T. Aurēlius Antōnīnus Fulvius Bōiōnius Pius, emperor 138–161 A.D. |
| nōminō, āre, āvī, ātus [nōmen] | to name, call, mention |
| admodum [ad + modus], adv. |
up to the full limit, very, exceedingly |
| īnsīgnis, e [in + sīgnum], adj. | remarkable, distinguished |
| meritō [meritum, desert], adv. | deservedly, justly |
| Numa, ae, m. |
Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, 715–672 B.C. |
| Rōmulus, ī, m. |
the son of Rhea Silvia and Mars, the founder of Rome |
| Trāiānus, ī, m. |
(M.) Ulpius Crīnītus Trāiānus, Roman emperor 98–117 A.D. |
| aequō, āre, āvī, ātus |
to compare, equate |
| honestās, ātis [honestus], f. | honor, virtue 2 |
| acerbus, a, um, adj. | bitter, harsh, cruel |
| benīgnus, a, um, adj. | kind, favorable |
| mīlitāris, e [mīles], adj. |
military; as subst., a soldier; rēs mīlitāris, the art of war, military operations |
| moderātus, a, um [moderor], adj. |
self-controlled, temperate, modest |
| amplificō, āre, āvī, ātus [amplus + faciō] | to increase, enlarge |
| administrō, āre, āvī, ātus [ad + ministrō, to manage] |
to manage, govern, regulate, carry on (war) |
| improbus, a, um [in + probus, upright], adj. | wicked, outrageous |
| acerbitās, ātis [acerbus], f. | harshness, severity, unkindness |
| dētestor, ārī, ātus sum [dē + testor, to cause to witness] |
to curse, execrate; avert, ward off, deprecate |
| venerābilis, e [veneror], adj. | venerable, reverend |
| terribilis, e [terreō], adj. | frightful, dreadful |
| nātiō, ōnis [nāscor], f. | nation, tribe, people |
| dēpōnō, ere, posuī, positus |
to lay down or aside, put down; stop; arrange, establish |
| contrōversia, ae [contrā + vertō], f. | dispute, controversy |
| līs, lītis, f. |
a strife, dispute, quarrel; a suit, action |
| dīs, dītis, adj., sup. dītissimus | rich 3 |
| stīpendium, ī [stips, gift + pendō], n. | a payment; salary, pay; campaign |
| līberālitās, ātis [līberālis], f. | generosity, kindness; a gift |
| minuō, ere, ī, ūtus [minus] | to make small, diminish, reduce |
| vērum [vērus, true], adv. | truly, certainly; but |
| aerārium, ī [aes, copper], n. | treasury, fund |
| opulentus, a, um [ops], adj. | rich, wealthy |
| clēmentia, ae [clēmēns, gentle], f. |
mercifulness, forbearance, kindness |
| obeō, īre, īvī (iī), itus |
to go to meet; attend to, perform; die, perish |
| Lorium, ī, n. | a town in Etruria |
| vīlla, ae, f. | a country house, farm, villa |
| mīliārium, ī, n. | a milestone, mile |
| meritō [meritum, deserve], adv. | deservedly, justly |
| cōnsecrō, āre, āvī, ātus | to dedicate, consecrate, devote |