(1) Gālerius vir et probē mōrātus et ēgregius rē mīlitārī, cum Ītaliam quoque sinente Cōnstantiō administrātionī suae accessisse sentīret, Caesarēs duōs creāvit, Maximīnum, quem Orientī praefēcit, et Sevērum, cuī Ītaliam dedit. Ipse in Īllyricō commorātus est.
(2) Vērum Cōnstantiō mortuō Cōnstantīnus, ex obscūriōre mātrimōniō ēius fīlius in Britanniā creātus est imperātōr et in locum patris exoptātissimus moderātor accessit.
(3) Rōmae intereā praetōriānī excitō tumultū Maxentium, Herculīī fīlium, quī haud procul ab urbe in vīllā pūblicā morābātur, Augustum nūncupāvērunt. Quō nūntiō Maximiānus Herculius ad spem arrēctus resūmendī fastīgiī, quod invītus āmīserat, Rōmam advolāvit ē Lūcāniā, quam sēdem prīvātus ēlēgerat in agrīs amoenissimīs cōnsenēscēns, Dioclētiānumque etiam per litterās adhortātus est, ut dēpositam resūmeret potestātem, quās ille inrītās habuit.
(4) Sed adversum mōtum praetōriānōrum atque Maxentīī Sevērus Caesar Rōmam missus ā Gāleriō cum exercitū vēnit obsidēnsque urbem mīlitum suōrum scelere dēsertus est. Auctae Maxentīī opēs cōnfirmātumque imperium. Sevērus fugiēns Ravennae interfectus est.
notes
Constantine Emperor, 306–307 CE
(1) probē mōrātus: "honorable in character" (LS moratus II). See below for Galerius' administrative foresight
Ipse: Galerius
(2) Cōnstantiō mortuō: this occurred in 306 CE.
Cōnstantīnus: known in history as Constantine the Great. The most important change he introduced was the adoption of Christianity as the state religion. The story is told that while marching from Gaul at the head of his legions, he saw in the heavens a luminous cross with this inscription, "By this conquer." In 313 CE he issued the famous Milan decree that gave imperial sanction to the religion of the Christians (Hazzard).
obscūriōre mātrimōniō : "from a marriage (to a woman) of relatively low social status."
(3) Rōmae: "at Rome," locative case (AG 427.3)
praetōriānī: These were what the cohors praetoria of the Republic developed into under the military monarchy. The praetorium was now wherever the emperor was. The supreme commander of these was of course the emperor, but from the year 2 CE, the praetorians were commanded in the name of the emperor by two praefecti praetorio, sometimes by one, after the time of Commodus by three" (Smith, s.v. exercitus).
Māxentium: Maxentius was the son of Maximian.
in villā pūblicā: a building in the Campus Martius, intended for a lodging house or hotel for foreign ambassadors (Hazzard)
arrectus: "roused," "encouraged" > arrigo
resūmendī fastīgiī: "of regaining the elevated position." The gerundive resūmendī is objective genitive after spem (AG 504).
Lūcāniā: Maximian chose to retire in Lucania because of its pleasant scenery (Hazzard).
quās ille inrītās habuit: supply litterās, "which he (Diocletian) utterly disregarded" (Hazzard)
(4) Auctae Māxentīī opēs: supply sunt
Ravennae: "at Ravenna," locative case (AG 427.3); this occurred in 307 CE.
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
Gālerius, ī, m. |
Gālerius (Valerius) Māximiānus, Roman emperor, 305–311 A.D. |
|
probē [probus, estimable], adv. |
right, well, properly, correctly |
|
mōrātus, a, um [mōs], adj. |
mannered, of morals, constituted; characteristic |
|
mīlitāris, e [mīles], adj. |
military; as subst., a soldier; rēs mīlitāris, the art of war, military operations |
|
Ītalia, ae, f. |
Italy |
|
Cōnstantius, ī, m. |
(1) Cōnstantius Chlōrus, father of Constantine the Great. Roman emperor 305–306 A.D.; (2) Cōnstantius, third son of Constantine the Great. Roman emperor 337–361 A.D. |
|
administrātiō, ōnis [administrō], f. |
management, government |
|
Caesar, aris, m. |
a family name in the Julian gens. (1) C. Iūlius Caesar, the famous dictator; (2) Sex. Iūlius Caesar, uncle of the dictator. Consul 91 B.C.; (3) C. Octāviānus, the emperor Augustus |
|
Māximīnus, ī, m. |
(1) (C. Iūlius Verus) Māximīnus, Roman emperor 235–238 A.D.; (2) Gālerius (Valerius) Māximīnus, Roman emperor 305–314 A.D. |
|
Oriēns, entis [orior], m. (sc. sōl) |
the rising sun, the East, the Orient |
|
praeficiō, ficere, fēcī, fectum |
to place in command of, appoint + dat. |
|
Sevērus, ī, m. |
(1) (L.) Septimius Sevērus, Roman emperor 193—211 A.D.; (2) (Flavius Valerius) Sevērus, Roman emperor 306—307 A.D. |
|
Īllyricum, ī, n. |
a country east of the Adriatic Sea |
|
vērum [vērus, true], adv. |
truly, certainly; but 2 |
|
Cōnstantīnus, ī, m. |
(1) Cōnstantīnus, surnamed "the Great." Roman emperor 306–337 A.D.; (2) Cōnstantīnus, son of (1) |
|
obscūrus, a, um, adj. |
dark, obscure; low born |
|
mātrimōnium, ī [māter], n. |
marriage; pl. wives |
|
Britannia, ae, f. |
Britain, England and Scotland; in the pl. includes Ireland |
|
exoptātus, a, um |
greatly wished or desired, longed for |
|
moderātor, ōris [moderor], m. |
a manager, governor, director |
|
intereā [inter + is], adv. |
in the meantime, meanwhile 3 |
|
praetōriānus, a, um [praetōrium], adj. |
belonging to the bodyguard; praetorian; as subst., praetōriānī, ōrum, pl. m., the praetorians |
|
excieō, ciēre, cīvī, citum |
to arouse, excite, agitate |
|
tumultus, ūs, m. |
a disturbance, uproar; rebellion, riot |
|
Māxentius, ī, m. |
(M. Aurēlius Valerius) Māxentius, Roman emperor 306–312 A.D. |
|
Herculius, ī, m. |
a cognomen of Maximianus |
|
vīlla, ae, f. |
a country house, farm, villa |
|
Augustus, ī, m. |
a title of honor given to Octavianus in 27 BC and after him to all the Roman emperors |
|
nūncupō, āre, āvī, ātus [nōmen + capiō] |
to call, call by name; designate |
|
Māximiānus, ī, m. |
(1) Gālerius (Valerius) Māximiānus, Roman emperor, 305–311 A.D.; (2) (M. Aurēlius Valerius) Māximiānus, surnamed Herculius, Roman emperor 286–305 A.D. |
|
arrigō, ere, rēxī, rēctus |
rouse, encourage |
|
resūmō, ere, sūmpsī, sūmptus |
to resume, take up again |
|
fastīgium, ī, n. |
top, height; slope, descent; rank, dignity |
|
invītus, a, um, adj. |
unwilling |
|
advolō, āre, āvī, ātus [ad + volō, to fly] |
to fly to, hurry on, rush |
|
Lūcānia, ae, f. |
a district in southern Italy |
|
amoenus, a, um [amō, to love], adj |
pleasing, charming |
|
cōnsenēscō, ere, senuī, —— |
to grow old |
|
Dioclētiānus, ī, m. |
(Valerius) Dioclētiānus, emperor 284–305 A.D. |
|
adhortor, ārī, ātus sum [ad + hortor, to urge] |
to encourage, exhort, stimulate, urge |
|
dēpōnō, ere, posuī, positus |
to lay down or aside, put down; stop; arrange, establish |
|
irrīrītus, a, um |
ineffectual, unrealized, vain |
|
mōtus, ūs [moveō], m. |
motion, disturbance, revolt 4 |
|
Māxentius, ī, m. |
(M. Aurēlius Valerius) Māxentius, Roman emperor 306–312 A.D. |
|
obsideō, ēre, sēdī, sessus |
to besiege, occupy; watch closely |
|
cōnfīrmō, āre, āvī, ātus [con + fīrmō, to make firm] |
to confirm, strengthen, encourage, affirm |
|
Ravenna, ae, f. |
a city in Cisalpine Gaul |