The Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius (speld decodable readers .txt) 📕

was shortly shown to be true through the uprightness and moderate rule of the succeeding emperors. Endnotes

85 or 84 BC, according to the chronology of Suetonius, which makes the year of Caesar’s birth 100 BC The arguments in favour of 102 are however very strong. ↩

By Marius and Cinna, consuls in 86; see Velleius Paterculus, Historiae Romanae 2.43.1. ↩

A chaplet of oak leaves, given for saving the life of a fellow-citizen, the Victoria Cross of antiquity. ↩

See Julius, 74.1. ↩

The festival of Bona Dea, from which all men were excluded. ↩

The towns beyond the river Po, such as Verona, Comum, and Cremona, wished to obtain the rights of citizenship, which had been given to many of the Italian towns at the close of the Social War (89⁠–⁠88 BC). ↩

Forum ornare was the technical term for the display there by the aediles of the material to be used in their public shows. ↩

As iudex quaestionis, an office held by Caesar between the aedileship and the praetorship. ↩

As iudex perduellionis, or duumvir perduellionis, one of a commission of two men appointed to try cases of high treason. Of these one was selected by lot (sorte ductus) to conduct the trial, if one were necessary, and pass sentence. An appeal was allowed and the duumvir then brought the case before the comitia centuriata (in the regal period before the comitia curiata). See Livy 1.26.5 ff.; Cicero, Pro Rabirio Perduellionis Reo 4. ↩

As governor of Egypt; see Julius, 11. ↩

Namely, Gnaeus Pompeius. ↩

When the consuls went to the Capitol to offer sacrifice at the commencement of their term of office (on January 1), their friends escorted them to the temple and back to their homes. Caesar took advantage of the absence of the aristocrats for his attack on Catulus. ↩

Novius seems to have been quaesitor, a special commissioner appointed to conduct the investigation (quaestio) of the Catilinarian conspiracy; perhaps we should read quaesitorem. ↩

That is, without waiting for the decrees of the senate which formally confirmed the appointments of the new governors, and provided them with funds and equipment. ↩

If silvae callesque should stand in the text, it is used in a different sense from calles in Tacitus Annals 4.27. It seems to designate provinces where the duties of the governor would be confined to guarding the mountain-pastures and keeping the woods free from brigands. The senate would not run the risk of letting Caesar secure a province involving the command of an army. Cf. note on Julius, 24.1. ↩

Business could be interrupted or postponed at Rome by the announcement of an augur or a magistrate that he had seen a flash of lightning or some other adverse sign; sometimes an opponent merely announced that he would “watch the skies” for such omens. ↩

Torrentius put per iocum after signarent, but such jesting would not be tolerated in actual legal documents. ↩

Through a special commission of twenty men. ↩

By making a speech of several hours’ duration; Gellius, Noctes Atticae 4.10.8. The senate arose in a body and escorted Cato to prison, and Caesar was forced to release him. ↩

For his conduct during the war with Mithridates. ↩

That is, after the close of the business day, an indication of the haste with which the adoption was rushed through. ↩

Used in a double sense, the second unmentionable. ↩

A Celtic word meaning a crested lark, (Pliny, Natural History 11.37) which was the device on the helmets of the legion. ↩

Roman measure; about 3106 English miles, taking the Roman foot (296 mm) as 0.97 English. ↩

Sestertius: A Roman coin, originally of silver, but later of bronze, equal to 2½ asses, or one-fourth of a denarius. It was equal to 2½d. or 5 cents, and is the unit in which sums of money were most commonly reckoned by the Romans. ↩

When ordinarily they would be put to death. ↩

That is, in correcting the bill after it had been passed and filed, as explained in the following sentence. ↩

When the senate passed a decree that Caesar should disband his army before a given date, the tribunes Mark Antony and Quintus Cassius exercised their privilege and vetoed it (Caesar, Civil Wars 1.2.6⁠–⁠7); not only did the senate disregard the veto, but the tribunes were obliged to seek safety in flight (Caesar, Civil Wars 1.5.1⁠–⁠2). ↩

Cicero, De Officiis 3.82. ↩

Euripides, Phoenissae, 542 f. ↩

Way. ↩

Knights (as well as senators) had the privilege of wearing a gold ring, and must possess an estate of 400,000 sesterces. ↩

Per tumultum is a strong expression for contra legem or extra ordinem, since the Lex Sempronia provided that the consuls be appointed to their provinces before election; cf. Julius, 19.2. ↩

The prandium was the first substantial meal of the day, taken about noon; the translation “dinner” is used advisedly. ↩

In token of his restoration to the rank of knight, which he forfeited by