P. Corneli Taciti Vita Agricolae. The life of Agricola

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P. CORNELI TACIT VITA AGRICOLAE.

THE LIFE O AGRICOLA

P. CORNELIUS TACITUS

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Εntereo accorclingrio Acti Congress in the year 288o, hywILLIAM FRANCIS ALLEN, In the mce of the Librariare of Congress a Washington.

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INTRODUCTION.

PUBLIUS CORNELIUS TACITUS, the greates of the

Roman historians, nourished in the eignis the Emperor Trajan A.D. 98 II7). There is no positive videnc a tolli place of his birili, o iis date, o the time os his death. traditionis no great value mines him a native os Interamna. This a the blathplace of the Emperor Tacitus, ho laimed hinsitam th the historian As to thesearis his blath, weano only that he was omeWhat olde than his intimate friend theyounge Uiny, Who Was bom .D. 6 or et Uin himself says Epp. vii. o that the were propemodum aequales but addM:

adulescensurus, cum jam e fama gloriaque flores, se equi ... concupiscebam. These expression ma potat to a dissereno in age of so sive possibi even ight o ten yeam: e Cannot weli place the blath os Tacitus earlier than si or later hans 6. The est authorities are generali agree uPO A.D. 54. I Wo or three considerations teli in lavor of an earlier date. In the Liseis Agricola Chap. III. he appeam to recton himself amon those lio, eing juvenes a the CCession ofDomitian, ad arrive ad senec rem unde the rule os that tyrant. No sorty-five a the age os senecrus CCordin to Roman laW an a Domitian die in 96 Tacitus an ard*have been bom much later than I. Again the narration of

His praenomen has been usuallyalven as Gaius, but is noW generallyaccepte to have been Publius, omine authorit of one of the est manu

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iv Introduction. the evenis os theseus 68 and 9 in themistories, appeam tobe that o an ye-Witness i so, e Canno suppos him toliave been les inanisleen at that date. Mother considerationis that TaCitus a praeso A.D. 88, Whic Was therarst year hecould have held that ossice, unde the rules of the Republic, fhe had been bom in si Theseaules ere, it is me, no longeri forCe neveriheless, it is reason leo suppos that theystili exerte some influence, and that this ossice Would no behel much besore the traditiones age. I may be added that Uin Was probabi not far stomisty-five henae made use of the expression propemodum aequales and that this term might appi very et to , men o fisty-five an stity-three rive. He probabi die about A.D. II 6. of the event of his lis ver litue ichnown He mamed thedaurater of Agricola in the ea A.D. M Chap. IX.), an ithas been conjecture that he was a member of his militarysamit during his administrationi Aquitania sterilare previous

disserent in style Dominis later oris that an have thoughtit could no have been writte by him. a. The Lise of Ast

cola. 3. Germave a description os the nations os Germann Whic som our est o ce of informatio acto their early condition. It is about as large a Wor a the Agricola. 4. Theriissuries, in launeen books in deteste narration os evenis

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The me of Agricola. V

srom me deat os Nero, A.D. 68, to that os Domitian A.D. 96. Only the fidit ou books an pari os the sth are extant. 5. The Annals properi an introduction to themistories, tesssuli and minute, but in a more finished an maturer style. It Consisted os fixteen boota, and e race the perio stom thederit os Augustus, A.D. 4, to that os Nero, Α.D. 68. Fourbook and paris of Mur other are missing. e planne also a histor of the good times aster Domitian, ut seems neve totave underiisen it.

Τacitus Was in theor a republican and had n lihin sor theempire. Heanemvery weli that the Republic could neve berestored, and was satisfied that the beneficent ruleis Nerva and Trajania solve the problem os govemment so the Romans, and that the nomeri e the best practi Ne combination ofliberi an authority. ut he could no large the horror os the erit times that had gone besore, an heaives sui an unrestriane expression to his atre of the tyrann o Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, and Domitian. His style gloWs illi intensityos seeling,heni speis of them andine osten rises o these

occasions into a stem an passionate eloquence This appeam algorio have been his characteristi as an orator so Uin saysthat he enoge in the prosecution os a me an uviust provincia govem , he spolie eloquendissime et, quod eximium orationi ejus inese, σεμνως, --iCb ast ordis may render, 'in a stately, earnes style.' A a writer, he had the fame Cha acteristic he excels in graphic power, though hecis osten ob-sCure ram excessive condensation but the student is almys

repaid sor his efforis by the intrinsic excellence of his ritings. e Liseis Agricola stand by itfel in ancient literatur asa biograph of the modern type - no meret the orthilyrelate lis os an eminent an like hos os lutarchondΝepos but a persona tribute os assectio an admiratio by

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vi Introduction. one os his οὐ household. o classical Wor is heresore et- ter fitte to form partis a co se Whicli iam to Containinlywhat is intrinsicali best an mos characteristic. It is ne of thos sonis ritings inicii et to elevate an strengthen themorat nature and buit up Character. Μ ais, in the present edition has been to meet the needsos such a co se have te specia philologica training tome teacher, ni mining occasiones reference to the leadinggrammars. O the ther hand I have underi e to explain the historices reserenoes With great viness, an to give need ulassistanc in ali rea dissiculties. In the teri I have so themost pari solio ed ritet, but have o hesitate in var stomit,hen there seeme to e good reason, especiali in severat Cases to restore the readingis the manuscripta. In preparing the Commentary, Phave been Chien assisted by Mira, but have also made se os Drager Chum and rodribb, an Freund. M species thanis are due to ros. - Ε, o Corneli Universitri Who has arefullyaea the whole proos, and whose suggestions have frequently Caused me to change or modis my

It is, intention to soll- this, as early a possibie, With an editionis the Germania o Tacitus.