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The roundet whicli appears on the coVer has been drawn by Berthold Wolpe, and a note on the Roman coins Domwhicli the anchor and dolphin symboland the portraiis of the twelve Caesarsare taken will be found on p. 313.
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NOT much is known about die life of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. He was probably bom in 69 A.D. - the famous 'year of ur Eniperors' - when his fallier, a Roman knight, served as a colonet in a regularlegion and took part in the Batile of Baetricum. From the letters of Suetonius's close friend Plis the Younger we leam that he practised briesy at the bar, moided political lisse, and becarne clites secreta tothe Emperor Hadrian II7-38 A.D. . The historian Spartianus recordsthat he was one of severat Palace officiais, including the Guards Commander, whom Hadrian when he retumed Dom Britari dismissed sor bellaving indiscreetly wida the Empress Sabina. Suetonius seemsto have lived to a good age. The tities of his books are recordedas follows: The I elue Caesare: Roal Biographies; Lives of Famous inhores; Roman Manners and Custonas; The Roman nar; Roman Festiuali: Roman Drcis; Greeh Games: Ossces of State: Cicero's R
publico The Physical Desecis of Manhiud; Methori os Rechoning Time:
An Enay on Nature; Greeh objurgations; Grammatical Problems: Critical Sigus Used in Boola. But apari from fragments of his Illustrious inriters, ich include stiori biographies of Virgil, Horace, and Lucan, theonly extant book is The Tioeloe Caesare, the most fascinatig andrichest os ait Latin histories.
Suetonius was fortunate in haring ready access to the Imperis and Senatoris archives and to a great body os contemporary memolas and
public documenta, and in having himself lived nearly thirty years
under the Caesars. Much of his information about Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero comes stom eye-witnesses of the evenis described. Apparently he took care to chech facts whereuer possibie, and ostenquotes conflicting eviden e without bias, which was not the habit os Tacitus or other later historians. Is his credulousness about omens and
His language is very bries and preci se, somelimes obscure, Without any affection or omament. He certainly telis a prodigious number of scandalous anecdotes about the Caesars, but there Was plenty to tellabout them: and is he did not choose to suppress those anecdotes whichhe belleved to be true, that is no imputation on his veraci ty. As a great collection of facts of ait Ends, his work on the Caesars is invaluable ...
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And Pliny, who persuaded the Emperor Tr an to grant Suetonius the immuniuies usualty granted oesy to a fallier of three children, though he had notae, wrote that the more he knew of Suetonius, thegreater his affection for him grew; I have had the fame experience. His version of The I elue Caesare is not intended as a school crib: the genius of Latin and the genius of Englisti being so dissimilar thata literat rendering would be almost inreadable. For Englisti readers
Suetonius's sentences, and somelimes eVen groups of Sentences, must osten be tumed insid otat. Whereuer his references are incomprehe
sibie to anyone not closely familiar with the Roman scene, I have alsobrought up into the texi a few words of explanation that would normalla have appeared in a s omote. Dates have been everint, erechanged from the pagan to the Christian era: modern names of cities used whenever they are more familiar to the common reader than the classical ones; and suis in sesterces reduced to gold pieces, at IOo to a
nicat wordes is exemplified in Imperator. This, at first, meant simply army commander'; nera it became a litie of honour whicli a generalmight eam by an important victo ; then it was placed as a ticle of honour after, or more flatteringly) before, the name of one of theresing Caesars, whether or not he had won any victories; finalty, it
was used in an absolute sense to mean 'Εmperor'.
I might have preseced the translation with an say on the Roman Republican Constitution and the merciless struggle belween thepopular and aristocratic parties in whicli Julius Caesar became