The Lives of the Caesars, Suetonius [best book club books for discussion .TXT] 📗

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Of the praetorian guard, in the northeastern part of the city. ↩

Narcissus. ↩

See note on Claudius, 23.2. ↩

See Tiberius, 34.1. Claudius apparently allowed greater freedom. The restrictions were renewed by Nero (see Nero, 16.2), and according to Dio, 60.6, Claudius himself (later?) issued an edict forbidding the sale of dressed meats and hot water, as well as abolishing the drinking-booths. ↩

Obviously some man proverbial for his folly; but nothing is known about him. ↩

The famous historian. ↩

Because he stammered; see Claudius, 30. ↩

His grandmother Octavia was the widow, and his mother Antonia the daughter, of Mark Antony. ↩

These were Ⱶ, to represent the sound between u and i in maxumus, maximus, etc.; Ↄ, for the sound of bs as ps; Ⅎ for consonant u. ↩

See Julius, 20.1, at the beginning. ↩

I.e. in Greek; cf. Tiberius, 71. ↩

Referring to the cohort on guard at the Palace; cf. Claudius, 10. ↩

Iliad, 24.369; Odyssey 21.133. ↩

A proverbial expression, derived from the story of Telephus, who when wounded by Achilles was told by the oracle that he could be cured only by the one who dealt the blow. Achilles cured him by applying rust from his spear to the wound. ↩

That is, a legitimate heir to the throne. ↩

The northern spur of the Capitoline Hill. ↩

The formula was “Di meliora (duint)!” “May the Gods grant better things,” i.e. “the Gods forbid!” ↩

The youths were Castor and Pollux, and the victory that at Lake Regillus, in 498 BC, according to the traditional chronology. ↩

Suetonius is in error here; it was the father of the tribune who defeated the Allobroges. ↩

Os has about the force of “cheek” in colloquial English. ↩

See Julius, 34.1. ↩

Proposed by Q. Pedius, Caesar’s colleague in the consulship. ↩

The Pedian law. ↩

That is, as his executor. The maker of a will chose a man to whom he made a symbolic sale (per aes et librum; see Augustus, 64.1) of all his goods in the presence of witnesses. The purchaser then made the designated payments to the heirs and legatees. ↩

Augustus, 64 and 65. ↩

Gouging out the eyes seems to have been a favourite mode of attack among the Italians; cf. Augustus, 27.4, Nero, 26.2, and the frequent allusions in comedy. ↩

And paid for through the bankers; cf. perscriptum fuisset, Julius, 42.2. ↩

In his capacity as praetor; this was adding insult to injury, since the edict did not affect the present case. ↩

See note on Tiberius, 7.2. ↩

See note on Tiberius, 7.2 and cf. Augustus, 5. ↩

Boys on the ninth day after birth, and girls on the eighth, were purified by a sacrifice and given a name; the ceremony was called lustratio. ↩

That is, as if the story had a better foundation, and the serpent had really saved his life through divine agency. ↩

So the mss., but it should be the twelfth (Lipsius) or thirteenth (Oudendorp). ↩

That is, his adoptive father Claudius. ↩

See note on Claudius, 1.3. ↩

See note on Claudius, 42.1. ↩

Cf. Tacitus Annals 12.68. ↩

See Claudius, 19. ↩

Cf. Vespasian, 17. ↩

Cf. Augustus, 53.3, nullo submonente. ↩

An honour previously conferred only on generals after a great victory; cf. Julius, 24.3, at the end. ↩

That is, the part which he had read. ↩

In commemoration of the first shaving of his beard; see Nero, 12.4, below. ↩

This had previously been done only at the theatre (see note on Julius, 39.2); senators were first given special seats at the Circus by Claudius; See Claudius, 21.3. ↩

A tightrope, sloping downwards across the arena; cf. Galba, 6. ↩

The musicians, machinists, etc.; cf. Claudius, 34.2. ↩

Cf. Julius, 39.1. Originally war dances, their scope was extended to pantomime of all kinds, as appears from what follows. ↩

See note on Augustus, 98.3. ↩

The podium in the amphitheatre was a raised platform, close to the arena, on which the imperial family, the curule magistrates, and the Vestal virgins sat on curule chairs. Nero reclined there on a couch. ↩

In the broad sense, including poetry and oratory. ↩

The baths, the Thermae Neronianae, were in the Campus Martius, near the Pantheon. The gymnasium, the first permanent building of the kind at Rome, was attached to the baths. ↩

And to act as judges. ↩

Cf. Augustus, 44.3. ↩

Of Pompey. ↩

See note on Augustus, 13.2. ↩

This was usual only when a triumph was celebrated. ↩

See note on