The gossip and saucy details are especially
evident in the biographies of those emperors he disliked, like Nero (37-68).
Nero came to power at the age of 17 and as a young emperor he liked to roam
incognito the streets of Rome
after dark and beat up people, as Suetonius tells us.
The Latin is not exactly simple, but here is a
link to a translation:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Suet.+Nero+26&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0132
I have given a lot of words, but when you need
to know more, load the Latin text on the site obove (upper right), click on the
Latin word and you will be connected to some dictionaries.
XXVI. Petulantiam, libidinem,
luxuriam, avaritiam, crudelitatem sensim quidem primo et occulte et velut
iuvenili errore exercuit, sed ut tunc quoque dubium nemini foret naturae illa
vitia, non aetatis esse. Post crepusculum statim adrepto pilleo vel galero
popinas inibat circumque vicos vagabatur ludibundus nec sine pernicie tamen,
siquidem redeuntes a cena verberare ac repugnantes vulnerare cloacisque
demergere assuerat, tabernas etiam effingere et expilare. Quintana domi constituta ubi partae et ad
licitationem dividendae praedae pretium absumeretur. Ac saepe in eius modi
rixis oculorum et vitae periculum adiit, a quodam latriclavio, cuius uxorem
adtrectaverat, necem prope ad caesus. Quare numquam postea publico se illud
horae sine tribunis commisit et occulte subsequentibus. Interdiu quoque clam
gestoraria sella delatus in theatrum seditionibus pantomimorum e parte
proscaeni superiore signifer simul ac spectator aderat. Et cum ad manus ventum
esset lapidibusque et subselliorum fragminibus decerneretur, multa et ipse
iecit in populum atque etiam praetoris caput consauciavit.
petulantia petulance,
capricious ill humor
crudelitas, -atis cruelty
sensim quidem primo et occulte …..exercuit In the beginning (primo) he (Nero)
practised indeed (quidem) gradually (sensim) and secretly (occulte)
sed ut tunc but (in such way) that even then
foret =
esset
crepusculum evening
twilight
adrepto pilleo vel galero abl.abs. a hat or a wig being
grasped (arripio)
popina eating-house,
low tavern
vicus quarter
vagor to
roam
ludibundus playful,
frolicsome
pernicies mischief
siquidem since
indeed
redeuntes from red-ire
cena dinner
(either from the popina or from
friends. Inviting each other for dinner
was a wide-spread custom.)
verbero to
beat
repugno to
fight back
vulnero to
wound
cloaca sewer,
drain (Rome had a sysrem of artificial canals by which the filth was carried from the streets into the Tiber.)
demergo plunge
assuesco to be used to (assuerat
= assueverat plq.pf. )
taberna shop
affringo to break open
expilo plunder
quintana market (quintana via:
the fifth street in a Roman army camp, where the market place was.)
domi at home.
The i denotes the locative case, which in Latin has only survived in a
couple of words as `humi `on the ground’. In place-names ending on a
it was written ae so Romae `at Rome’.
ubi partae et ad licitationem dividendae
praedae pretium absumeretur difficult Latin: where the booty
(praeda, pl) divided
(partae!) and being sold (dividendae!
from mecantile language `to sell piecemeal’. The gerundive has here hardly the
force of `have to, must’) by auction,
the money (pretium) was squandered.
The difficulty lies in the unusual meaning of some words
in eius modi rixis litt. ìn scuffles of this sort
perculum adiit `he ran into danger
laticlavius senator (actually an adiective` having a broad purple stripe’ , the
mark on
the toga of a senator.)
attracto to touch in an indecent manner
necem prope ad caesus
almost beaten to death (what would have happened to Roman history if that
senator had succeeded in beating Nero to death?)
illud horae…..commisit =
he committed (himself) to that (kind) of hour. horae
is a genitivus qualitatis.
tribunus guard
subsequentibus goes with tribunis,
from subsequor to follow
interdiu during
day time
clam secretly
gestoraria sella sedan-chair,
litter (abl.!)
delatus carried
seditionibus pantomimorum e parte proscaeni superiore
signifer simul ac spectator aderat. he was present at the uproars (seditionibus)
of the pantomime plays, from the upper part of the proscenium (kind of balcony)
giving signs (for the uproars) and being
spectator at the same time..
The
pantomime was a form of theatre in which actors danced and enacted a story
without speaking. The theme could be anything, but especially love and adultry
was popular. Nero himself often acted himself in pantomimes.
cum ad manus ventum esset and when it came to handfights. An
impersonal construction
subsellium low
bench
decerno to
fight (decernetur: impersonal
construction) The first meaning of decerno is `to decide’, hence to decide
by military means `to fight, combat’.
iecit from iacio to throw
consaucio to
wound severely
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