Europe is going through a difficult time now, but
fortunately people with some knowledge of history can put things into
perspective. Alas, there are too few. Take for instance the year 69. After the
death of Nero in 68 the Roman state was in turmoil. No one knew what to do and
various factions were fighting each other. The result was that in a short
period four emperors ruled the empire in succession. Indeed the year 69 as
known as `Year of the Four Emperors’ Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian ruled
during that year, with the latter as the most capable ruling till 79. The
others proved to be unpopular and incapable and Galba – who declared himself
emperor in June 68 – was murdered on January 15 in 69, by soldiers on
instigation of Otho. His unpopularity had risen to such an extent that no one
was willing to help him, except for a guard consisting of soldiers normally
stationed in Germania Inferior (Germaniciani),
but they came too late.
Suetonius is drawing his description of Galba’s death
from various sources and gives some vivid and gory details, knowing that his ancient
audience enjoyed reading such things. Well, let’s be honest: we still do.
Suetonius, Vita
Galbae, 20.
Sunt qui
tradant, ad primum tumultum proclamasse eum: Quid agitis, commilitones? ego
vester sum, et vos mei! donativum etiam pollicitum. Plures autem prodiderunt,
optulisse ultro iugulum et ut hoc agerent ac ferirent, quando ita videretur,
hortatum. Illud mirum admodum fuerit, neque praesentium quemquam opem
imperatori ferre conatum et omnes qui arcesserentur sprevisse nuntium, excepta
Germanicianorum vexillatione. Ii ob recens meritum, quod se aegros et invalidos
magnopere fovisset, in auxilium advolaverunt, sed serius, itinere devio per
ignorantiam locorum retardati. Iugulatus est ad lacum Curti ac relictus ita uti
erat, donec gregarius miles a frumentatione rediens abiecto onere caput ei
amputavit; et quoniam capillo arripere non poterat, in gremium abdidit, mox
inserto per os pollice ad Othonem detulit. Ille lixis calonibusque donavit, qui
hasta suffixum non sine ludibrio circum castra portarunt adclamantes identidem:
"Galba Cupido, fruaris aetate tua," maxime irritati ad talem iocorum
petulantiam, quod ante paucos dies exierat in vulgus, laudanti cuidam formam
suam ut adhuc floridam et vegetam respondisse eum:
Ἔτι μοι μένος ἔμπεδόν ἐστιν.
Ab is Patrobii
Neroniani libertus centum aureis redemptum eo loco, ubi iussu Galbae
animadversum in patronum suum fuerat, abiecit. Sero tandem dispensator Argivus
et hoc et ceterum truncum in privatis eius hortis Aurelia via sepulturae dedit.
sunt qui tradant: there are those who say (sunt qui takes the verb in the
subjunctive)
eum (= Galba)
commillitio –onis:
fellow soldier
donativum:
money, especially given to soldiers
tradant (eum) pollicitum
(esse): (that he) promised (polliceor)
prodo (-ere): to tell (prodiderunt (eum)
obfero (ferre) obtuli oblatum: to offer (optulisse
= obtulisse)
ultro:
voluntarily
iugulum: neck
ut hoc agerent ac
ferirent, quando ita videretur, hortatum = hortatum (i.e.to the soldiers) (esse) ut hoc etc.
hoc agerent: hoc age was what a priest said to the
butcher about to strike (ferio) a
sacrificial animal
quando ita
videretur: since this seemed so (the soldiers had resolved)
admodum: very, quite
opem fero: to
bring help
conor conatus:
to try
arcesso (-ere): to send for
sperno (-ere)
sprevi spretum: to despise, reject
nuntium: namely
that Galba was in danger
vexillatio, -onis
(f.): a body of soldiers under one flag (vexillium)
meritum:
favour
aegros et invalidos,
namely the Germanic soldiers
advolo: to
hurry to
magnopere:
very much
serius: too
late
itinere devio
retardati: delayed by the wrong way
iugulo (-are): to strangle
ita uti erat:
like he was (uti = ut)
lacum Curti:
the pond of Curtius (a pond in Rome)
gregarius:
common
frumatio –onis
(f.): providing of corn (this was given freely for keeping the people
satisfied. The economic costs were huge, as it had to be imported.)
onus oneris
(n.): load, burden
quoniam capillo
arripere non poterat: he could not take the head by the hair as Galba was
bald
gremium: lap
abdo (-ere): to hide
inserto per os
police: having put his thumb in the mouth (of Galba’s head)
ille: Otho
lixa: someone
doing the daily work at a camp, a sutler, cook, servant
calo –onis
(m.): personal servant of a soldier
(caput) hasta suffixum
ludibrium:
derision
Galba Cupido,
fruaris aetate tua: Love god Galba, enjoy your age! The reason is explained
below. It has clearly sexual overtones, as hasta
does not only mean `spear’, but also `penis’.
irritatus:
aroused
petulantia:
sauciness, freakishness, petulance
ante paucos dies:
a few days earlier
in vulgus: in
public
respondisse eum:
(it was said) that he had answered
vegetus:
lively, active
Ἔτι μοι μένος ἔμπεδόν ἐστιν (Iliad 5, 254): my strength is still unbroken
Ab is (= iis)..centum
aureis redemptum eo loco, ubi... abiecit: a freedman threw (the head)
bought from them for a hundred gold coins to that place, where…
animadverto (-ere) in aliquem: to punish with death (animadversum in patronum suum is an
impersonal construction with animadversum
as a neuter singular. It is impossible to keep this construction in English,
hence `where his patron had been punished with death’)
sero: at a
late hour
dispensator –oris
(m.): steward, treasurer
sepultura: burial
Translation by J. C. Rolfe (1914)
Some say that at the beginning of the disturbance he
cried out, "What mean you, fellow soldiers? I am yours and you are mine,"
and that he even promised them largess. But the more general account is, that
he offered them his neck without resistance, urging them to do their duty and
strike, since it was their will. It might seem very surprising that none of
those present tried to lend aid to their emperor, and that all who were sent
for treated the summons with contempt except a company of German troops. These,
because of his recent kindness in showing them great indulgence when they were
weakened by illness, flew to his help, but through their unfamiliarity with the
city took a roundabout way and arrived too late.
2 He was killed beside the Lake of Curtius and was left
lying just as he was, until a common soldier, returning from a distribution of
grain, threw down his load and cut off the head. Then, since there was no hair
by which to grasp it, he put it under his robe, but later thrust his thumb into
the mouth and so carried it to Otho. He handed it over to his servants and
camp-followers, who set it on a lance and paraded it about the camp with jeers,
crying out from time to time, "Galba, thou Cupid, exult in thy
vigour!" The special reason for this saucy jest was, that the report had
gone abroad a few days before, that when someone had congratulated him on still
looking young and vigorous, he replied:
"As yet my strength is unimpaired."
From these it was bought by a freedman of Patrobius
Neronianus for a hundred pieces of gold and thrown aside in the place where his
patron had been executed by Galba's order. At last, however, his steward
Argivus consigned it to the tomb with the rest of the body in Galba's private
gardens on the Aurelian Road.
Galba
(3 BC 69 AD) Galba was bald, but used a wig.
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