Suetonius Divus Vespasianus 18

ed. J. Eugene Reed, Alexander Thomson (Translator)

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He was a great encourager of learning and the liberal arts. He first granted to the Latin and Greek professors of rhetoric the yearly stipend of a hundred thousand sesterces ¹ each out of the exchequer. He also bought the freedom of superior poets and artists,² and gave a noble gratuity to the restorer of the Coan Venus, ³ and to another artist who repaired the Colossus. ⁴ Some one offering to convey some immense columns into the Capitol at a small expense by a mechanical contrivance, he rewarded him very handsomely for his invention, but would not accept his service, saying, "Suffer me to find maintenance for the poor people." ⁵

Divus Vespasianus. Suetonius. ed. J. Eugene Reed, Alexander Thomson (Translator). Philadelphia. 1883.

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Funding provided by Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Current edition Perseus

Vespasian (English) (Suetonius. The Lives of the Twelve Caesars. Thomson, Alexander, M.D, translator; Reed, J.E., editor. Philadelphia: Gebbie, 1883.)

Editions (2)

Divus Vespasianus Perseus (Suetonius. De Vita Caesarum Libri VIII. Ihm, Max, editor; Leipzig: Teubner, 1908.) — 18.1 focus

[1] primus e fisco Latinis Graecisque rhetoribus annua centena constituit; praestantis poetas, nec non et artifices, Coae Veneris, item Colossi refectorem insigni congiario magnaque mercede donauit; mechanico quoque grandis columnas exigua impensa perducturum in Capitolium pollicenti praemium pro commento non mediocre optulit, operam remisit praefatus sineret se plebiculam pascere.

Latin (Mooney, 1930; two-witness OCR draft) Experimental (George W. Mooney, C. Suetoni Tranquilli De Vita Caesarum Libri VII–VIII, 1930. Two supplied HathiTrust OCR witnesses: inu.30000076323157 and pst.000005277278. Ihm-aligned chapters and sections; unresolved OCR retained and documented in the accompanying Mooney audit.)

No corresponding passage available

Translations (5)

Vespasian — English (Holland, 1899; selective 1606 variants) (OCR draft) Experimental (Reviewed existing structured XML; conservative source comparison and unresolved-note inventory, September 2026. English (Holland, 1899; selective 1606 variants))

No corresponding passage available

Vespasian — English (Rolfe, 1914; reviewed XML) (OCR draft) Experimental (Reviewed existing structured XML; conservative source comparison and unresolved-note inventory, September 2026. English (Rolfe, 1914; reviewed XML))

No corresponding passage available

English (Mooney, 1930; two-witness OCR draft) Experimental (George W. Mooney, C. Suetoni Tranquilli De Vita Caesarum Libri VII–VIII, 1930. Two supplied HathiTrust OCR witnesses: inu.30000076323157 and pst.000005277278. Ihm-aligned chapters and sections; unresolved OCR retained and documented in the accompanying Mooney audit.)

No corresponding passage available

Commentary (Mooney, 1930; English; OCR draft) Experimental (George W. Mooney, C. Suetoni Tranquilli De Vita Caesarum Libri VII–VIII, 1930. Two supplied HathiTrust OCR witnesses: inu.30000076323157 and pst.000005277278. Ihm-aligned chapters and sections; unresolved OCR retained and documented in the accompanying Mooney audit.)

No corresponding passage available

Commentary (Braithwaite, 1927; English; OCR draft) Experimental (A. W. Braithwaite, C. Suetoni Tranquilli Divus Vespasianus. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1927. Commentary prepared from one UIUG OCR witness, with Ihm chapter/section targets and mentioned/note lemma markup. OCR draft; see braithwaite1927-audit for provenance, decisions and unresolved issues.)

No corresponding passage available

Notes on the current edition

Vespasian

1. See AUGUSTUS, c. xliii. The proscenium of the ancient theatres was a solid erection of an architectural design, not shifted and varied as our stage-scenes.

2. Many eminent writers among the Romans were originally slaves, such as Terence and Phaedrus; and, still more, artists, physicians and artificers. Their talents procuring their manumission, they became the freedmen of their former masters. Vespasian, it appears from Suetonius, purchased the freedom of some persons of ability belonging to these classes.

3. The Coan Venus was the chef d'oeuvre of Apelles, a native of the island of Cos, in the Archipelago, who flourished in the time of Alexander the Great. If it was the original painting which was now restored, it must have been well preserved.

4. Probably the colossal statue of Nero (see his Life, c. xxxi.), afterwards placed in Vespasian's amphitheatre, which derived its name from it.

5. The usual argument in all times against the introduction of machinery. See AUGUSTUS, c. xxix.