Suetonius Divus Vespasianus 20

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

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He was broad-set, strong-limbed, and his features gave the idea of a man in the act of straining himself. In consequence, one of the city wits, upon the emperor's desiring him "to say something droll respecting himself," facetiously answered, "I will, when you have done relieving your bowels."¹ He enjoyed a good state of health, though he used no other means to preserve it, than repeated friction, as much as he could bear, on his neck and other parts of his body, in the tennis-court attached to the baths, besides fasting one day in every month.

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

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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.) — 20.1 focus

[1] Statura fuit quadrata, compactis firmisque membris, uultu ueluti nitentis; de quo quidam urbanorum non infacete, siquidem petenti, ut et in se aliquid diceret: 'dicam,' inquit, 'cum uentrem exonerare desieris.' ualitudine prosperrima usus est, quamuis ad tuendam eam nihil amplius quam fauces ceteraque membra sibimet ad numerum in sphaeristerio defricaret inediamque unius diei per singulos menses interponeret.

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. Notwithstanding the splendour, and even, in many respects, the refinement of the imperial court, the language as well as the habits of the highest classes in Rome seem to have been but too commonly of the grossest description, and every scholar knows that many of their writers are not very delicate in their allusions. Apropos of the ludicrous account given in the text, Martial, on one occasion, uses still plainer language.

Utere lactucis, et mollibus utere malvis:

Nam faciem durum, Phoebe, cacantis habes.

iii. 89.