In Occidentis tractibus varia Valentinani Aug. saevitiae et efferatae crudelitatis exempla.

[1] Hic¹ et mihi vertenti stilum in Gallias, confunditur ordo seriesque gestorum, inter multa et saeva Maximinum reperiens iam praefectum, qui potestate late diffusa, scaevum imperatori accesserat incentivum, maiestati fortunae miscenti licentiam gravem. Quisquis igitur dicta considerat, perpendat etiam cetera, quae tacentur, veniam daturus, ut prudens, si non cuncta complectimur, quae consiliorum pravitas crimina in maius exaggerando commisit.

[2] Adulescente enim acerbitate, rationum inimica rectarum, trux suopte ingenio Valentinianus, post eiusdem Maximini adventum, nec meliora monente ullo nec retentante, per asperos actus velut aestu quodam fluctuum ferebatur et procellarum, adeo ut irascentis saepe vox et vultus et² incessus mutaretur et color. Quam rem indicia varia testantur et certa, e quibus pauca sufficiet poni.

[3] Adultus quidam ex his quos paedagogianos appellant, ad observandam venaticiam praedam, Spartanum canem retinere dispositus, ante praedictum tempus absolvit, adsultu eius evadere conantis appetitus et morsu: ideoque necatus ad exitium fustibus, eadem humatus est die.

[4] Praepositum fabricae oblato thorace polito faberrime, praemiumque ideo exspectantem, ea re praecepit occidi diritate pari³ quod pondus paulo minus habuit species ferrea, quam ille firmarat. Epiroten⁴ aliquem ritus Christiani presbyterum acceptum Octaviano⁵ ex proconsule offensarum auctore licet tardius ad sua remisso.⁶

[5] Constantianus strator paucos militares equos ex his ausus mutare, ad quos probandos missus est in Sardiniam, eodem iubente lapidum ictibus oppetit crebris. Athanasius favorabilis tunc auriga, ita⁷ suspectus ei vulgari levitate, ut vivus incendi iuberetur, si quid temptasset huius modi, non multo postea veneficiis usus incessebatur;⁸ nulla delata voluptatum artifici venia, ignibus aboleri praeceptus est.

[6] Africanus causarum in urbe defensor assiduus, post administratam provinciam, ad regendam aliam adspiravit, cuius suffragatori magistro equitum Theodosio, id petenti, subagresti verbo pius responderat imperator:⁹ Abi, inquit, comes, et muta ei caput, qui sibi mutari provinciam cupit: et hoc elogio perit homo disertus, ad potiora festinans, ut multi.

[7] Claudium et Sallustium, ex Iovianorum numero ad usque tribunatus dignitates progressos progresses, accusabat quidam vilitate ipsa despectus, quod cum imperium Procopius affectasset, aliqua pro eo locuti sunt bona. Cumque nihil quaestiones reperirent assiduae, mandare magistris equitum auditoribus princeps, ut agerent in exsilium Claudium¹⁰ et Sallustium pronuntiarent capitis reum, pollicitus quod eum revocabit ad supplicium raptum; hocque ita (ut statutum est) observato, nec Sallustius morte exemptus est, nec Claudius nisi post eiusdem Valentiniani obitum deportationis maestitia liberatus¹¹ longe recusaverit, cum illi saepissime torquerentur.

[8] Replicatis igitur quaestionibus dense, et quibusdam vi nimia tormentorum absumptis, ne vestigia quidem ulla delatorum reperta sunt criminum. In hoc negotio protectores, ad exhibendas missi personas, de ¹² fustibus praeter solitum caesi.

[9] Horrescit animus omnia recensere, simulque reformidat, ne ex professo¹³ quaesisse videamur in vitia principis, alia commodissimi. Illud tamen nec praeteriri est aequum nec sileri, quod cum duas haberet ursas saevas hominum ambestrices, Micam auream et Innocentiam, cultu ita curabat¹⁴ enixo, ut earum caveas prope cubiculum suum locaret, custodesque adderet fidos, visuros sollicite, nequo¹⁵ casu ferarum deleretur¹⁶ luctificus calor. Innocentiam denique, post multas quas eius laniatu cadaverum viderat sepulturas, ut bene meritam in silvas abire dimisit innoxiam, exoptans similes edituram.¹⁷

Res Gestae. Ammianus Marcellinus. John C. Rolfe (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1935-1940.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by Tufts University.

Current edition Perseus

Res Gestae (Ammianus Marcellinus. Ammianus Marcellinus, with an English translation, Vols. I-III. Rolfe, John C., editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; W. Heinemann, 1935-1940 (printing).)

Translations (1)

History Perseus (Ammianus Marcellinus. Ammianus Marcellinus, with an English translation, Vols. I-III. Rolfe, John C., translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; W. Heinemann, 1935-1940 (printing).) — 29.3 focus

[1] At this point, as I turn my pen to Gaul, the order and series of events is a turmoil, since we find Maximus, who is now prefect, in the midst of many cruel deeds; for being in possession of extensive power, he was added as an ill-omened incentive to the emperor,¹ who united with the majesty of his position unendurable tyranny. Therefore, whoever ponders what I have told, should also carefully weigh the rest which are passed over in silence; and, like a reasonable person, he will pardon me for not including everything which deliberate wickedness committed by exaggerating the importance of the charges.

[2] For Valentinian, who was naturally savage, as bitterness (which is a foe to righteous conduct) increased in him after the coming of the aforesaid Maximinus, having no one to give better advice or to restrain him, was carried as if by surging waves and tempests from one cruel act to another; to such a degree that, when he was in a passion, often his voice and expression, his gait and his colour, were changed. For his cruelty we have the testimony of various sure pieces of evidence, of which it will suffice to set down a few.

[3] A well-grown youth of the class called pages² was posted, holding in leash a Spartan hound, to watch for game at a hunt; but he let the dog loose before the designated time, because the animal in an effort to escape leaped at him in a rush and bit him; for that he was beaten to death with cudgels and buried the same day.

[4] A man in charge of a smithy brought to the emperor a breastplate artistically embellished, and expected a reward for it; but Valentinian ordered him to be put to death with equal cruelty because the piece³ of iron armour had a little less weight than he had stipulated. An elder of the Christian faith from Epirus, who was a favourite of Octavianus,⁴ the former proconsul, . . . and the author of the charges was sent back, although somewhat tardily, to his home.⁵

[5] Constantianus, an officer of the stable,⁶ was sent to Sardinia to test horses to be used for military service, and because he had dared to exchange a few of them, he was stoned to death by the emperor’s order. Athanasius, a favourite charioteer of the day, so suspected by him for his general light-mindedness that he was ordered to be burned alive if he should try anything of the kind,⁷ not long afterward used magic arts and was charged therewith; and without indulgence being granted to a man who was an artist in entertainments, he was condemned to be burned to death.

[6] Africanus, a busy pleader of cases at law in the city, after governing a province, aspired to the rule of another; but when Theodosius, general of the cavalry, supported him in his request, the kind emperor gave this somewhat boorish reply: Go, general, and change his head for him, since he wants a change in his province. And by this pronouncement⁸ an eloquent man lost his life merely for hastening, like many, for advancement.

[7] Claudius and Sallustius, of the Jovian legion, who had advanced as far as the rank of tribune, were accused by a fellow whose low origin in itself made him an object of contempt, on the ground that when Procopius had aspired to the imperial power they had spoken some good words for him; but although constant inquisitions revealed nothing, the emperor ordered the generals of the cavalry, who were hearing the case, to drive Claudius into exile and condemn Sallustius to death, promising to pardon the latter on his way to execution. But when this had been done according to the directions, Sallustius’ life was not spared and Claudius was not freed from the sorrow of banishment until after the death of the aforesaid Valentinian⁹ . . . decidedly refused, although they were repeatedly tortured.

[8] Accordingly, although inquisitions followed thick and fast, and some died in consequence of excessive torture, not even a trace of the alleged crimes was found. In this business even the bodyguards who had been sent to arrest persons . . .¹⁰ were beaten to death with cudgels, contrary to all precedent.

[9] My mind shrinks from enumerating all the cases, and at the same time I dread seeming to give the impression of purposely having sought out merely the defects of a prince who was a very proper man in other ways. Yet one thing it is just neither to pass over nor to leave unmentioned, namely this, that having two savage, man-eating she-bears, one called Goldflake and the other Innocence, he looked after them with such extreme care that he placed their cages near his own bedroom, and appointed trustworthy keepers, who were to take particular care that the beasts’ lamentable savageness should not by any chance be destroyed. Finally, after he had seen the burial of many corpses of those whom Innocence had torn to pieces, he allowed her to return to the forest unhurt, as a good and faithful servant, in the hope that she would have cubs like herself . . .

Notes on the current edition

Res Gestae

1. hic, Madvig; hinc, Günther; his, V.

2. et, added in G; V omits.

3. occidi diritate pari, Haupt; occidi quod, W 2AG; occideri adpraei ( adp^i), V.

4. Epiroten remisso, G omits.

5. acceptum (from 1, 17) Octauiano, Her.; tem (cf. xxix. 1, 17) Octauianum offensorum (-arum, V 2), V.

6. remisso, Her.; tardius redire permisso, VA.

7. ita, addidi (note iga in auriga).

8. incessebatur, Clark; ferebatur, G; beneficiis usum merebatur ( ueneficiis, A; usus, Gardt.), V.

9. responderat imperator, Clark; responderator, V.

10. Claudium, added in G after agerent; put after exsilium by Clark; V omits.

11. (lac. 3 lines) longae (lac. 3 letters) cusauerit, V.

12. lac. after de, Her.; no lac. in V.

13. ex professo, Lind.; de (see note 2, from line 11), C. F. W. M.; reformidati ni perfesso, V.

14. cultu ita curabat, Val.; cultant acerabat, V.

15. nequo debetur (note 6) G marks with asterisk; casu ferarum, Lind.; ea superarum, V.

16. deleretur, Val.; hebetetur, Bent.; debetur, V.

17. exoptans similes edituram, Pet.; exop (lac. 4 letters) simile sedit (lac. 5 letters), V.

Ammianus Marcellinus Res Gestae 29.3

John C. Rolfe (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

In Occidentis tractibus varia Valentinani Aug. saevitiae et efferatae crudelitatis exempla.

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers