Dio's Rome, Volume 3

Various diminutive endings, expressing contempt.

18

The MS. reading is not wholly satisfactory here. Bekker, by a slight change, would produce (after "Bambalio"): "nor by declaring war because of," etc.

19

The Greek word is [Greek: obolos] a coin which in the fifth century B.C. would have amounted to considerably more than the Roman as; but as time went on the value of the [Greek: obolos] diminished indefinitely, so that glossaries eventually translate it as as in Latin.

20

I. e., epilepsy.

21

Sturz changes this reading of sixty days to fifty, comparing Appian, Civil Wars, Book Three, chapter 74. Between the two authorities it is difficult to decide, and the only consideration that would incline one to favor Appian is the fact that he says this period of fifty days was unusually long ("more than the Romans had ever voted upon vanquishing the Celtae or winning any war"). Boissevain remarks that Dio is not very careful about such details.

22

Adopting Reiske's reading, [Greek: tinas].

23

Compare here Mommsen (Staatsrecht, 23, 644, 2 or 23, 663, 3), who says that since the only objection to be found with this arrangement was that since the praetor urbanus could not himself conduct the comitia, he ought not properly to have empowered others to do so.

24

M. Juventius Laterensis.

25

This refers to the latter half of chapter 42, where Caesar binds his soldiers by oath never to fight against any of their former comrades.

26

[Greek: pragmaton] here is somewhat uncertain and might give the sense "as a result of the troubles in which they had been involved, one with another." Sturz and Wagner appear to have viewed it in that light: Boissée and friends consulted by the translator choose the meaning found in the text above.

27

The name of this freedman as given by Appian (Civil Wars, IV, 44) is Philemon; but Suetonius (Life of Augustus, chapter 27) agrees with Dio in writing Philopoemen.

28

In B.C. 208 the Ludi Apollinares were set for July thirteenth, but by the year B.C. 190 they occupied three days, and in B.C. 42 the entire period of the sixth to the thirteenth of July was allotted to their celebration. Now Caesar's birthday fell on July twelfth and the day before that, July eleventh, would have conflicted quite as much with the festival of Apollo. Hence this expression "the previous day" must mean July fifth. (See Fowler's Roman Festivals, p. 174.)

29

There seems to be an error here made either by Dio or by some scribe in the course of the ages. For, according to many reliable authorities (Plutarch, Life of Brutus, chapter 21; Appian, Civil Wars, Book Three, chapter 23; Cicero, Philippics, II, 13, 31, and X, 3, 7; id., Letters to Atticus, Book Fifteen, letters 11 and 12), it was Brutus and not Cassius who was praetor urbanus and had the games given in his absence. Therefore the true account, though not necessarily the true reading would say that "Brutus was praetor urbanus," and (below) that he "lingered in Campania with Cassius."

See also Cobet, Mnesmosyne, VII, p. 22.

30

That this is the right form of the name is proved by the evidence of coins, etc. In Caesar's Civil War, Book Three, chapter 4, the same person is meant when it is said that Tarcondarius Castor and Dorylaus furnished Pompey with soldiers.

31

See Book Thirty-six, chapter 2 (end).

32

Q. Marcius Crispus. (The MSS. give the form Marcus, but the identity of this commander is made certain by Cicero, Philippics, XI, 12, 30, and several other passages.)

33

I. e., "The Springs,"—a primitive name for Philippi itself.

34

Iuppiter Latiaris was the protecting deity of Latium, and his festival is practically identical with the Feriae Latinae. Roscher (II, col. 688) thinks that Dio has here confused the praefectus urbi with a special official (dictator feriarum Latinarum causa) appointed when the consuls were unable to attend. Compare Book Thirty-nine, chapter 30, where our historian does not commit himself to any definite name for this magistrate.

35

"While carrying a golden Victory slipped and fell" is the phrase in the transcript of Zonaras.

36

Reading [Greek: aegchon] (as Boissevain) in preference to [Greek: aegon] or [Greek: eilchon].

37

Accepting Reiske's interpretative insertion, [Greek: telos].

38

Among the Fragmenta Adespota in Nauck's Fragmenta Tragicorum Groecorum this is No. 374.

39

The names within these parallel lines are wanting in the MS., but were inserted by Reimar on the basis of chapter 34 of this book, and slightly modified by Boissevain.

40

Both MSS., the Mediceus and the Venetus, here exhibit a gap of three lines.

41

Owing to an inaccuracy of spelling in the MSS. this number has often been corrupted to "four hundred". The occurrence of "three hundred" in Suetonius's account of the affair (Life of Augustus, chapter 15) assures us, however, that this reading is correct.