Roman Emperors

"Trajan was ambitious of fame; and as long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors, the thirst of military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters. The praises of Alexander, transmitted by a succession of poets and historians, had kindled a dangerous emulation in the mind of Trajan. Like him, the Roman emperor undertook an expedition against the nations of the East; but he lamented with a sigh, that his advanced age scarcely left him any hopes of equalling the renown of the son of Philip. Yet the success of Trajan, however transient, was rapid and specious. The degenerate Parthians, broken by intestine discord, fled before his arms. He descended the River Tigris in triumph, from the mountains of Armenia to the Persian Gulf. He enjoyed the honor of being the first, as he was the last, of the Roman generals, who ever navigated that remote sea. His fleets ravaged the coast of Arabia; and Trajan vainly flattered himself that he was approaching towards the confines of India. Every day the astonished senate received the intelligence of new names and new nations, that acknowledged his sway. They were informed that the kings of Bosphorus, Colchos, Iberia, Albania, Osrhoene, and even the Parthian monarch himself, had accepted their diadems from the hands of the emperor; that the independent tribes of the Median and Carduchian hills had implored his protection; and that the rich countries of Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Assyria, were reduced into the state of provinces. But the death of Trajan soon clouded the splendid prospect; and it was justly to be dreaded, that so many distant nations would throw off the unaccustomed yoke, when they were no longer restrained by the powerful hand which had imposed it."

"Tibi istum ad munimentum mei committo, si recte agam; sin aliter, in me magis."

"After gaining a victory the general who pursues the enemy with a scattered and disorganized army gives away his victory to the foe."

"Ἐν ταῖς ἀναγκαίων πραγμάτων ἐγχειρήσεσιν οὐ δεῖ χωρίζειν ἑαυτὸν τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐκ τῶν πόνων ὡς ὑπερέχοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄρχεσθαι τῶν ἔργων καὶ συμπονεῖν τοῖς στρατιώταις κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν."

"Ἐπειδὴ πέφυκε τῷ φρονήματι τῶν ἀρχόντων συνδιατίθεσθαι τοὺς ἀρχομένους, ἀρχαῖος ἐστι λόγος, κάλλιον εἶναι λέοντα ἐλάφων ἄρχειν ἢ ἔλαφον λεόντων."

"In time of peace, fear and the punishing of offenses keep the troops in line, but on active campaign great expectations and rewards get even better results."

"Δικαίαν δεῖ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ πολέμου γίνεσθαι."

"When the battle line has been drawn up, the first rule is for the soldiers to maintain the formation and the intervals between the lines."

"Ἢ δόλοις ἢ ἐφόδοις ἢ λιμῷ τοὺς πολεμίους βλάπτειν καλόν· οὐχὶ πάντως πρὸς πόλεμον ἐκκαλεῖσθαι δημόσιον, ἔνθα πλέον τῆς τύχης ἢ τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπίδειξις."

"Πρὸ τῶν κινδύνων ὁ στρατηγός θεραπευέτω τὸ θεῖον· θαρρῶν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις ὡς πρὸς φίλον αὐτῷ τὸ θεῖον τὰς ἱκεσίας ποιήσεται."

"Deception is often helpful in warfare. An enemy soldier who deserts to us, apart from some plot, is of the greatest advantage, for the enemy is hurt by deserters more than if the same men were killed in action."

"Nature produces but few brave men, whereas care and training make efficient soldiers. Soldiers who are kept working improve in courage, while too much leisure makes them weak and lazy. Care should be taken to keep them busy."

"The commander who relies on his own cavalry, especially the lancers, should seek out broad plains favorable to such troops and there force the battle.If, on the other hand, he relies more on his infantry, he should take care to choose uneven, thick, and rugged terrain for the fighting."

"A prudent commander will not lead an allied force into his own country if it is larger than his own army. Otherwise it might mutiny, drive out the native troops, and take over the country."

"Ἐν μὲν τῇ διαίτῃ κοινὸν καὶ ἁπλοῦν τοῖς στρατιώταις τὸν στρατηγὸν εἶναι χρεὼν καὶ πατρικὴν στοργὴν ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτούς, πράως τὰ πράγματα διδασκόμενον καὶ συνεχῶς τὰ περὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ παραινοῦντα καὶ διαλεγόμενον."

"Σοφὸς δὲ στρατηγὸς ὁ πρὸ τῶν πολέμων ἀκριβῶς τὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ πολυπραγμονῶν καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὰ πλεονεκτήματα αὐτοῦ φυλαττόμενος, πρὸς δὲ τὰ ὑστερήματα ἐπιβαλλόμενος. Οἷον, ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὴν ἵππον ἔχει ὁ ἐχθρός, δέον αὐτὸν τὰς βοσκὰς ἀφανίζειν. Εἰς πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν πλεονεκτεῖ· τὰς τούτων δαπάνας περιστέλλειν. Ἀπὸ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν συνέστηκεν, δώροις καὶ χαρίσμασι καὶ ἐπαγγελίαις ὑποφθείρειν τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ· ἐναντίως πρὸς ἀλλήλους τὰς γνώμας ἔχουσι, τοὺς πρώτους αὐτῶν μεταχειρίζεσθαι. Κοντάτον ἐστὶ τὸ ἔθνος, || εἰς δυσχωρίας αὐτὸ προσκαλεῖσθαι· τοξόται εἰσίν, εἰς κάμπους τάσσεσθαι σπουδάζειν καὶ τὴν ἐκ χειρὸς σύνεγγυς μάχην ποιεῖσθαι. Σκυθικὸν ἢ Οὑννικόν ἐστι, περὶ τὸν Φεβρουάριον μῆνα ἢ Μάρτιον ἐπιτίθεσθαι, ὅταν οἱ ἵπποι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ χειμῶνος κακοπαθείας ταλαιπωροῦσι καὶ ὡς πρὸς τοξότας τὰς συμβολὰς ποιεῖσθαι. Ἀφυλάκτως ὁδοιποροῦσιν ἢ ἀπληκεύουσιν, ἐν νυκτὶ ἢ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τούτοις ἀδοκήτως ἐφεδρεύειν. Θρασέως καὶ ἀτάκτως τὰς μάχας ποιοῦνται καὶ τοῦ κακοπαθεῖν ἄπειροι, σχηματίζεσθαι μὲν ὡς πρὸς συμβολήν, ἀναβάλλεσθαι δὲ καὶ διασύρειν μέχρις οὗ τὸ ζέον τοῦ θυμοῦ ἐνδῶσιν, καὶ ὅταν ἀποκνήσωσιν, τότε τὰς συμβολὰς κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ποιεῖσθαι. Ἐν πλήθει πεζῶν προτερεύει, εἰς ὁμαλοὺς τόπους τούτους προτρέπειν καὶ μὴ σύνεγγυς, ἀλλὰ μήκοθεν ἐξ ἀκοντίων τὰς μάχας ποιεῖσθαι."

"The best general is not the man of noble family, but the man who can take pride in his own deeds."

"A general who desires peace must be prepared for war, for the barbarians become very nervous when they face an adversary all set to fight."

"Κυνηγίῳ δὲ ἔοικε τὰ τῶν πολέμων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ διά τε κατασκόπων καὶ δικτύων καὶ ἐγκρυμμάτων καὶ παρασκόπων καὶ κατακυκλώσεων καὶ τοιούτων σοφισμάτων μᾶλλον ἢ δυνάμει ἡ θήρα τούτων περιγίνεται, οὕτως δεῖ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πολέμων ἁρμόζεσθαι, εἴτε πρὸς πλείους, εἴτε πρὸς ὀλίγους γίνονται. Τὸ γὰρ φανερῶς καὶ χειρὶ | δι᾽ ὄψεως μόνον βιάζεσθαι τοὺς ἐναντίους, ὅτι καὶ δόξῃ τις νικᾶν τούτους, μετὰ κινδύνου καὶ ζημίας οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἡ τοῦ πράγματος ἀπόβασις αὐτῷ συμβαίνει. Ὅπερ τῶν ἀλογίστων ἐστὶν ἀνάγκης με-γίστης χωρὶς μετὰ ζημίας νίκην κτᾶσθαι, κενὴν ὑπόληψιν φέρουσαν."

"Tacitus refers to him as “'iners”', which can be translated as inept. Tartaglia always looks dazed, with a slightly silly smile. Seneca says that “his voice resembled that of a sea calf”. A bon vivant, very fond of sex, a great eater and drinker, he spends a lot of time at the table, gorging himself and getting very drunk."

"Of poor health, unattractive in appearance and stuttering in anger, Claudius had neither the greatness of Augustus nor the severity of Tiberius, nor did he distinguish himself in the field as either of them did. Family events enveloped and overwhelmed him in such a way that his figure has remained inseparable from that of his last two wives; but if the scholar researches his political life in the accounts of historians, it becomes easier, better than for Tiberius, to discover the real Claudius beneath the false image, which has provided one of the favourite topics for comedy, novels and many books that appear to be scholarly."

"In more than one field, he took decisive steps and created the precedents on which the future development of the imperial bureaucracy was to be based, especially under the Flavians and Antonines. The careful diligence with which he followed even the smallest details of the administrative life of the empire is proven, for example, by the large number of inscriptions and papyri that have come down to us, which reproduce his letters and edicts, and by the frequent mention of such documents in our literary sources. Of these, the most notable are perhaps the fragments found at Tegea, from an edict relating to the organisation of the imperial postal service (cursus publicus), and the aforementioned letter to the Alexandrians. In the latter document, dealing with the complex problem of the municipal organisation of Alexandria (the question of the βουλή) and the delicate subject of relations between the Jews and Greeks of that city, Claudius shows a surprising amount of knowledge, a perfect understanding of the current conditions, observed from their practical rather than theoretical side, and exquisite tact."

"Soon the new empire [of Claudius] fell into ruin. They say it was due to the lustfulness of Messalina, the prince's wife, and the insolence and evil deeds of Narcissus, her freedman; as if Narcissuses and Messalinas could live and rule an empire, except in times and places capable of such ugliness. Nor was Claudius so good-natured that, as it is written in the histories, he took so much delight in gladiatorial games, that he had a large number of slaves and freedmen thrown to the wild beasts, that he had gladiators slaughtered for the pleasure of seeing them gasping for breath, And from the plebeians he immediately moved on to the nobles, and the first to fall was Gaius Appius Silanus, governor of Spain."

"Claudius, who was a good emperor, then victim of Messalina's ugliness, for Seneca's bloody irony, who flattered him while he was alive and defamed him after his death, for the stories collected by Suetonius, he paid, first in life and then in history, in literature, in novels and in theatre, the ridicule brought upon him by Messalina's turpitudes, which he tolerated for too long, although, as we said, he did not reach the gullibility of Marcus Aurelius."

"It is impossible to understand how such a man could have been simultaneously a laughing stock in the hands of wives and freedmen. All the documents signed by him were certainly either written or carefully reviewed by him personally, since they all display not only the same peculiar style, but also the same peculiar logic and the same manner of reasoning. The truth is [...] that only in his last years, when his mental powers were steadily declining, did Claudius allow himself to be dominated by the will of those around him; and it may be that even for this period the reality of the facts has been somewhat exaggerated by Tacitus and other writers of the senatorial party."

"When night falls, the sovereign [Valeria Messalina], in disguise, goes to the infamous suburbs of Suburra. There, in the most sordid brothels, she offers herself to the porters. If her august husband, at the same time, has taken it into his head to attend a torture session, the imperial palace of the Caesars will be empty: the emperor is in prison, the empress in the brothel."

"Lascivus versu, mente pudicus eras."

"He was himself an artist; and he loved the arts, as they conduced to the glory of the monarch."

"He encouraged the arts, reformed the laws, asserted military discipline, and visited all his provinces in person. His vast and active genius was equally suited to the most enlarged views, and the minute details of civil policy. But the ruling passions of his soul were curiosity and vanity. As they prevailed, and as they were attracted by different objects, Hadrian was, by turns, an excellent prince, a ridiculous sophist, and a jealous tyrant. The general tenor of his conduct deserved praise for its equity and moderation. Yet in the first days of his reign, he put to death four consular senators, his personal enemies, and men who had been judged worthy of empire; and the tediousness of a painful illness rendered him, at last, peevish and cruel. The senate doubted whether they should pronounce him a god or a tyrant; and the honours decreed to his memory were granted to the prayers of the pious Antoninus."

"Animula vagula blandula, hospes comesque corporis, quae nunc abibis in loca, pallidula, rigida, nudula, nec ut soles dabis iocos?"

"The young emperor proclaimed a series of performances to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius; I find it funny since it was Marcus Aurelius, the wise, the knowledgeable Marcus Aurelius who interrupted the games."

"Commodus... your failures as a son are my failure as a father."

"The monstrous vices of his son have overshadowed the splendor of his father's virtues. Marcus Aurelius has been reproached for having chosen a successor rather from his family than from the Republic, and sacrificing the happiness of millions of men to his excessive tenderness for an unworthy boy."

"Commodus is a man without morality, you have known this since you were a boy... Commodus cannot govern, he absolutely must not govern."

"Commodus had shown himself from his early years as he was later to progress: devoid of elevation of soul, feeling, and courage, succumbing to all bad impressions, and contumacious to any sort of good that was desired inspire him; a very strong inclination to pleasure, and a violent aversion to fatigue. If he had any ability, he had it only for those things, which did not befit his rank. He knew how to joust, dance and sing: he was a comedian and gladiator. But the teachers that his father placed around him to form his intellect and heart, and the lessons of wisdom and virtue that he himself gave him, found neither input nor good will in this Prince. (Jean-Baptiste-Louis Crevier)"

"Theodosius is a military politician, fascinated by bishops. (Gore Vidal)"

"Pertinax called for moderation at the imperial banquets, in which Commodus had madly lavished treasures. (Ludwig Friedländer)"

"Commodus, from his early years, showed aversion to all liberal sciences and arts, and excessive love for the entertainment of the populace, the games of the circus and the amphitheatre, the gladiator fights, and the hunting of wild beasts. The masters of every science, which Marcus Aurelius procured for his son, were listened to with inattention and boredom; while the Moors and Parthians, who trained him to throw the dart and shoot the bow, found in him an attentive pupil, who soon equaled his most skilled teachers in the correctness of his aim and the dexterity of his hand."

"Commodus, after the death of his father, ascended the throne at a very young age. He had been educated to recognize and appreciate the arts and sciences: but corrupted by the flattering courtiers, who always surround the young and inexperienced princes, he left the government in the hands of these, and occupied himself, as an amateur, in showing himself on the theater below. the likeness of Apollo with the lyre, in the amphitheaters as an athlete or gladiator, hunting like Diana and Apollo. Without perhaps being a tyrant by nature, he left the empire in the hands of the tyrants who are the flatterers and intriguers of the courts, and abandoned himself in the arms of debauchery and all the comforts of life. (Ion Heliade Rădulescu)"

"Esteem for his virtue was universal. When the news of the death of Commodus and the election of Pertinax arrived in the Provinces, the people hesitated to believe it. They feared that this was not a trap set by Commodus to have the opportunity to exercise his cruelties and his robberies. In that uncertainty many Governors took the decision to wait for the confirmation, and also to have the couriers imprisoned, being certain that if the news were true, Pertinax would have quickly forgiven them for a fault, which did not proceed from bad will. The peoples allied to the Empire had no less advantageous ideas of him. His filled him with joy; and they sent ambassadors to congratulate the Senate and the Roman people. (Jean-Baptiste-Louis Crevier)"

"The glory of Pertinax equaled and even surpassed the splendor of his dignities. He had proven himself equally capable of military and civilian employment. A good and skilled warrior, his name had become the terror of the Barbarians; and he had at the same time been able to maintain discipline with severity among the restless and seditious troops. In the Government of Rome he conducted himself with such sweetness, affability and goodness that he won the love of everyone. Simple model with such a sign, which even then recognized Lolliano Avito as his protector This senator from Vittore is called Lollio Genziano. But he is certainly the same one that Capitolinus in the life of Pertinax n. 1 names Lolliano Avito. [N.d.A.] </ Ref>, to whom he had become at least equal, but for whom he always retained great reverence and gratitude, having been the first author of his fortune; enemy of luxury, and lover of frugality, History accuses him of nothing other than excessive economy, and the habit of promising more than he intended to keep in order to please with nice words those whom he could not satisfy with the work. (Jean-Baptiste-Louis Crevier)"

"Theodosius didn't know almost anyone from our environment because he comes from Spain, a country that doesn't shine with excessive culture. Furthermore, he belongs to a military family and it does not appear that he has ever studied philosophy. Outside of politics, what interests him most is raising sheep. (Gore Vidal)"

"He His name was Theodosius, and he is called the Great, I suppose because he was great at destroying the old temples and old statues of the gods and goddesses. Not only was he strongly opposed to those who were not Christians: he was equally aggressive towards Christians who were not Orthodox in his way of thinking. He did not tolerate any opinion or religion that he did not approve of. (Jawaharlal Nehru)"

"Born weaker than evil, he became, through natural simplicity and shyness, the slave of his courtiers, who little by little corrupted his spirit. His cruelty, which at first was the effect of the suggestions of others, degenerated into a habit and a page of history was stained with civil blood; but similar reasons do not justify the unprovoked cruelties of Commodus, who, enjoying everything, had nothing to desire. Mark's beloved son succeeded his father amidst the acclamations of the Senate and the armies. And when this fortunate young man ascended the throne, he found neither rivals to fight, nor enemies to punish. In that quiet and sublime fortune he naturally had to prefer the love of men to their detestation, and the sweet glories of his five predecessors to the ignominious fate of Nero and Domitian."

"I pardon your offence against me. Pray that God also may pardon you."

"We have good hopes that God will grant us to restore the authority over the remaining countries which the ancient Romans possessed to the limit of both oceans and lost by subsequent neglect."

"Justinian was the last of the great Roman Emperors. He reunited the Mediterranean world, issued a code that remained the basis of law for a thousand years and patronized magnificent works of art and architecture. At the same time, he was a revolutionary who wanted to transform society and who tolerated no deviation. His powerful wife, Theodora, mitigated some of his policies but made others more vicious, crushing anyone who might stand in the way of the imperial couple. Although Justinian's Empire did not last, his laws and buildings formed an enduring heritage."

"Certainly in architectural brilliance and innovation alone his age deserves to be rated as a great one. Haghía Sophia, one of the greatest achievements of Christian, or human, architecture, and the Corpus juris civilis, a supreme landmark of Roman, and European, Law, stand forth as Justinian's most enviable monuments. What ruler could hope to leave finer ones?"

"Justinian had many detractors – for he did not care whom he trampled over as he attempted to rebuild his empire in the aftermath of the barbarian conquests. The writer Procopius called him a demon in disguise, who had the blood of one thousand billion men on his hands; who ‘cheerfully banished wealth from Roman soil and became the architect of poverty for all.’ Yet for others, particularly those who did not have to deal with him at first hand, Justinian was a totemic emperor who deserved mention in the same breath as Augustus and Constantine."

"Justinian is said to have restored one hundred and fifty cities in Africa, some of which had been altogether, and others extensively ruined; and this he did with surpassing magnificence, in private and public works and embellishments, in fortifications, and other vast structures by which cities are adorned and the Deity propitiated: also in aqueducts for use and ornament, the supply of water having been in some cases conveyed to the cities for the first time, in others restored to its former state."