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in Pergamum, whose beauty ran over all the earth. Gaius Julius Caesar reigned for 4 years and 7 months. He was surnamed Caesar, which is called dissection, because when his mother died in the ninth month, they cut her open and brought him out.
This man1.300 was also called dictator, which is monarch; and a dictator is an unaccountable authority. To him was born a horse having cloven hooves instead of solid ones, and accepting no other rider than him, just as Bucephalus did Alexander. This man, when he was young, dreamed in his sleep that he had intercourse with his own mother. That Julius himself, as Plutarch says, having subdued the Germans and Gauls and Britons in the greatest contests, made five hundred cities of the inhabited world tributary to the Romans. That his wife, on the night after which he was slain, seemed to see Caesar's house had collapsed, and him, wounded and covered in blood, fall into her lap. When he was about to go out the courtyard door to go to the senate-house, an image of Caesar himself that was standing in the vestibule fell down on its own. And in addition to these things, someone handed him a paper containing the entire plot that was being planned against him. And thinking it was something else he did not read it, but having given it to another to keep, he was slain by Brutus and Cassius in the senate-house, being 50 years of age. He left as heir and adopted son Octavius, the son of Julia his own sister, being 10 years of age. Octavius Augustus Caesar, the nephew of Julia, reigned for 50 years. From him the Roman emperors were called Augusti and the month Augustus was so named, which is venerable, previously being called 1.301 Sextilis. On the night he was born, his father saw in his sleep the sun rising from the womb of his wife; and his mother saw her entrails being snatched up and carried to heaven. And that Nigidius, a senator and astrologer, when his father came forth late, asked the reason, and he said that a son had been born to him, and that man cried out, "Oh what have you done? You have begotten a master for us." That when he was being brought up in the country, an eagle, flying down, snatched the bread from his hands, and returning again, placed it back into his hands. That while he [Octavius] was among the boys, Cicero saw him in a dream, bound with a golden chain and holding a whip, being let down from heaven to the Capitol. That at the end of his life a thunderbolt, striking his statue, obliterated the first letter of his name, leading the seers to say that he would die. And calling together the senators, he said, "Having received Rome of clay, I have left it to you of stone," because of his abundant power. Having become consul in the month of Sextilis and having won many victories, in this month he also died; for which reason he himself was also called Sextilis again, because the month Sextilis was renamed Augustus. And Maecenas, a wise man, was loved by him, who also first invented shorthand signs. Who once, when Caesar was judging and had condemned many to death, not being able, because of the multitude of the people .... of him, wrote, "Arise, executioner," and having sealed it 1.302 he threw it into his lap; which Caesar, having read, stood up, ordering that the things judged by him be suspended. That he was very attentive to his friends. For when one of his fellow-soldiers requested his presence in the senate-house, he said that he was busy, but permitted one of his friends to attend and fulfill the need. who, being angered, said, "Whenever you needed my help, I did not send another in my place." And Caesar, blushing, both went with him and helped him. And during the reign of Augustus Caesar a ship entered from Alexandria into the port of Rome, carrying 400 thousand modii of grain, 1200 passengers, 200 sailors, pepper, linens, paper, glassware, and the great obelisk with the king, standing in the great hippodrome, having a height of 87 and a half feet. He also had Athenodorus the
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τῷ Περγάμῳ, οὗπερ τὸ κάλλος πᾶσαν ἔδραμε χθόνα. Γάϊος Ἰούλιος Καῖσαρ ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη δʹ μῆνας ζʹ. Καῖσαρ δὲ ἐπεκλήθη, ὃ λέγεται ἀνατομή, ὅτι θανούσης τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐννάτῳ μηνὶ ταύτην ἀνατεμόντες ἐξήγαγον αὐτόν.
Oὗτος1.300 καὶ δικτάτωρ ἐκλήθη, ὅ ἐστι μονάρχης· δικτάτωρ δέ ἐστιν ἀρχὴ ἀνυπεύθυνος. τούτῳ ἐτέχθη ἵππος ἀντὶ ὁπλῆς χηλὰς ἔχων καὶ μηδένα ἕτερον ἀναβάτην δεχόμενος ἢ αὐτόν, ὡς Βουκέφαλος τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον. οὗτος νέος ὢν ἔδοξεν ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις συνουσιάζειν τῇ ἰδίᾳ μητρί. Ὅτι αὐτὸς Ἰούλιος, ὥς φησι Πλούταρχος, μεγίστοις ἀγῶσι Γερμανοὺς καὶ Γάλλους καὶ Βρεττανοὺς χειρωσάμενος, ὑποφόρους τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις πεντακοσίας πόλεις οἰκουμένης κατε στήσατο. Ὅτι ἡ γαμετὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ μεθ' ἣν ἐσφάγη, ἔδοξεν ὁρᾶν τὴν οἰκίαν Καίσαρος συμπεπτωκέναι, καὶ αὐτὸν κατατετρω μένον καὶ αἵματι περιρρεόμενον ἐμπεσεῖν τοῖς κόλποις αὐτῆς. τούτῳ μέλλοντι τὴν αὔλιον ἐξελθεῖν θύραν ἀπερχομένῳ ἐπὶ τὸ βουλευτήριον εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἐφεστῶσα τῷ προθύρῳ αὐτομάτως κατέπεσε. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις χάρτην αὐτῷ τις ἐπιδέ δωκε πᾶσαν τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ μελετωμένην ἐπιβουλὴν ἔχοντα. καὶ νομίσας ἄλλο τι εἶναι οὐκ ἐνέτυχεν, ἀλλὰ δεδωκὼς ἑτέρῳ φυ λάττειν ἐσφάγη ὑπὸ Βρούτου καὶ Κασίου ἐν τῷ βουλευτη ρίῳ, χρόνων ὑπάρχων νʹ. κληρονόμον δὲ καὶ θετὸν υἱὸν κατέλιπεν Ὀκτάβιον τὸν υἱὸν Ἰουλίας τῆς ἰδίας ἀδελφῆς, ἔτος ἄγοντα ιʹ. Ὀκτάβιος Αὔγουστος Καῖσαρ, ὁ ἀνεψιὸς Ἰουλίας, ἐβασί λευσεν ἔτη νʹ. ἀφ' οὗ Αὔγουστοι οἱ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῖς καὶ ὁ μὴν Αὔγουστος ἐκλήθη, ὅ ἐστι σεβαστός, Σεξτίλιος πρὶν ὀνομα 1.301 ζόμενος. ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ δὲ ᾗ ἐγεννήθη, εἶδεν αὐτοῦ ὁ πατὴρ καθ' ὕπνους ἐκ τῶν κόλπων τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλοντα· ἡ δὲ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ εἶδεν ὡς τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτῆς ἐξαρπαγέντα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεφέρετο. καὶ ὅτι Νιγίδιος βουλευτὴς ἀστρολόγος βραδὺ προελθόντος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἠρώτησε τὴν αἰτίαν, ὁ δὲ ἔφη υἱὸν αὐτῷ τετέχθαι, κἀκεῖνος ἀνεβόησεν "ὢ τί ἐποίησας; δεσπότην ἡμῖν ἐγέννησας." ὅτι τρεφομένου αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγρῷ κα ταπτὰς ἀετὸς τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀφείλετο, καὶ ἐπαν ελθὼν πάλιν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ τοῦτον κατέθετο. ὅτι ἐν παι σὶν αὐτοῦ τελοῦντος Κικέρων αὐτὸν [ὁ Ὀκτάβιος] ἐν ὀνείροις ἐθεάσατο χρυσῇ ἁλύσει δεδεμένον καὶ μάστιγα κρατοῦντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ χαλασθῆναι εἰς τὸ Καπιτώλιον. ὅτι ἐν τῷ τέλει αὐτοῦ κεραυνὸς εἰς τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ ἐμπεσὼν τὸ πρῶτον γράμμα τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ ἠφάνισεν, ὡς τοὺς μάντεις εἰπεῖν ὅτι τεθνήξεται. συγκαλέσας δὲ τοὺς βουλευτὰς εἶπε "πηλίνην παραλαβὼν τὴν Ῥώ μην λιθίνην ὑμῖν αὐτὴν καταλέλοιπα" διὰ τὸ περιὸν τῆς δυνά μεως. ἐν τῷ Σεξτιλίῳ δὲ μηνὶ γενόμενος ὕπατος καὶ πολλὰς νίκας νικήσας, ἐν τούτῳ καὶ τελευτᾷ· διὸ καὶ Σεξτίλιος αὐτὸς πάλιν ἐλέγετο διὰ τὸ τὸν Σεξτίλιον μῆνα ἐπονομασθῆναι Αὔγουστον. ἠγαπᾶτο δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ Μαικήνας ἀνὴρ σοφός, ὃς καὶ πρῶτος τὰ σημεῖα ἐφεῦρεν. ὅς ποτε δικάζοντος τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ πολλῶν θάνατον καταψηφισαμένου, μὴ δυνάμενος διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ .... αὐτοῦ, ἔγραψεν "ἀνάστα δήμιε," καὶ σημηνάμενος 1.302 ἔρριψεν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ αὐτοῦ· ὅπερ ἀναγνοὺς ὁ Καῖσαρ ἀνέστη, κελεύσας ἀργῆσαι τὰ κριθέντα παρ' αὐτοῦ. ὅτι πάνυ ἦν τῶν φίλων θεραπευτικός. τινὸς γὰρ τῶν συστρατευομένων αὐτῷ δεη θέντος τῆς εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον αὐτοῦ παρουσίας, εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν μὲν ἀσχολεῖσθαι, ἐπιτρέψαι δέ τινι τῶν φίλων παραγενέσθαι καὶ τὴν χρείαν πληρῶσαι. ὃς ὀργισθεὶς ἔφη "ἐγὼ ὁσάκις τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπι κουρίας ἐδεήθης, οὐκ ἄλλον ἀντ' ἐμοῦ ἔπεμψα." καὶ ἐρυθριά σας ὁ Καῖσαρ καὶ συναπῆλθε καὶ συνέπραξεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας Αὐγούστου Καίσαρος εἰσῆλθε πλοῖον ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας εἰς τὴν πόρταν Ῥώμης, ἐπιφερόμενον σίτου μοδίων χιλιάδας υʹ, ἐπιβάτας αςʹ, ναύτας ςʹ, πέπερι, ὀθόνας, χάρτην, ὑέλια, καὶ τὸν μέγαν ὀβελίσκον μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, αὐτόν τε ἑστῶτα ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ ἱππικῷ, ἔχοντα ὕψος πόδας πζʹ ἥμισυν. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ Ἀθηνόδωρον τὸν