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you act on your own initiative, you will neither sin at all and you will succeed in everything, and you will live most pleasantly and most safely." So they advised Caesar these things, and he both marveled at and praised them both, but he chose the advice of Maecenas; and he neither set aside the monarchy and had taken on the title of imperator, not the one given for victories according to ancient custom to some, for he had often been called this, but the one signifying royal power. In the following year he was consul for the sixth time, with Agrippa as his colleague, whom he honored exceedingly, and he gave him his sister Octavia in marriage. And Caesar was named princeps senatus, as had been customary in the strict democracy 2.437, and he did many other things for the honor of Rome and of the citizens, and he granted money to many of the senators who had become splendidly impoverished, and he burned the old contracts of those owing to the state; and whatever unjust things had happened under Lepidus and Antony, he annulled them all by a single edict. And being praised for these things, in order that he might be honored more, he desired to receive the monarchy from willing hands, so that he might not seem to rule the unwilling. And having prepared those most suitable to him, he entered the senate, being consul for the seventh time; and saying that he was resigning the monarchy and putting everything in the hands of the best men, he begged them to accept his renunciation of the monarchy. But of the senate, some knowing his mind, others suspecting it, some did not want to expose him, while others were afraid. Therefore some pretended to believe him, while others were compelled; and they supposedly forced him to be sole ruler. And thus he secured the supreme power from both the senate and the people, and he undertook the entire care of public affairs. Of the provinces, he gave back the weaker ones to the senate as being peaceful and unwarlike, but the stronger ones he kept for himself as being perhaps dangerous and precarious, ostensibly so that the senate might enjoy the best parts of the empire, while the toils fell to him, but in truth so that they might be both unarmed and unwarlike, while he himself had arms and maintained soldiers. And so that he might not seem to have any monarchical designs, he accepted the rule of the provinces assigned to him for ten years. For he promised to set them in order in that amount of time, professing these things in word. For when the ten-year period was completed, another five years, then again five 2.438 and after this ten and again another, were voted to him five times, so that by the succession of ten-year periods he ruled as monarch for life. And from this, the emperors after him also, although appointed for life, nevertheless always celebrated the ten-year festivals, as if renewing their power again at that time. Many things were also voted at that time in honor of Caesar, and he was named Augustus. For he desired to be named Romulus, but sensing that from this he was suspected of desiring the kingship, for the Romans in fact endured the conditions of being ruled by a king, but were offended by the name, he refrained from the name, and wished to be called Augustus, as being something more than human. For all the most sacred and venerable things are called augusta. From which they also called him Sebastos, from sebazesthai (to revere), Hellenizing it in a way, as if someone revered. The residence of the emperors was named palatium, because Caesar lived on the so-called Palatine hill, where Faustulus who raised Romulus lived, and there he had his headquarters. And for this reason, even if the emperor lodges anywhere else, his lodging has the name of palatium. All power, both that formerly given to the consuls and that to the tribunes and that to the censors and to all the others, has been given to the emperors; and in addition it was granted to them to be released from the laws, that is to be free from all necessity of the laws and not to be subject to any of them. 2.439 But when Caesar was named Augustus, no small sign occurred then during that night; for the Tiber, flooding, covered the entire plain of Rome so that it could be sailed upon. And the seers that he would increase to a great extent and that

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αὐτὸς αὐτεπάγγελτος πράττεις, ουτε τι ἁμαρτήσεις καὶ πάντα κατορθώσεις, ηδιστά τε καὶ ἀκινδυνότατα ζήσεις." Οἱ μὲν ουν ταῦτα τῷ Καίσαρι συνεβούλευσαν, ὁ δὲ αμφω μὲν καὶ ἐθαύμασε καὶ ἐπῄνεσεν, ειλετο δὲ τοῦ Μαικήνου τὴν συμβουλήν· καὶ ουτε τὴν μοναρχίαν ἀπέθετο καὶ τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος προσειλήφει ἐπίκλησιν, οὐ τὴν ἐπὶ νίκαις κατὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον διδομένην τισί, ταύτην γὰρ πολλάκις ἐπεκλήθη, ἀλλὰ τὴν τὸ κράτος σημαίνουσαν τὸ βασίλειον. τῷ δ' ἑξῆς ετει εκτον ὑπάτευσεν, ̓Αγρίππα οἱ συνάρχοντος, ον ὑπερβαλλόντως ἐτίμα, καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῷ τὴν ̓Οκταβίαν συνῴκισε. καὶ τῆς γερουσίας πρόκριτος ἐπεκλήθη ὁ Καῖσαρ, ὡς ἐν τῇ ἀκριβεῖ δημοκρατίᾳ 2.437 νενόμιστο, αλλα τε πολλὰ πεποίηκεν εἰς τιμὴν τῆς ̔Ρώμης καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ χρήματα πολλοῖς τῶν βουλευτῶν ἐχαρίσατο λαμπρῶς πενητεύσασι, τά τε παλαιὰ συμβόλαια τῶν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ὀφειλόντων κατέκαυσε· καὶ οσα ἐπὶ Λεπίδου καὶ ̓Αντωνίου ἀδίκως ἐγένοντο, δι' ἑνὸς προγράμματος κατέλυσεν απαντα. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὑμνούμενος, ινα μᾶλλον τιμηθείη, καὶ παρ' ἑκόντων τὴν μοναρχίαν λαβεῖν ἐπεθύμησεν, ὡς μὴ δοκοίη ἀκόντων αρχειν. καὶ τοὺς αὐτῷ μάλιστα ἐπιτηδείους παρασκευάσας εἰς τὴν γερουσίαν εἰσῆλθεν εβδομον ὑπατεύων· καὶ παραιτεῖσθαι λέγων τὴν μοναρχίαν καὶ πάντα ὑπὸ τοῖς ἀρίστοις ποιεῖν, ἐδέετο τούτων δέξασθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν τῆς μοναρχίας ἀπόθεσιν. οἱ δὲ τῆς βουλῆς, οἱ μὲν εἰδότες τὴν γνώμην αὐτοῦ, οἱ δ' ὑποπτεύοντες, οἱ μὲν ἐλέγξαι αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐβούλοντο, οἱ δ' ἐδεδοίκεσαν. οθεν καὶ πιστεύειν αὐτῷ οἱ μὲν ἐπλάττοντο, οἱ δὲ ἠναγκάζοντο· καὶ ἐβίασαν δῆθεν αὐτὸν αὐταρχεῖν. καὶ τὴν μὲν ἡγεμονίαν ουτως παρά τε τῆς γερουσίας καὶ τοῦ δήμου ἐβεβαιώσατο, καὶ τὴν φροντίδα τῶν κοινῶν πᾶσαν ὑπεδέξατο. τῶν δ' ἐθνῶν τὰ μὲν ἀσθενέστερα ὡς εἰρηναῖά τε καὶ ἀπόλεμα ἀπέδωκε τῇ βουλῇ, τὰ δ' ἰσχυρότερα ὡς ἐπικίνδυνα τάχα καὶ σφαλερὰ κατέσχεν αὐτός, δοκήσει μὲν οπως ἡ γερουσία τὰ κάλλιστα τῆς ἀρχῆς καρποῖτο, αὐτῷ δ' οἱ πόνοι ἐπίκεινται, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ ινα ἐκεῖνοι μὲν καὶ αοπλοι καὶ αμαχοι ωσιν, αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ οπλα εχῃ καὶ στρατιώτας τρέφῃ. ινα δὲ μή τι μοναρχικὸν δοκοίη φρονεῖν, ἐς δέκα ετη τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ἀπονεμηθέντων αὐτῷ κατεδέξατο. τοσούτῳ γὰρ χρόνῳ αὐτὰ καταστήσειν ὑπέσχετο, λόγῳ ταῦτα ἐπαγγελλόμενος. τῆς γὰρ δεκαετίας περανθείσης ετερα πέντε ετη, ειτ' αυθις πέντε 2.438 καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο δέκα καὶ ετερα πάλιν, πεντάκις αὐτῷ ἐψηφίσθη, ωστε τῇ τῶν δεκαετηρίδων διαδοχῇ διὰ βίου μοναρχῆσαι αὐτόν. κἀντεῦθεν καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτὸν αὐτοκράτορες, καίτοι διὰ βίου ἀποδεικνύμενοι, ομως διὰ τῶν δέκα ἐτῶν ἀεὶ ἑώρταζον, ὡς αυθις τότε τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἀνανεούμενοι. Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τότε εἰς τιμὴν ἐψηφίσθη τῷ Καίσαρι, καὶ Αυγουστος ἐπεκλήθη. ἐφίετο μὲν γὰρ ̔Ρωμύλος ὀνομασθῆναι, αἰσθόμενος δὲ ὑποπτεύεσθαι ἐκ τούτου τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιθυμεῖν, οἱ γὰρ ̔Ρωμαῖοι πράγματι μὲν τὰ τῶν βασιλευομένων ὑπέμενον, τῷ δ' ὀνόματι ηχθοντο, ἀπέσχετο τοῦ ὀνόματος, καὶ Αυγουστος καλεῖσθαι ἠθέλησεν, ὡς καὶ πλεῖόν τι η κατὰ ἀνθρώπους ὑπάρχων. πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἱερώτατα καὶ σεβάσμια αυγουστα προσαγορεύεται. ἐξ ουπερ καὶ σεβαστὸν προσεῖπον αὐτόν, ἀπὸ τοῦ σεβάζεσθαι, ἐξελληνίζοντές πως, ωσπερ τινὰ σεπτόν. ἡ δὲ τῶν αὐτοκρατόρων κατοικία παλάτιον ὠνομάσθη, οτι εν τε τῷ Παλατίῳ λεγομένῳ ορει, ἐν ῳ Φαυστοῦλος ῳκει ὁ τὸν ̔Ρωμύλον θρεψάμενος, ὁ Καῖσαρ ῳκει καὶ ἐκεῖ τὸ στρατήγιον ειχε. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καν αλλοθί που ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ καταλύῃ, τὴν τοῦ παλατίου κλῆσιν ἡ καταγωγὴ αὐτοῦ εχει. πᾶσα δὲ ἐξουσία, η τε τοῖς ὑπάτοις τὸ παλαιὸν διδομένη καὶ ἡ τοῖς δημάρχοις καὶ ἡ τοῖς τιμηταῖς καὶ τοῖς αλλοις απασι, τοῖς αὐτοκράτορσι δέδοται· καὶ προσέτι καὶ λελύσθαι τῶν νόμων ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς, τοῦτ' εστιν ἐλευθέρους ἀπὸ πάσης τῶν νόμων ἀνάγκης ειναι καὶ μηδενὶ τούτων ἐνέχεσθαι. 2.439 Οτε δὲ Αυγουστος ἐπεκλήθη ὁ Καῖσαρ, σημεῖον οὐ μικρὸν τότε κατὰ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην ἐγένετο· ὁ γὰρ Τίβερις πελαγίσας πᾶσαν τὴν πεδιάδα τῆς ̔Ρώμης κατέλαβεν ωστε πλεῖσθαι. καὶ οἱ μάντεις οτι τε ἐπὶ μέγα αὐξήσει καὶ οτι