The Lives of the Twelve Caesars — Chapter 3 in Latin
By Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
Familia patriciorum Claudiorum (nam plebeiae quoque familiae eiusdem nominis erant, nullo modo inferiores alteri neque potentia neque dignitate) ab oppido Regillorum, qui in Sabinis erat, oriunda fuit. The patrician family of the Claudii (for there was a plebeian family of the same name, no way inferior to the other either in power or dignity) came originally from Regilli, a town of the Sabines. Inde Romam migraverunt mox post urbem conditam, cum magna manu clientium, sub Tito Tatio, qui cum Romulo in regno imperium tenuit; vel, quod meliore auctoritate traditum est, sub Atta Claudio, familiae capite, qui a senatu in ordinem patriciorum receptus est sex annis post Tarquinios eiectis. They removed thence to Rome soon after the building of the city, with a great body of their dependants, under Titus Tatius, who reigned jointly with Romulus in the kingdom; or, perhaps, what is related upon better authority, under Atta Claudius, the head of the family, who was admitted by the senate into the patrician order six years after the expulsion of the Tarquins. Agros etiam eis civitas ultra Anionem clientibus suis dedit, seque ipsos sepulcrum prope Capitolium concessit. They likewise received from the state, lands beyond the Anio for their followers, and a burying-place for themselves near the capitol. Post hunc tempus, progressu temporis, familia triginta octo consulatus, quinque dictaturae, septem censuram, septem triumphos, et duas ovationes habuit. After this period, in process of time, the family had the honour of twenty-eight consulships, five dictatorships, seven censorships, seven triumphs, and two ovations. Eorum posteri variis praenominibus et cognominibus insignes fuerunt, sed praenomen Luci communi consensu reiicerunt, cum ex duobus gentibus qui id ferebant, alter furti, alter homicidii damnatus esset. Their descendants were distinguished by various prænomina and cognomina, but rejected by common consent the prænomen of Lucius, when, of the two races who bore it, one individual had been convicted of robbery, and another of murder. Inter alia cognomina, illud Neronis sibi sumserunt, quod in Sabina lingua fortis et strenuus significat. Amongst other cognomina, they assumed that of Nero, which in the Sabine language signifies strong and valiant.
Ex annalibus apparet, multos ex Claudiis insignia munera rei publicae praestitisse, sed etiam facinora commisisse. It appears from record, that many of the Claudii have performed signal services to the state, as well as committed acts of delinquency. Ut maxime memorabilia tantum attingam, Appius Caecus senatum dissuasit ab foedere cum Pyrrho ineundo, quod rei publicae damnosum esset. To mention the most remarkable only, Appius Cæcus dissuaded the senate from agreeing to an alliance with Pyrrhus, as prejudicial to the republic. Claudius Candex primus fretum Siciliae cum classe transnavit et Carthaginienses ex insula expulit. Claudius Candex first passed the straits of Sicily with a fleet, and drove the Carthaginians out of the island. Claudius Nero Hasdrubalem cum maximo exercitu, cum ex Hispania in Italiam venisset, ante quam cum fratre Hannibale coniungeret, oppressit. Claudius Nero cut off Asdrubal with a vast army upon his arrival in Italy from Spain, before he could form a junction with his brother Annibal. E contra, Claudius Appius Regillanus, unus ex Decemviris, vim attulit ut virginem liberam, quam amabat, pro serva iudicaretur; qua re populus iterum a senatu secessit. On the other hand, Claudius Appius Regillanus, one of the Decemvirs, made a violent attempt to have a free virgin, of whom he was enamoured, adjudged a slave; which caused the people to secede a second time from the senate. Claudius Drusus statuam sui ipsius coronatum in Appii Foro posuit et per clientes suos conatus est Italiam sibi subiicere. Claudius Drusus erected a statue of himself wearing a crown at Appii Forum, and endeavoured, by means of his dependants, to make himself master of Italy. Claudius Pulcher, cum apud Siciliam pullae, quibus auspicia capiebant, comedere nollent, omen contemptim praeteriit et eas in mare proiecit, quasi potum saltem, si edere nollent, haberent; deinde cum hoste conflixit et victus est. Claudius Pulcher, when, off the coast of Sicily, the pullets used for taking augury would not eat, in contempt of the omen threw them overboard, as if they should drink at least, if they would not eat; and then engaging the enemy, was routed. Post cladem, cum senatus eum iuberet dictatorem nominare, quasi ioco de calamitate publica, Glyciam, apparitorem suum, nominavit. After his defeat, when he was ordered by the senate to name a dictator, making a sort of jest of the public disaster, he named Glycias, his apparitor.
Mulieres huius familiae, similiter, mores inter se aeque contrarios praebuerunt. The women of this family, likewise, exhibited characters equally opposed to each other. Ambo enim Claudiae ad eam pertinebant; illa, quae cum navis rebus sacris Matris Ideae Deorum onusta in vada Tiberis haesisse, eam solverit, precando Deam clara voce, 'Me sequere, si casta sum;' et illa etiam, quae praeter consuetudinem in mulieribus lata ad populum de maiestate reum damnata est; quia cum sella eius maxima turba in viis constitisset, aperte exclamavit, 'Utinam frater meus Pulcher viveret, ut aliam classem amitteret, ut Roma minus frequens esset.' For both the Claudias belonged to it; she, who, when the ship freighted with things sacred to the Idæan Mother of the Gods, stuck fast in the shallows of the Tiber, got it off, by praying to the Goddess with a loud voice, "Follow me, if I am chaste;" and she also, who, contrary to the usual practice in the case of women, was brought to trial by the people for treason; because, when her litter was stopped by a great crowd in the streets, she openly exclaimed, "I wish my brother Pulcher was alive now, to lose another fleet, that Rome might be less thronged." Praeterea notum est, omnes Claudios, praeter Publium Claudium, qui ut Ciceronem in exsilium mitteret, se ab plebeo et minore natu in adoptionem dare procuravit, semper patritias partes secutas esse, et honorem potentiamque ordinis eius magnopere defendisse; et adeo violenti et contumaces in adversandis plebeiis fuisse, ut nemo eorum, ne in iudicio quidem capitale coram populo, luctum induerit umquam secundum morem, vel aliquam supplicationem ad eos fecerit; et nonnulli ex iis in contentionibus suis manus etiam in tribunos plebis iniicere ausi sunt. Besides, it is well known, that all the Claudii, except Publius Claudius, who, to effect the banishment of Cicero, procured himself to be adopted by a plebeian, and one younger than himself, were always of the patrician party, as well as great sticklers for the honour and power of that order; and so violent and obstinate in their opposition to the plebeians, that not one of them, even in the case of a trial for life by the people, would ever condescend to put on mourning, according to custom, or make any supplication to them for favour; and some of them in their contests, have even proceeded to lay hands on the tribunes of the people. Virgo Vestalis quoque familiae, cum frater eius triumphi honorem sine populi voluntate habere vellet, currum cum eo ascendit, et eum in Capitolium deduxit, ut tribunis ulla potestas esset interdicere. A Vestal Virgin likewise of the family, when her brother was resolved to have the honour of a triumph contrary to the will of the people, mounted the chariot with him, and attended him into the capitol, that it might not be lawful for any of the tribunes to interfere and forbid it.
Ex hac familia Tiberius Caesar descendit; utrobique quidem, tam patris quam matris parte; ab illo quidem a Tiberio Nerone, ab hac autem ab Appio Pulchro, qui ambo filii Appii Caeci fuerunt. From this family Tiberius Cæsar is descended; indeed both by the father and mother's side; by the former from Tiberius Nero, and by the latter from Appius Pulcher, who were both sons of Appius Cæcus. Pertinebat etiam ad familiam Liviorum per adoptionem avi materni in eam; quae familia, quamquam plebeia erat, insignem gloriam consecuta est, octo consulatus, duas censuras, tres triumphos, unam dictaturám, et magistratum magistri equitum habuisse, et clara viris eximiis, praecipue Salinatore et Drusis. He likewise belonged to the family of the Livii, by the adoption of his mother's grandfather into it; which family, although plebeian, made a distinguished figure, having had the honour of eight consulships, two censorships, three triumphs, one dictatorship, and the office of master of the horse; and was famous for eminent men, particularly, Salinator and the Drusi. Salinator in censura sua omnes tribus notavit inconstantiae, quod eum consulem secundum, sed et censorem fecerant, cum post primum consulatum eum multa gravi condemnavissent. Salinator, in his censorship, branded all the tribes, for their inconstancy in having made him consul a second time, as well as censor, although they had condemned him to a heavy fine after his first consulship. Drusus sibi et posteris suis novum cognomen peperit, Drausum, hostium praefectum, singulari pugna interficiendo. Drusus procured for himself and his posterity a new surname, by killing in single combat Drausus, the enemy's chief. Fertur etiam is, cum pro praetore in Gallia esset, aurum, quod olim Senonibus obsidione Capitolii datom erat, recepisset, nec, ut ferunt, a Camillo vi eis extortum fuisset. He is likewise said to have recovered, when pro-prætor in the province of Gaul, the gold which was formerly given to the Senones, at the siege of the capitol, and had not, as is reported, been forced from them by Camillus. Eius pronepos, qui ob praecipua merita contra Grachos 'Patrone Senatus' vocatus est, filium reliquit, qui, cum in seditione eiusdem generis coniuraret, ab parte adversa perfidiose interfectus est. His great-great-grandson, who, for his extraordinary services against the Gracchi, was styled the "Patron of the Senate," left a son, who, while plotting in a sedition of the same description, was treacherously murdered by the opposite party.