FIRST ALDINE EDITION OF SVETONY: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF THE FIRST TWELVE ROMAN EMPERORS

SUETONIUS TRANQUILLUS, GAIUS (AND OTHERS). In hoc volumine haec continentur: C. Svetonij Tranquilli XII Caesares. Sexti Aurelij Victoris a D. Caesare Augusto usque ad Theodosium excerpta. Eutropij de gestis Romanorum lib. X. Pauli Diaconi libri VIII ad Eutropij historiam additi. Venetiis in aedibus Aldi et Andreae soceri, mense augusto MDXVI [Venice: Aldo Manuzio and Andrea Torresani, August 1516].

8vo; 18th century half vellum, labels with gilt titles at spine, red edges, ff. [32, the last is blank], 320.
Egnazio’s dedicace to Jean Grolier

First Aldine edition of Svetonius, edited by Egnazio.

The main text of this collection is the most famous Svetonius’ unauthorized biography of the first twelve Roman emperors, written assembling official documents and non official references, as gossip, defamatory texts and oral accounts.

SVETONIUS’ Lifes, whose text is known almost completely, are parted into XII books and describe chronologically the lifes Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus e Domitian. Analysing each emperor’s life, Svetonius follows a scheme that remains quite the same for all of them: description of family origins and career before taking over the power, of public figure, list of measures taken for what concerned the city of Rome, information about private life, physical appearance, vices and virtues and the narration of the last days before the death. Svetonius manages to mix Roman emperors’ biographic references (without leaving out flaws), public acts (decrees and Senate’s minutes) with tasty anecdotes, giving us a vivid insight of Roman society.

In particular, the ANECDOTES ABOUT FOOD, DRINKING AND THE EMPERORS’ HOBBIES make reading very pleasant: Vitellius invented a dish called Minerva’s shield, made up of liver, pheasant and peacock’s brain, parrot’s tongue and moray eels’ milk; Caligula was renowned for his sumptuous banquets, meanwhile he used to drink precious stones melted into vinegar and copulate with his own sisters; Augustus liked gladiatorial contests and amphitheatre events where he ordered to bring a rhinoceros, as well; Tiberius had been ridiculed as drunkard, to the point that his passion for wine let the soldiers to call him Biberius Caldius Mero («hot wine drinker») instead of Tiberius Claudius Nero.

CAIUS SUETONIUS TRANQUILLUS (c. 71-c.135 A.D.) was a Roman scholar and official, born in the province of Africa from an equestrian family. He was sent to Rome to be educated as an orator and there he met Pliny the Younger who, claiming to be a connoisseur of literary talent, was to help Suetonius’ career. Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favour with Trajan and Hadrian. He may have served on Pliny’s staff when Pliny was Proconsul of Bithynia Pontus between 110 and 112. Under Trajan he served as secretary of studies (precise functions are uncertain) and director of Imperial archives, while under Hadrian, he became the Emperor’s secretary until 119 when, probably for an affair the Empress Vibia Sabina, the Emperor dismissed him. Suetonius may have later regained imperial favor under Hadrian and returned to his position. This hypothesis is based on the suggestion that Offices of State was one of his last works, and that the subject was chosen to reflect Hadrian’s administrative reforms; however, there is no certain evidence for a public career after 120.

SEXTUS AURELIUS VICTOR (ca. 320-ca. 390 A.D.) was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire. He was the author of a History of Rome from Augustus to Julian (360), published ca. 361. Julian honoured him and appointed him prefect of Pannonia Secunda. Possibly he is the same person who was consul in 369, jointly with the son of Valentinian I, and the prefect of the city of Rome.

References: Renouard 77. 5. Ahmanson-Murphy, 128.

Minor traces of use, but a fine copy.