John of Salisbury - Policraticus 5.8.1-2

Iohannēs Saresberiēnsis, Policraticus 5.8.1–2

John of Salisbury, writing in the twelfth century, holds up the emperor Trajan as the ideal ruler in his Policraticus, a treatise on the duties of princes and courtiers. This passage gathers together the qualities (military, civic, and personal) that earned Trajan a place of honor in the Roman senate's traditional acclamation of new emperors.

Tier 1

Trāiānus erat fortis et cīvīlis. itaque fīnēs Rōmānī imperiī longē lātēque amplificāvit. post Augustum enim Rōmānī imperium magis dēfenderant quam auxerant. Trāiānus tamen nōn sōlum bellō, sed etiam moderātiōne clārus erat.

Rōmae et in prōvinciīs cum omnibus aequāliter vīvēbat. amīcōs saepe vīsitābat: et aegrōs et laetōs in diēbus fēstīs. Trāiānus saepe cum amīcīs cēnābat. amīcī quoque cum Trāiānō cēnābant. eōrum vehiculīs et vestibus sine differentiā ūtēbātur. omnibus pecūniam dabat, et pūblicē et prīvātim. cīvitātibus immūnitātēs dabat. prōvinciīs tribūta minuēbat. nūllī gravis erat; omnibus cārus erat.

usque ad nostram aetatem in senātū novīs prīncipibus ita acclāmant: "fēlīcior Augustō, melior sīs Trāiānō!" tanta enim erat opīniō dē bonitāte Trāiānī ut omnēs eum semper laudent. nunc quoque amīcī prīncipum, cum prīncipēs laudant, Trāiānum tamquam exemplum optimum nōmināre solent.

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4 - Liber Ipse

Tier 4 - Liber Ipse (AP Core Vocabulary)

tantae fortitūdinis et cīvīlitātis fuit, ut Rōmānī imperiī fīnēs, quod post Augustum dēfēnsum magis fuerat, quam nōbiliter ampliātum, longē lātēque diffunderet.

AP Core Vocabulary

tantus, -a, -um=so great, of such size

sum, esse, fuī=to be

Rōmānus, -a, -um=Roman, of Rome

imperium, -ī (n.)=command, empire

fīnis, -is (m. or f.)=boundary, end; pl. territory

quī, quae, quod=who, which

post=+ acc. after, behind

magis=more, rather

quam=than; how, as

longē=far, a long way off; longē lātēque, far and wide

glōriam tamen mīlitārem moderātiōne superāvit, Rōmae et per prōvinciās omnibus sē aequālem exhibēns, amīcōs salūtandī causā frequentāns, vel aegrōtantēs vel fēstīs diēbus, cum eīsdem indiscrēta vicissim habēns convīvia, vehiculīs eōrum et vestibus indifferenter ūtēns, pūblicē et prīvātim dītāns omnēs, immūnitātēs cīvitātibus largiēns, relaxāns tribūta prōvinciīs, nūllī gravis, cārus omnibus,

glōria, -ae (f.)=glory, fame

tamen=nevertheless, however

per=+ acc. through, throughout

omnis, -e=all, every

amīcus, -ī (m.)=friend

causa, -ae (f.)=cause, reason; + gen. (gerund), for the sake of

vel=or; vel ... vel, either ... or

diēs, -ēī (m. or f.)=day

cum=prep. + abl. with

habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itum=to have, hold

vestis, -is (f.)=garment, clothing

ūtor, ūtī, ūsus sum=+ abl. to use

cīvitās, -ātis (f.)=city, state, citizenship

nūllus, -a, -um=no, none, not any

gravis, -e=heavy, serious; burdensome

cārus, -a, -um=dear, beloved

adeō ut usque ad nostram aetatem in senātū nōn aliter prīncipibus acclāmētur: “fēlīcior Augustō, melior sīs Trāiānō!”

ad=+ acc. to, toward; usque ad, all the way to

noster, -tra, -trum=our

aetās, -ātis (f.)=age, lifetime, era

senātus, -ūs (m.)=senate

prīnceps, -cipis (m.)=leader, emperor, princeps

fēlīx, -īcis=fortunate, blessed, lucky

bonus, -a, -um=good; melior, better

sum, esse, fuī=to be; sīs, may you be (pres. subj.)

Trāiānus, -ī (m.)=Trajan

sīc itaque memoriae eius dēlātum est, et opīniō bonitātis eius in tantum praevaluit, ut amīcīs laudantibus vel assentantibus occāsiōnem magnificentissimī praestet exemplī.

sīc=so, thus, in this way

itaque=and so, therefore

ferō, ferre, tulī, lātum=to bear, carry; dēferō, to bring down, hand over, dedicate

sum, esse, fuī=to be

tantum=only, so much; in tantum, to such a degree

amīcus, -ī (m.)=friend

laudō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum=to praise

vel=or, or even

praestō, -āre, -stitī, -stitum (or -ātum)=to stand out; to provide, supply, furnish