Maecenas, Living Life Out Loud
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Name: Velleius Paterculus Date: 19
BCE – 31 CE Region: [modern Italy] Citation: Roman History 2.88.2 |
At
that time, Gaius Maecenas was in charge of the city's guards. Maecenas was a
member of the Equestrian order, and born of an illustrious background. In times
of crisis, he was very diligent, almost prophetic in perceiving what needed to
be done. However, he was just as extreme once work was
done, being over-the-top in reveling in effeminate pleasure, even
more so; he was practically dripping with femininity. He was no less dear to
Augustus Caesar than Agrippa, despite being bestowed with less
honors, since he was content to remain in his social class. He could have
achieved the same level of political influence as Agrippa if he had wanted to,
but he had no desire to do so.
Erat tunc urbis custodiis
praepositus C. Maecenas equestri, sed splendido genere natus, vir, ubi res
vigiliam exigeret, sane exsomnis, providens atque agendi sciens, simul vero
aliquid ex negotio remitti posset, otio ac mollitiis paene ultra, feminam fluens,
non minus Agrippa Caesari carus, sed minus honoratus (quippe vixit angusti
clavi plene contentus), nec minora consequi potuit, sed non tam concupivit.
Velleius Paterculus [Marcus Velleius Paterculus; 19 BCE – 31 CE, modern
Italy] was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author. Writing a generation
after the publication of Livy’s massive history, Velleius reinvented the genre
by creating a succinct abbreviated text that fits all of Roman history, from
Aeneas’ flight from Troy to the reign of Augustus, into two volumes.
