ταῖς δὲ Μακεδονικαῖς πράξεσι τοῦ Αἰμιλίου δημοτικωτάτην προσγράφουσι χάριν ὑπὲρ τῶν πολλῶν, ὡς τοσούτων εἰς τὸ δημόσιον τότε χρημάτων ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τεθέντων ὥστε μηκέτι δεῆσαι τὸν δῆμον εἰσενεγκεῖν ἄχρι τῶν Ἱρτίου καὶ Πάνσα χρόνων, οἳ περὶ τὸν πρῶτον Ἀντωνίου καὶ Καίσαρος πόλεμον ὑπάτευσαν.
To the exploits of Aemilius in Macedonia is ascribed his most unbounded popularity with the people, since so much money was then brought into the public treasury by him that the people no longer needed to pay special taxes until the times of Hirtius and Pansa, who were consuls during the first war between Antony and Octavius Caesar.
κἀκεῖνο δʼ ἴδιον καὶ περιττὸν τοῦ Αἰμιλίου, τὸ σπουδαζόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου καὶ τιμώμενον διαφερόντως ἐπὶ τῆς ἀριστοκρατικῆς μεῖναι προαιρέσεως, καὶ μηδὲν εἰπεῖν μηδὲ πρᾶξαι χάριτι τῶν πολλῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πρώτοις καὶ κρατίστοις ἀεὶ συνεξετάζεσθαι περὶ τὴν πολιτείαν.
And this, too, was peculiar and remarkable in Aemilius, that although he was admired and honoured by the people beyond measure, he remained a member of the aristocratic party, and neither said or did anything to win the favour of the multitude, but always sided in political matters with the leading and most powerful men.
ὃ καὶ χρόνοις ὕστερον Ἄππιος ὠνείδισεν Ἀφρικανῷ Σκηπίωνι. μέγιστοι γὰρ ὄντες ἐν τῇ πόλει τότε τὴν τιμητικὴν ἀρχὴν μετῄεσαν, ὁ μὲν τὴν βουλὴν ἔχων καὶ τοὺς ἀρίστους περὶ αὑτόν· αὕτη γὰρ Ἀππίοις ἡ πολιτεία πάτριος· ὁ δὲ μέγας μὲν ὢν ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ, μεγάλῃ δʼ ἀεὶ τῇ παρὰ τοῦ δήμου χάριτι καὶ σπουδῇ κεχρημένος.
And this attitude of Aemilius was in after times cast in the teeth of Scipio Africanus by Appius. For these men, being then greatest in the city, were candidates for the censorship, the one having the senate and the nobles to support him, for this was the hereditary policy of the Appii, while the other, although great on his own account, nevertheless always made use of the great favour and love of the people for him.
ὡς οὖν ἐμβάλλοντος εἰς ἀγορὰν τοῦ Σκηπίωνος κατεῖδε παρὰ πλευρὰν ὁ Ἄππιος ἀνθρώπους ἀγεννεῖς καὶ δεδουλευκότας, ἀγοραίους δὲ καὶ δυναμένους ὄχλον συναγαγεῖν καὶ σπουδαρχίᾳ καὶ κραυγῇ πάντα πράγματα βιάσασθαι, μέγα βοήσας·
When, therefore, Appius saw Scipio rushing into the forum attended by men who were of low birth and had lately been slaves, but who were frequenters of the forum and able to gather a mob and force all issues by means of solicitations and shouting, he cried with a loud voice and said:
ὦ Παῦλε, εἶπεν, Αἰμίλιε, στέναξον ὑπὸ γῆς αἰσθόμενος ὅτι σου τὸν υἱὸν Αἰμίλιος ὁ κῆρυξ καὶ Λικίννιος Φιλόνεικος ἐπὶ τιμητείαν κατάγουσιν.
O Paulus Aemilius, groan beneath the earth when thou learnest that thy son is escorted to the censorship by Aemilius the common crier and Licinius Philonicus.
ἀλλὰ Σκηπίων μὲν αὔξων τὰ πλεῖστα τὸν δῆμον εὔνουν εἶχεν, Αἰμίλιος δέ, καίπερ ὢν ἀριστοκρατικὸς, οὐδὲν ἧττον ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν ἠγαπᾶτο τοῦ μάλιστα δημαγωγεῖν καὶ πρός χάριν ὁμιλεῖν τοῖς πολλοῖς δοκοῦντος.
But Scipio had the good will of the people because he supported them in most things, while Aemilius, although he sided with the nobles, was no less loved by the multitude than the one who was thought to pay most court to the people and to seek their favour in his intercourse with them.
ἐδήλωσαν δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καλῶν καὶ τιμητείας αὐτὸν ἀξιώσαντες, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ πασῶν ἱερωτάτη καὶ δυναμένη μέγα πρός τε τἆλλα καὶ πρός ἐξέτασιν βίων.
And they made this manifest by conferring upon him, along with his other honours, that of the censorship, which is of all offices most sacred, and of great influence, both in other ways, and especially because it examines into the lives and conduct of men.
ἐκβαλεῖν τε γὰρ ἔξεστι συγκλήτου τὸν ἀπρεπῶς ζῶντα τοῖς τιμηταῖς, καὶ προγράψαι τὸν ἄριστον, ἵππου τʼ ἀφαιρέσει τῶν νέων ἀτιμάσαι τὸν ἀκολασταίνοντα. καὶ τῶν οὐσιῶν οὗτοι τὰ τιμήματα καὶ τὰς ἀπογραφὰς ἐπισκοποῦσιν.
For it is in the power of the censors to expel any senator whose life is unbecoming, and to appoint the leader of the senate, and they can disgrace any young knight of loose habits by taking away his horse. They also take charge of the property assessments and the registry lists.
ἀπεγράψαντο μὲν οὖν κατʼ αὐτὸν μυριάδες ἀνθρώπων τριάκοντα τρεῖς, ἔτι δʼ ἑπτακισχίλιοι τετρακόσιοι πεντήκοντα δύο, τῆς δὲ βουλῆς προέγραψε μὲν Μᾶρκον Αἰμίλιον Λέπιδον, ἤδη τετράκις καρπούμενον ταύτην τὴν προεδρίαν, ἐξέβαλε δὲ τρεῖς συγκλητικοὺς οὐ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν ἱππέων ἐξέτασιν ὁμοίως ἐμετρίασεν αὐτός τε καὶ Μάρκιος Φίλιππος ὁ συνάρχων αὐτοῦ.
Accordingly, the number of citizens registered under Aemilius was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand four hundred and fifty-two; he also declared Marcus Aemilius Lepidus first senator, a man who had already held this presidency four times, and he expelled only three senators, men of no note, and in the muster of the knights a like moderation was observed both by himself and by Marcius Philippus his colleague.
διῳκημένων δὲ τῶν πλείστων καὶ μεγίστων ἐνόσησε νόσον ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν ἐπισφαλῆ, χρόνῳ δὲ ἀκίνδυνον, ἐργώδη δὲ καὶ δυσαπάλλακτον γενομένην.
After he had performed most of the more important duties of this office, he fell sick of a disease which at first was dangerous, but in time became less threatening, though it was troublesome and hard to get rid of.
ἐπεὶ δὲ πεισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἔπλευσεν εἰς Ἐλέαν τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ διέτριβεν αὐτόθι πλείω χρόνον ἐν παραλίοις ἀγροῖς καὶ πολλὴν ἡσυχίαν ἔχουσιν, ἐπόθησαν αὐτὸν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ φωνὰς πολλάκις ἐν θεάτροις οἷον εὐχόμενοι καὶ σπεύδοντες ἰδεῖν ἀφῆκαν.
Under the advice of his physicians he sailed to Velia in Italy, and there spent much time in country places lying by the sea and affording great quiet. Then the Romans longed for him, and often in the theatres gave utterance to eager desires and even prayers that they might see him.
οὔσης δέ τινος ἱερουργίας ἀναγκαίας, ἤδη δὲ καὶ δοκοῦντος ἱκανῶς ἔχειν αὐτῷ τοῦ σώματος, ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς Ῥώμην.
At last, when a certain religious ceremony made his presence necessary, and his health seemed to be sufficient for the journey, he returned to Rome.
κἀκείνην μὲν ἔθυσε μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τὴν θυσίαν ἱερέων, ἐπιφανῶς τοῦ δήμου περικεχυμένου καὶ χαίροντος· τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ πάλιν ἔθυσεν αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ σωτήρια τοῖς θεοῖς,
Here he offered the public sacrifice in company with the other priests, while the people thronged about with manifest tokens of delight; and on the following day he sacrificed again to the gods privately in gratitude for his recovery.
καὶ συμπερανθείσης, ὡς προείρηται, τῆς θυσίας ὑποστρέψας οἴκαδε καὶ κατακλιθείς, πρὶν αἰσθέσθαι καὶ νοῆσαι τὴν μεταβολήν, ἐν ἐκστάσει καὶ παραφορᾷ τῆς διανοίας γενόμενος τριταῖος ἐτελεύτησεν, οὐδενὸς ἐνδεὴς οὐδʼ ἀτελὴς τῶν πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν νενομισμένων γενόμενος.
When the sacrifice had been duly performed, he returned to his house and lay down to rest, and then, before he could notice and be conscious of any change, he became delirious and deranged in mind, and on the third day after died. He was fully blessed with everything that men think conducive to happiness.
καὶ γὰρ ἡ περὶ τὴν ἐκφορὰν πομπὴ θαυμασμὸν ἔσχε, καὶ ζῆλον ἐπικοσμοῦντα τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῖς ἀρίστοις καὶ μακαριωτάτοις ἐνταφίοις.
For his funeral procession called forth men’s admiration, and showed a desire to adorn his virtue with the best and most enviable obsequies.
ταῦτα δʼ ἦν οὐ χρυσὸς οὐδʼ ἐλέφας οὐδʼ ἡ λοιπὴ πολυτέλεια καὶ φιλοτιμία τῆς παρασκευῆς, ἀλλʼ εὔνοια καὶ τιμὴ καὶ χάρις οὐ μόνον παρὰ τῶν πολιτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πολεμίων.
This was manifest, not in gold or ivory or the other ambitious and expensive preparations for such rites, but in good will and honour and gratitude on the part, not only of his fellow citizens, but also of his enemies.
ὅσοι γοῦν κατὰ τύχην παρῆσαν Ἰβήρων καὶ Λιγύων καὶ Μακεδόνων, οἱ μὲν ἰσχυροὶ τὰ σώματα καὶ νέοι διαλαβόντες τὸ λέχος ὑπέδυσαν καὶ παρεκόμιζον, οἱ δὲ πρεσβύτεροι συνηκολούθουν ἀνακαλούμενοι τὸν Αἰμίλιον εὐεργέτην καὶ σωτῆρα τῶν πατρίδων.
At all events, out of all the Iberians and Ligurians and Macedonians who chanced to be present, those that were young and strong of body assisted by turns in carrying the bier, while the more elderly followed with the procession calling aloud upon Aemilius as benefactor and preserver of their countries.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐν οἷς ἐκράτησε καιροῖς ἠπίως πᾶσι καὶ φιλανθρώπως ἀπηλλάγη χρησάμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὸν λοιπὸν βίον ἀεί τι πράττων ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῖς καὶ κηδόμενος ὥσπερ οἰκείων καὶ συγγενῶν διετέλεσε.
For not only at the times of his conquests had he treated them all with mildness and humanity, but also during all the rest of his life he was ever doing them some good and caring for them as though they had been kindred and relations.
τὴν δʼ οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ μόλις ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα μυριάδων γενέσθαι λέγουσιν, ἧς αὐτὸς μὲν ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς υἱοὺς ἀπέλιπε κληρονόμους, ὁ δὲ νεώτερος Σκηπίων τῷ ἀδελφῷ πᾶσαν ἔχειν συνεχώρησεν αὐτὸς εἰς οἶκον εὐπορώτερον τόν Ἀφρικανοῦ δεδομένος, οὗτος μὲν ὁ Παύλου Αἰμιλίου τρόπος καὶ βίος λέγεται γενέσθαι.
His estate, we are told, hardly amounted to three hundred and seventy thousand drachmas, to which he left both his sons heirs; but the younger, Scipio, who had been adopted into the wealthier family of Africanus, allowed his brother to have it all. Such, as we are told, was the life and character of Paulus Aemilius.
Cite This Text