Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

Triumvirate and Principate 

.. Appian,BC,/:‘‘Caesar...saidthathewouldgiveback
thewholeres publica,ifAntoniuscamebackfromParthia.’’
..Dio,,:‘‘NowwhileAntoniuswasengagedasdescribed,he
hadtheeffronterytowritetotheSenatethathewishedtogiveuphis
officeandputthewholeadministrationofthestateintothehandsof
thisbodyandofthepeople.’’
.. Dio,,:‘‘Antonius...pro misedthatthatwithintwomonths
afterhisvictoryhewouldrelinquishhisofficeandrestoretotheSenate
andpeopleallitsauthority.’’
.. Suetonius,Div.Aug.:‘‘TwiceAugustusthoughtofgivingback
theres publica:immediatelyafterthefallofAntonius,whenheremem-
beredthatAntoniushadoftenaccusedhimofbeingtheoneobstacle
tosuchachange;andagainwhenhecouldnotshakeoffanexhausting
illness.HethenactuallysummonedthemagistratesandtheSenateto
hishouseandgavethemafinancialaccountofthestateoftheempire.’’
.. Dio,,:‘‘Afterthisthey[theRomans]revertedtowhatwas,
strictlyspeaking,amonarchy,althoughCaesarplannedtolaydownhis
armsandtoentrustthemanagementofthestatetotheSenateandto
thepeople.’’

ThelastpassageservesonlyasanintroductiontothedebateofAgrippaand
Maecenas, and need not be taken as evidence of an intention by Octavian
specificallyintorestorepowertoSenateandPeople.Itshouldbenoted
thattheearlierpassagesallrefertounfulfilledpublicpromisesfromtheTri-
umviral period, and that of Suetonius to an unfulfilled private intention.
Suetoniusgivesnohintofanawarenessthatithadeverbeenclaimedthat
theeventinquestionhadactuallyoccurred.
However,sincemenwritingintheestablishedEmpirecouldhardlyhave
doubtedthattheywerelivingunderamonarchy,itmightreasonablybeob-
jectedthatthishascolouredtheirviewofthecrucialtransitionalperiod.So
we maycome finally to the essential question—howdid the matter seem
tocontemporaries?Firstwemaynotetheremarkablefranknesswithwhich
CorneliusNepos,writingsometimeafterthedeathofAtticusattheendof
March,andapparentlyafterthedeathofAntonius,characterisestheam-
bitions of the twoTriumvirs—‘‘when each of them desired to be the first
man[princeps]notonlyinRomebutalsointheentireworld.’’^104 Thispas-
sagewasprobablywrittenbeforeJanuary.Buttheprefaceof Vitruvius’

. Nepos,Atticus,.