Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus s Contributions - 2521 Words

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was born around AD 70, and by the early 90s he had moved to Rome and thus begun his scholarly studies that became one of his chief occupations (Rives xviii). Here in Rome he acquired his patron and benefactor, Gaius Plinius Secundus, who had a very successful public career and was known well for his collection of letters that Suetonius makes his first appearance in, as an advocate (xviii). Plinius remained his benefactor for fifteen years; from his letters we can see that Suetonius had an interest in pursuing a public career (xviii) and that he had a great interest in scholarly and literary pursuits (xix). The fullest account of his scholarly works are found in a work entitled, Suda, a Byzantine encyclopedia†¦show more content†¦It is clear that Suetonius favored Augustus over the other Caesars, and in large part due this is due to his more thoughtful, and responsible use of his power and army. â€Å"Yet Augustus never wantonly invaded any countr y, and felt no temptation to increase the boundaries of the empire or enhance his military glory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Suetonius 53). Clearly Augustus was not greedy with his power and felt no urge or need to extend his power or to greater his military power, he valued and favored peace, fairness, and wisdom; which is clearly shown here,†Even when tribes rebelled frequently or showed particular ill faith, Augustus’ most severe punishment was to sell as slaves the prisoners he took†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (54). â€Å"The two faults in which we condemned most strongly in a military commander were haste and recklessness† (56). This thoughtfulness and wisdom earned Augustus high honor in Suetonius report in regard to his Military skills. In sharp contrast to Augustus; Caligula had an urge for war, a desire for it to happen if you may. â€Å"The prosperity of his own reign, he said, would lead to it s being wholly forgotten, and he often prayed for a great military catastrophe..,à ¢â‚¬ (162). He once, at the realization that the chance for war were slim to none for him, ordered a few German prisoners to be taken across the Rhine and hidden in the trees, after lunch his scouts