The Lives of the Twelve Caesars (The Heritage Press)

xvii, [1], 482, [1] pp. 8vo. Translated by Philemon Holland, revised for the present edition, with an introduction by Moses Hadas and illustrated with paintings by Salvatore Fiume. Suetonius, in full Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, (born 69 CE, probably Rome [Italy]—died after 122), Roman biographer and antiquarian whose writings include De viris illustribus (“Concerning Illustrious Men”), a collection of short biographies of celebrated Roman literary figures, and De vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars). The latter book, seasoned with bits of gossip and scandal relating to the lives of Julius Caesar and the first 11 Roman emperors, secured him lasting fame. Suetonius’ family was of the knightly class, or equites. A friend and protégé of the government official and letter writer Pliny the Younger, he seems to have studied and then abandoned the law as a career. After Pliny’s death Suetonius found another patron, Septicius Clarus, to whom he later dedicated De vita Caesarum. Upon the accession of Emperor Hadrian (117), he entered the imperial service, holding, probably simultaneously, the posts of controller of the Roman libraries, keeper of the archives, and adviser to the emperor on cultural matters. Probably around 121 he was promoted to secretary of the imperial correspondence, but in 122 or somewhat later he was dismissed for the neglect of court formality, after which he presumably devoted himself to literary pursuits. - Britannica