Βάρβιος

Barbios, Barbius

Translated by William Hutton · 3 Oct 2002 · Vetting: high · 6 revisions

Translation

"Philippicus;¹ this man held office in the time of the Three Tyrants.² He was obsequious in his manner and a flatterer, and yet he was numbered among the coterie of Antonius. And this office, at least, he held through Antonius' good graces. So it was when this fellow was high and mighty and wearing the purple robes of honor, conducting business and passing judgments from on high in the Roman forum, that his master arrived and recognized him as someone who had earlier been a runaway but at that point in time was parading around in luxury, glorying, and being conceited in his position. He approached him silently from behind, took hold of his cloak and said 'Hello,' addressing him with his original name as a slave. He immediately recognized his master and was thunderstruck. He begged him to be quiet and led him to his house, where he offered an enormous amount and eventually ended up buying himself. And to Antonius' shame a silence bought with silver descended upon this scandal. I, as you see, decided not to be silent about this joke of fortune also."

Greek original

Βάρβιος, Φιλιππικός· οὗτος ἐπὶ τῶν τριῶν τυράννων ἦρχε. θέραψ δὲ ἦν τὸν τρόπον καὶ κολακικὸς, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῷ περὶ τὸν Ἀντώνιον θιάσῳ κατείλεκτο· καὶ ταύτην γε τὴν ἀρχὴν ἦρχε τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν. τοῦτόν τε οὖν τὸν τότε σοβαρὸν καὶ πορφυροῦν τῇ τιμῇ καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ὑψηλὸν διάγοντα καὶ δικάζοντα ὁ δεσπότης ἀνέγνω ἐλθὼν πρότερον μὲν ἀποδράντα, ἐν ἐκείνῳ δ' οὖν τοῦ καιροῦ πομπεύοντα ἁβρὸν καὶ κυδρούμενον καὶ σὺν τῇ ἀρχῇ θρυπτόμενον. καὶ προσελθὼν ἡσυχῇ κατόπιν θοιματίου λαβόμενος, χαῖρε, εἶπε, τὸ ὄνομα προσθεὶς τὸ ἀρχαῖόν τε καὶ δοῦλον. καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἐκπλήττεται ῥᾳδίως τὸν δεσπότην γνωρίσας καὶ δεῖται σιωπᾶν καὶ ἐς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἄγει, καὶ καταβαλὼν πάμπλειστα, εἶτα μέντοι ἑαυτὸν ἐλύσατο. καὶ αἰδοῖ Ἀντωνίου τῇ κηλῖδι τῇδε σιγὴ κατεχύθη ἀργυρώνητος. ἔκρινα δὴ καὶ ταύτην τῆς τύχης μὴ σιγῆσαι τὴν παιδιάν.

Betacode

*ba/rbios, *filippiko/s: ou(=tos e)pi\ tw=n triw=n tura/nnwn h)=rxe. qe/ray de\ h)=n to\n tro/pon kai\ kolakiko\s, kai\ me/ntoi kai\ tw=| peri\ to\n *)antw/nion qia/sw| katei/lekto: kai\ tau/thn ge th\n a)rxh\n h)=rxe th\n e)kei/nou xa/rin. tou=to/n te ou)=n to\n to/te sobaro\n kai\ porfurou=n th=| timh=| kai\ e)n a)gora=| th=| *(rwmai/wn u(yhlo\n dia/gonta kai\ dika/zonta o( despo/ths a)ne/gnw e)lqw\n pro/teron me\n a)podra/nta, e)n e)kei/nw| d' ou)=n tou= kairou= pompeu/onta a(bro\n kai\ kudrou/menon kai\ su\n th=| a)rxh=| qrupto/menon. kai\ proselqw\n h(suxh=| kato/pin qoimati/ou labo/menos, xai=re, ei)=pe, to\ o)/noma prosqei\s to\ a)rxai=o/n te kai\ dou=lon. kai\ e)kei=nos e)kplh/ttetai r(a|di/ws to\n despo/thn gnwri/sas kai\ dei=tai siwpa=n kai\ e)s ta\ oi)kei=a a)/gei, kai\ katabalw\n pa/mpleista, ei)=ta me/ntoi e(auto\n e)lu/sato. kai\ ai)doi= *)antwni/ou th=| khli=di th=|de sigh\ katexu/qh a)rgurw/nhtos. e)/krina dh\ kai\ tau/thn th=s tu/xhs mh\ sigh=sai th\n paidia/n.

Notes (2)

Aelian fr. 66 Hercher (69 Domingo-Forasté); cf. theta 167, theta 232, theta 523, kappa 2619.
1Ostensibly the man's cognomen; it should probably be considered part of the headword rather than a gloss. Ulpian, Digest 1.14.3 (citing Pomponius), tells basically the same story but calls the man Barbarius Philippus, and specifies that the man was on the verge of assuming the praetorship before his background was revealed. Both tales may be a garbled recollection of M. Barbatius Pollio (on the name and his identity see Syme 1955: 57, 1961: 24-5), mentioned as a quaestor for M. Antonius by Appian, Civil War 5.120, and also named on his coinage (See Crawford 1974: 517.1-3). Barbatius' story seems to have been melded with the account of a certain Maximus who, according to Cassius Dio 48.34.5 was exposed as a slave before assuming the post of quaestor (in Rome, not in Antonius' entourage). ↩
2That is, during the triumvirate (43 BCE onwards) of Octavian, Antony and Lepidus.

↩

References

Crawford, M.H. 1974. Roman Republican Coinage. 2 vols. Cambridge
Syme, R. 1955. "Missing Senators." Historia 4 (1955): 52-71
Syme, R. 1961. "Who was Vedius Pollio?" JRS 55 (1961): 23-30

Neighbours in Adler order

β106Βαρδίσαγνοςbardisagnos β107Βάρβιτοςbarbitos, long-armed lyre β108Βάρδιστοιslowmost (ones)β109ΒάρβιοςBarbios, Barbius β110Βάρβιτονbarbitos, long-armed lyre β111ΒαργαδώθBargadoth β112Βαρέωςheavily

Revisions (6)

21 May 2012David Whiteheadmore keywords; typo and other cosmetics
18 Feb 2008William Huttontweaked translation and augmented notes, added bibliography and keywords.
7 Oct 2005David Whiteheadanother keyword
4 Oct 2002David Whiteheadaugmented note and keywords; cosmetics
3 Oct 2002William Huttontranslated

Translation

Greek original

Betacode

*ba/rbios, *filippiko/s: ou(=tos e)pi\ tw=n triw=n tura/nnwn h)=rxe. qe/ray de\ h)=n to\n tro/pon kai\ kolakiko\s, kai\ me/ntoi kai\ tw=| peri\ to\n *)antw/nion qia/sw| katei/lekto: kai\ tau/thn ge th\n a)rxh\n h)=rxe th\n e)kei/nou xa/rin. tou=to/n te ou)=n to\n to/te sobaro\n kai\ porfurou=n th=| timh=| kai\ e)n a)gora=| th=| *(rwmai/wn u(yhlo\n dia/gonta kai\ dika/zonta o( despo/ths a)ne/gnw e)lqw\n pro/teron me\n a)podra/nta, e)n e)kei/nw| d' ou)=n tou= kairou= pompeu/onta a(bro\n kai\ kudrou/menon kai\ su\n th=| a)rxh=| qrupto/menon. kai\ proselqw\n h(suxh=| kato/pin qoimati/ou labo/menos, xai=re, ei)=pe, to\ o)/noma prosqei\s to\ a)rxai=o/n te kai\ dou=lon. kai\ e)kei=nos e)kplh/ttetai r(a|di/ws to\n despo/thn gnwri/sas kai\ dei=tai siwpa=n kai\ e)s ta\ oi)kei=a a)/gei, kai\ katabalw\n pa/mpleista, ei)=ta me/ntoi e(auto\n e)lu/sato. kai\ ai)doi= *)antwni/ou th=| khli=di th=|de sigh\ katexu/qh a)rgurw/nhtos. e)/krina dh\ kai\ tau/thn th=s tu/xhs mh\ sigh=sai th\n paidia/n.

Notes (2)

Aelian fr. 66 Hercher (69 Domingo-Forasté); cf. theta 167, theta 232, theta 523, kappa 2619.

1Ostensibly the man's cognomen; it should probably be considered part of the headword rather than a gloss. Ulpian, Digest 1.14.3 (citing Pomponius), tells basically the same story but calls the man Barbarius Philippus, and specifies that the man was on the verge of assuming the praetorship before his background was revealed. Both tales may be a garbled recollection of M. Barbatius Pollio (on the name and his identity see Syme 1955: 57, 1961: 24-5), mentioned as a quaestor for M. Antonius by Appian, Civil War 5.120, and also named on his coinage (See Crawford 1974: 517.1-3). Barbatius' story seems to have been melded with the account of a certain Maximus who, according to Cassius Dio 48.34.5 was exposed as a slave before assuming the post of quaestor (in Rome, not in Antonius' entourage). ↩

2That is, during the triumvirate (43 BCE onwards) of Octavian, Antony and Lepidus.