§15.1ἔοικε δὲ καὶ περὶ τὸν δεύτερον ναὸν ὁμοία τύχη γενέσθαι τῆς καθιερώσεως, τὸν μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον, ὡς εἴρηται, Ταρκυνίου κατασκευάσαντος, Ὡρατίου δὲ καθιερώσαντος, ἐν τοῖς ἐμφυλίοις πολέμοις πῦρ ἀπώλεσε· τὸν δὲ δεύτερον ἀνέστησε μὲν Σύλλας, ἐπεγράφη δὲ τῇ καθιερώσει Κάτουλος Σύλλα προ αποθανόντος.
It seems that a similar fortune regarding the dedication befell the second temple as well. For the first, as has been said, Tarquin built and Horatius dedicated, but fire destroyed it during the civil wars; and the second was erected by Sulla, but Sulla having died beforehand, Catulus was inscribed for its dedication.
§15.2τούτου δὲ πάλιν ἐν ταῖς κατὰ Οὐιτέλλιον στάσεσι διαφθαρέντος τὸν τρίτον τῇ πρὸς τἆλλα καὶ τοῦτο χρησάμενος εὐποτμίᾳ Οὐεσπασιανὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἄχρι τέλους ἀναγαγὼν, ἐπεῖδε γενόμενον καὶ φθειρόμενον μετʼ ὀλίγον οὐκ ἐπεῖδεν, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον εὐτυχίᾳ Σύλλαν παρῆλθεν ὅσον ἐκεῖνον μὲν τῆς ἀφιερώσεως τοῦ ἔργου, τοῦτον δὲ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως προαποθανεῖν.
When this was destroyed again in the seditions of the time of Vitellius, Vespasian, employing his good fortune in this as well as in other matters, raised up the third from the beginning to the end, and lived to see it completed, but did not live to see it destroyed shortly afterwards; rather, he surpassed Sulla in good fortune by as much as the latter died before the dedication of his work, while the former died before its destruction.
ἅμα γὰρ τῷ τελευτῆσαι Οὐεσπασιανὸν ἐνεπρήσθη τὸ Καπιτώλιον.
For at the same time as Vespasian passed away, the Capitol was burned.
§15.3ὁ δὲ τέταρτος οὗτος ὑπὸ Δομετιανοῦ καὶ συνετελέσθη καὶ καθιερώθη.
But this fourth temple was both completed and dedicated by Domitian.
λέγεται δὲ Ταρκύνιον εἰς τοὺς θεμελίους ἀναλῶσαι λίτρας ἀργυρίου τετρακισμυρίας· τούτου δὲ τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς τὸν μέγιστον ἐν Ῥώμῃ τῶν ἰδιωτικῶν πλοῦτον ἐκλογισθέντα τὸ τῆς χρυσώσεως μὴ τελέσαι ἂν ἀνάλωμα, πλέον ἢ δισχιλίων καὶ μυρίων ταλάντων γενόμενον.
It is said that Tarquin expended forty thousand pounds of silver on the foundations; but for this temple of our own time, even if the greatest private wealth in Rome were calculated together, it would not defray the cost of the gilding, which amounted to more than twelve thousand talents.
§15.4οἱ δὲ κίονες ἐκ τοῦ Πεντελῆσιν ἐτμήθησαν λίθου, κάλλιστα τῷ πάχει πρὸς τὸ μῆκος ἔχοντες· εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοὺς Ἀθήνησιν.
The columns were cut from Pentelic stone, having a most beautiful proportion of thickness to length; for we saw them at Athens.
ἐν δὲ Ῥώμῃ πληγέντες αὖθις καὶ ἀναξυσθέντες οὐ τοσοῦτον ἔσχον γλαφυρίας ὅσον ἀπώλεσαν συμμετρίας καὶ τοῦ καλοῦ, διάκενοι καὶ λαγαροὶ φανέντες.
But when they were carved again and scraped smooth at Rome, they did not gain as much in polish as they lost in symmetry and beauty, appearing too hollowed-out and slender.
§15.5ὁ μέντοι θαυμάσας τοῦ Καπιτωλίου τὴν πολυτέλειαν, εἰ μίαν εἶδεν ἐν οἰκίᾳ Δομετιανοῦ στοὰν ἢ βασιλικὴν ἢ βαλανεῖον ἢ παλλακίδων δίαιταν, οἷόν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον Ἐπιχάρμου πρὸς τὸν ἄσωτον,
"οὐ φιλάνθρωπος τύ γʼ ἐσσʼ· ἔχεις νόσον χαίρεις διδούς,"
τοιοῦτον ἄν τι πρὸς Δομετιανὸν εἰπεῖν προήχθη· οὐκ εὐσεβὴς οὐδὲ φιλότιμος τύ γʼ ἐσσί· ἔχεις νόσον χαίρεις κατοικοδομῶν, ὥσπερ ὁ Μίδας ἐκεῖνος, ἅπαντά σοι χρυσᾶ καὶ λίθινα βουλόμενος γίνεσθαι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτων.
Indeed, anyone who admired the magnificence of the Capitol, if he had seen but a single portico in the house of Domitian, or a basilica, or a bath, or a lodging for his concubines, would have been prompted to say to Domitian something like what is said to have been spoken by Epicharmus to the spendthrift: "You are not benevolent; you have a disease, you delight in giving," namely, this: "You are neither pious nor honorable; you have a disease, you delight in building, wishing, like that famous Midas, that everything should become gold and stone for you." So much, then, for these matters.