§4Fuit adulescens decorus, moribus asperis, sed non impius, amorum tractator, gulosus, cupidus ciborum et vini varie conditi.
He was a handsome youth, of harsh manners, but not impious, a dealer in love affairs, a glutton, and desirous of food and of wine seasoned in various ways.
huius illud pueri fertur insigne quod cum vellet partium diversarum viros Severus occidere et inter suos diceret,
Hostes vobis eripio,
consentiretque adeo usque Bassianus, ut eorum etiam liberos, si sibi consuleret, diceret occidendos, Geta interrogasse fertur quantus esset interficiendorum numerus;
This remarkable story is told of him as a boy: when Severus wished to kill the men of the opposing parties and said among his own people, "I am snatching away your enemies from you," and Bassianus agreed to such an extent that he said even their children, if he were to consult his own safety, ought to be killed, Geta is said to have asked how great was the number of those to be slain; and when his father had told him, he asked, "Do those men have parents?
cumque dixisset pater, ille interrogavit,
Isti habent parentes, habent propinquos?
cum responsum esset habere, ait,
Tum plures ergo in civitate tristes erunt quam laeti, quod vicimus,
et obtinuisset eius sententia nisi Plautianus praefectus vel Iuvenalis institissent spe proscriptionum, ex quibus ditati sunt.
Do they have relatives?" And when it was answered that they did, he said, "Then more people, therefore, will be sad in the state than glad that we have won." And his opinion would have prevailed, had not the prefect Plautianus or Juvenalis insisted through hope of proscriptions, by which they were enriched.
his accedebat Bassiani fratris nimia crudelitas, qui cum contenderet et diceret, quasi ioco quasi serio, omnes cum liberis occidendos partium diversarum, Geta ei dixisse dicitur,
Tu qui nulli parcis, potes et fratrem occidere. quod dictum eius tunc nihil, post vero pro praesagio fuit.
To this was added the excessive cruelty of his brother Bassianus, who, when he contended and said, half in jest and half in earnest, that everyone of the opposing parties ought to be killed along with their children, Geta is said to have said to him, "You who spare no one, can also kill your brother." Which saying of his was then nothing, but later was regarded as a prophecy.
§5Fuit in litteris adsequendis tenax veterum scriptorum, paternarum etiam sententiarum memor, fratri semper invisus, matri amabilior quam frater, subbalbe tamen canorus.
In acquiring letters, he was a firm adherent of ancient writers, mindful also of his father's sayings, always hated by his brother, more beloved by his mother than his brother was, though he had a somewhat lisping yet clear voice.
vestitus nitidi cupidissimus, ita ut pater rideret.
He was very desirous of splendid clothing, so that his father laughed at him.
si quid accepit a parentibus, ad suum contulit cultum neque quicquam cuipiam dedit.
If he received anything from his parents, he applied it to his own adornment and gave nothing to anyone.
Post Parthicum bellum cum ingenti gloria pater floreret, Bassiano participi imperii appellato Geta quoque Caesaris et Antonini, ut quidam dicunt, nomen accepit.
After the Parthian war, when his father flourished in immense glory, Bassianus having been named partner in the empire, Geta also received the name of Caesar and, as some say, of Antoninus.
Familiare illi fuit has quaestiones grammaticis proponere, ut dicerent singula animalia quomodo vocem emitterent, velut: agni balant, porcelli grunniunt, palumbes minurriunt, porci grunniunt, ursi saeviunt, leones rugiunt, leopardi rictant, elephanti barriunt, ranae coaxant, equi hinniunt, asini rudunt, tauri mugiunt, easque de veteribus adprobare.
It was familiar to him to propose these questions to grammarians, that they should say how individual animals emitted their voice, as for example: lambs bleat (balant), little pigs grunt (grunniunt), wild pigeons coo (minurriunt), pigs grunt (grunniunt), bears rage (saeviunt), lions roar (rugiunt), leopards snarl (rictant), elephants trumpet (barriunt), frogs croak (coaxant), horses neigh (hinniunt), asses bray (rudunt), bulls bellow (mugiunt), and to prove these from ancient writers.
Sereni Sammonici libros familiarissimos habuit, quos ille ad Antoninum scripsit, habebat etiam istam consuetudinem, ut convivia et maxime prandia per singulas litteras iuberet scientibus servis, velut in quo erat anser, apruna, anas, item pullus, perdix, pavus, porcellus, piscis, perna et quae in eam litteram genera edulium caderent, et item phasianus, farrata, ficus et talia, quare comis etiam habebatur in adulescentia.
He held the books of Serenus Sammonicus as most familiar, which he had written to Antoninus. He also had that custom of ordering banquets, and especially luncheons, by individual letters through knowledgeable slaves, as, for example, one in which there was goose (anser), wild boar (apruna), duck (anas), likewise chicken (pullus), partridge (perdix), peacock (pavus), young pig (porcellus), fish (piscis), ham (perna), and whatever kinds of food fell under that letter, and likewise pheasant (phasianus), spelt-porridge (farrata), fig (ficus), and such like, wherefore he was also considered affable in his youth.
§6Occiso eo pars militum quae incorrupta erat parricidium aegerrime accepit, dicentibus cunctis duobus se liberis fidem promisisse, duobus servare debere, clausisque portis diu non est imperator admissus.
When he was killed, the part of the soldiers that was uncorrupted took the parricide very hard, everyone saying that they had promised loyalty to two children and ought to keep it to two; and the gates being shut, the emperor was not admitted for a long time.
denique nisi querellis de Geta editis et animis militum delenitis, inormibus etiam stipendiis datis Romam Bassianus redire non potuit, post hoc denique et Papinianus et multi alii interempti sunt, qui vel concordiae faverant vel qui partium Getae fuerant, ita ut utriusque ordinis viri et in balneo et cenantes et in publico percuterentur, Papinianus ipse securi percussus sit, improbante Bassiano, quod non gladio res peracta sit.
Finally, unless complaints concerning Geta had been published and the minds of the soldiers softened, and also enormous bounties given, Bassianus could not have returned to Rome. After this, finally, both Papinianus and many others were slain, who either had favored harmony or had been of Geta's party, so that men of both orders were struck down in the baths, while dining, and in public; Papinianus himself was struck with an axe, while Bassianus disapproved because the matter was not carried out with a sword.
ventum denique est usque ad seditionem urbanicianorum militum, quos quidem non levi auctoritate Bassianus compressit, tribuno eorum, ut alii dicunt, interfecto, ut alii, relegato.
Finally, it came to a mutiny of the city soldiers, whom indeed Bassianus suppressed with no light authority, their tribune, as some say, being killed, or as others say, banished.
ipse autem tantum timuit, ut loricam sub lato habens clavo etiam Curiam sit ingressus atque ita rationem facti sui et necis Geticae reddiderit.
But he himself was so afraid that, having a breastplate under his broad stripe, he even entered the Senate house (Curiam) and thus rendered an account of his deed and of Geta's death.
quo quidem tempore Helvius Pertinax, qui postea est ab eodem Bassiano interemptus, recitanti Faustino praetori et dicenti
Sarmaticus maximus et Parthicus maximus,
dixisse dicitur,
Adde et Geticus maximus,
quasi Gothicus. quod dictum altius in pectus Bassiani descendit, ut postea nece Pertinacis est adprobatum, nec solum Pertinacis sed et aliorum, ut supra dictum est, passim et inique.
At which very time Helvius Pertinax, who was later slain by the same Bassianus, is said to have said to the praetor Faustinus, who was reading aloud and saying: "Sarmaticus maximus and Parthicus maximus," "Add also Geticus maximus," as if "Gothicus." This saying went deeper into Bassianus's breast, as was later proved by the death of Pertinax, and not of Pertinax alone but of others also, as was said above, everywhere and unjustly.
Helvium autem etiam suspectum habuit adfectatae tyrannidis, quod esset in amore omnium et filius Pertinacis imperatoris, quae res nulli facile privato satis tuta est.
Moreover, he also held Helvius suspected of affecting tyranny, because he was in the love of all and was the son of the emperor Pertinax, which circumstance is not easily safe enough for any private citizen.
§7Funus Getae accuratius fuisse dicitur quam eius qui fratri videretur occisus, inlatusque est maiorum sepulchro, hoc est Severi, quod est in Appia Via euntibus ad portam dextra, specie Septizonii exstructum, quod sibi ille vivus ornaverat.
The funeral of Geta is said to have been more elaborate than that of one who seemed to have been killed by his brother, and he was laid in the tomb of his ancestors, that is, of Severus, which is on the Appian Way on the right as you go to the gate, built in the likeness of the Septizonium, which Severus himself had adorned while alive.
Occidere voluit et matrem Getae, novercam suam, quod fratrem lugeret, et mulieres, quas post reditum de Curia flentes repperit, fuit praeterea eius inmanitatis Antoninus, ut iis praecipue blandiretur quos ad necem destinabat, ut eius magis blandimentum timeretur quam iracundia.
He wished to kill also Geta's mother, his stepmother, because she mourned her brother, and the women whom, after his return from the Senate house, he found weeping; moreover, Antoninus was of such cruelty that he especially flattered those whom he destined for death, so that his flattery was feared more than his anger.
mirum sane omnibus videbatur quod mortem Getae totiens etiam ipse fleret quotiens nominis eius mentio fieret, quotiens imago videretur aut statua, varietas autem tanta fuit Antonini Bassiani, immo tanta sitis caedis, ut modo fautores Getae, modo inimicos occideret, quos fors obtulisset, quo facto magis Geta desiderabatur.
Indeed, it seemed strange to everyone that he himself also wept for Geta's death as often as mention was made of his name, as often as his image or statue was seen; but so great was the inconsistency of Antoninus Bassianus, or rather so great his thirst for slaughter, that he killed now the supporters of Geta, now his enemies, whom fortune had thrown in his way, by which deed Geta was the more regretted.