Suetonius, writing circa 120 A.D. about the Caesars of Rome, had horrible material to work with. Drunk with absolute power, the men about whom he wrote were disgusting, bloody and often, downright insane.
And yet, I found this passage about Claudius Caesar (reigned 41 to 54 AD) downright funny:
"No matter where Claudius happened to be, he always felt ready for food and drink. One day, while he was judging a case in Augustus' Forum, the delicious smell of cooking assailed his nostrils. He descended from the Tribunal, closed the court, and went to the dining room of the Leaping Priests in the near-by Temple of Mars, where he immediately took his place at the meal he had scented."
Monday, August 18, 2008
What privileges Caesar hath ...
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1 comment:
Humorous indeed yet indicative of the gluttony (among other things)that pervaded the Roman Empire.
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