■ 913] ROLFE— SUETONIUS AND HIS BIOGRAPHIES. 211 



bar, at least for a short time. From a third reference of Pliny-^ 

 Mace and others have assumed that Suetonius was a teacher, and 

 the former, with the imagination characteristic of French scholar- 

 ship, constantly refers to him as a " maitre d'ccole " and draws in- 

 ferences from his profession. But the most natural interpretation 

 of dominis scholasticis in the passage in question is '' scholars turned 

 land-holders," and there seems to be no evidence whatever that 

 Suetonius was a schoolmaster. 



Pliny's acquaintance with Suetonius was evidently an intimate 

 one, since he twice refers to him as contubernalis.-^ This term, too, 

 seems to imply that the two men were of approximately the same 

 age and hence to support the view that Suetonius was born as early 

 as the year 70. An equality in years is not inconsistent with the 

 reverence-^ which he felt for his distinguished friend, whose posi- 

 tion was so much higher than his own, and it is in accord with 

 " Epist.," IX., 34, in which Pliny consults Suetonius as to the advisa- 

 bility of reading his verses in public. 



Suetonius held no official position in his earlier years. Through 

 Pliny's good offices he secured a military tribunate,^* but soon had 

 it transferred to a relative, Caesennius Silvanus. The same good 

 friend secured for him the ius trium liberorum from Trajan,-^ 

 although this privilege was not justified by the number of his off- 

 spring. That his marriage was unhappy, as well as unfruitful 

 [panim fclix), is a pure inference. Pliny himself was childless, 

 though he too received the ius trium liberorum from Trajan'-^; but 

 the happiness of his wedded life is apparent from several of his 

 letters." 



The letters of Pliny which refer to Suetonius cover approxi- 

 mately the period from 96 to 112. When we next hear of him,^^ 



'' I., 24. 4. 



"^L. 24, I ; cf. X., 94, I. 



**III., 8, i: reverentia quam mihi prsestas. 



^ III., 8. 



""X., 94, 95. The lex Papia Poppaea deprived childless men of one half 

 of the legacies and inheritances left them, which made the iiis friiim liber- 

 orum particularly in demand. 



" X., 2. 



"IV.. 19; VL, 4, 7; VII., 5; VIII., 10. 



"' Spartianus, " Vit. Hadr.," 11, 3. 



PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC, LU. 209 N, PRINTED JUNE 6, I9I3. 



