352 CHRISTIAN EPITAPHS OF 



Marco Aurelio, Augustorum liberfo, Proseneti, a cuhiculo Aiigusti, 

 Frocurafori thesaurorutn, Procuratori patrimonii, Frocuratori mune- 

 rum, Procuratori vinorum, ordinato a Divo Commodo in Gastrense, 

 Patrono piissimo, liherti lenemerenti sarcopTiagum de sua adorna- 



verunt. Prosenes receptus ad Deum quinto Nonas 



Prcesente et JExtricato iteriim. Fegrediens in urhe (urbem) ah 

 expeditionibus scripsit Ampelius libertus. 



" To Marcus Aurelius Prosenes, freedman of the two Augusti, of the 

 bed-chamber of Augustus, Procurator of the Treasures, Procurator of 

 the Patrimony, Procurator of the Presents, Procurator of the Wines, 

 appointed by the Deified Commodus to duty in the Camp, a most affec- 

 tionate Patron. For him, well-deserving, his freedmen provided (this), 

 sarcophagus, at their own cost." 



"Prosenes received to God, on the fifth day before the Nones of ... . 

 (in the Consulslrip of) Prcesens, and Extricatus for the second time,"' 

 i.e 217 A.D. 



"Ampelius, his freedman, returning to the city from the wars, set up 

 this inscription." 



1. 1. Augg. Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. 1. 2. Aug. 

 Commodus. 1. 2. In Kastrense. Soil, munus, or officium. Henzea 

 remarks, " = ratio castrensis." 1. 11. Beceptus ad Deum. This 

 phrase may be regarded as sufficient proof of the Christianity of either 

 Ampelius, or both Prosenes and Ampelius. In Henzen's n. 7418, 

 a Pagan titulus, we have the similar phrase, spiritus inter Deos 

 receptus., where, also, the word refrigerat or refrigeras, so common 

 in Christian epitaphs, is strangely used. It is remarkable that this 

 same expression occurs in another Pagan epitaph, given by Muratori, 

 978 9, with the statement: ^'- Pomoe. In Coemeterio Callisti. Ex 

 Soldetto." The commencement of the two epitaphs is identical : 

 D'M' in lioc tumulo jacet corpus exanimis (exauime) cujus spiri- 

 tus inter Deos receptus est; sic enim meruit. And in both we 

 have cujus fama in eterna (in Muratori, ceterno) nota est; but the 

 division into lines is not the same, and, besides many other dif- 

 ferences, the name of the deceased in the former, is M. TTIpius 

 Maximus, in the latter, L. Statins Onesimns. Henzen, n. 6344, 

 copies the inscription to Prosenes, but without the lines given above 

 in smaller type, and, consequently, treats the inscription as Pagan. 



1. 11. V • NON. After NON some letters are defaced ; before 

 S8A there are traces like III. De Rossi suggests, with a query, 

 FAPRIILIS, i.e. April \st. There are examples of this notation 



