22 CHRISTIAN EPITAPHS OF 



whicli Mercurius was but puer at tlie tiaie of hia death. See De 

 Eossi's nn. 178, and 193. 



((/) Mention of time of sickness before death : — 95. 

 PERPETVO BENEMERENTI IN PACE 

 QVI VIXIT • ANNOS • PLM • XXX M^ses ... 

 DEPOSITVS IDVS APRILIS DEFVNdws ne 

 OFITVS PERIT • IN DIES • V • 

 POS CONSVLATY • VICTORIs et 

 VALENTINIANI ♦ NOBI Hsssmi piieri 



{In Mus. Vat. ; De Rossi, n. 214.) 



Perpetuo bene merenti in pace, qui vixit annos plus minus XXX, 



menses . Depositus Idus Aprilis (Idibus Aprilibus), defanctus 



nenjiius (neophj^tus), perit in dies V, post Oonsulatu (Consulatum) 

 Vicloris et Valeniiniani, Nobilissimi Pueri. 



" To Perpetuus, well deserving, in peace, who lived thirty years more or less> 



months. Buried on the Ides of April (April 13th), died a neophyte, was 



sick for five days, in the year after the Consulship of Victor, and Valentinian, 

 the most noble boy," i. e. 370 a. d. 



1. 4. Perit in dies V. This notice of the period of sickness is very 

 rare. We have another example in De Rossi's n. 8 : — hoariazv r^pApai^ 

 :/5. 1. 5. Post consulatum Victoris et Valeniiniani. It is strange that 

 this form should be used to denote the year, instead of the ordinary 

 form — Valentiniano III et Valente 777'— especially as we have exam- 

 ples of the use of this latter in Christian epitaphs of January and 

 March, No satisfactory reason can be assigned for this variation, 

 which is also used in other cases apparently capriciously. 



(K) Bomini Nostri applied to Consuls not Augusti : — 96. 

 DD NN • CLAEARCO ET RICOMEDB VVCC 

 CONSVLIBVS BENEMERENTI OLIBIONI QVI VIXIT 

 ANNVS XV' MESIS VI DIES XX DECESSII 

 DIE XII KALENDAS OCT0BRf;S IN PACE 



Dominis Nbstris Claearco (Clearcho) et Bicomede (Ricomere), Yiris 

 Clarissimis, Considihus. Benemerenti Olibioni, qui vixit annus (annos) 

 XV, mesis (menses) VI, dies XX. Decessii (decessit) die XII 

 Kalendas Octobres in pace. 



" In the Consulship of our Lords Clearchus and Ricomer, most distinguished 

 men [i. e. 384 a.d.) To the well-deserving Olibio, who lived fifteen years, sis 



