12 CHRISTIAN EPITAPHS OP 



(h) Hour, day of the montb, and day of the Moon with year :— 87. 



PVER NATVSA P. 

 DIVOIOVIANO AVG • ET 

 VARRONIANO COSS 



ORANOCTIS • nil 

 IN VXIT VIII • IDVS MADIAS 

 DIE SATVRNIS LVNAVIGESIMA 

 SIGNO APIOKNONOMINFSIMPCCIVS 



{III Mas. Cariitollno ; De Rossi, n. 1'72.) 



Paer natus, (^Alplia Omega) Dlvo lovuino Augusto et Varroniano 

 Consullhus, ora (hora) noctis IV, in vxit VIII Idns Madias (Maias) 

 die Satur7ns (Saturni), Lima vigcsima, signo Apiorno (Capricorno), 

 nomine Simpccnis (Simplicius). 



"A boy born (Alplia Omega) iu the Consulsliip of the deified Joviau Augustus, 



and Varroniauus {i. e. 364 a.d.), in the fourth hour of the night, the 



eightli day before the Ides of May, i. e. May 8th, on Saturday, the twentieth day 

 of the Moon, in tlie sign of Capricorn, by name Simplicius." 



1. 1. Puernatiis. This is no uncommon beginning. See \i. 88, and 

 notes on it. 1. 2. Divo Joviano. This Emperor died on the XIV 

 Eal. Martias, iu the year 334 A.D., and after that date was styled, as 

 was usual, Dlinis. Christians used the ordinary term, in the sense 

 " deceased" or " late," without regard to the sense assigned by Pagans. 



1. 5. hfi vxit. It is difficult to determine what was the word intended 

 by the unskilful workman who cut the inscription. Maffei, 31us. Ver. 

 p. 252, makes two attempts at it : — "fortasse inluxit irdelh'gendum, 

 hoc est lucidus moriendo evasit ; fortasse inussit, pro hmstus est fidei 

 nota, seu baptismate." Le Blant, Inscr. Ckrdt. de la Gaule t. i. p. 479, 

 reads "induxit," i. e. induxit aZ6as = was baptized. See n. 88, and 

 notes on it. Guasco, iii. p. 141, n. 1235, suggests " inluxit," in the 

 sense (according to De Rossi) — Simplicium natum Jiora noctis quarta 

 simid ac inluxerat dies VIII Idtis Maii. De Rossi objects to this — 

 that the hours were astrologically counted not from midnight but from 

 sunset, and, after stating Maffei's and Le Blant's views, remarks that 

 the words are novee prorsus et Chrisiianis titulis inauditse. He him- 

 self suggests, " In visit" in the sense — vixit in VIII Idus Maias, i. e. 

 Simplicius was born in the fourth hour of the night and lived only for 

 the one day — May 8th. There are, I think, but few scholars that 

 would accept the views of Maffei or Le Blant. Guasco's is recom- 



