308 NOTES ON LATIN INSCRIPTIONS 



toribus plures per annos gesta conjunxi, ne divisa haud proinde ad 

 memoriam sui valerent. Ad temporum ordinem redeo. 



It appears, then, that Tacitus, in chapters 31-40, instead of 

 confining himself to the events of that year, on which he had entered 

 in c. 25, scil. A.D. 50, includes those of several — plures per annos 

 gesta — and under two governors of Britain. Horsley, believing that 

 the years included by Tacitus vrere after, not before, that on which he 

 had entered, assumes that Ostorius was novus dux in the consulship 

 of Antistius and Suillius. But the authority of Dio, cited p. 305, 

 cannot be neglected ; and, if we accept it, we must necessarily place 

 the commencement of the government of Ostorius in the same year 

 of the ovation of Plautius, i.e. 47, unless, indeed, we assume that 

 there was a considerable interval between the end of the adminis- 

 tration of Plautius and the beginning of that of Ostorius. The 

 notice, then, of British affairs by Tacitus in xii., 31-40, must be 

 regarded as including years both before arid after that in which 

 Antistius and Suillius were consuls, i.e. both before and after that 

 memorable scene of this year, in which Caractacus appeared before 

 Claudius and Agrippina. There is, certainly, a difficulty in assigning 

 this date to this scene, arising from the use of the term nono, in the 

 words nono post anno qxiam helium in Britannia coeptum ; but the 

 true explanation of this seems to be that suggested by Clinton, Fasti 

 Romani, p. 34, that *Tacitus supposes the war to have commenced 

 in A.D. 42, one year before the expedition of Plautius. 



The death of Ostorius and the succession of Didius Gallus, are 

 placed by Horsley at A.D. 53, whilst Orelli seems to give A.D. 50. 

 Of the two opinions I prefer Horsley's, although, perhaps, the truth 

 lies between the two. If Caractacus was in Rome in A.D. 50, it 

 appears probable that at least another year must be allowed for the 

 reverses of Ostorius, mentioned in c. 38. 



In the other discrepancy, viz. : as to the end of the government 

 of Suetonius Paulinus, and the beginning of that of Petronius Tur- 

 pilianus, I believe Horsley's to be the correct view. See note, p. 305. 



• There is a similar difficulty in the use of octavus, iu AgHcola, c. 33. Blr, Merivale, 

 vii., p. 88, note, suggests the solution, that, " though it was Agrieola's seventh, it might be 

 called the eighth campaign of his army ; for, iu the year preceding his arrival, Julius 

 Trontinus had led an expedition against the Silures. — Agric, 17." Orelli is of opinion, that 

 Agricola counts from the year iu which the province was assigned to him, scil. A.D. 77, 

 immediately after his consulship, which he held from July 1st to September 1st. Either of 

 these explanations seems preferable to the supposition of a mistake of viii. for vii. See 

 Horsley, Brit. Rom., p. 48. 



