Augustus

Suetonius' account of Augustus

Augustus’s rule marked the transition from republic to empire and was remembered for restoring stability after decades of civil war. Suetonius notes that Augustus “twice thought of restoring the Republic” but ultimately retained supreme power, believing one-man rule was safer for Rome. In public, he cultivated an image of modesty and clemency. For example, when the people pressed him to accept a dictatorship, he dramatically “knelt down, bared his breast, and begged them not to insist"

He often refused excessive honours and titles, even melting down his golden statues and using the proceeds for public offerings. Such gestures, combined with immense public works and generosity, made him beloved. “It may readily be imagined how much he was beloved because of this admirable conduct,” 

Suetonius writes, noting that the Roman knights celebrated Augustus’s birthday annually of their own accord, and people of all classes offered New Year gifts for his welfare. Augustus himself "justly" boasted that he “found [Rome] built of brick and left it in marble,” after beautifying the city with forums, temples, and public amenities. He also reformed the grain supply and provincial administration, priding himself on ruling “according to the principles of Augustus” – that is, aiming for a firm and secure state.

Yet Suetonius does not shy away from Augustus’s personal failings. He reports that “he was given to adultery”, a fact even Augustus’s friends could not deny. Political necessity was often the excuse – seducing influential women to uncover plots – but gossip abounded about his affairs. Mark Antony famously taunted Augustus in a letter: “Does it matter where or with whom you take your pleasure?” listing a string of Augustus’s alleged mistresses. Suetonius also recounts the scandal of Augustus’s “dinner of the twelve gods,” at which the emperor and his guests feasted dressed as deities during a time of famine. This ostentation caused such outrage that verses were posted calling him “Apollo the Tormentor” who had “eaten all the grain".

Suetonius balances these salacious details with Augustus’s better qualities, concluding that in most aspects “he was most temperate and free from any fault”, living simply and working tirelessly for the. The first emperor’s legacy, as Suetonius portrays, is thus a mix of enlightened leadership and very human vice – a ruler who achieved immense good for Rome while privately not always adhering to the moral rigor he publicly demanded.