PLUTARCH'S LIVES OF GALBA AND OTHO WITH INTRODUCTION AND EXPLANATORY NOTES і BY E. G. HARDY, M.A. FORMERLY FELLOW OF JESUS COLLEGE, OXFORD, AND Gp 86.207 HARVARD C.. OLLEGE JUN 9 1911 LIBRARY Constantius fund HARVARD 40G 4 1974 PREFACE. THE excellent editions of Dr. Holden have already introduced Plutarch's Lives to the higher forms of schools, and I need not therefore apologise for choosing a Greek author, who wrote as late as the end of the first or the beginning of the second century A.D. Perhaps more explanation is needed why I should have selected a Greek account of a period of Roman history with which one of the greatest of Roman historians has dealt. That explanation will, I hope, be found satisfactorily given in the first section of the Introduction. I there attempt to show that we have in these two Lives of Plutarch a version of this short chapter of history, independent indeed of Tacitus, but drawn from the same authority which. he used, and in some cases supplementing his account. It is from this point of view primarily that I have treated the Lives in my notes. I shall no doubt be told that the length of the commentary is out of proportion to the length of the text. In my opinion this depends on the object with which books like Plutarch's Lives are read. If all that is desired is that those who use the books may be able to translate the Greek intelligently, with just that knowledge of the subject matter which intelligent reading will give, then, to be consistent, we should content ourselves with editing the text alone. To judge by the number of school editions, with more or less voluminous commentary, this does not seem to be the opinion generally held, and, though there is undoubtedly from the |