he returned the purchase price to those who voluntarily brought back the imperial possessions, but used no compulsion in the case of those who were unwilling to do so.
he seems to show impressive restraint by not simply taking back everything that was sold by force, probably knowing that it would cause massive problems with the elites
As a result, great numbers pretended to pursue philosophy, hoping that they might be enriched by the emperor.
now philosophy is all the rage because someone famous likes it, some things never change
Fellow-soldiers
might as well just say "I am one of you!"
He was now saluted imperator by the soldiers, for the seventh time; and although he was not wont to accept any such honour before the senate voted it, nevertheless this time he took it as a gift from Heaven, and he sent a despatch to the senate.
wow so it seems that the opinion of the senate actually means something to him that's refreshing
Marcus on hearing this appealed to them to pray to their God; and when they had prayed, their God immediately gave ear and smote the enemy with a thunderbolt and comforted the Romans with a shower of rain.
the Christian god acts in a way that a Roman god would what with the thunderbolt
For Marcus, both because he knew their race to be untrustworthy and also because he had been deceived by the Quadi, wished to annihilate them utterly.
theres the violence with a dash of racism
For he was industrious and applied himself diligently to all the duties of his office; and he neither said, wrote, nor did anything as if it were a minor matter, but p23 sometimes he would consume whole days over the minutest point, not thinking it right that the emperor should do anything hurriedly.
perhaps he was over thinking things, surely such considerations would hinder his ability to do other things, if he spent so much time considering everything, this sounds exhausting
As many missiles were being hurled at the men engaged in bridging, Cassius ordered missiles and catapults to be discharged. And when the first ranks of the barbarians fell, the rest gave way.
maybe this is why the military handled the bridge building so that in the event that the builders were being attacked they wouldn't panic and just keep their heads down and get the job done.
Rivers are bridged by the Romans with the greatest ease, since the soldiers are always practising bridge-building, which is carried on like any other warlike exercise, on the Ister, the Rhine, and the Euphrates.
interesting and strange approach but by having the military build the bridges it probably allowed these teams to have special training in how to do this they would become more efficient every time and Romans are nothing is not efficient... and violent
he made it plain to the barbarians that his friendship was more worth striving for than his enmity.
letting everyone know that he can be an incredible friend or greatest adversary
Lucius gloried in these exploits and took great pride in them, yet his extreme good fortune did him no good; 3 11 for he is said to have engaged in a plot later against his father-in‑law Marcus and to have perished by poison before he could carry out any of his plans.
He got got!!
but he was most inclined to the doctrines of the Stoic school.
calm showing little emotion, a different approach compared to past emperors
David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
Disappointing the planet one show at a time.