2. fātāliter: lit. ‘by fate’ ＝ ‘a natural death’; cf. morbō dēcessit, Ch. 3.
3. nummīs: ‘money’; particularly small coins.
sūmptum habuerit sepultūrae: ‘had the cost of a burial,’ i.e. was buried at public expense.
quem: note its position.
Ch. 12.
5. gener Tarquinī: Manilius Octavius of Tusculum.
7. dictātūra: at times of great danger, when it was necessary for one man to hold the supreme power, a dictator was appointed by one of the consuls on the nomination of the senate. The office was for six months; but in case the specific object for which the dictator was appointed was accomplished before that time, he resigned. Ihne, p. 118; Tighe, p. 65.
8. magister equitum: he was aid-de-camp to the dictator and was appointed by him. In the absence of the latter he became the representative of the dictator.
9. neque … potestātī: ‘neither can anything be said to be more similar than the ancient dictatorship to the imperial power which,’ etc. Imperium was the regular term for the power possessed by the magistrates. Here it refers to the power of the emperor.
Eutropius explains for the benefit of his readers the ancient dictatorship, which had long since fallen into disuse, by comparing it to the power possessed by the emperor.