塔西佗论元首统治新释

A New Interpretation of Tacitus' Comments on Principate

在《编年史》开篇,塔西佗回顾了奥古斯都一生的功过是非。塔西佗一方面承认在经历了一个世纪的内乱后,奥古斯都恢复了罗马的和平与秩序;另一方面又认为奥古斯都治下的和平是血腥的,因为它是以牺牲元老院的利益为代价的。这一兼顾正反两方的评述显示了塔西佗本人对元首统治的看法。出于维护帝国和平与稳定的现实需要,塔西佗在思想上接受了元首统治。但是作为元老院的一员,塔西佗意识到军事独裁者倾向于通过暴力手段翦灭其竞争者,有意警示其读者防范元首统治堕落为世袭君主制。

In the Annals(1.9-10),Tacitus reviews the pros and cons of Augustus’life.On the one hand,Tacitus acknowledges that Augustus indeed brought peace and order after a century of civil strife;on the other hand,he emphasizes that the peace under Augustus was a bloody peace because it came at the expense of the Senate.Despite the realistic need to maintain peace and stability in the empire,Tacitus is not hostile towards the Principate as a form of government.However,as a member of the Senate,Tacitus realizes that the military dictator tends to eliminate his competitors through violent means,and warns his readers against the degeneration of the Principate into a hereditary monarchy.