Lives of the Twelve Caesars

The preface establishes Suetonius's life and career: born late in Vespasian's reign (79 CE), served as secretary under Hadrian until dismissed around 121 CE for improper familiarity with the empress, and spent his retirement composing works.

The preface cites Pliny the Younger's letters as evidence of Suetonius's excellent reputation, describing him as learned and virtuous, which establishes his credibility as a biographer.

Rather than writing political history of wars and empire-building, Suetonius writes memoirs focused on the personal conduct and habits of the Caesars, omitting treatment of civil wars, military expeditions, and political causes.

The preface compares Suetonius's biographical method to viewing antique busts in a museum, suggesting his work provides individual portraits that reveal the character and characteristics of the emperors through intimate detail.

La Harpe praises Suetonius as scrupulous and methodical, noting that he reports everything without embellishment, making his work a valuable collection of anecdotes rather than literary narrative.

The preface documents that Suetonius's Lives became highly esteemed, with eighteen editions published by 1500 and nearly one hundred more since, including translations into most European languages and scholarly commentary.

Thomson's 1796 English translation is identified as the basis for the present edition, though his version was diffuse and retained inaccuracies; Thomson's primary aim was to estimate Roman literature and elucidate the period's government and manners.

To make Suetonius's extant works complete, the preface announces the inclusion of his previously untranslated Lives of Grammarians, Rhetoricians, and Poets, which provide anecdotes and information about literary figures of the period.