In memory of Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Alexander

CN. CORNELIUS LENTULUS ALEXANDER
(Sándor Gonda),

IMPERATOR, PATER PATRIAE, CENSORIAL and CONSULAR SENATOR of Nova Roma,
has passed away while holding the office of CENSOR and PROCONSUL.

He lived 93 years.

He will live in our hearts forever!

The most respected Cn. Lentulus Alexander will be missed not only as a leader of Nova Roma, "Lentulus the Elder was like a new Romulus, in unison with our founders Cassius and Vedius" as consul Q. Arrius praised him, but also as a role model to many, and a father and most reliable support to one of the most productive citizens, a chief theoretician of Nova Roma, Cn. Lentulus the Younger.

Nova Roma and the Nova Romans extend their condolence to the family and friends of Cn. Lentulus Alexander. Nova Roma will pray for Cn. Lentulus and his family in this difficult time, and ceremonies in his memory will be performed. The senate has also awarded a funus censorium, a censorial state funeral and fifteen days of official State Mourning, memorial games called the Ludi Cornelii, and a new series of coins minted, all these to be done in his memory. The Nova Roman censorial funeral takes place as a separate ceremony after the actual funeral, but the senate and people of Nova Roma have donated an amount towards the costs of his actual funeral, making the pater patriae Cn. Lentulus' actual funeral an official Nova Roman event and a real Roman funus censorium. You can help and support his family and his funeral by donations as announced in our forum.

THANK YOU for your contribution and dedication to Nova Roma, dear Lentulus Alexander! Thank you for being our fellow citizen for more than a decade!
Farewell our censor and proconsul CN. CORNELIUS LENTULUS ALEXANDER, consular senator!

EPITAPHIUM



DIS MANIBUS
CN. CORNELII LENTULI ALEXANDRI
CENSORIS ET PROCONSULIS
QUI VIXIT ANNORUM XCIII.
* * *
GNAEUS CORNELIUS LENTULUS ALEXANDER, CONSUL,
INTERREX, PRO REGE SACRORUM QUI FUIT APUD VOS,
IMPERATOR APPELLATUS EX VICTORIIS SUIS,
PROCONSUL SERVAVIT PROVINCIAS MULTAS:
GALLIAM, GERMANIAM, THULEM ET ASIAS,
GURIAM, NIPPONIAM, AMERICAS HISPANICAM,
MISSISSIPPIENSEM, MISSURIENSEM, MONTANAM MINNESOTAM,
NEBRASCENSEM, NOVEBORACENSEM, NOVAM BRITANNIAM
CITERIOREM, GEORGIAM FLORIDAM, OREGONENSEM,
TRANSAPPALACHIANAM, CAROLINAM, DACOTAM
ARGENTINAM, BRASILIAM, NOVAM HISPANIAM.
CENSOR, PROCONSUL OBIIT, FORTIS VIR SAPIENSQUE,
CUIUS FORMA VIRTUTI PARISSIMA FUIT:
HUNC UNUM PLURIMI CONSENTIUNT ROMAE
BONORUM OPTIMUM FUISSE VIRUM NOVAE.
HOSTES CONIURATORES BELLI CIVILIS VICIT,
NOVAM ROMAM RENASCENTI POPULO ROMANO CEPIT,
PER QUOD REM PUBLICAM POPULI ROMANI
QUIRITIUM DENUO CONDIDIT, RENOVAVIT.
LIBERTATEM ET REM PUBLICAM POPULI NOVI ROMANI
RESTITUIT, NOVAM ROMAM RITE CONDERE PERFECIT.
HONORE, FAMA, VIRTUTE, GLORIA OMNES
SUPERAVIT. OB RES GESTAS A FILIO PIO
ET SENATU APPELLATUS PATER PATRIAE.
+
SIT TIBI TERRA LEVIS!

CN. LENTULUS
FILIUS
SCRIPSIT


This poem, loosely following the form of versus Saturnius, the poetical format of Roman epitaph inscriptions, was written in memory and honor of Cn. Cornelius Lentulus Alexander the Elder by Cn. Cornelius Lentulus the Younger. The epitaph of Cn. Lentulus Alexander imitates the texts of the most famous versus Saturnius funerary inscription poems of Scipio Barbatus and that of Scipio Africanus Minor. The English translation of the epitaph is below:


To the Divine Dead Spirits
of Ti. Galerius Paulinus,
tribune of the plebs and proconsul,
who lived 57 years.
* * *
Galerius, the One, good Tiberius of ours,
Famous Paulinus, the solid and wise man,
Whose heart only compares to his virtues;
Who was censor twice, once consul and praetor,
Tribune of the plebs a third time when he died,
Quaestor twice to serve your republic he rose,
Excelled as proconsul for over eight years,
Loved by everyone, whom nobody refused.
Fortuna, however, stole this man from us,
Envious of all the honor and the fame he had,
The virtue, the glory and his great character
Which if allowed to grow, once you would have
The glory of Roman ancestors surpassed;
Therefore with great pleasure you will be embraced
Now in the council of the Dead Spirits of ours.
+
May the earth rest lightly upon you.

Cn. Lentulus
pontifex
wrote it.