The two Vegetii

[Michael Kerr]

Nathan Ross wrote:

 I now see that his footnote mentions that Goffart (1977) 'assumes that V was comes sacri stabuli under Valentinian III, c.440, without argument.'

Hi Nathan I have Goffart’s 1977 paper and after scanning it all he says on the subject of Vegetius and the post “comes sacri stabuli” is, It might as plausibly be held (on the basis of the Mulomedicina) that his office had been that of count of the sacred stables. 

Ralf Scharf on the other hand who is also in Milner's footnotes on page XXXV just after Goffart was the one who in his paper Der comes sacri stabuli in der Spätantike or The comes sacri stabuli in late Antiquity who claimed that Vegetius served in this position under Valentinian III.

My rough Google translation of some revelant paragraphs in his paper which is in German. 

 In the Notitia Dignitatum the office of comes sacri stabuli was not mentioned. It was probably so insignificant that it did not have its own chapter, but again significant enough that it is no longer mentioned as a subordinate office in other chapters of the Notitia.

 Around the year 440, the rank of a vir illustris was already associated with the comitiva sacri stabuli in the west. However, every message about the office is missing for the next few decades. After Vegetius, held the office probably under Valentinian III, there is only the brief report on the death of a comes stabuli in the fight against the Visigoths 471.

 This particular comes stabuli  who died in 471 would have been Hermianus who served under Anthemius against Euric. 

 He then lists a few people, some who are below, who have held the post or a similar one including Valens, before he became Eastern Emperor, Stilicho, Vegetius and also the eastern Flavius Aetius who held the post under Marcian in 451. 

   

Regards
Michael Kerr