military promotions

bĕnĕfĭcĭum (better than bĕnĭfĭcĭ-um), ii, n. [beneficus].

A benefaction, kindness, favor, benefit, service, euergetêma (sunt qui ita distinguunt, quaedam beneficia esse, quaedam officia, quaedam ministeria. Beneficium esse, quod alienus det:

alienus est, qui potuit sine reprehensione cessare: officium esse filii, uxoris et earum personarum, quas necessitudo suscitat et ferre opem jubet: ministerium esse servi, quem condicio sua eo loco posuit, ut nihil eorum, quae praestat, imputet superiori,

Sen. Ben.3, 18, 1);—(in prose freq.; in poetry, for metrical reasons, only in play-writers; most freq. in Ter.).

In gen.:

nullum beneficium esse duco id, quod, quoi facias, non placet,

Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 12:

beneficium accipere,

Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 1:

pro maleficio beneficium reddere,

id. Phorm. 2, 2, 22:

immemor beneficii,

id. And. 1, 1, 17:

cupio aliquos parere amicos beneficio meo,

id. Eun. 1, 2, 69:

beneficium verbis initum re comprobare,

id. And. 5, 1, 5:

nec enim si tuam ob causam cuiquam commodes, beneficium illud habendum est, sed feneratio,

Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 117; id. Off. 2. 20, 70:

beneficio adligari: beneficio victus esse,

Cic. Planc. 33, 81; cf.:

Jugurtham beneficiis vincere,

Sall. J. 9, 3:

collocare,

Cic. Off. 1, 15, 49 al.; 2, 20, 69:

dare,

id. ib. 1, 15, 48; id. Fam. 13, 8, 3' deferre, id. Off. 1, 15, 49: conferre in aliquem, [p. 232] id. ib. 1, 14, 45: quia magna mihi debebat beneficia, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 12, 1:

in republicā multo praestat benefici quam malefici immemorem esse,

Sall. J. 31, 28:

senatus et populus Romanus benefici et injuriae memor esse solet,

id. ib. 104, 5; Petr. 126, 4:

in iis (hominibus) beneficio ac maleficio abstineri aecum censent,

Liv. 5, 3, 8:

immortali memoriā retinere beneficia,

Nep. Att. 11, 5 al. —Of the favor of the people in giving their vote:

quidquid hoc beneficio populi Romani atque hac potestate praetoriā possum,

Cic. Imp. Pomp. 24, 69, and 71.—

Esp.

Beneficio, through favor, by the help, aid, support, mediation:

beneficio tuo salvus,

thanks to you, Cic. Fam. 11, 22, 1; 13, 35, 1:

nostri consulatūs beneficio,

by means of, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 1, § 6:

servari beneficio Caesaris,

Vell. 2, 71, 1:

hoc beneficio,

by this means, Ter. Heaut. 2, 4, 14:

sortium beneficio,

by the lucky turn of, Caes. B. G. 1, 53 Herz.:

longissimae aetatis,

Quint. 3, 1, 9:

ingenii,

id. 2, 11, 2; 5, 10, 121:

eloquentiae,

Tac. Or. 8 al.; cf.: fortunae beneficium, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 4, 2.—

In gen., by the agency of:

quod beneficio ejus contingit,

Dig. 39, 2, 40, § 1:

beneficio furis,

ib. 47, 2, 46 pr.—

Alicujus beneficii facere (habere, etc.), to make dependent on one ' s bounty or favor (post-Aug.):

commeatus a senatu peti solitos benefici sui fecit,

Suet. Claud. 23:

ut munus imperii beneficii sui faceret,

Just. 13, 4, 9; cf.:

adeo quidem dominis servi beneficia possunt dare, ut ipsos saepe beneficii sui fecerint,

Sen. Ben. 3, 18, 4:

sed nihil habebimus nisi beneficii alieni?

Quint. 10, 4, 6.—

Transf. to political life.

A distinction, support, favor, promotion (esp. freq. after the Aug. per.):

coöptatio collegiorum ad populi beneficium transferebatur,

Cic. Lael. 25, 96; id. Phil. 2, 36, 91:

quibus omnia populi Romani beneficia dormientibus deferuntur,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 70, § 180:

in beneficiis ad aerarium delatus,

among those recommended to favor, id. Arch. 5, 11 Halm. ad loc.; id. Fam. 7, 5, 3:

cum suo magno beneficio esset,

under great obligation to his recommendation, id. Phil. 8, 6 Wernsd.; Flor. 4, 2, 92; cf. Suet. Tit. 8.—So,

Esp. freq. of military promotions (whence beneficiarius, q. v.):

quod scribis de beneficiis, scito a me et tribunos militaris et praefectos... delatos esse,

Cic. Fam. 5, 20, 7:

ut tribuni militum... quae antea dictatorum et consulum ferme fuerant beneficia,

Liv. 9, 30, 3:

beneficia gratuita esse populi Romani,

id. 45, 42, 11; Hirt. B. Afr. 54, 5:

per beneficia Nymphidii,

promoted, advanced through the favor of Nymphidius, Tac. H. 1, 25; 4, 48 Lips.:

beneficii sui centuriones,

i. e. his creatures, Suet. Tib. 12:

Liber beneficiorum or Beneficium,

the book in which the public lands that were bestowed were designated, Hyg. Limit. Const. p. 193 Goes.; Arcad. ib. p. 260.—So, SERVVS. A. COMMENTARIIS. BENEFICIORVM., Inscr. Grut. 578, 1.—

A privilege, right (post-Aug.):

anulorum,

Dig. 48, 7, 42:

religionis,

ib. 3, 3, 18:

militaris,

ib. 29, 1, 3.—Hence, liberorum, a release from the office of judge, received in consequence of having a certain number of children, Suet. Claud. 15; Dig. 49, 8, 1, § 2.—

Personified, as a god:

duos omnino (deos credere), Poenam et Beneficium,

Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 14.

bĕnĕfĭcĭum (better than bĕnĭfĭcĭ-um), ii, n. [beneficus].

A benefaction, kindness, favor, benefit, service, euergetêma (sunt qui ita distinguunt, quaedam beneficia esse, quaedam officia, quaedam ministeria. Beneficium esse, quod alienus det:

alienus est, qui potuit sine reprehensione cessare: officium esse filii, uxoris et earum personarum, quas necessitudo suscitat et ferre opem jubet: ministerium esse servi, quem condicio sua eo loco posuit, ut nihil eorum, quae praestat, imputet superiori,

Sen. Ben.3, 18, 1);—(in prose freq.; in poetry, for metrical reasons, only in play-writers; most freq. in Ter.).

In gen.:

nullum beneficium esse duco id, quod, quoi facias, non placet,

Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 12:

beneficium accipere,

Ter. Ad. 2, 3, 1:

pro maleficio beneficium reddere,

id. Phorm. 2, 2, 22:

immemor beneficii,

id. And. 1, 1, 17:

cupio aliquos parere amicos beneficio meo,

id. Eun. 1, 2, 69:

beneficium verbis initum re comprobare,

id. And. 5, 1, 5:

nec enim si tuam ob causam cuiquam commodes, beneficium illud habendum est, sed feneratio,

Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 117; id. Off. 2. 20, 70:

beneficio adligari: beneficio victus esse,

Cic. Planc. 33, 81; cf.:

Jugurtham beneficiis vincere,

Sall. J. 9, 3:

collocare,

Cic. Off. 1, 15, 49 al.; 2, 20, 69:

dare,

id. ib. 1, 15, 48; id. Fam. 13, 8, 3' deferre, id. Off. 1, 15, 49: conferre in aliquem, [p. 232] id. ib. 1, 14, 45: quia magna mihi debebat beneficia, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 12, 1:

in republicā multo praestat benefici quam malefici immemorem esse,

Sall. J. 31, 28:

senatus et populus Romanus benefici et injuriae memor esse solet,

id. ib. 104, 5; Petr. 126, 4:

in iis (hominibus) beneficio ac maleficio abstineri aecum censent,

Liv. 5, 3, 8:

immortali memoriā retinere beneficia,

Nep. Att. 11, 5 al. —Of the favor of the people in giving their vote:

quidquid hoc beneficio populi Romani atque hac potestate praetoriā possum,

Cic. Imp. Pomp. 24, 69, and 71.—

Esp.

Beneficio, through favor, by the help, aid, support, mediation:

beneficio tuo salvus,

thanks to you, Cic. Fam. 11, 22, 1; 13, 35, 1:

nostri consulatūs beneficio,

by means of, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 1, § 6:

servari beneficio Caesaris,

Vell. 2, 71, 1:

hoc beneficio,

by this means, Ter. Heaut. 2, 4, 14:

sortium beneficio,

by the lucky turn of, Caes. B. G. 1, 53 Herz.:

longissimae aetatis,

Quint. 3, 1, 9:

ingenii,

id. 2, 11, 2; 5, 10, 121:

eloquentiae,

Tac. Or. 8 al.; cf.: fortunae beneficium, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 4, 2.—

In gen., by the agency of:

quod beneficio ejus contingit,

Dig. 39, 2, 40, § 1:

beneficio furis,

ib. 47, 2, 46 pr.—

Alicujus beneficii facere (habere, etc.), to make dependent on one ' s bounty or favor (post-Aug.):

commeatus a senatu peti solitos benefici sui fecit,

Suet. Claud. 23:

ut munus imperii beneficii sui faceret,

Just. 13, 4, 9; cf.:

adeo quidem dominis servi beneficia possunt dare, ut ipsos saepe beneficii sui fecerint,

Sen. Ben. 3, 18, 4:

sed nihil habebimus nisi beneficii alieni?

Quint. 10, 4, 6.—

Transf. to political life.

A distinction, support, favor, promotion (esp. freq. after the Aug. per.):

coöptatio collegiorum ad populi beneficium transferebatur,

Cic. Lael. 25, 96; id. Phil. 2, 36, 91:

quibus omnia populi Romani beneficia dormientibus deferuntur,

id. Verr. 2, 5, 70, § 180:

in beneficiis ad aerarium delatus,

among those recommended to favor, id. Arch. 5, 11 Halm. ad loc.; id. Fam. 7, 5, 3:

cum suo magno beneficio esset,

under great obligation to his recommendation, id. Phil. 8, 6 Wernsd.; Flor. 4, 2, 92; cf. Suet. Tit. 8.—So,

Esp. freq. of military promotions (whence beneficiarius, q. v.):

quod scribis de beneficiis, scito a me et tribunos militaris et praefectos... delatos esse,

Cic. Fam. 5, 20, 7:

ut tribuni militum... quae antea dictatorum et consulum ferme fuerant beneficia,

Liv. 9, 30, 3:

beneficia gratuita esse populi Romani,

id. 45, 42, 11; Hirt. B. Afr. 54, 5:

per beneficia Nymphidii,

promoted, advanced through the favor of Nymphidius, Tac. H. 1, 25; 4, 48 Lips.:

beneficii sui centuriones,

i. e. his creatures, Suet. Tib. 12:

Liber beneficiorum or Beneficium,

the book in which the public lands that were bestowed were designated, Hyg. Limit. Const. p. 193 Goes.; Arcad. ib. p. 260.—So, SERVVS. A. COMMENTARIIS. BENEFICIORVM., Inscr. Grut. 578, 1.—

A privilege, right (post-Aug.):

anulorum,

Dig. 48, 7, 42:

religionis,

ib. 3, 3, 18:

militaris,

ib. 29, 1, 3.—Hence, liberorum, a release from the office of judge, received in consequence of having a certain number of children, Suet. Claud. 15; Dig. 49, 8, 1, § 2.—

Personified, as a god:

duos omnino (deos credere), Poenam et Beneficium,

Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 14.

(1914-2001)

   Career military officer, key personality, and authority in transition from dictatorship to democracy, and president of the republic. Born in the remote, poor, Trás-Os-Montes district, Costa Gomes was trained as an army officer and gained experience and promotions in many postings in Portugal's overseas empire from Macau, China, to Angola and Mozambique. As a lieutenant colonel in the post of undersecretary of the army in April 1961, he was implicated in a military coup plot to overthrow Prime Minister Antônio de Oliveira Salazar. Although he was fired, Costa Gomes rebuilt his bridges, was promoted to brigadier general in 1964, and soon was appointed to important commands in the colonial wars in Portuguese Africa: first in Mozambique (1965-69) and then in Angola (1970-72). In September 1972, he returned to Portugal as head of the joint chiefs of staff, a post he kept until he broke with Prime Minister Marcello Caetano in early 1974.

   During the last part of Caetano's governance, General Costa Gomes, in tandem with his senior, more famous and charismatic colleague in arms, General Antônio de Spínola, was involved in activities that led to the organization of a successful military coup on 25 April 1974, which overthrew the 48-year-old Estado Novo. Although younger officers did most of the work organizing this action, Costa Gomes played a key role, including authorizing the publication of the sensational book by General Spínola, Portugal e o Futuro, published only two months before the Revolution of Carnations in February 1974. Spinola's book acknowledged that Portugal had to find a political not a military solution to the wars in her African colonies, and the public reception of the work helped prepare the atmosphere for a bloodless coup.

   After the successful coup by the Armed Forces Movement and the Revolution of 25 April 1974, Costa Gomes was appointed chief of defense staff. When General Spínola resigned in September 1974, Costa Gomes became president, a post he ably filled until June 1976, when General Ramalho Eanes was elected president of the republic. Costa Gomes soon withdrew from the public eye, but in 1981 was promoted to Portugal's highest military rank of marshal.