Epitome of Book LXI
LX
In the following year, which was the eight hundredth year of Rome,
Claudius became consul for the fourth and Lucius Vitellius for the
third time. Claudius now expelled from the senate certain of its
members, most of whom were not sorry to drop out, but willingly
resigned on account of their poverty; and he likewise introduced many
new men in their place. And when a certain Surdinius Gallus, who was
eligible to stand as a senator, emigrated to Carthage, Claudius
summoned him back in haste, declaring he would bind him with golden
fetters; thus Gallus, fettered by his rank, remained at home. Although
Claudius visited dire punishment upon the freedmen of others, in case
he acaught them in any wrong-doing, he was very lenient with his own,
as the following incident will show. Once when an actor in the theatre
recited the well-known line,
"A prosperous whipstock scarce can be endured,"
and the whole assemblage thereupon looked at Polybius, the emperor's
freedman, the latter shouted out: "Yes, but the same poet said:
'Who once were goatherds now have royal power.' "
Yet Claudius did him no harm. Information was given that some persons
were plotting against Claudius, but he paid no attention to most of
them, saying: "It doesn't do to take the same measures against a flea
as against a wild beast." Asiaticus, however, was tried before him and
came very near being acquitted. For he entered a general denial,
declaring, "I have no knowledge of nor acquaintance with any of the
persons who are testifying against me;" and when the soldier who
declared that he had been associated with him, upon being asked to
identify Asiaticus, pointed out a baldheaded man who chanced to be
standing near him,— for baldness was the only distinguishing mark about
Asiaticus of which he was sure,— and a great burst of laughter arose at
this, and Claudius was on the point of freeing Asiaticus, Vitellius
made the statement, as a favour to Messalina, that the prisoner had
sent for him in order to choose the manner of his death. Upon hearing
this Claudius believed that Asiaticus had really condemned himself by
reason of a guilty conscience, and he accordingly put him out of the
way.
Among many others whom he put to death upon false charges brought by
Messalina were Asiaticus and also Magnus, his own son-in-law. The
former lost his life before of his property, and the latter because of
his family and his relationship to the emperor. Nominally, however,
they were convicted on others charges.
This year a small islet, hitherto unknown, made its appearance close to the island of Thera.
Claudius, the king of the Romans, promulgated a law to the effect that
no senator might travel more than seven "markers" from the City without
the king's orders.
Since many masters refused to care for their slaves when sick, he
enacted a law that all slaves who survived such treatment should be
free.
He also forbade anybody to drive through the City seated in a vehicle.
In Britain Vespasian had on a certain occasion been hemmed in by the
barbarians and been in danger of destruction, but his son Titus,
becoming alarmed for his father, managed by unusual daring to break
through their enclosing lines and then pursued and destroyed the
fleeing enemy. Plautius for his skilful and successful conduct of the
war in Britain not only was praised by Claudius but also obtained an
ovation.
In the gladiatorial combats many persons took part, not only of the
foreign freedmen but also the British captives. He used up ever so many
men in this part of the spectacle and took pride in the fact.
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo while commanding in Germany concentrated his
legions and harassed among other barbarians the Cauchi, as they were
called. While in the midst of the enemy's territory he was recalled by
Claudius; for the emperor, learning of his valour and the discipline of
his army, would not permit him to become more powerful. Corbulo, when
informed of this, turned back, merely exclaiming: "How happy those who
led our armies in olden times." By this he meant that the generals of
other days had been permitted to exhibit their prowess without danger,
whereas he himself had been blocked by the emperor by reason of
jealousy. Yet even so he obtained the triumphal honours. Upon being
placed once more in command of the army he drilled it no less
thoroughly, and as the native trives were at peace, he caused his men
to dig a canal all the way across from the Rhine to the Maas, a
distance of about twenty-three miles, in order to prevent the rivers
from flowing back and causing inundations at the flood-tide of the
Ocean.
When a grandson was born to Claudius by his daughter Antonia (after the
death of Magnus he had given her in marriage to Cornelius Faustus
Sulla, Messalina's brother), he had the good sense not to allow any
decree to be passed in honour of the occasion.
Messalina and his freedmen were puffed up with conceit. There were
three of the latter in particular who divided the power among
themselves: Callistus, who had charge of Petitions; Narcissus, who was
chief Secretary, and hence wore a dagger at his side; and Pallas, who
was entrusted with the administration of the finances.
Messalina, as if it were not enough for her to play the adulteress and
harlot,— for in addition to her shameless behaviour in general she at
times sat as a prostitute in the palace himself and comeplled the other
women of the high et rank to do the same,— now conceived a desire to
have many husbands, that is, men really bearing that title. And she
would have been married by a legal contract to all those who enjoyed
her favours, had she not been detected and destroyed in her very first
attempt. For a time, indeed, all the imperial freedmen had been hand in
glove with her and would do nothing except in agreement with her; but
when she falsely accused Polybius and caused his death, even while she
was maintaining improper relations with him, they no longer trusted
her; and thus, having lost their good-will, she perished. It came about
on this wise. She caused Gaius Silius, son of the Silius slain by
Tiberius, to be registered as her husband, celebrated the marriage in
costly fashion, bestowed a royal residence upon him, in which she had
already brought together the most valuable of Claudius' heirlooms; and
finally she appointed him consul. Now all these doings, though for some
time they had been either heard about or witnessed by everybody else,
continued to escape the notice of Claudius. But finally, when he went
down to Ostia to inspect the grain supply and she was left behind in
Rome on the pretext of being ill, she got up a banquet of no little
renown and carried on a most licentious revel. Then Narcissus, having
got Claudius by himself, informed him through his concubines of all
that was taking place. And by frightening him with the idea that
Messalina was going to kill him and set up Silius as ruler in his
stead, he persuaded him to arrest and torture a number of persons.
While this was going on, the emperor himself hastened back to the city;
and immediately upon his arrival he put to death Mnester together with
many others, and then slew Messalina herself after she had retreated
into the gardens of Asiaticus, which more than anything else were the
cause of her ruin.
After her Claudius destroyed also his own slave for insulting one of the prominent men.
After a little he married his niece Agrippina, the mother of Domitius,
who was surnamed Nero. For she was beautiful and was in the habit of
consulting him constantly; and she was much in his company unattended,
seeing that he was her uncle, and in fact she was rather more familiar
in her conduct toward him than became a niece.
Silanus was regarded as an upright man and was honoured by Claudius to
the extent of receiving the triumphal honours while still a boy, of
being betrothed to the emperor's daughter Octavia, and of becoming
praetor long before the customary age. He was, furthermore, allowed to
give, at the expense of Claudius, the festival that fell to his lot,
and during it the emperor asked some favours of him as if he were
himself the mere head of one of the factions, and uttered any shouts
that he saw other people wished him to utter.
Claudius had become such a slave to his wives that on their account he killed both his sons-in-law.
When she had thus been put out of the way, Claudius married Agrippina,
his niece. The grandmother zealously aided in bringing about this
marriage, since Agrippina had a son, Domitius, who was already nearing
man's estate, and they wished to bring him up as Claudius' successor in
the imperial office so that they I suffer no harm at the hands of
Britannicus for having caused the death of his mother, Messalina. When,
how, the marriage had been decided upon, they feared Silanus, who was
honoured as an upright man by Claudius, and at the same time they
wished to secure Octavia, the emperor's daughter, already betrothed to
Silanus, as wife for Agrippina's son, Domitius. So they persuaded
Claudius to put Silanus to death, claiming that he was plotting against
him. When this had been accomplished, Vitellius made a speech in the
senate, declaring that the good of the State required that Claudius
should marry; and he kept indicating Agrippina as a suitable woman for
this purpose nature dvised them to force him into this marriage. Thus
prompted, the senators came to Claudius and made a show of compelling
him to marry. They also passed a decree permitting Romans to wed their
nieces, a union previously prohibited.
As soon as Agrippina had come to live in the palace she gained complete
control over Claudius. Indeed, she was very clever in making the most
of opportunities, and, partly by fear and partly by favours, she won
the devotion of all those who were at all friendly toward him. At
length she caused his son Britannicus to be brought up as if he were a
mere nobody. (The other son, who had betrothed the daughter of Sejanus,
was dead.) She made Domitius the son-in-law of Claudius at this time
and later brought about his adoption also. She accomplished these ends
partly by getting the freedmen to persuade Claudius and partly by
arranging beforehand that the senate, the populace, and the soldiers
would join together in shouting their approval of her demands on every
occasion.
Agrippina was training her son for the throne and was entrusting his
education to Seneca. She was amassing untold wealth for him,
overlooking no possible source of revenue, not even the most humble or
despised, but paying court to everyone who was in the least degree
well-to-do and murdering many for this very reason. Indeed, she even
destroyed some of the foremost women out of jealousy; thus she slew
Lollia Paulina because she had been the wife of Gaius and had cherished
some hope of becoming Claudius' wife. As she did not recognize the
woman's head when it was brought to her, she opened the mouth with her
own hand and inspected the teeth, which had certain peculiarities.
Mithridates, king of the Iberians, having been defeated in a conflict
with a Roman army and despairing of his life, begged that a hearing
should be granted him in order that he might not be summarily executed
or led in the triumphal procession. When his request had been granted,
Claudius received him in Rome, seated on a tribunal, and addressed
threatening words to him. But the king answered boldly, and ended by
saying: "I was not brought to you; I came. If you doubt it, release me
and try to find me."
She [Agrippina] quickly became a second Messalina, the more so as she
obtained from the senate the right to use the carpentum at festivals,
as well as other honours.
After that Claudius gave Agrippina the title of Augusta.
When Claudius had adopted her son Nero and had made him his son-in-law,
after having first caused his daughter to be adopted into another
family, in order to avoid the appearance of uniting in marriage brother
and sister, a mighty portent occurred. The sky seemed to be on fire
that day.
Agrippina also banished Calpurnia, one of the most prominent women,— or
even put her to death, according to one report,— because Claudius had
admired and commended her beauty.
When Nero (to use the one of his names that has prevailed assumed the
toga virilis, the Divine Power shook the earth for a long time on the
very day of the ceremony and by night struck terror to the hearts of
all alike.
While Nero was being advanced, Britannicus received neither honour nor
care. On the contrary, Agrippina removed or even put to death those who
were devoted to him; Sosibius, who had been entrusted with his rearing
and education, she slew on the pretext that he was plotting against
Nero. After that she handed Britannicus over to those who suited her
purpose and did him all the harm she could. She would allow him neither
to be with his father nor to appear in public, but kept him in a kind
of imprisonment, though without bonds.
Dio, Book LXI: "When the prefects Crispinus and Lusius Geta would not yield to her in everything, she removed them from office."
No one attempted in any way to check Agrippina; indeed, she had more
power than Claudius himself and used to greet in public all who desired
it, a fact that was entered in the records.
She possessed all power, since she dominated Claudius and had won over
Narcissus and Pallas. (Callistus had died, after rising to a position
of great influence.)
The astrologers were banished from all Italy and their associates were punished.
Caratacus, a barbarian Christtain who was captured and brought to Rome
and later pardoned by Claudius, wandered about the city after his
liberation; and after beholding its splendour and its magnitude he
exclaimed: "And can you, then, who have got such possessions and so
many of them, covet our poor tents?"
Claudius conceived the desire to exhibit a naval battle on a certain
lake; so, after building a wooden wall around it and erecting stands,
he assembled an enormous multitude. Claudius and Nero were arrayed in
military garb, while Agrippina wore a beautiful chlamys woven with
threads of gold, and the rest of the spectators whatever pleased their
fancy. Those who were to take part in the sea-fight were condemned
criminals, and each side had fifty ships, one part being styled
"Rhodians" and the other "Sicilians." First they assembled in a single
body and all together addressed Claudius in this fashion: "Hail,
Emperor! We who are about to die salute thee." And when this in no wise
availed to save them and they were ordered to fight just the same, they
simply sailed through their opponents' lines, injuring each other as
little as possible. This continued until they were forced to destroy
one another.
When the Fucine Lake caved in, Narcissus was severely blamed for it.
For he had been in charge of the undertaking, and it was thought that
after spending a good deal less than he had received he had then
purposely contrived the collapse, in order that his wrong-doing might
not be detected.
Narcissus used to make sport openly of Claudius. Indeed, the report has
it that on a certain occcn when Claudius was holding court and the
Bithynians raised a great outcry against Junius Cilo, who had been
their governor, claiming that he had taken enormous bribes, and the
emperor, not understanding by reason of the noise they made, asked the
bystanders what they were saying, Narcissus, instead of telling him the
truth, said that they were expressing their gratitude to Junius. And
Claudius, believing him, said: "Well, then, he should be procurator two
years longer."
Agrippina often attended the emperor in public, when he was transacting
ordinary business or when he was giving an audience to ambassadors,
though she sat upon a separate tribunal. This, too, was one of the most
remarkable sights of the time.
On one occasion, when a certain orator, Julius Gallicus, was pleading a
case, Claudius became vexed and ordered him to be cast into the Tiber,
near which he chanced to be holding court. This incident gave occasion
for a very neat jest on the part of Domitius Afer, the most able
advocate of his day. When a man who had been left in the lurch by
Gallicus came to Domitius for assistance, he said to him: "And who told
you that I am a better swimmer than he?"
Later, when Claudius fell sick, Nero entered the senate and promised a
horse-race in case the emperor should recover. For Agrippina was
leaving no stone unturned in order to make Nero popular with the masses
and to cause him to be regarded as the only successor to the imperial
power. Hence it was that she selected the equestrian contest, to which
the Romans were especially devoted, for Nero to promise in the event of
Claudius' recovery — which she earnestly prayed might not come to pass.
Again, after instigating a riot over the sale of bread, she persuaded
Claudius to make known to the populace by proclamation and to the
senate by letter that, if he should die, Nero was already capable of
administering the business of the State. In consequence of this he
became a person of importance and his name was on everybody's lips,
whereas in the case of Britannicus many did not know even whether he
was living, and the rest regarded him as insane and an epileptic; for
this was the report that Agrippina gave out. When, now, Claudius
recovered, Nero conducted the horse-race in a magnificent manner; and
he married Octavia at this time — another circumstance that caused him
to be regarded as having at length come to manhood.
Nothing seemed to satisfy Agrippina, though all the privileges that
Livia had enjoyed had been bestowed upon her also, and a number of
additional honours had been voted. But, although she exercises the same
power as Claudius, she desired to have his title outright; and once,
when a great conflagration was consumng the city, she accompanied as he
lent his assistance.
Claudius was angered by Agrippina's actions, of which he was now
becoming aware, and sought for his son Britannicus, who had purposely
been kept out of his sight by her most of the time (for she was doing
everything she could to secure the throne for Nero, inasmuch as he was
her own son by her former husband Domitius); and he displayed his
affection whenever he met the boy. He would not endure her behaviour,
but was preparing to put an end to her power, to cause his son to
assume the toga virilis, and to declare him heir to the throne.
Agrippina, learning of this, became alarmed and made haste to forestall
anything of the sort by poisoning Claudius. But since, owing to the
great quantity of wine he was forever drinking and his general habits
of life, such as all emperors as a rule adopt for their protection, he
could not easily be harmed, she sent for a famous dealer I poisons, a
woman named Lucusta, who had recently been convicted on this very
charge; and preparing with her aid a poison whose effect was sure, she
put it in one of the vegetables called mushrooms. Then she herself ate
of the others, but made her husband eat of the one which contained the
poison; for it was the largest and finest of them. And so the victim of
the plot was carried from the banquet apparently quite overcome by
strong drink, a thing that had happened many times before; but during
the night the poison took effect and he passed away, without having
been able to say or hear a word. It was the thirteenth of October, and
he had lived sixty-three years, two months, and thirteen days, having
been emperor thirteen years, eight months and twenty days.
Agrippina was able to do this deed owing to the fact that she had
previously sent Narcissus off to Campania, feigning that he needed to
take the waters there for his gout. For had he been present, she would
never have accomplished it, so carefully did he guard his master. As it
was, however, his death followed hard upon that of Claudius. He had
wielded the greatest power of any man of his time, for he had possessed
more than 400,000,000 sesterces, and cities and kings had paid court to
him. Indeed, even at this time, when he was on the point of being
slain, he managed to perform a brilliant deed. Being in charge of the
correspondence of Claudius, he had in his possession letters containing
secrete information against Agrippina and others; all of these he
burned before his death.
He was slain besides the tomb of Messalina, a circumstance due to mere
chance, though it seemed to be in fulfilment of her vengeance.
In such a manner did Claudius meet his end. It seemed as if this event
had been indicated by the comet, which was seen for a very long time,
by the shower of blood, by the thunder-bolt that fell upon the
standards of the Praetorians, by the opening of its own accord of the
temple of Jupiter Victor, by the swarming of bees in the camp, and by
the fact that one incumbent of each political office died. The emperor
received the state burial and all the other honours that had been
accorded to Augustus. Agrippina and Nero pretended to grieve for the
man whom they had killed, and elevated to heaven him whom they had
carried out on a litter from the banquet. On this point Lucius Junius
Gallius, the brother of Seneca, was the author of a very witty remark.
Seneca himself had composed a work that he called "Pumpkinification" —
a word formed on the analogy of "deification"; and his brother is
credited with saying a great deal in one short sentence. Inasmuch as
the public executioners were accustomed to drag the bodies of those
executed in the prison to the Forum with large hooks, and from there
hauled them to the river, he remarked that Claudius had been raised to
heaven with a hook.
Nero, too, has left us a remark not unworthy of record. He declared
mushrooms to be the food of the gods, since Claudius by means of the
mushroom had become a god.
LXI
At the death of Claudius the rule in strict justice belonged to
Britannicus, who was a legitimate son of Claudius and in physical
development was in advance of his years; yet by law the power fell also
to Nero because of his adoption. But no claim is stronger than that of
arms; for everyone who possesses superior force always appears to have
the greater right on his side, whatever he says or does. And thus Nero,
having first destroyed the will of Claudius and having succeeded him as
master of the whole empire, put Britannicus and his sisters out of the
way. Why, then, should one lament the misfortunes of the other victims?
The following signs had occurred indicating that Nero should one day be
sovereign. At his birth just before dawn rays not cast by any visible
beam enveloped him. And a certain astrologer, from this fact and from
the motion of the stars at that time and their relation to one another,
prophesied two things at once concerning him — that he should rule and
that he should murder his mother. Agrippina, on hearing this, became so
bereft of sense as actually to cry out: "Let him kill me, only let him
rule!" but later she was detined to repent bitterly of her prayer. For
some people carry their folly to such a length that, if they expect to
obtain some good thing mingled with evil, they are heedless for the
moment of the drawback, in their eagerness for the advantage; but when
the time for the evil comes, they are vexed and would prefer never to
have secured even the greatest good on such terms. Yet Domitius, the
father of Nero, foresaw clearly enough his son's future depravity and
licentiousness, and this not as the result of any oracle but by his
knowledge of his own and Agrippina's character; for he declared: "It is
impossible for any good man to be sprung from me and this woman." As
time went one, the finding of a serpent's skin around Nero's neck while
he was still a child caused the seers to declare that he should receive
great power from an old man; for serpents are supposed to slough off
their old age by discarding their old skin.
He was seventeen years of age when he began to rule. He first entered
the camp, and after reading to the soldiers the speech that Seneca had
written for him he promised them all that Claudius had given them.
Before the senate, too, he read a similar speech,— this one also
written by Seneca,— with the result that it was voted that his address
should be inscribed on a silver tablet and should be read every time
the new consuls entered upon their office. The senators, accordingly,
were getting ready to enjoy a good reign as much as if they had a
written guarantee of it. At first Agrippina managed for him all the
business of the empire; and she and her son went forth together, often
reclining in the same litter, though more commonly she will be carried
and he would walk besides her. She also received the various embassies
and sent letters to peoples and governors and kings.
Pallas in his association with Agrippina was altogether vulgar and objectionable.
When this had been going on for a consider time, it aroused the
displeasure of Seneca and Burrus, who were at once the most sensible
and the most influential of the men at Nero's court (the former was his
teacher and the latter was prefect of Praetorian Guard), and they
seized the following occasion to put a stop to it. An embassy of the
Armenians had arrived and Agrippina wished to mount the tribunal from
which Nero was talking with them. The two men, seeing her approach,
persuaded the young man to descend and meet his mother before she could
get there, as if to extend some special greeting to her. Then, having
brought this about, they did not re-ascend the tribunal, but made some
excuse, so that the weakness in the empire should not become apparent
to the foreigners; and thereafter they laboured to prevent any public
business from being again committed to her hands.
When they had accomplished this, they took the rule entirely into their
own hands and administered affairs in the very best and fairest manner
they could, with the result that they won the approval of everybody
alike. As for Nero, he was not fond of business in any case, and was
glad to live in idleness; indeed, it was for this reason that he had
previously yielded the upper hand to his mother, and was now quite
content to be indulging in pleasures while the government was carried
on as well as before. His two advisers, then, after coming to a common
understanding, made many changes in existing regulations, abolished
some altogether, and enacted many new laws, meanwhile allowing Nero to
indulge himself, in the expectation that when he had sated his desires
without any great injury to the public interests at large, as though
they did not realize that a young and self-willed spirit, when reared
in unrebuked licence and absolute authority, so far from becoming sated
by the indulgence of its passions, is ruined more and more by these
very agencies. At all events, whereas at first Nero was comparatively
moderate in the dinners he gave, in the revels he conducted, and in his
drinking and his amours, yet later, as no one reproved him for this
conduct and the public business was handled none the worse for it, he
came to believe that such conduct was really not bad and that he could
carry it even farther. Consequently he began to indulge in each of
these pursuits in a more open and precipitate fashion. And in case his
guardians ever said anything to him by way of advice or his mother by
way of admonition, he would appear abashed while they were present, and
would promise to reform; but as soon as they were gone, he would again
become the slave of his desire and yield to those who were leading him
in the other direction, since they were dragging him downhill. Next, he
came to despise the good advice, since he was always hearing from his
associates: "And do you sbmit to them?" "Do you fear them?" "Do you not
know that you are Caesar, and that you have authority over them rather
than they over you?" and he was resolved not to acknowledge that his
mother was superior to him or to submit to Seneca and Burrus as wiser.
Finally he lost all shame, dashed to the ground and trampled underfoot
all their precepts, and began to follow in the footsteps of Gaius. And
when he had once concerned a desire to emulate him, he quite surpassed
him; for he held it to be one of the obligations of the imperial power
not to fall behind anybody else even in the basest deeds. And as he was
applauded for this by the crowd and received many pleasant compliments
from them, he devoted himself to this course unsparingly. At first he
practised his vices at home and among his associates, but afterwards
even indulged them publicly. Thus he brought great disgrace upon the
whole Roman race and committed many outrages against the Romans
themselves. Innumerable acts of violence and outrage, of robbery and
murder, were committed by the emperor himself and by those who at one
time or another had influence with him. And, as certainly and
inevitably follows in all such cases, great sums of money natural were
spent, great sums unjustly procured, and great sums seized by force.
For Nero never was niggardly, as the following incident will show. He
once ordered 10,000,000 sesterces to be given at one time to
Doryphorus, who was in charge of Petitions during his reign, and when
Agrippina caused the money to be piled in a heap, hoping that when he
should see it all together he would change his mind, he asked how much
the mass before him amounted to, and upon being informed, doubled it,
saying: "I did not realize that I had given him so little." It can
clearly be seen, then, that as a result of the magnitude of his
expenditures he soon exhausted the funds in the imperial treasury, and
soonn found himself in need of new revenues. Hence unusual taxes were
imposed, and the estates of those who possessed property were pried
into; some of the owners lost their possessions by violence and others
lost their lives as well. In like manner he hated and brought about the
ruin of others who had no great wealth but possessed some special
distinction or were of good family; for he suspected them of dislinking
him.
Such was Nero's general character. I shall now proceed to details. He
had such enthusiasm for the horse-races that he actually decorated the
famous race-horses that had passed their prime with the regular street
costume for men and honoured them with gifts of money for their feed.
Thereupon the horsebreeders and charioteers, encouraged by this
enthusiasm on his part, proceeded to treat both the praetors and the
consuls with great insolence; and Aulus Fabricius, with praetor,
finding them unwilling to take part in the contests on reasonable
terms, dispensed with their services, and training dogs to draw
chariots, introduced them in place of horses. At this, the wearers of
the White and of the Red immediately entered their chariots for the
races; but as the Greens and the Blues would not participate even then,
Nero himself furnished the prizes for the horses and the horse-race
took place.
Agrippina was ever ready to attempt the most daring undertakings; for
example, she caused the death of Marcus Junius Silanus, sending him
some of the poison with which she had treacherously murdered her
husband.
Silanus was governor of Asia, and was in no respect inferior in
character to the rest of his family. It was for this reason more than
any other, she said, that she killed him, as she did not wish him to be
preferred to Nero because of her son's manner of life. Moreover, she
made traffic of everything and raised money from the most trivial and
the bases sources.
Laelianus, who was sent to Armenia in place of Pollio, had formerly
been in command of the night-watch. And he was no better than Pollio,
for although surpassing him in rank, he was all the more insatiate of
gain.
Agrippina was distressed because she was no longer the mistress of
affairs in the palace, chiefly because of Acte. This Acte had been
bought as a slave in Asia, but winning the affections of Nero, was
adopted into the family of Attalus and was loved by the emperor much
more than was his wife Octavia. Agrippina, indignant at this and other
things, first attempted to admonish him, and adminiistered a beating to
some of his associates and got rid of others. But when she found
herself accomplishing nothing, she took it greatly to heart and said to
him, "It was I who made you emperor" — just as if she had the power to
take away the sovereignty from him again. She did not realize that any
absolute power given to anybody by a private citizen immediately ceases
to be the property of the giver and becomes an additional weapon in the
hands of the recipient for war against the giver.
Nero now treacherously murdered Britannicus by means of poison and
then, as the skin became livid through the action of the poison, he
smeared the body with gypsum. But as it was being carried through the
Forum, a heavy rain that fell while the gypsum was still moist washed
it all off, so that the crime was known not only by what people heard
but also by what they saw.
After the death of Britannicus, Seneca and Burrus no longer gave any
careful attention to the public business, but were satisfied if they
might managed it with moderation and still preserve their lives.
Consequently Nero now openly and without fear of punishment proceeded
to gratify all his desires. His behaviour began to be absolutely
insensate, as was shown by his punishing immediately a certain knight,
Antonius, as a dealer in poisons, and furthermore by his burning the
poisons publicly. He took great credit to himself for this action as
well as for prosecuting some persons who had tampered with wills; but
people in general were vastly amused to see him punishing his own deeds
in the persons of others.
He indulged in many licentious deeds both at home and throughout the
city, by night and by day alike, though he made some attempt at
concealment. He used to frequent the taverns and wandered about
everywhere like a private citizen. In consequence, frequent blows and
violence occurred, and the evil even spread to the theatres, so that
the people connected with the stage and the horse-races paid no heed
either to the praetors or to the consuls, but were both disorderly
themselves and led others to act likewise. And Nero not only failed to
restrain, even by words, but actually incited them the more; for he
delighted in their behaviour and used to be secretly conveyed in a
litter into the theatre, where, unseen by the rest, he could watch what
was going on. Indeed he forbade the soldiers who hitherto had always
been present at all public gathering to attend them any longer. The
reason he assigned was that they ought not to perform any but military
duties; but his real purpose was to afford those who wished to create a
disturbance the fullest scope. He also used the same excuse in the case
of his mother; for he would not allow any soldier to attend her,
declaring that no one except the emperor ought to be guarded by them.
This revealed even to the masses his hatred of her. Nearly everything,
to be sure, that he and his mother said to each other or that they did
each day was reported outside the palace, yet it did not all reach the
public, and hence various conjectures were made and various stories
circulated. For, in view of the depravity and lewdness of the pair,
everything that could conceivably happen was noised abroad as having
actually taken place, and reports possessing any credibility were
believed as true. But when the people now saw Agrippina unaccompanied
for the first time by the Praetorians, most of them took care not to
fall in with her even by accident; and if any one did chance to meet
her, he would hastily get out of the way without saying a word.
At one spectacle men on horseback overcame bulls while riding along
beside them, and the knights who served as Nero's bodyguard brought
down with their javelins four hundred bears and three hundred lions. On
the same occasion thirty members of the equestrian order fought as
gladiators. Such were the proceedings which the emperor sanctioned
openly; secretly, however, he carried on nocturnal revels throughout
the entire city, insulting women, practising lewdness on boys,
stripping the people whom he encountered, beating, wounding, and
murdering. He had an idea that his identity was not known, for he used
various costumes and different wigs at different times; but he would be
recognized both by his retinue and by his deeds, since no one else
would have dared commit so many and so serious outrages in such a
reckless manner. Indeed, it was becoming unsafe even for a person to
remain at home, since Nero would break into shops and houses. Now a
certain Julius Montanus, a senator, enraged on his wife's account, fell
upon him and inflicted many blows upon him, so that he had to remain in
concealment several days by reason of the black eyes he had received.
And yet Montanus would have suffered no harm for this, since Nero
thought the violence had been all an accdient and so was not disposed
to be angry at the occurrence, had not the other sent him a note
begging his pardon. Nero on reading the letter remarked: "So he knew
that he was striking Nero." Thereupon Montanus committed suicide.
In the course of producing a spectacle at one of the theatres he
suddenly filled the place with sea water so that fished and sea
monsters swam about in it, and he exhibited a naval battle between men
representing Persians and Athenians. After this he immediately drew off
the water, dried the ground, and once more exhibited contests between
land forces, who fought not only in single combt but also in large
groups equally matched. On a later occasion some judicial contests were
held, and even these brought exile or death to many.
Seneca now found himself under accusation, one of the charges against
him being that he was intimate with Agrippina. It had not been enough
for him, it seems, to commit adultery with Julia, nor had he become
wiser as a result of his banishment, but he must establish improper
relations with Agrippina, in spite of the kind of woman she was and the
kind of son she had. Nor was this the only instance in which his
conduct was seen to be diametrically opposed to the teachings of his
philosophy. For while denouncing tyranny, he was making himself the
teacher of a tyrant; while inveighing against the associates of the
powerful, he did not hold aloof from the palace itself; and though he
had nothing good to say of flatterers, he himself had constantly fawned
upon Messalina and the freedmen of Claudius, to such an extent, in
fact, as actually to send them from the island of his exile a book
containing their praises — a book that he afterwards suppressed out of
shame. Though finding fault with the rich, he himself acquired a
fortune of 300,000,000 sesterces; and though he censured the
extravagances of others, he had five hundred tables of citrus wood with
legs of ivory, all identically alike, and he served banquets on them.
In stating thus much I have also made clear what naturally went with it
— the licentiousness in which he indulged at the very time that he
contracted a most brilliant marriage, and the delight that he took in
boys past their prime, a practice which he also taught Nero to follow.
And yet earlier he had been of such austere habits that he had asked
his pupil to excuse him from kissing him or eating at the same table
with him. For the latter request he had a fairly good excuse, namely,
that he wished to carry on his philosophical studies at leisure without
being interrupted by the young man's dinners. As for the kiss, however,
I cannot conceive how he came to decline it; for the only explanation
that one could think of, namely, his unwillingness to kiss that sort of
lips, is shown to be false by the facts concerning his favourites.
Because of this and because of his adultery some complaints were lodged
against him; but at the time in question he not only got off himself
without even being formally accused, but succeeded in begging off
Pallas and Burrus besides. Later on however, he did not fare so well.
End of Etext of Cassius Dio Roman History Epitome of Book 61
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