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129tion. They had orders to enter the town simultaneousty by opposite gales, suddenly display their weapons, blow trumpeis, and arrest most of the inhabitanis and ali the magistrates - whom he then sentenced tolife-imprisonment. He also abolished the right os sanctuary in temples and holy places, whicli criminals enjoyed throughout the Empire: and punished thepeople of Cyzicus, on the Sea of Marmara, for their outrageoustreaiment of certain Roman citigens, by withdrawing the freedom conferred ora them as a reward sor services in the Mithridatan War. Immediately aster his accession he delegated the task of desing with fronti er incidenis to his generais, but sanctioned aggressive actiononly is it seemed unavoidable. He disciplined foret gn tangs suspectedos ill-wis towards Rome by threais and reprimands rather than punitive expeditions: and decoyed some of them with glowing promisesto Romo - where they were delataed at his pleasure. Among themwere Marbodus the German, Rhascuporis the Thracian, and Archelaus of Cappadocia - whose hingdom he reduced to provincial
38. In the first two years of his reign Tiberius did not once set otoulside the gales of Rome: and even aster that the farinest town hevisited was Antium, where he occasionalty spent a sew days. Vel heannounced stom time to time that he would make a tour of the provinces and inspect the troops there; and almost every year went through the farce of chartering transpori and requesting the freelowns and colonies to have supplies of od and drink ready when heapproached. At last he even allowed peopte to mahe vows for his saferetum froni fae promised tour, whicli earned him the nictaame of Callipedes' the original Callipedes haring been a comic actor, famotis for his realistic imitation os a long-distance runner, in Which
39. Aster the loss of his son Drusus at Rome, and his adopted son Germanicus, in Syria, Tiberius reti red to Campania - from whichalmost everyone swore he would not return, but would soon diethere. This prediction was not far oui, because Rome had, in faci, seenthe last of him, and he narrowly escaped death a few days later. Hewas dining at a country house called 'The Cavem', near Terracina, when some liuge rocks seli frona the roos of the natural cave whicli served as a banquet g hali and gave the house iis name, kill ingseverat guesis and attendanis close to him.
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THE T WELVE CAESAR S4O. His pretexi for tiae progress through Campania was that hemiast dedicate a temple to Capitoline Juppiter at Capua, and a templeto Augustus at Nola. But, istese iasks done, he crossed over to the iste
beach - the remesnder of iis Coast consisted of sheer cliffs surrounded by deep water. However, a catastrophe at Fidenae recassed his to the mainland almost at once: the amphitheatre had collapsed during a gladiatorial sbow, and more than ao Ooo people lay dead in the ruius. Tiberius now gave audiences to everyone who demanded them, and
fit ling vacancies that occurred in the Equestrian Order, nor malangnew appotatments to Senior military commands in any procince. Spain and Syria were lest without governors of consular rank forseverat years. He allowed the Parthians to overrun Armenia; the Dacians and Sarmatians to ravage Moesia; and Hae Germans to invade Gaul - a negligence as darigerous to the Empire as it was dis-honourabie.
a. But haring found seclusion at last, and no longer feeling h-self under public scrutiny, he rapidly succumbed to si the victous passions which he had for a long time tried, not very successsulla, todisguise. Ι shah give a faithful account of these stom the start. Even asa young officer he was such a hard drinker that his name, Tiberius Claudius Nero, was displaced by the nictaame 'Biberius Caldius Mero' - meaning : 'Driiser of wine with no water added'. Whenal ready Emperor and bustly engaged on the reform of public morais, he sperat two whole days and the intervening night in an orgy offoodand drink with Pomponius Flaccus and Lucius Piso - at the conclusionos which he made Flaccus Governo generat of Syria; and Piso, CityΡrefect - actualty eulogi ging them in their commissions as 'good fellows at ali hours of the day or night'. Being invited to Inner by Cestius Gallus, a techerous old spendit risit whom Augustus had ignominiousty removed from the Senate and whom he had himself
accepted on condition that the dioer should follow Gallus's usus routine: and that the waitresses should be naked. At another banqueta very obscure candidate for the quaestorship drai Ded a liuge two-
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3. On retiring to Capri he made himself a private sporting-house, where sexus extraVagances were practised for his secret pleasure. Bevies of giris and yo g men, whom he had collected Dom ali overthe Empire as adepis in unitatural practices, and known as spintriae, would perform be re him in groups of three, to excite his waning passions. A number of smali rooms were furnished willi the most indecent pictures and statuary obtainable, also certain erotic manuals
43. What nasty triclis he used to play on women, even those Ofhigh rank, is clearly seen in the case of Mallonia whom he summonedio his bed. She showed suci, an invincibi e repugnance to complying
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46. Tiberius was close-fisted to the potat os miseriiness, neverpasng his staff a salary When on a foretgn mission, but mere* providing their keep. On the sole occasion that he bellaved liberalty to these friends of his, Augustus bore the eXpense. Tiberius then arranged them in three categories according to their rank; the frst were given6,ooo gold pieces, the second 4 ooo and the third, whom he described
especialty after the crowd forced him, on one of his rare visits to the theatre, to buy the freedom of a flave-comedian named Actius. Though relieving the financiat distress of a few senators at his accession, he avoided having to repeat this generous act by amouncingillat, in future, imperiat assistance would be restricted to suci, personsas could prove to the satisfaction of the Senate that they were notresponsible for thela financiat embarrassment. Shanae and pride thenprevented many impoVerished senators from mahing an application; among these Hortalus, grandson of the orator Quintus Hortensius, whose income was very moderate indeed but whom Augustus'simpassioned pleas had encouraged to beget four children. 48. Tiberius silowed large-scale generosity no more than twice. Onthe frst occasion he offered a public loan os a million gold pieces, freeos interest, for three years, because a decree which he had persuaded
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acute economic crisis. On the second occasion, he paid sor therebullding of certain blocks of houges on the Caelian Hill which hadbeen destroyed in a fire. This, too, was an emergency measure duringbad times: yet he made suci, a parade of his ope handedness as torename the whole hill 'The Augustan'. Aster doubling the legacies bequeathed by Augustus to the army, Tiberius never gaVe themmything beyond their pay; excepi sor the ten gold pieces a head whicli the Praetorian Guard won for not joining Sejanus's revolt, anda smali sum awarded the troops in Syria for their refusal to set consecrated statues of Sejanus among their regimental standards. Hegranted sew veterans their discliarge, rechoning that, is they died while still with the Colours, he would be spared the expense of the customary discliarge bounty. The only free money grant any province got frona his was when an earlhquake destroyed some cities in Asia Minor. 49. As the years went by, this stingi ness tumed to rapaci ty. It is notorious that he forced the wealthy Gnaeus Lentulus Augur to nameiam as his sole hela, and then to commit sulcide, by playing on his nemous apprehensions: and that he gratisied Quirinius,* a ricli and childless e Consul, by executing the nobie Aemilia Lepida - she was Quirinius's divorced wife and he accused her of an attempt to potSon him menty years preVioustyl Tiberius also confiscaled the properinos leading Spanisli, Gallic, Syrian, and Greek provincials on triviai and absurd charges, such as keeping too much of their wealth in ready casti as is they were hoarding it for revolutionary purposest Hemade many statos and individuals forseit their ancient immunities and miners righis, and the privilege of collecting taxes. As for Vonones, Ung of Parthia, whom his subjecis had dethroned but who, under the impression that he was confiding himself to Roman protection, escaped to Antioch with a liuge treasure: Tiberius trea-cherousty robbed and killed him. 3o. Tiberius's first hostile action against his own family was when his brother Drusus wrote to him privately suggesting that they should jointly persuade Augustus to restore the Republican constitution; Tiberius placed the letter in Augustus's harads. Aster coming to pomer
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the decency to confirm Augustus's decree whicli merely forbade herto set ot ouiside the town of Reggio: but restricted her to a single house where Visitors were forbidden. He even deprived her of the annus sums hitherio paid her by Augustus, as both his davgliter and his daughter-i law, on the pretexi that no mention of these hadappeared in his will and that consequently, under common laW, shewas no longer entilled to draw them. Tiberius then compla ined thathis mollier Livia vexed him by wanting to be co-ruler of the Empire; which was why he avoided frequent meetings or long private talias
deration. A senatorial decree adding 'Son of Livia' as weli as 'Son os Augustus' to his honorifcs so deeply offended his that he vetoed proposais to confer 'Mother of the Country' or any similarly high-sounding tille on her. What is more, he osten warned Livia toremember that she was a woman and must not intersere in affairs of
state. He became especialty insistent on this potnt when a fire brokeout near the Temple of Vesta and news reached him that Livia was directing the civilian and military fir figliters in person, as though Augustus were stili alive, and urging them to redouble their esseris. 3I. Afierwards Tiberius quarressed openly with his mollier. Thestory goes that she repeatedly urged him to enrol in the jurors' list the nante os a man who had been granted a citigeriship. Tiberius agreed to do so on one condition - that the entry should be marked forced upon the Emperor by his mother'. Livia tost her temper and
produced from a stronybox sonae of Augustus's old letters to hercommenting on Tiberius's four and stubborn character. Annoyance
with her for boarding these documents so long, and then spitesvllyconfronting him with them, is sald to have been his mala reason forretirement to Capri. At ali evenis he visited her exactly once in thelast three years of her ii se, and only for an hour or two at that; and when site presently feli sicli, made no effori to repeat the visit. Liviathen died, and he spoke of attending her funerat, but did not come. Aster severat days her corpse grew so corrupi and noisome that hesent to have it buri ed: but vetoed her deification on the pretexi that she
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TIBERIUS I 3332. Tiberius Ead no paternal feelings either for his son Drusus, whose vici ous and dissolute habits offended him, or sor his nephewand adopted sola Germanicus. When Drusus dled Tiberius appearedio be perfectly unconcerned, and went bach to his usual bus ess almostas soOn as the funerat ended, cutting shori the period of officialmourning ; in faci, when a Trojan delegation arrived with condo- lences, a monili or two later, Tiberius grinned, having apparently gotover his loss, and replied: 'May Ι condole with you, in return, on thedeath of your eminent fellow-citigen Hector ' Also, he described Germanicus's glorious victories as wholly ineffective, and far morethan the country could afford; so litile assection did he feel for himi He actualty sent the Senate a letter os complaint when Germanicus hiarried to Alexandria and there relicued a sudden disastrous famine, saying that he had not been consul ted about this invasion of his o private domala. It is even belleved that he arranged for Gnaeus Piso, the Governor of Syria, to polson Germanicus: and that Piso, whentri ed on this charge, would have produced his instructions had theynot been taken froni hirn when he confronted Tiberius with them. Piso was then executed: whicli is why 'Give us bach Germanicust 'ri Was writtera on the walis throughout Rome and shouted ali night. Tiberius later strengthened popular suspicion by his cruel treaiment of Germanicus's wise Agrippina and her children. 33. When Agrippina said more than was wise about her hiisband 's
and this was the last question that he ever condescended to ash her. Indeed, since sile seemed scared of tast g an apple which he handedher at dinner, the invitation to his table was never repeated: he said that she had charged him with attempted polsoning. Yet the wholescene had been cares ully stag managed: he would offer the apple asa test of her feelings for hina, and she would suspect that it carri ed sudden death, and resisse it. At last he falsely accused her of plania ingi to take sanctuary beside thc image of her grandiather Augustus, orwith the army abroad: and exiled her to the prison istand of Pandataria. In punishment for her violent protests he ordered a centurion to gi Velier a good flogging: in the course of which she lost an eye. Then site
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memory, persuading the Senate to decree her birthday a day of iluomen, and boasting of his clemency in not haring her strangled and thrown out on the Stairs of Mourning. He even allowed a bili to bepassed congratulating him on this plous altitude and voting a goiden Commemorative gist to Capitoline Juppiter. 34. By Germanicus, Tiberius had three adoptive grandsons; and atrue grandson by Drusus. Os these he recommended Nero and i Drusus, the eidest os Germanicus's fons - the youngest being Gaius, Dictaamed Caligula - to the Senate; and celebrated their coming-oLage ceremontes by giring the commons largesse. But when he found that, at the New Year celebrations, prayers for their sasely were belagadded to his o , he asked the Senate to decide whether this was a proper procedure; suggesting that such honours should be conferredonly on men who had served their country long and meritoriously. Asiter this he made no secret of his disile for the young pair and arranged that ali foris offalse charges should be brought against them; then Cleuerly contrived that whenever they expressed their naturalindignation at his schemes a witness would a Us be standing by. This gave him grounds for writing the Senate so harsh a letter of complaint that both were declared public ene es and starved todeath Nero on the istand of Pontia, Drusus in a Palace cellar. It is
anno cing that he had come with the Senate's warrant, displayed the noose for hanging him and the hooks for dragging his corpse tothe Tiber. As for Drusus, his hunger was suci, that he tried to eat thefloch Dom his mattresf; and their bodies were chopped in so many pieces that Gaius Caligula later found great difficulty in collectingstem for buriat. 35. Tiberius had asked the Senate to choose him a Councit offoreigii Asfairs, consisting of twenty men - in addition to certain oldfriends and members of his military staff- oesy two or three of whom died natural deallis. All the rest he hised, one way or another; including Aelius Sejanus, who dragged severat of his colleagues toruin with him. Tiberius feti no affection for Sejanus, but had giventiam plenary powers as being essicient and cunning enough to do what
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56. He acted no less crueily towards liis Greeli favo ites. One dayhe asked a man named Zeno, who had been discoursing in a rather affected style: ' hat damned dialect may that be ' 'It is Doric.' replied Zeno. Tiberius mistook this for a ta ting reserence to his exile at Rhodes, where Doric is spolien: and banished Zeno to the Aegean istand of Cinaria, home of the artichoke. At the dinner tablebe used to pose questions arising frona his dassy study. Seleucus, a professor os literature, had been finding out froni the Imperiat servants what books he was reading, and came prepared with ait the rightanswers: hearing of this, Tiberius dismissed him Dom the company, and later forced him to commit sulcide. ST. Some signs of Tiberius's savage and dour character could bedistinguished even in his boyhood. Theodorus the Gadarene, whotaught him rhetoric, seems to have been the first to do so, since, onharing occasion to reprove Tiberius, he would cali him 'mud, kneaded with bloodi' But aster he became Emperor, while he was stili gaining popular favour by a pretence of moderation, there couldbe no doubi that Theodorus had been right. Once, as a funerat procession was passi g, a humorist hassed the corpse and asked his toteli Augustus's ghost that his bequesis to the commons had not yetbeen duly paid. Tiberius ordered the man to be arrested and brought bes ore him. 'Ι wis give you your due at once,' he said, and orderedhis execution with: Why not go to my father yourself and teli him
38. About this time a praetor asked Tiberius whether, in his opinion, couris should be convened to try cases of lese majeste. Tiberius replied that the law must be et orced: and enserce it he did, moSt SaVagely, too. One man was accused os decapitating an image of Augustus with a view to substituting another head: his case was tried
bes ore the Senate and, finding a conflict of evidence, Tiberius had the
witnesses examined under torture. The offender was sentenced to
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clostes, close to an image of Augustus, or for carrying a ring or cola, bearing Augustus's head, into a prio or a brothel; or for criticietinganything Augustus had ever said or done. The climax came when aman Hed merely for letting an hono be voted him by his nativelown councii on tiae fame day that hono s had Once been voted to
ΑHere is a Sulla, men os Rome, sumamed Sulla the Fortunate - to your mi S rtune Here is a Marius come back at last To capture Rome: here is an Antony