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and sent severat of them presents of poisonod sweetmeais. Caligula conducted these cases in person, first announcing the sum he meantio raise, and not stopping untit he had rat sed it. The stightest delaynetlled him, and he once passed a single sentence on a batch of morethan forty men charged with various offences, and then boasted toCaesonia, when she wohe Dom her nap, that he had done very good, business since sile doged off. He would auction whatever properties were test over from a theatrical show: driving up the bidding to such heighis that many of those present, forced to buy at fantastic prices, found thenaseives ruined and committed sulcide by opening their velis. A famous occasion was when Aponius Saturninus seli asleep on a bench, and Caligula warned the auctioneer to keep an eye ora the senator of
jewelle , flaves, and even the freedmen of his condemned si sters ata ridiculous ove valvation that he decided to do the sanie with the. furnishings of the old Palace. So he sent to Rome, where his agenis commandeered public conveyances, and even draught animais Domthe bakeries, to fetch the stuTnorth: which led to a bread shortage in the City, and to the loss of many law-sulis, because litigants wholived at a distance were unable to appear in cotiri and meet their bail. He then used ali Unds os trichs for disposing of the furniture: scolding the biddere sor their avarice, or for their shamelessiaess in being richer than he was, and pretending gries at this surrender of family propertyto commoners. Discovering that one wealthy provincial had pald thei Imperiat secretariat 2,ooo gold pieces to be smuggled into a baliquet, Caligula was delighted that the privilege of dining with ltim shouldbe valued so hi glily and, when nexi day the fame mala turned up at the auction, made him pay a ooo gold pieces for sonae trifling object but also sent him a personat invitation to dinner. 4o. The publicans were ordered to raise new and unprecedented taxes, and und this so profitable that he delased his Guards coloneis and centurions to collect the money instead. No goods or serVices no auoi ded duty of some hind. He imposed a fixed tax on ali odstussis sold in any quarter of the City, and a charge of a , per cent on themoney involved in every lawsuit and legat transaction whatsoever;
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and devi sed special penalties for anyone who compounded or aban-doned a case. Porters had to hand over an eighth part of their d 'starnings and prostitutes their standard see for a single act of intimacy even is they had quilled their profession and were respectably ma ried; pimps and e pimps also became habie to this public lin. 41. These nem regulations having been announced by word of mouili only, many peopte falled to observe them, through ignorance. At last he acceded to the urgent popular demand, by posting
When Caligula played at dice he would a Us cheat and lie. Oncelle interrupted a game by giving up his seat to the man belliud his and going out into the courtyard. A couple of rich knighis passed: Caligula immediatela had them arrested and confiscaled their pr perty; then resumed the ganae in high spiriis, boasting that his luch
walh over them bares ot, or else lie down and wallow.43. Caligula had oesy a single taste of warfare, and even that was inpremeditated. At Bevagna, where he went to visit the river Clitumnus and iis sacred grove, someone reminded him that heneeded Batavian recruits for his bodyguard; whicli suggested the idea os a German expedition. He wasted no time in summoning regularlegions and auxiliaries stom ali directions, levied troops with the Utmost striciness, and collected military supplies on an inprecedented
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whicli might have persuaded any reader that the whole istand had
wheeled trassic was forbidden in the streeis during daylight bours but mahe straight for the Forum and the Senate House, and take his letter to the Temple of Mars for personat delivery to the Consuis, intiae presence of the entire Senate.
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dramatic about this foray: when he returned to the hali after catchingste hostages and bringing them bach in irons, and his officers reported that the army was marshalled, he made them recline at table, stili in their corseleis, and quoted Virgil's famous advice: 'Be steadfast, Comrades, and preseme yourselves For happier occasionsi' He also severely reprimanded the absent Senate and Peopte for enjoyingbanqueis and festivities, and for hanging about the theatres or their
Channei and moved the siege-engines into position as though heintended to bring the campaim to a close. No one had the least notion what was in his tand when, suddenly, he gave the order: Gather se shessi' He referred to the shelis as 'piunder from the sea, due to the Capitol and to the Palace', and made the troops fili theirhelmeis and tunic aps with them: commemorating this victory by the erection os a tali lighthouse, not unlle the one at Pharos, in which
47. He now concentraled his attention on the imminent triumph.
To supplement the few prisoners taken in frontier skirmishes and the deserters who had come over Dom the barbarians, he piched thetallest Gaias of the province - 'those worthy of a triumph' - and some of their chiesi as well, for his supposed train os captives. These hadnot oesy to grow their hair and dye it red, but also to learn Germanand adopi German names. The triremes used in the Cha et were carted overtand most of the way; and he sent a letter ahead instructingliis agenis to prepare a triumph more lavisti than any hitherto known, but at the least possibie expense to the Pri y Purse; and added that everyone's property was at their disposai. 48. Besore leaving Gaul he pla ed, in a sudden access of crueity, to massacre the legionaries who, at news of Augustus's death, had
horsemen. But when he noticed that a number os legionaries, scent g
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He was returning only to those who would reatly welcome him; namely, the knighis and the people; so far as the senators were con- cerned he would never again consider himself their sellow-citigen, ortheir Eniperor, and forbade any more of them to meet him. Haring cancelled, or at least postponed, his triumph he entered the CitF on his birthday, and received an ovation. Within ut monilis he was dead. Caligula had dared commit searsul crimes, and contemplated evenworse ones: such as murdering the most distinguished of the senatorsand knighis, and then moving the seat of goveminent first to Antium, and aste ards to Alexandria. Is at this possit, my readers become credulous, let me record that two books were found among his
papers entilled The Dagger and The Siori each of them containing the names and addresses of men whom he had pla ed to tali. A liuge inest fissed with poisons also came to light. It is said that when Claudius later threw this into the sea, quantities of dead fisti, Cast up by the lide, littered the neighbouring beaches. So. Physical characteristics of Caligula: Height: tali. Complexion: pallid.
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3a. Caligula pald no attention to traditional or current Ashions in his dress; ignoring male conventions and even the human decenties. Osten he made public appearances in a cloah covered with embroi-dery and encrusted with precious stones, a long-sleeved tunic and braceleis: or in si whicli men were sorbidden by law to wear) oreven in a Woman's robe: and came shod somelimes with stippers,somelimes With bustans, somelimes missi military boois, fometimes with women's si oes. Occasionalty he affected a goiden beard and carried Juppiter's thunderboli, Neptune's trident, or Mercury's serpent- ined staff. He even dressed up as Venus and, long be re his expedition, wore the uniform of a triumphant generat, ostenembellislied with the breastplate which he had stolen froni Alexander the Great's tonab at Alexandria. 33. Though no man os letters, Caligula took pacis to studyrhetoric, and showed remarkable eloquence and quic ess of miud, especialty when prosecuting. Anger incited hi in to a Bood of words: he moved about eXcitedly while speaking, and his voice carri eda great distance. At the stari os every speech he would warn the
disco ted Seneca, then at the height of his fame, as a 'mere tex book orator', or 'sand without lime'. He osten published confutations of speakers who had successsul ly pleaded a cause: or composed speechessor both the prosecution and the defence of important men who wereon trial by the Senate - the verdici depending enti rely on the caprice of his pen - and would invite the Κnights by proclamation to attendand listen. 34. Caligula practi sed many other aris, most enthusiasticatly, too. He made appearances as a Thracian gladiator, as a singer, as a dancer, fought with reat weapons, and drove chariois in many regionalcircuses. Indeed, he was so proud of his voice and deporiment thathe could not resist the temptation os supporting the tragic actori at public performances; and would repeat their gestures by way of presse or criticism. On the very day of his death he seems to have ordered an ali-night festival in honour of sonae god or other, intend-ing to tiae advantage of the free-and-easy atmosphere sor mahing his stage debui. He osten danced at night, and once, at the close of the second watch, summoned three senators of consular rank to the Palace; arriving haliadead with fear, they were conducted to a stage
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upon whicli, anaid a tremendous racket os flutes and heel-taps, Caligula suddenly bursi, dressed in cloah and ankl lengili tunic, per rmed a song and dance, and di sappeared as suddenly as he hadentered. Yet, with ait these gisis, he could not swim a strokel 55. On those whom he loved he bestowed an almost insane passion. He would shower hisses on Mnester the comedian, even in thetheatre: and is anyone made tiae stightest nolse during a performance, Caligula had the offender dragged from his seat and beat him th hiso hands. To a knight who created some disturbance while Mnester was on the stage, Caligula sent instructions by a centurion to sati stomostia and convey a sealed message to Mng Ptolemy in Mauretania. The message read: 'Do nothing at ali, either good or bad, to the
He chose Thracian gladiators to officer his German bodyguard. Disliking the me at-arms, he reduced their defensive amour; and when a gladiator of this fori, called Columbus, won a figlit but was lightly wounded, Caligula treated him with a virulent polson whichhe asterwards called 'Columbinum' - M any rate that was how hedescribed it in his catalogue os pol sons. Caligula supported the Lee green faction with such ardour that he would osten dine and spendthe night in their stabies and, on one occasion, gave the driver Eutychus presents worth 2O,OOo gold pieces. To prevent lacitatus, his favourite horse, from growing restive he always picheted theneighbourhood with troops on the day be re the races, ordering them to ens orce absolute silence. Incitatus owned a marbie stabie, an ivory stas, purple blankeis, and a jewelled collar: also a house, furniture, and flaves - to provide scitabie enteria iument for guests whom Caligula invited in iis name. It is said that he even planned to awardiscitatus a consulfhip. 56. Such frantic and rechless bellaviour roused murderous thoughis in certain iniuds. One or two plois for his assassination were disco- vered: others were stili maturing, when two Guards colon eis puttheir heads together and succeeded in Elling him, thanks to the cooperation of his most powerful freedmen and some other Guardsossicers. Both these coloneis had been accused of being implicated ina preVious plot and, although innocent, realized that Caligula haledand Dared, them. Once, in faci, he had subjected them to publicshame and suspicion, taking them aside and anno cing, as he waved
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GAIUS CALIGULAITTdeseruing of death. Aster this he accused them again and again, eachio the other, and tried to make bad blood belween them. At last theydecided to kill him abolit noon at the conclusion of the Palatine Games, the principat part in this drama of blood being claimed by Cassius Chaerea. Caligula had persistently teased Cassius, who was no longer yo g, for his supposed effeminacy. Whenever he demanded the watchword, Caligula used to give him 'Priapus', or
his middie finger for Eim to kiss, and waggled it obscenely.37. Many omens of Caligula's approaching death were reported. While the statue of Olympian Juppiter was being dismantled bes ore
removes to Rome, at his commmd, it bursi into such a roar oflaughter that the scassolding collapsed and the workmen took to theirheeis; and a man named Cassius appeared immediately afte ardssaying that Juppiter had ordered him, in a dream, to sacrifice a bull. The Capitol at Capua was struck by lighining on the Ides of Marcii,
whicli sonae interpreted as portending another Imperiat death: because Julius Caesar had been murdered on that day. At Rome, the Palace galekeeper's lodge was likewise struch: and this seemed tomean that the o er of the Palace stood in danger os attach by hiso guards. On asking Sulla the mathematici an sor his horoscope, Caligula learned that he must expect to die very soon. The oracle os Fortune at Antium likewise wamed him: 'Beware of Cassius l'whereupon, Orgetting Chaerea's sirst name, he ordered the murderos Cassius Longinus, Governor of Asia. On the night be re his assassination he dreamed that he was standing beside Juppiter's heavenly throne, when the God Dched his with the great toe of his right ot and sent hina tumbling down to earth. Some other evenis that occurred on the morning of his death were read as portents. For
stance, blood splashed Caligula as he was sacrificing a flamingo; Mnester danced the fame tragedy of Cinyras that had been performed by the actor Neoptolemus during the Games at whicli tang Philipos Macedonia was assassinated: and a pantomime called Laureolus, at
the close of whicli the leading character, a bighwayman, had to die wl le escapi g, and vomit blood, was immediately followed by a
humorous epilogue - the comedians were so anxious to display their
evening performance by Egyptians and Ethiopians was also inreliearsal: a play staged in the Underworid.
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38. On 24 January then, just pasi midday, Caligula, seated in the Theatre, could not mae up his mind whether to rise for luncheon: he stili felt a litile queasy after too hea' a binquet on the prerious night. However, his friends persuaded him to come out with them, along a covered wal: and there he found some boys of noble fatalywhom he had summoned from Asia, reliearsing the Trojan wa dance. He stopped to watch and encourage them, and would havetaken inem bach to the Theatre and held the performance at once, had their principat not complained os a coid. Two different versions of at followed are current. Some say that Chaerea came up binindCaligula as he stood tal ing to the boys and, with a cry of Tahe thisi 'gave him a deep sword ound in the nech, whereupon Gaius Sabinus, the other colonet, stabbed him in the breast. The otherversion mahes Sabinus teli certain centurions implicated in the plotto clear away the crowd and then ask Caligula for the d 's watch-word. He is sald to have replied: Iuppiter', whereupon Chaerea,
on the ground. 'Ι am still alivel' he shouted; but word went round 'Strie againi' and he succumbed to further Wounds, including swortithrusis through the genitals. Caesonia was murdered by a centurionat the fame time, and littie Julia Drusilla's brains were dashed out against a wall. Caligula's bearers rushed to he him, using their litterpoles as spears: and soon his German bodyguard appeared, too late tobe of any service, though they killed severat of the assassius and a fewinnocent senators into the bargain. 39. He died at the age of twenty-nine aster resing for three years,ten monilis and eight d s. His body was moved secretly to the Lamian Gardens, half-cremaled on a hastil busit pyre, and thenburied beneath a shallow covering of sods. Later, when his sistersreturned from erile they e umed, cremaled, and entombed it. But
Sequel: eVeryone Was extremela reluctant to belleve that he had reatly been assassinated, and suspected that the story was invented by h-self to discover what peopte thought of him. The conspirators had noparticular candidate for Emperor in mirid, and most senators were So