장음표시 사용
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room for manoeuvre, Otho fhould have maintained the defensive, yet he rashly staked his fortunes on an immediate victory. Perhaps hestinered from nervousness and hoped to end the war be re Vitellius himself arrived: perhaps he could not curb the offensive spirit of his troops. But when it came to the potat he made Brescello his heati
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quarters and kept clear of the fighting. Although his army won threelesser engagements - in the Alps, at Placenga, and at a place called Castor's' - they were triched into a decisive deseat near Betriacum. There had been talk of an armistice, but Otho's troops, preparing to fraternige with the enemy while peace was discussed, found them-selves suddenly committed to batile. Odio decided on scicide. It is more probable that his conscienceprevented him stom continuing to hagard lives and treasure in a bidfor foverei gnty than that his men had become demorsiged andvnreliable: fresti troops stood in reseme sor a Counte offensive indrein rcemenis came streaming down from Dalmatia, Pannonia, and Moesia. What is more, his des eated army were anxious to redeemtheir reputation, even without such assistance.
Io. My own fallier, Suetonius Laetus, a tribune of the people, served with the Thirteenth Legion in this campaign. He osten saidaste ards that Otho had so deeply abhorred the thought os civit warwhile stili a private citigen that he would shudder is the fates of
Brutus and Cassius were mentioned at a binquet. And that he would not have moved against Galba to begin with, unless in the liope of abloodless victory. Otho had now ceased to care what happened tollimself, my sether added, because of the deep impression made onhim by the soldior who arrived at Brescello to repori that the armyhad been deseated. When the garrison caped him a liar and a cowardlydeserter, the man fel l on his sword at Otho's seel. Otho, greatlymoved, issued a public staternent that he would never again risk thelives offuch gallant fellows. Aster embracing his brother, his nephew, and his friendς, he dismissed them with orders to consuli their ownsasely. Then he reti red and wrote two letters: of consolation to his sister and of apology to Nero's widow, Messalina, whom he had meant to marry - at the fame time begging her to bury his and
preserve his memory. He nexi burned ali liis private correspondenceto avoid incriminatig anyone is it feli into Vitellius's hands, and distributed among the staff whatever loose casti he had with him. 11. While making final preparations for sulcide Otho heard a dis
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may have been of undistinguished and even mean extraction. Both vlews are held, and either might reasonably be discounted asdue to the pre judice excited by his reim, were it not that these origis had been holly argued about many years preViOUSty. Wri ting to Quintus Vitellius, one of Augustus's quaestors, Quintus
Elogius described the family as sol lows:
You Vitellians are descended Dom Faunus, an aboriginal king of Italy, and Vitellia, who was widely worshipped as a goddess. At oneti me, yOu resed OVer the whole of Latium, but later the furviving members of the fami ly moved frona Sabine territory to Rome, wherethey became patricians. For centuries aster, Vitellians were to be seundalong the Vitellian Way, whicli runs frona the Janiculum to the sea: and the people of one fetilement in that region asked the Senate's permission to defend thenaseives against the Aequicolians, under their o officers. Mother group of Vitellians, serving in the Roman ariny during the Samnite War, were despalched to Apulia and established thenaseives at Nuceria; but eventuatly their descendants went back to resume senatorial privileges at Rome.
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THE T ELVE CAESAR SThe popular story, on the other hand, was that the family had bdens unded by a fretanaan, one Cassius Servius, described as a shoe-
maher, whose son made a con ortabie living firsi as an informer and then as a dealer in confiscaled property, bes ore marrying a common
prostitute, the daughter os a baher named Antiochus, and fateringon her a Roman knight. The trulli probably lies somewhere between
a. At ali evenis, whether his incestry should have inspired pride orshame, this Publius Vitellius os Nuceria was certainly a knight, and steward to Augustus. He passed on his name to four Worthy sons Aulus, Quintus, Publius, and Lucius. Aulus, an epicure and a famous host, died during his consulfhip, as pariner to Nero's Ather Domitius. Quintus, the second brother, was degraded in a purge of subversive senators proposed by Tiberius. Publius, the third, was an aide-de-camp to Germanicus, Whose murderer, Gnaeus Piso, he arrested and
brought to justice. He alta ed the praetorship, but was himselfarrested in the aftermath of Sejanus's conspiracy. When handed overto the custody of his own brother, Aulus, he cut his wrisis with a pen-kesse: yet allowed them to be bandaged up, not through any fear of death, but because his friends begged his to stay with them. Later, he feli is and died in prison. Lucius, the youngest son, became sirst Consul, and then Governo generes of Syria* where, Mili masterly diplomacy, he induced Ung Artabanus os Parthia to attend a parteyand even do obeisance to the Roman Fagies. Afierwards, Lucius shared two regular consul ships with the Emperor Claudius, held the offfice of Censor, and took fuit charge of the Empire while Claudius was a way on the Britisti expedition. Lucius's integri and indust were ovistanding; the only biot on liis fame being a scandalous infatuation sor a certain freedwoman, whose spitile he would mla withhoney and use eVery day, qui te openly, as a lotion for his neck and throat. A skilful flatterer, he instituted the practice of WorshippingGaius Caligula as a god; and on his return frona Syria, never daredenter the Imperiat presence without uncovering his head, averting his gage, and finalty prostrating himself Since Claudius, Caligula's successor, was ruted by his wives and Deedmen, Lucius, who tost nochance of advancement, begged Messalina to grant him the tremen dous privilege of removing her shoes; whereupon he would nurse the
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right shoe inside his gown, and occasionalty tiae it out to Hss it. Heplaced goiden images of Claudius's secretaries Narcissus and Pallasamong his householtigods: and the 'May you do this very ostent' joke in congratulation os Claudius at the Secular Games held onceeVery century - is attributed to him. 3. Lucius died of paralysis on the Jay after he had been accused ofl gh tremon; but lived to see his two sons by Sestilia - a nobi hearted woman os distinguished fataly - achieve the consulfhip in thesame year; the younger following the et der in the Jub appotniment. The Senate marded him a public funerat and a statue on the Rostra inscribed: 'Steadfast in loyalty to the Emperor'.
Lucius's son Aulus Vitellius, the Emperor-to-be, was bom on24 September I 4 A.D., or perhaps on 7 September, while Drusus Caesar and Norbanus Flaccus were Consuls. The boy's horoscope
read so appallingly that Lucius did everything in his power to preventhim stom winning a provincial govemorship; and when he was procla ed Emperor in Germany, his mollier gave his up sor lost. Vitellius had spent his boyhood and adolescence on Capri, among Tiberius's profligates. There he won the nictaanae 'Spintria',* which
Tiberius, the story go , he secured his Ather's first advincement topublic office. . Vitellius who, as he grew up, was notorious for every fori ofvice, became a flature at Couri. Caligula admired his skill in chariot-driving: Claudius, his skill at dice: Nero not only appreciated these
talenis, but was indebled to him for one particular service. At thes est at celebrated in his own honour, Nero was always inrious to compete in the lut playing contest, but never dared do so without express invitation; so he used to leave his seat, while the whole theatre clamoured for laim enthusiasticatly, and disappear untii Vitellius, asPresident of the Games, came in pursuit and, on belial f of the audia ence, persuaded him to reconsider his decision. . Since he was the favo ite of three emperors, Vitellius won theusual magistracies and severat fat priesthoods, and later served asGovemo generat of Africa and as Minister of Public Works. His reputation and energies, however, varied with the employment givenhim. Though exceptionalty honest during the two-year administra-
I. 32 A. D. , by a senator named Junius Lupus. a. See Tiberius 43.
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ΤΗΕ ΤWELVE CAESAR Stion of Africa, where he temporarila acted for his brother, Vitelli 'sbellaviour at Rome was by no means so commendabie: he used topiiser offerings and ornaments from the temples, or replace gold and silver with brass and tin. 6. He married Petronia, a consul's daughter who, in her Mil, madetheir one-eyed son, Petronianus, her heir, though stipulating that Vitellius must renounce paternat rights. To this he consented: but his subsequent story - that Petronianus, haring shown parricidal leatangs,
Neri, he married Galeria Fundana, Whose Ather was a praetor; inebore his one daughter, and a son who had so bad a stammer that hecould hardly force out a mord. 7. Galba's appotniment of Vitellius to the governorship of Lower Germany was an inpopular one; the accepted viem to-day is that Titus Vinius arranged it. This Vinius, a man os great insuence, Wasweli disposed towards Vitellius because they were fellow-supporters of the 'Blues' in the Circus. Yet since Galba had openly stated that a glutton was the fori os rival whom he feared least, and that he expected Vitellius to cram his belly with the fruits of the province, the appotniment must have been made in contempt, not approVal. Vitellius was so inori os funds at the time, and in such low water generalty - this is common knowledge- that he rented an attic for his se and children at Rome, let his own house for the remainder of the year vid, to Gance the journey, actualla pawned a peari tomfrom an ea ring in his mother's ear. The oesy means by whicli hecould shahe off the liuge crowd of creditors who were continuoustywaylaying him - these included the people of Sinuessa and Formiae ose public funds he had embeggled - was to scare them with false accusations. Thus he pressed an action for assauit against a seee an who had dunned him once too osten, clataing to have been struch
and hiched, and demanding damages in the amount of 3oo gold
The army's distise of Galba haring now reached a stage litile shortos muriny, they welcomed Vitellius with open arms, as a gist stom thegods. Aster ali, here was the son os a man who had held three consuluships : in the prime of hse, too, and of an easy, generous disposition. Vitellius's conduci on the marin further enhanced their good opinion
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lihe whom he mei in the morning, inquiring whether they had yet brea fasted, and then belching loudly to prove that he had done so
the oesy speech he made them. The ariny in Upper Germany had previousty pledged iis loyalty to the Senate, rather than to Galba, and
now came out in his favour. Vitellius then assumed the sumame Germanicus, whicli everyone eagerly pressed on him, but hesitated toaccepi the titie Augustus, and emphaticalty rejected the sumanae
reached Vitellius besere he had test Gaul. At once he disbanded ali
Guards battalions in Rome by a comprehensive decree, accusing them
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of a disgracelat lapse in discipline: they must surrender their arms tothe commanding officers. He gave further orders for the arrest and punishment of Iao Guards known to have demanded a bounty froni Otho in respect of services rendered at Galba's assassination. Theseirreproachably correct acis ressed the liope that Vitellius would mahean admirabie simperor, but the rest of his bellaviour was in keeping, rather, with the character he had shown in the past, and fell far shortos the Imperiat. At the ouiset of his march, for instance, he had himself carried through the main streets of the cities on his route, wearing triumphal dress: crossed rivers hi elaborately decorated barges
across Otho's simple headstone: 'meli, he deserved this type of mausoleum.' Having sent the dagger with whicli Otho had killed himself to the Temple of Mars at Cologne, he staged an allinight
debauch on the siopes of the Apennines. II. At last, anaid fans ares of trumpeis, Vitellius entered Rome insuli uniform and surro ded by standards and banners - a displaypermitted only when the Senate had decreed a triumph or ovationfor the des eat os a foretgn army. His staff also wore militarγ cloias, and his soldiers carried drawn swords. Paying less and less attentionto ali laws, human or divine, Vitellius nexi assumed the office of Chies Pontis , and chose to do so on the anniversary of the Allia defleat, ad of evit omen. On the fame occasion he annom ed his appola ments for the ten years aliead, and elected himself life Consul. Thentie dispelled any doubi as to whicli of the Caesars was to be his modet by sacrificing to Nero's ghost and at the subsequent banquet, Whilea popular flautist was performing, called for something from Nero's