Dio's Rome, Volume 1: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek during the Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English FormCassius Dio Cocceianus
History
Dio's Rome, Volume 1: An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek during the Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus: and Now Presented in English Form
Cassius Dio Cocceianus
Rome -- History
[Sidenote: FRAG. CI] 1. (Par.) The lieutenant of Flaccus, Fimbria, when
his chief had reached Byzantium revolted against him. He was in all
matters very bold and reckless, passionately fond of any notoriety
whatsoever and contemptuous of all that was superior. This led him at
that time, after his departure from Rome, to pretend an
incorruptibility in respect to money and an interest in the soldiers,
which bound them to him and set them at variance with Flaccus. He was
the more able to do this because Flaccus was insatiable in regard to
money, not being content to appropriate what was ordinarily left over,
but enriching himself even from the soldiers' allowance for food and
from the booty, which he invariably maintained belonged to him.
(Valesius, p. 650.)
2. (Par.) When Flaccus and Fimbria had arrived at Byzantium and Flaccus
after commanding them to bivouac outside the wall had gone into the
city, Fimbria seized the occasion to accuse him of having taken
money, and denounced him, saying that he was living in luxury within,
whereas they were enduring hardships under the shelter of tents, in
storm and cold. The soldiers then angrily rushed into the city, killed
some of those that fell upon them and scattered to the various houses.
(Valesius, ib.)
3. (Par.) On the occasion of some dispute between Fimbria and the
quaestor Flaccus threatened to send him back to Rome whether he liked
it or not, and when the other consequently made some abusive reply
deprived him of his command. Fimbria set out upon his return with the
worst possible will and on reaching the soldiers at Byzantium greeted
them as if he were upon the point of departure, asked for a letter,
and lamented his fate, pretending to have suffered undeservedly. He
advised them to remember the help he had given them and to be on their
guard; and his words contained a hidden reference to Flaccus, implying
that he had designs upon them. Finding that they accepted his story
and were well disposed toward him and suspicious of the general, he
went on still further and incited them to anger by accusing Flaccus of
various faults, finally stating that he would betray them for money;
hence the soldiers drove away Thermus, who had been assigned to take
charge of them. (Valesius, ib.)
4. (Par.) Fimbria destroyed many men not to serve the best ends of
justice nor to secure the greatest benefit to Rome but through bad
temper and lust of slaughter. A proof is that he once ordered many
crosses to be made, to which he was wont to bind them and wear out
their lives by cruel treatment, and then when these were found to
be many more than those who were to be put to death he commanded
some of the bystanders to be arrested and affixed to the crosses
that were in excess, that they might not seem to have been made in
vain. (Valesius, p. 653.)
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