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
Absolutely all [Sidenote: FRAG. 22^3] THE INTERESTS, however, OF STATE
AND CAMP ALIKE WERE THROWN INTO CONFUSION, AND HENCE CONTENTION AGAIN
AROSE. The leaders of the force had invaded the land of the Sabines
and sent a certain Lucius Sicius, who was accounted a strong tower in
warfare and likewise one of the most prominent representatives of the
populace, with companions, avowedly to seize a certain position; but
they had the man slain by the party that had been sent out with him.
The report was brought into camp that the man with others had been
killed by the foe, and the soldiers went out to gather up the dead
bodies. They found not one corpse belonging to the enemy but many of
their own race, whom Sicius had killed in his own defence when they
attacked him. And when they saw that the dead were lying all around
him and had their faces turned toward him, they suspected what had
been done and furthermore raised a tumult.--There was still another
incident that had a bearing on the situation.
Lucius Virginius, a man of the people, had a daughter of surpassing
beauty whom he intended to bestow in marriage upon Lucius Icilius,[12]
a person of similar rank in society. For this maiden Claudius
conceived a passion, and not otherwise able to attain his ends he
arranged with certain men to declare her a slave: he was to be the
arbiter. The father of the girl accordingly came from the camp and
pled his case. When Claudius had given sentence against her and the
girl was delivered to those who had declared her a slave and no one
came to the rescue, her father wild with grief took a cleaver and
ended his daughter's life and, just as he was, rushed out to the
soldiers. They, who had been previously far from tractable, were so
wrought up that they straightway set out in haste against the city to
find Claudius. And the rest, who had gone on a campaign against the
Sabines, when they learned this abandoned their intrenchments, and,
joining with the rest, set at their head twenty men, determined to
accomplish something of importance. The remainder of the multitude in
the city likewise espoused their cause and added to the tumult.
[Footnote 12: Zonaras spells _Icillius_.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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