Dio's Rome, Volume 3: 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 3: 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
Among the last Sosius was a distinguished example: for though he had
often fought against Caesar and now fled and hid himself, but was
subsequently discovered, his life was nevertheless preserved. Likewise
one Marcus Scaurus, a half-brother of Sextus on the mother's side, had
been condemned to death, but was later released for the sake of his
mother Mucia. Of those who underwent the extreme punishment the Aquilii
Flori and Curio were the most noted. The latter met death because he was
a son of the former Curio who had once been of great assistance to the
former Caesar. And the Flori both perished because Octavius commanded that
one of them should draw the lot to be slain. They were father and
son, and when the latter, before any drawing took place, voluntarily
surrendered himself to the executioner the former felt such great grief
that he died also by his own hand.
[-3-] This, then, was the end of these persons. The mass of Antony's
soldiers was included in the ranks of Caesar's legions and later he sent
back to Italy the citizens over age of both forces, without giving any
of them anything, and the remainder he disbanded. They had shown an ugly
temper toward him in Sicily after the victory, and he feared they might
create a disturbance again. Hence he hastened before the least signs of
an uprising were manifested to discharge some entirely from the service
under arms and to scatter the great majority of the rest. As he was even
at this time suspicious of the freedmen, he remitted their one-quarter
contribution[68] which they were still owing of the money assessed upon
them. And they no longer bore him any malice for deprivations they had
endured, but rejoiced as if they had received as a gift what they had
not been obliged to contribute. The men still left in the rank and file
showed no disposition to rebel, partly because they were held in check
by their commanding officers, but mostly through hopes of the wealth of
Egypt. The men, however, who had helped Caesar to gain the victory and had
been dismissed from the service, were irritated at having obtained no
meed of valor, and not much later they began a revolutionary movement.
Caesar was suspicious of them, and fearing that they might despise
Maecenas, to whom at that time Rome and the remainder of Italy had been
entrusted, because he was a knight, he sent Agrippa to Italy as if on
some routine business. He also gave to Agrippa and to Maecenas so great
authority over everything that they might read beforehand the letters
which he often wrote to the senate and to various officials, and then
change whatever they wished in them. Therefore they received also from
him a ring, so that they should have the means of sealing the epistles.
He had had the seal which he used most at that time made double, with a
sphinx raised on both sides alike. Subsequently he had his own image made
in _intaglio_, and sealed everything with that. Later emperors likewise
employed it, except Galba.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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