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
Now the assassins of Caesar had many accusers who were anxious to
ingratiate themselves with his son, and many who were persuaded so to
act by the rewards offered. They received money from the estate of the
convicted man and the latter's honors and office, if he had any, and
exemption from further service in the army, applicable to themselves
and their children and grandchildren. Of the jurors the majority voted
against the accused out of fear of Caesar and a wish to please him,
generally hinting that they were justified in doing this. Some cast their
votes in consideration of the law enacted about punishing the culprits,
and others in consideration of the arms of Caesar. And one, Silicius
Corona, a senator, voted outright to acquit Marcus Brutus. He made a
great boast of this at the time and secretly received approval from the
rest: that he was not immediately put to death gained for Caesar a great
reputation for toleration, but later he was executed as the result of a
proscription.
[-50-] After accomplishing this Caesar's next step was naturally a
campaign against Lepidus and Antony. Antony on fleeing from the battle
described had not been pursued by Caesar on account of the war being
entrusted to Decimus; and the latter had not pursued because he did not
wish a rival to Caesar to be removed from the field. Hence the fugitive
collected as many as he could of the survivors of the battle and came
to Lepidus, who had made preparations to march himself into Italy in
accordance with the decree, but had again been ordered to remain where he
was. For the senators, when they ascertained that Silanus had embraced
Antony's cause, were afraid that Lepidus and Lucius Plancus might also
coöperate with him, and sent to them to say that they had no further need
of them. To prevent their suspecting anything ulterior and consequently
causing trouble they ordered them to help in building homes for the men
once driven out of Vienna (in Gallia Narbonensis) by the Allobroges
and then located between the Rhone and the Arar, at their confluence.
Therefore they submitted, and founded the so-called Lugudunum, now known
as Lugdunum. They might have entered Italy with their arms, had they
wished, for the decrees by this time exerted a very weak influence upon
such as had troops, but, with an eye to the outcome of the war Antony was
conducting, they wished to appear to have yielded obedience to the senate
and incidentally to strengthen their position. [-51-] Indeed, Lepidus
censured Silanus severely for making an alliance with Antony, and when
the latter himself came would not hold conversation with him immediately,
but sent a despatch to the senate containing an accusation of his own
against him, and for this stand he received praise and command of the
war against Antony. Hence the first part of the time he neither admitted
Antony nor repelled him, but allowed him to be near and to associate with
his followers; he would not, however, hold a conference with him. But
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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