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
[-8-] He, then, saved the lives of as many as he could. Lepidus allowed
his brother Paulus to escape to Miletus and toward others was not
inexorable. But Antony killed savagely and relentlessly not only those
whose names had been posted, but likewise those who had attempted to
assist any of them. He had their heads in view when he happened to be
eating and sated himself to the fullest extent on this most unholy and
pitiable sight. Fulvia also put to death many herself both by reason of
enmity and on account of their money, and some with whom her husband was
not acquainted. When he saw the head of one man, he exclaimed: "I didn't
know about him!" Cicero's head also being brought to them (he had been
overtaken and slain while trying to flee), Antony uttered many bitter
reproaches against him and then ordered it to be exposed on the rostra
more prominently than the rest, in order that he might be seen in the
place from which he used to be heard inveighing against him,--together
with his right hand, just as it had been cut off. Before it was taken
away Fulvia took it in her hands and after abusing it spitefully and
spitting upon it, set it on her knees, opened the mouth, and pulled out
the tongue, which she pierced with the brooches that she used for her
hair, at the same time uttering many brutal jests. Yet even this pair
saved some persons from whom they got more money than they could expect
to obtain by their death. But in order that the places for their names
on the tablets might not be empty, they inscribed others in their stead.
Except that Antony did release his uncle at the earnest entreaty of his
mother Julia he performed no other praiseworthy act.
[-9-] For these causes the murders had great variety of detail, and the
rescues that fell to the lot of some were of many kinds. Numbers were
ruined by their most intimate friends, and numbers were saved by their
most inveterate foes. Some slew themselves and others were given freedom
by the very pursuers, who approached as if to murder them. Some who
betrayed masters or friends were punished and others were honored for
this very reason: of those who helped others to survive some paid the
penalty and others received rewards. Since there was not one man but
three, who were acting in all cases each according to his own desire and
for his private advantage, and since the same persons were not enemies or
friends of the whole group, since, also, two of them might be anxious for
some one to be saved whom the third wished to destroy, or for some one
to perish whom the third wished to survive, many complicated situations
resulted, according as they felt good-will or hatred toward any one.
[-10-] I, accordingly, shall omit an accurate and detailed description of
all the events,--it would be a vast undertaking and would not add much
to the history,--but shall relate what I deem to be most worthy of
remembrance. Here is one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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