Dio's Rome, Volume 4: 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 4: 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
... one Polybius of Cæsar's household read his will, as it was not proper
for a senator to read anything of the sort. It showed that two-thirds
of the inheritance had been left to Tiberius and the rest to Livia,--at
least this is one report. In order that she, too, might have the benefit
of his property he had asked permission of the senate to leave her
so much, since it was contrary to law. These two were mentioned as
inheritors. He ordered many objects and sums of money to be given to many
different persons, both relatives of his and those joined by no ties of
kindred, not only to senators and knights but also to kings; for the
people there were a thousand myriads and for the soldiers two hundred
and fifty denarii apiece to the Pretorians, half that amount to the city
force, and to the remainder of the native soldiery seventy-five each.
Moreover, in the case of children, of whose fathers he had been the heir
while they were still small, he enjoined that everything, together with
income, should be given back to them when they became men: this was,
indeed his custom while in life. Whenever he inherited the estate of any
one who had offspring, he never neglected to give it all to the man's
children, immediately if they were already adults, and later if it were
otherwise. Though he took such an attitude toward other people's children
he did not restore his daughter from exile, though he deemed her worthy
of gifts; and he forbade her being buried in his own tomb.--So much was
learned from the will.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account