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
[-5-] The warriors in Germany, however, where many had been assembled
on account of the war, would not hear of moderation, since they saw that
Germanicus was both a Cæsar and far superior to Tiberius, but proclaiming
publicly the above facts they heaped abuse upon Tiberius and saluted
Germanicus as emperor. When after much pleading he found himself unable
to reduce them to order, finally he drew his sword as if to despatch
himself. They cried out upon him in horror, and one of them proffering
his own sword said: "Take this; this is sharper." Germanicus, seeing
to what lengths the matter had gone, did not venture to kill himself,
particularly as he had reason to believe that they would persist in their
uprising none the less. Therefore he composed a letter purporting to have
been sent from Tiberius, gave them twice the gift bequeathed them by
Augustus,--pretending it was the emperor who did this,--and released
those who were beyond the age of service. Most of them belonged to the
city troops which Augustus had gathered as an extra force after the
disaster to Varus. As a result, they ceased for the time being their
seditious behavior. Later on came senators as envoys from Tiberius, to
whom the latter had secretly communicated only so much as he wished
Germanicus to know. He felt quite sure that they would tell him the
emperor's plans in their entirety, and accordingly did not care that
either they or Germanicus should trouble themselves about anything
further; the instructions delivered were supposed to comprise everything.
Now when these men had arrived and the soldiers learned about the trick
Germanicus had played, a suspicion sprang up that the presence of the
senators meant the overthrow of their leader's measures, and this led to
new turmoil. The men-at-arms almost killed some of the envoys and to the
point of seizing Germanicus's wife Agrippina (daughter of Agrippa and
Julia, the daughter of Augustus) and his son, both of whom had been
sent by him to some place for refuge. The boy was called Gaius Caligula
because, being brought up for the most part in the camp he wore the
military shoes instead of those usual at the capital. At the request of
Germanicus they released to him Agrippina, who was pregnant but they
retained possession of Gaius. Yet on this occasion too, as they
accomplished nothing, they after a time grew quiet. In fact, they
experienced such a revulsion of sentiment that of their own accord they
arrested the boldest of their number: and some they killed privately, the
rest they brought before a gathering; and then, according to the wish of
the majority, [-6-] they executed some and released others. Germanicus
being still afraid that they would make another uprising invaded the
enemy's country and there spent some time, giving them plenty of work and
abundant food,--the fruit of others' labor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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