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
[-22-] Drusus, son of Tiberius, perished by poison. Sejanus, puffed up
by power and rank, in addition to his other overweening behavior finally
turned against Drusus and once struck him a blow with his fist. As this
gave the assailant reason to fear both Drusus and Tiberius, and inasmuch
as he felt sure that, if he could get the young man out of the way, he
could handle the elder very easily, he administered poison to the former
through the agency of those in attendance upon him and of Drusus's wife,
whom some name Livilla. [5] Sejanus was her paramour.--The guilt was
imputed to Tiberius because he altered none of his accustomed habits
either during the illness of Drusus or at his death and would not allow
others to alter theirs. But the story is not credible. This was his
regular behavior, as a matter of principle, in every case alike,
and furthermore he was attached to his son, the only one he had and
legitimate. Those that engineered his death he punished, some at once and
some later. At the time he entered the senate, delivered the appropriate
eulogy over his child, and departed homeward.
Thus perished Sejanus's victim. Tiberius took his way to the
senate-house, where he lamented him publicly, put Nero and Drusus
(children of Germanicus) in charge of the senate, and exposed the body
of Drusus upon the rostra; and Nero, being his son-in-law, pronounced
an eulogy over him. This man's death proved a cause of death to many
persons, who were taxed with being pleased at his demise. Among the
large number of people who lost their lives was Agrippina, together
with her children, the youngest excepted. Sejanus had incensed
Tiberius greatly against her, anticipating that, when she and her
children were disposed of, he might have for his spouse Livia, wife of
Drusus, for whom he entertained a passion, and might wield supreme
power, since no successor would be found for Tiberius. The latter
detested his nephew as a bastard. Many others also did he banish or
destroy for different and ever different causes, for the most part
fictitious.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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