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
[-11-] Then might one have obtained a clear and searching
insight into the weakness of man, so that self-conceit would have been
never again, under any conditions possible. Him whom at dawn they had
escorted to the senate-halls as one superior to themselves they were now
dragging to a cell as if no better than the worst. On him whom they once
deemed worthy of crowns they now heaped bonds. Him whom they were wont to
protect as a master they now guarded like a runaway slave, and
uncovered while he wore a headdress. Him whom they had adorned with the
purple-bordered toga they struck in the face. Whom they were wont to
adore and sacrifice to as to a god they were now leading to execution.
The crowd also assailed him, reproaching him violently for the lives he
had destroyed and jeering loudly at what had been hoped of him. All of
his images they hurled down, beat down, and pulled down, seeming to
feel that they were maltreating the man himself, and he thus became a
spectator of what he was destined to suffer. For the moment he was merely
cast into prison; but not much later,--that very day, in fact,--the
senate assembled in the temple of Concord not far from his cell, and
seeing the attitude of the populace and that none of the Pretorians was
near by it condemned him to death. On these orders he was executed and
his body cast down the Scalæ Gemoniæ, where the rabble abused it for
three whole days and afterward threw it into the river. His children
were put to death by special decree, the girl (whom he had betrothed
to the son of Claudius) having been first outraged by the public
executioner on the principle that it was unlawful for a virgin to meet
death in prison. His wife Apicata was not condemned, to be sure, but
on learning that her children were dead and after seeing their bodies
on the Stairs she withdrew and composed a statement regarding the
death of Drusus, directed against Livilla, the latter's wife, who had
been the cause of a quarrel between herself and her husband, resulting
in their separation. This document she forwarded to Tiberius and then
committed suicide. Thus the statement came to the hands of Tiberius,
and when he had obtained proof of the information he put to death
Livilla and all others therein mentioned. I have, indeed, heard that he
spared her out of regard for her mother Antonia, and that Antonia
herself voluntarily destroyed her daughter by starving her. At any
rate, that was later.
[-12-] At this time a great uproar ensued in the City. The
populace slew any one it saw of those who had possessed great influence
with Sejanus and relying on him had committed acts of insolence.
The soldiers, too, in irritation because they had been suspected of
friendliness toward Sejanus and because the nightwatchmen had been
preferred before them in the confidence of the emperor, proceeded to
burn and plunder,--and this in spite of the fact that all officials were
guarding the entire city in accordance with the injunction of Tiberius.
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