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-] There is no denying that he received praise for his behavior in
these matters, and most of all because he would not accept a number of
honors that were voted to him for it. But the sensual orgies which he
carried on shamelessly with the individuals of highest rank, male and
female alike, caused ill to be spoken of him. For example, there was the
case of his friend Sextus Marius. Imperial favor had made this man so
rich and so powerful that when he was once at odds with a neighbor he
invited him to dine for two successive days. On the first he razed his
guest's dwelling entirely to the ground and on the next he rebuilt it on
a larger scale and in more elaborate style. The victim of his treatment
declared his ignorance of the perpetrators, whereupon Marius admitted
being responsible for both occurrences and added significantly: "This
shows you that I have both the knowledge and the power to repel attacks
and also to requite a kindness." This friend, then, who had sent his
daughter, a strikingly beautiful girl, to a place of refuge to prevent
her being outraged by Tiberius, was charged with having criminal
relations with her and for that reason destroyed both his daughter and
himself. All this covered the emperor with disgrace, and his connection
with the death of Drusus and Agrippina gave him a reputation for cruelty.
Men had been thinking all along that the whole of the previous action
against these two was due to Sejanus, and had been hoping that now their
lives would be spared; so, when they learned that they had been actually
murdered, they were exceedingly grieved, partly for the reasons mentioned
and partly because, so far from depositing their bones in the imperial
tomb, Tiberius ordered their remains to be hidden so carefully in the
earth that they might never be found. In addition to Agrippina, Munatia
Plancina was slain. Previous to this time, though he hated her (not on
account of Germanicus but for another reason), he yet allowed her to live
to prevent Agrippina from rejoicing at her death.
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