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-] But the next year, in which Asinius Gallus and Graius Marcius were
consuls, he came back and carried the laurel, contrary to custom, into
the temple of Jupiter Feretrius. No festival did he celebrate over his
achievements, thinking that he had lost far more in the death of Drusus
than he had gained by the victories. The consuls carried out the program
usual on such occasions and set some of the captives to fighting with one
another. Later, when they and the rest of the officials were accused of
having been appointed by means of some bribery, he did not investigate
the case but pretended not even to know of it. He did not like to visit
punishment on any of them or to pardon them if they were convicted. But
from office seekers he demanded before the elections a deposit of money
as a guarantee that they would resort to no such methods, on pain of
forfeiting what they had paid in. This course all approved.--As it was
not permissible for a slave to be tortured for evidence against his
master, he ordered that, as often as the necessity for such a course
should arise, the slave should be sold either to the State or to him, in
order that being now the property of some one else than the man on trial
he might be examined. Some found fault with this, because the law was to
be invalidated by the change of masters; but others declared it to be
necessary, because many under the previous arrangement united to take
advantage of the loophole offered and to get the offices.
[-6-] Augustus, after this, although, as he said, he was minded to lay
aside the supreme power, since the second ten-year period had run out,
resumed it again with a show of reluctance and made a campaign against
the Celtæ. He himself remained behind on Roman territory, but Tiberius
crossed the Rhine. The barbarians in dread of him, all except the
Sugambri, made overtures for peace, but they did not obtain their request
at this time,--for Augustus refused to conclude a truce with them if they
lacked the Sugambri,--nor did they later. To be sure, the Sugambri, too,
sent envoys, but they failed completely to accomplish anything: on the
contrary, all of them, a numerous and distinguished band, met an untimely
end. Augustus arrested them and placed them in various cities: they took
this very much amiss and committed suicide. The tribes then were
quiet for a time, but later they amply requited the Romans for the
calamity.--Besides doing this Augustus granted money to the soldiers, not
as to victors, though he himself had taken the name of imperator and had
given it to Tiberius, but because this was the first time that they had
Gaius appearing in the exercises with them. He advanced Tiberius to the
position of imperator in place of Drusus, and besides exalting him with
that title appointed him consul once more. According to the ancient
custom he had a written notice bulletined for the public benefit before
Tiberius entered upon the office, and he furthermore accorded him the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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