Dio's Rome, Volume 5: 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 5: 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
[Sidenote: A.D. 93 (a.u. 846)] [Sidenote:--13--] As censor, likewise, his
behavior was noteworthy. He expelled Caecilius Rufinus from the senate
because he danced, and restored Claudius Pacatus, though an ex-centurion,
to his master because he was proved to be a slave. What came after, to be
sure, can not be described in similar terms,--his deeds, that is to say,
as emperor. _Then_ he killed Arulenus Rusticus for being a
philosopher and for calling Thrasea sacred, and Herennius Senecio because
in his long career he had stood for no office after the quaestorship and
because he had compiled the life of Helvidius Priscus. Many others also
perished as a result of this same charge of philosophizing, and all
remaining members of that profession were again driven from Rome. One
Juventius Celsus, however, who had been conspicuous in conspiring with
certain persons against Domitian and had been accused of it, saved his
life in a remarkable way. When he was on the point of being condemned, he
begged that he might speak a few words with the emperor in private. Having
gained the opportunity he did obeisance before him and after repeatedly
calling him "master," and "god" (terms that were already being applied to
him by others), he said: "I have done nothing of the sort. And if I obtain
a respite, I will pry into everything and both inform against and convict
many persons for you." He was released on these conditions, but did not
report any one; instead, by advancing different excuses at different
times, he lived until Domitian was killed.
[Sidenote: A.D. 95 (a.u. 848)] [Sidenote:--14--] During this period the
road leading from Sinuessa to Puteoli was paved with stones. And the same
year Domitian slew among many others Flavius Clemens the consul, though he
was a cousin and had to wife Flavia Domitilla, who was also a relative of
the emperor's. [Footnote: His sister's daughter.] The complaint brought
against them both was that of atheism, under which many others who drifted
into Jewish ways were condemned. Some of these were killed and the
remainder were at least deprived of their property. Domitilla was merely
banished to Pandateria; but Glabrio, colleague of Trajan in the
consulship, after being accused on various regular stock charges, and also
of fighting with wild beasts, suffered death. This ability in the arena
was the chief cause of the emperor's anger against him,--an anger prompted
by jealousy. In the victim's consulship Domitian had summoned him to
Albanum to attend the so-called Juvenalia and had imposed on him the task
of killing a large lion. Glabrio not only had escaped all injury but had
despatched the creature with most accurate aim.
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