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to send a naked sword being brought against him. But when he was led away, Caesar, thinking it was the senator's wife, having closed the doors, opened the litter, and out leaped Athenodorus, sword in hand, and utterly terrified Caesar; and when he was afraid, that man, having revived him, bound him with the greatest oaths never to do this again. Whom he loved so much that, having gathered the senate and having praised Athenodorus much, he added this also, that having had a bad life, he had been corrected by Athenodorus. 7. This philosopher asked Caesar to allow him to return to his homeland. And having with difficulty persuaded him, while embracing him, leaning towards his ear he advised that whenever he should get angry, he should not command what was to be done before he had counted to himself the 24 letters; for he knew his quick temper and volatility. But Caesar, embracing him, said, "You have reminded me well that I am imperfect, and I will not allow you for the time being to set foot in your native land." Caesar gave instructions that at his end they should clap and laugh, as at the death of an actor, clearly mocking human life.

79 TIBERIUS.

Exc. De virt.: That Tiberius, the emperor of the Romans, possessed a most peculiar nature;

for he neither pretended anything of what he desired, and of what he said, he wished, so to speak, none of it; but making his words most contrary to his intention, he both denied everything he longed for and proposed everything he hated. (2) Being such a man, he punished the governors whom he found taking more than what was appointed or also appropriating public funds, saying: "I wish my sheep to be shorn, but not to be flayed." (3) And so in all things he was fair and consistent, so that, when the people once wished for a certain dancer to be freed, he did not assent before his master was persuaded and received the price. He associated with his companions as if in a private capacity, contending with them in lawsuits, and celebrating with them when they sacrificed, and visiting them when they were sick, taking no guard with him. (4) But he also put forth a decree that neither he nor any other should use silk clothing, and he permitted all golden ornament only to women; and he spent much on the restoration of cities. (4) And when many of the Jews had come together in Rome and were converting numerous of the locals to their own customs, he expelled most of them. (5) Being such a man then, he suddenly changed to a worse disposition, so that he was thought to be mad and to be driven by some demon. And he became the cause of much suffering to the Romans, destroying men both publicly and privately. (6) For it seemed good to him to banish the hunting spectacles from the city. And because of this some who tried to hold these outside the city perished along with the theaters themselves, which were made of certain planks. (7) The same man, dishonoring the wives of distinguished men, learned all public affairs through them, and indeed made them accomplices in his foul deeds, as if they were going to be married to him. In addition to these things, he killed Mucia and her husband along with two daughters because of her friendship with his own mother. (8) And Sejanus, a man promoted by him and by the senate to the highest dignities, and voted imperator, he destroyed contrary to everyone's expectations. For the one he himself called both son and successor, this man he arranged to be dragged through the forum; and the one whom all of the senate escorted as bodyguards, this man they led from the senate-house to the prison, putting on him bonds instead of a crown and a cheap cloak instead of a purple robe; so that through this also one might perceive human weakness. Sejanus indeed, the greatest of those before him

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ἀποστεῖλαι γυμνὸν ξίφος ἐπιφερόμενον. Ἀπαχθέντος δὲ, δοκῶν ὁ Καῖσαρ τὴν τοῦ συγκλητικοῦ εἶναι γυναῖκα, κλείσας τὰς θύρας ἀνέῳξε τὸ φορεῖον, καὶ ἐξέθορε ξιφήρης ὁ Ἀθηνόδωρος, καὶ πάνυ τὸν Καίσαρα κατέπληξε· δεδιότα δὲ αὐτὸν ἀνακτησάμενος ἐκεῖνος τοῖς μεγίστοις ὅρκοις κατέδησε, μηδέποτ' ἄλλοτε τοῦτο πρᾶξαι. Ὃν τοσοῦτον ὑπερηγάπησεν, ὥστε τὴν σύγκλητον συναγαγὼν καὶ πολλὰ τὸν Ἀθηνόδωρον ἐγκωμιάσας, καὶ τοῦτο προσέθηκεν, ὡς κακὸν βίον ἐσχηκὼς ὑπὸ Ἀθηνοδώρου ἐπηνωρθώθη. 7. Οὗτος ὁ φιλόσοφος ἠξίου τὸν Καίσαρα συγχωρῆσαι αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἐπανελθεῖν. Καὶ μόλις πείσας, ἀσπαζόμενος αὐτὸν, ἐπικύψας πρὸς τὸ οὖς παρεκάλει ἵνα ὁσάκις ὀργισθῇ, μὴ πρότερον κελεύσῃ τὸ πρακτέον, πρὶν ἂν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀριθμήσῃ τὰ κδʹ γράμματα· ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ ὀξύθυμον καὶ εὐμετάβλητον. Ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ ἀσπαζόμενος ἔφη, «Εὖγε ὑπέμνησάς με, ὡς ἀτελὴς εἰμὶ, καὶ οὐ συγχωρήσω σοι τέως τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης ἐπιβῆναι.» Παρεγγύησεν ὁ Καῖσαρ ἵνα ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ αὐτοῦ κροτήσωσι καὶ γελάσωσιν, ὡς ἐπὶ μίμου τελευτῇ, δηλονότι ἀποσκώπτων εἰς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον.

79 TIBERIUS.

Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Τιβέριος ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων ἰδιωτάτῃ φύσει ἐκέχρητο·

οὔτε γὰρ ὧν ἐπεθύμει προσεποιεῖτό τι, καὶ ὧν ἔλεγεν οὐδὲν ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐβούλετο· ἀλλ' ἐναντιωτάτους τῇ προαιρέσει τοὺς λόγους ποιούμενος πᾶν τε ὃ ἐπόθει ἠρνεῖτο, καὶ πᾶν ὃ ἐμίσει προετίθετο. (2) Τοιοῦτος δή τις ὢν τοὺς ἄρχοντας οὓς ὑπὲρ τὸ διατεταγμένον λαμβάνοντας εὕρισκεν ἢ καὶ τὰ δημόσια σφετερίζοντας, ἐκόλαζε, λέγων· «Κείρε σθαί μου τὰ πρόβατα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀποξυρᾶσθαι βούλομαι.» (3) Οὕτω τε ἐς πάντα ἴσος καὶ ὅμοιος ἦν, ὥστε, ὀρχηστήν τινα τοῦ δήμου ἐλευθερωθῆναί ποτε βουληθέντος, μὴ πρότερον συνεπαινέσαι, πρὶν τὸν δεσπότην αὐτοῦ πεισθῆναι καὶ τὴν τιμὴν λαβεῖν. Τοῖς γε ἑταίροις ὡς ἐν ἰδιωτείᾳ συνῆν, δικαζομένοις συναγωνιζόμενος, καὶ θύουσι συνεορτάζων, νοσοῦντάς τε ἐπισκεπτόμενος, μηδεμίαν φρουρὰν ἐπαγόμενος. (4) Ἀλλὰ καὶ δόγμα προέθηκεν, ὥστε μήτε αὐτὸν μήθ' ἕτερόν τινα σηρικῇ ἐσθῆτι χρῆσθαι, τόν τε χρύσεον ὅλον κόσμον γυναιξὶ μόναις ἐπιτρέψας· πολλὰ δὲ καὶ εἰς ἐπανορθώσεις τῶν πόλεων δαπανήσας. (4) Τῶν τε Ἰουδαίων πολλῶν ἐς τὴν Ῥώμην συνελθόντων καὶ συχνοὺς τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἐς τὰ σφέτερα ἔθη μεθιστάντων, τοὺς πλείονας ἐξήλασε. (5) Τοιοῦτος οὖν τις ὢν, αἰφνιδίως εἰς τὴν χείρονα γνώμην μετεβλήθη, ὥστε αὐτὸν καὶ παραφρονεῖν νομισθῆναι καὶ ὑπό τινος ἐλαύνεσθαι δαιμονίου. Πολλοῦ τε πάθους αἴτιος τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένετο, κοινῇ τε καὶ ἰδίᾳ προσαναλίσκων τοὺς ἄνδρας. (6) Ἔδοξε γὰρ αὐτῷ τὰς τῶν κυνηγίων θέας τῆς πόλεως ἀπελάσαι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτό τινες ἔξω ταύτας τελεῖν πειραθέντες, αὐτοῖς συνδιεφθάρησαν τοῖς θεάτροις ἔκ τινων σανίδων εἰργασμένοις. (7) Ὁ αὐτὸς τὰς τῶν ἐπισήμων ἀνδρῶν ἐνυβρίζων γυναῖκας, ἅπαντα δι' αὐτῶν τὰ κοινὰ κατεμάνθανε, καὶ πρός γε συνεργοὺς αὐτὰς τῶν μιαρῶν πράξεων, ὡς καὶ γαμηθησομένας, ἐποιεῖτο. Ἐπὶ τούτοις τε Μουκίαν καὶ τὸν ταύτης ἄνδρα ἅμα δυσὶ θυγατράσιν ἀνεῖλε διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ μητέρα φιλίαν. (8) Σεϊανόν τε, ἄνδρα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῆς βουλῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγάλοις ἀξιώμασι προαχθέντα, αὐτοκράτορά τε ψηφισθέντα, παρὰ τὰς ἁπάντων ἐλπίδας διέφθειρεν. Ὃν γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ παῖδα καὶ διάδοχον ἐκάλει, τοῦτον ἕλκεσθαι διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς παρεσκευάκει· καὶ ὃν ἅπαντες οἱ τῆς βουλῆς ἐδορυφόρουν, τοῦτον ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου ἐπὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀπήγαγον, ἀντὶ στεφάνου δεσμὰ καὶ ἀντὶ ἁλουργίδος τριβώνιον περιθέντες· ὡς καὶ διὰ τούτου ἄν τις τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἀσθένειαν κατεῖδε. Σεϊανὸς μὲν δὴ, μέγιστον τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ