34

For she, having procured a deadly poison from Locusta, put it in what are called mushrooms. But he, suspecting nothing of the sort on account of the wine and the rest of the meal, was plotted against. And he was carried out from the symposium as if utterly overcome with drunkenness, and during the night he died, having lived 63 years and 2 months and 13 days, and having ruled as sole monarch for 13 years. Agrippina was able to do these things, because it happened that Narcissus was not present, since if he had been present she would not have done this; such a guardian of his master was he. And when Claudius died, he himself was also immediately destroyed, by some chance at the tomb of Messalina, which was considered to be in retribution for her. And so Claudius was plotted against in his food by Agrippina, his wife and sister, for whom he had committed perjury among other things, and was miserably destroyed, so that her son might be sole ruler, and Britannicus and his sisters might be destroyed.

90 NERO.

Exc. De virt.: That when Nero was reigning as a young man, Burrus and Seneca were managing affairs. And he devoted himself to philosophical discourses, and was learning the things concerning Christ. For he still thought that he associated with men. And having learned that he was crucified by the Jews, he was indignant. And he ordered the priests Annas and Caiaphas and Pilate himself, who was governor at that time, to come in chains. And taking his seat in the senate, he inquired into the things that had been done concerning him. So those with Annas and Caiaphas said, "We handed him over to the laws, and in fulfillment of our sacred duty we did not sin. For Pilate, being governor, did whatever he wished." And he shut this one up in the prison, but released those with Annas and Caiaphas. And at that time Simon Magus also flourished. And while Peter and Simon were discoursing in the presence of Nero, Pilate was brought from the prison; and when the three stood before Nero, he asks Simon, "Are you the Christ?" And he says, "Yes." Then he asks Peter, "Are you the Christ?" And he says, "No; for in my presence he was taken up into heaven." And he also asked Pilate, which of these is the one called Christ. And he said, "Neither one; for Peter became his disciple, and was brought before me as his disciple, and he denied him, saying, 'I do not know the man;' and I released him. But this Simon is not known to me at all, and he bears no resemblance to that one; for this man is an Egyptian and plump and long-haired and dark, entirely foreign to that one's appearance." Therefore the emperor, being indignant, on the one hand against Simon, for having lied and called himself Christ, and on the other hand against Peter, for having denied his teacher, cast them out from the council; but he cut off Pilate's head, for having dared to kill so great a man without an imperial command. And after these things he crucified Peter, and cut off Paul's head. And at first Nero was doing such things. But since Nero, having been brought up in daily luxury and revelries to exercise the rule which he claimed for himself, quickly changed the solemn and magnificent character of the Roman supremacy to one that was disorderly and base, pursuing a certain unusual and expensive mode of profligacy, undertaking outrageous and unlawful dramas; for, emulating the luxury and extravagance of Caligula, his bath was not water, but perfume, some heated, some cooled, and prepared for either need of the bath. And he used golden nets for catching fish, drawing up the folds of the nets

34

Αὕτη γὰρ φάρμακον δηλητήριον ὑπὸ Λουκούστης ἀνελομένη, ἐν τοῖς καλουμένοις μύκησιν ἐνέβαλεν. Ὁ δὲ ὑπό τε τοῦ οἴνου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης διαίτης μηδέν τι τοιοῦτον ὑποπτεύων ἐπε βουλεύθη. Καὶ ἐκ μὲν τοῦ συμποσίου ὡς καὶ ὑπερκορὴς μέθης ἐξεκομίσθη, διὰ δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐτελεύτησε, βιώσας ἔτη ξʹ καὶ γʹ καὶ μῆνας βʹ, ἡμέρας ιγʹ, αὐταρχήσας δὲ ἔτη ιʹ καὶ γʹ. Ταῦτα ἡ Ἀγριππίνα ποιῆσαι ἠδυνήθη, ὅτι τὸν Νάρκισσον συνέβη μὴ παρεῖναι, ἐπεὶ παρόντος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἂν ἐδεδράκει τοῦτο· τοιοῦτός τις φύλαξ τοῦ δεσπότου ἦν. Ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ Κλαυδίου, καὶ αὐτὸς εὐθὺς διεφθάρη, παρὰ τῷ Μεσσαλίνης μνημείῳ ἔκ τινος συντυχίας, ὅπερ εἰς τιμωρίαν ἐκείνης ἐνομίσθη. Καὶ Κλαύδιος μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς Ἀγριππίνης τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς τε ἀδελφῆς, δι' ἣν τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ἐπιόρκησεν, ἐπεβουλεύθη ἐν τῷ σιτίῳ, καὶ διεφθάρη κακῶς, ἵνα τε ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῆς μοναρχήσῃ, καὶ ὁ Βρεττανικὸς αἵ τε ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπόλωνται.

90 ΝΕΡΩΝ.

Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι βασιλεύοντος νέου τοῦ Νέρωνος Βοῦρρος καὶ Σενέκας διῴκουν τὰ πράγματα. Ὁ δὲ λόγοις ἐσχόλαζε φιλοσόφοις, καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατεμάνθανεν. Ἔτι γὰρ ἐνόμιζεν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συναναστρέφεσθαι. Καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐσταυρώθη, ἠγανάκτησε. Καὶ προσέταξεν ἐλθεῖν τοὺς ἱερεῖς Ἄνναν καὶ Καϊάφαν καὶ αὐτὸν Πιλάτον, τὸν ἄρχοντα τότε γενόμενον, σιδηροδεσμίους. Καὶ καθίσας ἐπὶ τῆς συγκλήτου τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ πεπραγμένα κατεμάνθανεν. Οἱ οὖν περὶ τὸν Ἄνναν καὶ Καϊάφαν ἔλεγον, ὅτι «Ἡμεῖς τοῖς νόμοις αὐτὸν παρεδώκαμεν, καὶ εἰς καθοσίωσιν οὐχ ἡμάρτομεν. Ὁ γὰρ Πιλάτος ὢν ἄρχων ὅσα ἠβουλήθη ἔπραξε.» Καὶ τοῦτον ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ κατέκλεισε, τοὺς δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἄνναν καὶ Καϊάφαν ἀπέλυσεν. Ἤκμαζε δὲ τότε καὶ Σίμων ὁ Μάγος. Καὶ διαλεγομένων Πέτρου καὶ Σίμωνος παρουσίᾳ Νέρωνος, ἤχθη Πιλάτος ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου· καὶ παρισταμένων τῶν τριῶν τῷ Νέρωνι, ἐρωτᾷ τὸν Σίμωνα· «Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός;» Ὁ δὲ λέγει· «Ναί.» Εἶτα ἐρωτᾷ τὸν Πέτρον· «Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός;» Ὁ δὲ λέγει· «Οὔ· ἐμοῦ γὰρ παρισταμένου εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνελήφθη.» Ἠρώτησε δὲ καὶ τὸν Πιλάτον, ποῖός ἐστιν ἐκ τούτων ὁ λεγόμενος Χριστός. Καὶ εἶπεν· «Οὐδὲ εἷς· ὁ μὲν γὰρ Πέτρος μαθητὴς αὐτοῦ γέγονε, καὶ εἰσηνέχθη παρ' ἐμοὶ ὡς μαθητὴς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἠρνήσατο αὐτὸν λέγων· «Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον·» καὶ ἀπέλυσα αὐτόν. Οὗτος δὲ ὁ Σίμων οὐδαμῶς ἔγνωσταί μοι, οὐδεμίαν δὲ ἔχει ὁμοιότητα πρὸς ἐκεῖνον· ἔστι γὰρ οὗτος καὶ Αἰγύπτιος καὶ ἐμπληθὴς καὶ κατάκομος καὶ μέλας, παντελῶς τῆς ἐκείνου μορφῆς ἀλλότριος.» Ἀγανακτήσας οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ μὲν τοῦ Σίμωνος, ὡς ψευσαμένου καὶ εἰπόντος ἑαυτὸν Χριστόν· κατὰ δὲ τοῦ Πέτρου, ὡς ἀρνησαμένου τὸν διδάσκαλον, ἐξέβαλεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου· τὸν δὲ Πιλάτον τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀπέτεμεν, ὡς τηλικοῦτον ἄνθρωπον ἀνελεῖν τολμήσαντα δίχα βασιλικῆς κελεύσεως. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Πέτρον μὲν ἐσταύρωσε, Παῦλον δὲ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀπέτεμε. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρότερον τοιαῦτα ἔπραττεν ὁ Νέρων. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τρυφαῖς καὶ κώμοις καθημερινοῖς ὁ Νέρων ἐντραφεὶς πράττειν (τε) τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς (ἐφ' ἧς) ἑαυτὸν ἠξίου, ταχὺ τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ μεγαλοπρεπὲς τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας εἰς τὸ ἄκοσμόν τε καὶ ταπεινὸν μετεβέβληκεν, ἀήθη τινὰ μετιὼν καὶ δαπανηρὸν ἀκολασίας τρόπον, ἐκθέσμοις τε καὶ παρανόμοις ἐγχειρῶν δράμασι· λουτρὸν μὲν γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ ζηλοῦντι τῆς πολυτελείας καὶ ἐκδιαιτήσεως τοῦ Καλιγόλα, οὐχ ὕδωρ, ἀλλὰ μύρον, τὸ μὲν θερμαινόμενον, τὸ δὲ ψυχόμενον, καὶ εἰς ἑκατέραν τὴν χρείαν τοῦ λουτροῦ παρασκευαζόμενον. Ἐχρῆτο δὲ δικτύοις παρὰ τὰς ἄγρας τῶν ἰχθύων χρυσοῖς, ἐξέλκων τοὺς κόλπους τῶν δικτύων