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books; nor with Domitia, the wife of the tyrant (for she had been brought as a child of Titus), being ignorant of the plot, nor with Norbanus and Secundus the prefects. For these men, having learned that Domitian had decided to get rid of them all at once, and having seen some letters about this, did not delay the deed, but having prepared on the very next day, immediately sent in Stephanus the freedman with a dagger; and that he, falling upon Domitian as he was taking his midday sleep, struck him, but not a fatal blow. When he leaped up and was overpowering Stephanus, those with Parthenius, fearing that he might even prevail, rushed in and completely finished him off. Many other things foretold Domitian's death, on the one hand portents, on the other hand visions in dreams, and most of all a certain astrologer, Larginus; for he, having publicly foretold among the Gauls the death of the tyrant and having revealed the time, was sent up by the prefect to Domitian for punishment, and having again said the same things and foretold the day, was condemned, but did not die, as the tyrant postponed the punishment until the stated time, so that if he escaped it, he could more justly punish him for having lied; and in the meantime, Domitian having been killed, the man escaped. And that wondrous thing also happened at the time of his death. For Apollonius of Tyana, on that very day, or rather at the very moment of the slaughter, foretold publicly to the Ephesians the event concerning Domitian with these words, "Well done, Stephanus, good work, Stephanus, strike the blood-stained one. You have struck, you have wounded, you have killed." 108 Exc. Salm.: Domitian, fifteen years. An astrologer foretold both when and how he would die. He therefore asked him what kind of end he himself would meet; and when he answered, wishing to expose him as a liar, he ordered him to be burned alive, but when the fire was lit, a great rainstorm broke out and extinguished the pyre, and dogs tore apart the bonds of the one whose hands were tied behind his back. And Domitian saw, one day before his death, that he was sitting armed on a black horse; and when his weapons fell from him of their own accord, he was carried down with the horse into the abyss. And Larginus Proclus in Germany publicly foretold the day on which the emperor would die; for which reason he was sent in chains to Domitian in Rome. And he told him the same thing to his face. And he ordered him to be kept in custody, so that when that day had passed, he might be executed; but when the emperor died, he was released unharmed. Before Domitian, Titus his elder brother, for two years, eight months, 20 days.

t109-110 NERVA.

109 Ibid.: Nerva used to say, "I have done nothing of such a kind that I could not lay down my power and live safely as a private citizen." And he gave swords to some, in word so that they might inspect them to see if they were sharp, but in deed showing that he did not care if he should die on the spot. This man forbade castration in Rome. 110 Exc. De ins.: That Nerva, since he was despised by some on account of his old age and was plotted against many times, was forced by Aelianus, the commander of the bodyguards, to hand over Petronius and Parthenius, who were most dear to him, to the soldiers; at which, indeed, he was greatly distressed. And it is said that as he was dying he wrote some other things to Trajan with his own hand, and added the Homeric verse (Il. a, 42), "May the Danaans pay for my tears with your arrows."

t111-112 TRAJAN. 1

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βιβλίδια· οὔτε τῆς ∆ομετίας τῆς τοῦ τυ ράννου γαμετῆς (ἦκτο γὰρ δὴ ταύτην παῖδα τοῦ Τίτου τυγχάνουσαν) ἀγνοούσης τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν, οὔτε Νωρβάνου καὶ Σεκούνδου τῶν ὑπάρχων. Τούτους γὰρ δὴ μαθόντας, ὅτι σφᾶς ἐκποδὼν ἀθρόως ὁ ∆ομετιανὸς ποιήσασθαι διέγνωκε, καί τινα καὶ γράμματα περὶ τούτου θεασαμένους, οὐκ ἀναβάλλεσθαι τὴν πρᾶξιν, ἀλλ' ἐς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν εὐθέως παρασκευασαμένους εἰσπέμψαι σὺν ξιφιδίῳ Στέφανον τὸν ἀπελεύθερον· καὶ τοῦτον προσπεσόντα ∆ομετιανῷ καθεύδοντι τὸ μεθημερινὸν, πατάξαι μὲν, οὐ μὴν καιρίαν. Ἀναπηδήσαντος γοῦν ἐκείνου, καὶ τὸν Στέφανον καταβάλλοντος, δείσαντας τοὺς περὶ τὸν Παρθένιον μὴ καὶ περιγένηται, ἐπεισελθεῖν, καὶ παντελῶς αὐτὸν προσκατεργάσασθαι. Προσημῆναι δὲ τῷ ∆ομετιανῷ τὴν τελευτὴν ἄλλα τε πολλὰ, τοῦτο μὲν τέρατα, τοῦτο δὲ ὄψεις ὀνείρων, καὶ μάλιστα πάντων Λαργῖνον ἀστρολόγον τινά· τοῦτον γὰρ δὴ παρὰ τοῖς Γαλάταις προειπόντα δημοσίᾳ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ τυράννου καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἀποδηλώσαντα πρὸς τοῦ ὑπάρχου ἀναπεμφθῆναι τῷ ∆ομετιανῷ ἐπὶ κολάσει, καὶ αὖθις τὰ αὐτὰ εἰπόντα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν προαγορεύσαντα καταδικασθῆναι μὲν, οὐ μὴν ἀποθανεῖν τοῦ τυράννου ἀναβαλλομένου τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐς τὸν ῥηθέντα χρόνον, ὅπως δὴ διαφυγὼν δικαιότερον αὐτὸν ὡς ψευσάμενον κολάσειε· κἀν τούτῳ ἀναιρεθέντος τοῦ ∆ομετιανοῦ, διαφυγεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα. Κἀκεῖνο δὲ θαυμαστὸν παρὰ τὴν τοῦδε τελευτὴν συμβέβηκεν. Ἀπολλώνιον γὰρ τὸν Τυανέα κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, μᾶλλον δὲ παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν τῆς σφαγῆς, προειπεῖν Ἐφεσίοις ἐν κοινῷ τὸ περὶ τὸν ∆ομετιανὸν πάθος τοῖσδε τοῖς ῥήμασι, «Καλῶς, ὦ Στέφανε, εὖγε ὦ Στέφανε, παῖε τὸν μιαιφόνον. Ἔπληξας, ἔτρωσας, ἀπέκτεινας.» 108 Exc. Salm.: ∆ομετιανὸς ἔτη πέντε καὶ δέκα. Προεῖπεν ἀστρολόγος καὶ πότε καὶ ὅπως τεθνήξεται. Ἠρώτησεν οὖν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνος, ποίῳ τέλει αὐτὸς χρήσεται· καὶ εἰπόντος, θέλων ἀπελέγξαι αὐτὸν ψευδόμενον, ἐκέλευσε ζῶντα καυθῆναι, ἁφθέντος δὲ πυρὸς, ὑετὸς πολὺς καταρραγεὶς τὴν πυρὰν ἔσβεσε, καὶ κύνες ὀπίσω τὼ χεῖρε δεδεμένου τοὺς δεσμοὺς διεσπάραξαν. ∆ομετιανὸς δὲ εἶδε πρὸ μιᾶς ἡμέρας τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἵππῳ μέλανι ἐπεκάθητο ἔνοπλος· καὶ πεσόντων αὐτομάτως ἐξ αὐτοῦ τῶν ὅπλων σὺν τῷ ἵππῳ εἰς τὸ χάσμα κατηνέχθη. Λαργῖνος δὲ Πρόκλος ἐν Γερμανίᾳ προεῖπε δημοσίᾳ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐν ᾗ ὁ βασιλεὺς τεθνήξεται· διὸ δέσμιος ∆ομετιανῷ εἰς Ῥώμην ἐπέμφθη. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ εἰς ὄψιν τὸ αὐτό. Ὁ δὲ ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν φυλαχθῆναι, ὡς ἂν τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης διαδραμούσης ἀναιρεθῇ· ἀλλὰ θανόντος τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀπελύθη ἀβλαβής. Πρὸ ∆ομετιανοῦ Τίτος πρεσβύτερος ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, ἔτη δύο, μῆνας ὀκτὼ, ἡμέρας κʹ.

t109-110 ΝΕΡΒΑΣ.

109 Ibid.: Νέρβας ἔλεγεν ὡς «Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον πεποίηκα, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν καταθέσθαι καὶ ἀσφαλῶς ἰδιωτεῦσαι.» Καί τισι δὲ ἔδωκε ξίφη, λόγῳ μὲν ἵνα ἐπισκέψωνται αὐτὰ εἰ ὀξέα εἰσὶν, ἔργῳ δὲ ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ μέλει κἂν παραχρῆμα ἀποθάνῃ. Οὗτος ἀπηγόρευσεν ἐκτέμνειν ἐν Ῥώμῃ. 110 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Νέρβας, ἐπειδὴ πρός τινων διὰ τὸ γῆρας καταφρονηθεὶς ἐπεβουλεύθη πολλάκις, καὶ τὸν Πετρώνιον καὶ τὸν Παρθένιον, προσφιλεστάτους ὄντας, ἐκδοῦναι τοῖς στρατιώταις πρὸς Αἰλιανοῦ τοῦ τῶν δορυφόρων ἡγουμένου ἐβιάσθη· ἐφ' οἷς δὴ καὶ σφόδρα ἠνιᾶτο. Λέγεται δὲ Τραϊανῷ ἄλλα τέ τινα τελευτῶν αὐτοχειρὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι, καὶ τὸν Ὁμηρικὸν (Il. a, 42) ἐπιθεῖναι στίχον, Τίσειαν ∆αναοὶ ἐμὰ δάκρυα σοῖσι βέλεσσιν.

t111-112 ΤΡΑΪΑΝΟΣ. 1