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also because of his shameful and wanton life, a thunderbolt falls on his table, and immediately some of the 1.378 men in authority attack him to kill him. But he was begging those with him to kill him. And when no one endured to do this, he said, "I alone have neither a friend to save me nor an enemy to kill me. My soul wishes to die, and my hand does not obey." And finally saying, "O Zeus, what an artist, a cithara-player, is perishing," he killed himself. And when he had died, some wore felt caps as a sign of being set free. Concerning him, Balbius also, regarding the plot against him, since he was his intimate, was asked by Nero, "Are you also against me?" He said, "I loved you more than anyone, and I hated you. I loved you hoping you would be a good emperor, but I hate you because you do these things; for I am not able to serve a charioteer, nor a hunter, nor a cithara-player."

In the time of Nero, in Rome, the consul Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was shown to be the best. The senate sent men to fetch him for the office. And he happened at that time to be working a field for sowing, and following the oxen without a tunic, wearing a loincloth and a cap on his head. And when someone ran ahead and ordered him to make himself more presentable, he went into his hut and, having dressed himself, came forth. And they greeted him as consul and put the purple-bordered robe on him. And he, pausing a little and weeping, said, "So my little field will be unsown this year, and shall we be in danger of not having anything from which to be fed?" That the designation of the annual cycle, the Romanizing 1.379 term, signifies the announcement; for the beginning announces the period, and this is the indiction. But Greece aptly named it the epinemesis. For in ancient times the taxes were not assigned to the subjects at an unalterable and fixed weight, but the yield of the crops benevolently arranged the contribution for them; for it lightened it when it was scarce, but did not make it heavy when it was abundant, and distributed the proportion to the taxpayers without distress, and then when need called. And there being nothing to be taxed, the tax was not collected at all, but the whole labor became a profit to those who farmed. Galba reigned 9 months and 13 days, and he was of the patricians, who had Otho as his favorite. who, seeing Galba adopting Lucius, became envious and, moving the army against him, killed him. And Otho, being asked for money by the soldiers, which he had promised them, said, "An emperor must not be compelled." Otho reigned three months and 8 days, and he was of an obscure family. And once while sacrificing in the temple, he mixed the songs of Aphrodite with the sacred rites, and for this reason when Vitellius rose up against him, he killed himself with a dagger, saying, "Why did I have to sing and play the long flutes?" Vitellius or Bitelius, for one year, being of a distinguished family. This man commanded all astrologers and astronomers and sorcerers to depart from Italy within a specified day. They also cast a 1.380 notice, announcing beforehand that within a specified day he would depart from life. Which indeed happened; for he was slaughtered by soldiers.

Vespasian, son of Nero, reigned ten years and 8 days. And he became emperor in Palestine, while still besieging the cities of the Jews. who also made Josephus the writer his captive. and he was brought to Rome, having been proclaimed king by the army, leaving his son Titus to besiege Palestine. In the first year of Vespasian the temple of the Capitol was burned down, and in the 5th year it began to be rebuilt by him. After Vespasian his son Titus reigned for three years. This man besieges Jerusalem, and burns the city and the temple, as Josephus relates. This man frightened the liable with threats and not punishments. For while he was reigning, not a day passed in which some gift of the subjects

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τῷ καὶ διὰ τὸν αἰσχρὸν καὶ ἀσελγῆ βίον αὐτοῦ τῇ τρα πέζῃ κεραυνὸς ἐπιπίπτει, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐπιτίθενται αὐτῷ τινὲς τῶν 1.378 ἐν τέλει ἀναιρήσοντες. ὁ δὲ παρεκάλει τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν. ὡς δὲ οὐδεὶς ἠνέσχετο τοῦτο πρᾶξαι, "ἐγὼ μόνος" ἔφη "οὔτε φίλον ἔχω τὸν σώζοντα οὔτε ἐχθρὸν τὸν ἀναιροῦντά με. ἀποθανεῖν θέλει ἡ ψυχή, καὶ ἡ χεὶρ οὐχ ὑπηρετεῖ." καὶ τελευ ταῖον ἐπειπών "ὦ Ζεῦ, οἷος τεχνίτης κιθαρῳδὸς ἀπόλλυται" ἑαυτὸν ἀνεῖλεν. ἀποθανόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τινὲς πιλία ὡς ἐλευθε ρούμενοι ἐφόρεσαν. περὶ οὗ καὶ Βάλβιος, περὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιθέσεως, ὡς οἰκεῖος αὐτοῦ ὢν ἐρωτηθεὶς παρὰ Νέρωνος, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς εἶ κατ' ἐμοῦ; ἔφη "ἐφίλησά σε παντὸς μᾶλλον καὶ ἐμί σησα. ἐφίλησα ἐλπίσας ἀγαθὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἔσεσθαί σε, μισῶ δὲ ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς· οὔτε γὰρ ἁρματηλάτῃ οὔτε κυνηγῷ οὔτε κι θαρῳδῷ δουλεύειν δύναμαι."

Ἐπὶ Νέρωνος ἐν Ῥώμῃ ὕπατος Λεύκιος Κούϊντος Κικιννά τος ἄριστος ἐδείχθη. τοῦτον ἡ βουλὴ ἔπεμψε τοὺς παραληψομέ νους ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν. ἔτυχε δὲ τηνικαῦτα ἄρουραν ἐργαζόμενος εἰς σποράν, καὶ ἀκολουθῶν τοῖς βουσὶν ἀχίτων, περιζωμάτιον ἔχων καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ πῖλον. προδραμόντος δέ τινος καὶ κελεύσαν τος ἐπὶ τὸ κοσμιώτερον ἑαυτὸν ποιῆσαι, παρελθὼν εἰς τὴν καλύ βην καὶ ἀμφιασάμενος προῆλθεν. οἱ δὲ ἠσπάσαντό τε αὐτὸν ὡς ὕπατον καὶ τὴν περιπόρφυρον ἐσθῆτα περιέθεσαν. ὁ δὲ μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν καὶ δακρύσας "ἄσπορον ἄρα μοι" ἔφη "τὸ χωρίον ἔσται τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν, καὶ κινδυνεύσομεν οὐχ ἕξειν πόθεν διατρα φῆναι;" Ὅτι ἡ ἐπωνυμία τοῦ ἐνιαυσιαίου κύκλου, ἡ μὲν ῥωμαΐζουσα 1.379 φωνὴ τὸ μήνυμα σημαίνει· μηνύει γὰρ ἡ ἀρχὴ τὴν περίοδον, καὶ τοῦτο ἐστὶν ἡ ἰνδικτιών. ἡ δὲ Ἑλλὰς φερωνύμως ἔθηκε τὴν ἐπι νέμησιν. οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἀπαράβατον καὶ ὡρισμένον βάρος τὸ πα λαιὸν οἱ φόροι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐτάττοντο, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν καρπῶν γέ νεσις τὴν σύνταξιν αὐτοῖς ἐφιλανθρωπεύσατο· σπανίζουσαν γὰρ ἠλάφρυνεν, εὐθηνοῦσαν δὲ οὐκ ἐβάρυνε, καὶ διένειμεν ἀλύπως τοῖς φορολογουμένοις τὸ ἀνάλογον, καὶ τότε ὅτε χρεία ἐκάλει. μηδενὸς δὲ ὄντος τοῦ φορολογουμένου οὐδ' ὅλως ὁ φόρος ἐπράτ τετο, ἀλλ' ἐγίνετο κέρδος ὁ πόνος ὅλος τοῖς γεωργήσασι. Γάλβας ἐβασίλευσε μῆνας θʹ ἡμέραις ιγʹ, ἦν δὲ τῶν εὐπα τριδῶν, ὃς εἶχε παραδυναστεύοντα τὸν Ὄθωνα. ὃς καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Γάλβαν Λούκιον εἰς υἱοθεσίαν παραλαβόντα, φθονήσας καὶ τὸ στράτευμα κατ' αὐτοῦ κινήσας ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. ἀπαιτούμενος δὲ ὁ Ὄθων χρήματα παρὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἃ ὑπέσχετο αὐτοῖς, ἔφη "οὐ δεῖ αὐτοκράτορα ἀναγκάζεσθαι." Ὄθων ἐβασίλευσε μῆνας τρεῖς ἡμέρας ηʹ, ἦν δὲ γένους ἀσή μου. θύων δέ ποτε ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τὰ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης ᾄσματα τοῖς ἱεροῖς παρέμιξε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Οὐϊτελίου αὐτῷ ἐπαναστάντος ξιφιδίῳ ἑαυτὸν διεχειρίσατο εἰπὼν "τί γάρ με ἔδει μακροῖς αὐλοῖς ᾄδειν καὶ αὐλεῖν;" Οὐϊτέλιος ἢ Βιτέλιος ἔτος ἕν, γένους ἐπιφανοῦς ὤν. οὗτος ἀστρολόγους καὶ ἀστρονόμους καὶ γόητας ἐντὸς ῥητῆς ἡμέρας πάν τας ἐκχωρῆσαι τῆς Ἰταλίας προσέταξεν. οἳ καὶ πρόγραμμα 1.380 ἔρριψαν, προαγγέλλοντες ἐντὸς ἡμέρας ῥητῆς ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι αὐτὸν τοῦ βίου. ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν· ἐσφάγη γὰρ ὑπὸ στρα τιωτῶν.

Οὐεσπασιανὸς υἱὸς Νέρωνος ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη δέκα ἡμέ ρας ηʹ. αὐτοκράτωρ δὲ γέγονεν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ, ἔτι τὰς πόλεις τῶν Ἰουδαίων πολιορκῶν. ὅστις καὶ Ἰώσηπον τὸν συγγραφέα ὑποχείριον ἐποιήσατο. ἀνήχθη δὲ ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀναγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατοῦ βασιλεύς, καταλιπὼν Τῖτον τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὴν Πα λαιστίνην πολιορκεῖν. τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει Οὐεσπασιανοῦ ὁ ναὸς τοῦ Καπιτωλίου ἐνεπρήσθη, καὶ τῷ εʹ ἔτει οἰκοδομεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ ἤρξατο. Μετ' Οὐεσπασιανὸν Τῖτος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη τρία. οὗτος πολιορκεῖ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐμπιπρᾷ, καθὼς Ἰώσηπος ἱστορεῖ. οὗτος ἀπειλαῖς καὶ οὐ τιμωρίαις τοὺς ὑπευθύνους ἐφόβει. βασιλεύοντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ οὐ παρῆλθεν ἡμέρα ἐν ᾗ δῶρόν τι τῶν ὑπηκόων