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but being troubled on this account, he said to Gaius, "O child, even if Tiberius is a closer kinsman to me than you are, yet I myself, both by my own will and by the vote of the gods, entrust to you the rule of the Romans, and I ask that you not be unmindful 2.25 of your kinship to Tiberius, but care for him as a kinsman; for whatever is done unjustly does not go unpunished by divine providence." Tiberius, therefore, having appointed Gaius as successor to the empire, survived a few days and died, having reigned for twenty-two years, seven months, and as many days, and Gaius was left as emperor. The death of Tiberius was announced to the Romans; but they disbelieved the report because they very much wished it to be true. For he had done very many terrible things to the Roman nobles, being irascible and punishing even the slightest offenses with death. But Marsyas, Agrippa's freedman, learning of Tiberius' death, ran to him and said in the Hebrew tongue, "The lion is dead." And he acknowledged his gratitude to him, if he had reported the truth. And the centurion, seeing Agrippa rejoicing, suspected that something new had happened, and asked what the news could be. And Agrippa, having by now become familiar with the man, revealed the secret; and he shared in the pleasure, and set out a dinner. But while they were feasting, someone came saying that Tiberius was still alive. And the centurion, fearing that he had been associating with a prisoner of the emperor, ordered him to be bound, having already loosed him. On the next day, there was a widespread report of Tiberius' death, and letters were sent from Gaius, one to the senate, announcing the death of Tiberius and his own succession to the empire, and the other to Piso, the guardian of the city, permitting 2.26 Agrippa to be moved from the camp to the house where he was before he was bound. Gaius, having brought Tiberius' body to Rome and buried it lavishly, immediately wanted to release Agrippa; but Antonia prevented it, not out of hatred for the one to be released, but out of concern for the one releasing him, so that he might not seem, by quickly releasing his prisoner, to be rejoicing at the change of emperor. After a few days had passed, he sent for Agrippa, cut the excess of his hair and changed his clothes, then he also placed the diadem on him and appointed him king of the tetrarchy of Philip, adding also the tetrarchy of Lysanias as an increase, and he exchanged golden things for bronze, giving him a golden chain of equal weight in place of the iron one with which he had been bound. In the second year of Gaius' monarchy, Agrippa asked to be permitted to go to his own country, and he promised to return again, after he had duly arranged the affairs of his rule; and when Gaius consented, he sailed away. But Herodias, his sister, envied her brother's good fortune, and especially when she saw him dealing with the crowds with the insignia of royalty, she provoked her husband to sail to Rome and seek an equal rule for himself; but he wanted to remain quiet. And the wife annoyed her husband more vehemently, urging him to do everything for the sake of the kingdom, and did not stop until she made Herod agree with her, even against his will. Therefore, he set sail for Rome with his wife. But Agrippa himself was also preparing to go to Rome, and he sent ahead one of his freedmen carrying gifts for the emperor and letters against Herod. And they found 2.27 Gaius in Baiae, a small town of Campania. No sooner had Herod come into Gaius' sight than Gaius went over Agrippa's letters, which accused him of a pact with Sejanus against the rule of Tiberius, and again then with Artabanus the Parthian against his own, Gaius'. And as proof of the charge, he pointed to the store of arms in Herod's armories, sufficient for seventy thousand hoplites. Gaius was moved by the letters, and he asked Herod if the report about the arms was true. And when he admitted it, believing in his defection, he took away his tetrarchy and added it to Agrippa's kingdom, and he likewise gave him his money, but him
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δὲ διὰ τοῦτο τεταραγμένος, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν Γάιον "ω παῖ, εἰ καὶ Τιβέριος συγγενέστερός μοί ἐστιν η σύ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς καὶ κατὰ γνώμην ἐμὴν καὶ κατὰ ψῆφον θεῶν σοι τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐγχειρίζω ἀρχήν, καὶ ἀξιῶ μὴ ἀμνημο2.25 νῆσαι τῆς συγγενείας τῆς πρὸς Τιβέριον, κήδεσθαι δὲ τούτου ὡς συγγενοῦς· οὐ γὰρ ἀτιμώρητα τῇ θείᾳ προνοίᾳ οσα παρὰ δίκην πράσσοιτο." Τιβέριος μὲν ουν τὸν Γάιον ἀποδείξας τῆς ἡγεμονίας διάδοχον, ὀλίγας ἐπιβιοὺς ἡμέρας θνήσκει, αρξας ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτοῖς δύο καὶ εικοσι μῆνας ἑπτὰ καὶ ἡμέρας ισας, Γάιος δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ περιελέλειπτο. ἠγγέλλετο δὲ ̔Ρωμαίοις τοῦ Τιβερίου ἡ ἀποβίωσις· οἱ δὲ ἠπίστουν τῷ λόγῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ πάνυ τὸ πρᾶγμα βούλεσθαι. πλεῖστα γὰρ ἐκεῖνος δεινὰ ̔Ρωμαίων τοὺς εὐπατρίδας εἰργάσατο, δύσοργος ων καὶ θανάτῳ καὶ τὰ κουφότατα τῶν πταισμάτων τιμώμενος. Μαρσύας δὲ τοῦ ̓Αγρίππου ἀπελεύθερος, πυθόμενος τοῦ Τιβερίου τὴν τελευτήν, εδραμε πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ̔Εβραΐδι φωνῇ "τέθνηκεν ὁ λέων" φησίν. ὁ δὲ χάριτας ὡμολόγει αὐτῷ, εἰ κατήγγειλεν ἀληθῆ. καὶ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ὁρῶν τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν ἐν χάρματι, ὑπετόπησέ τι γεγονέναι καινόν, καὶ ηρετο τί αν ειη τὸ ἀγγελθέν· καὶ ὁ ̓Αγρίππας ηδη συνήθης γενόμενος τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἀπεκάλυψεν· ὁ δὲ ἐκοινοῦτο τὴν ἡδονήν, καὶ προυτίθει δεῖπνον. εὐωχουμένων δὲ παρῆν τις περιεῖναι λέγων Τιβέριον. καὶ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος δείσας οτι συνδιῃτᾶτο δεσμώτῃ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, κελεύει δῆσαι αὐτόν, λελυκὼς ηδη. τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ λόγος τε ην πλατὺς περὶ τῆς τελευτῆς Τιβερίου, καὶ ἐπιστολαὶ παρὰ Γαΐου ἐπέμφθησαν, ἡ μὲν πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον, τὸν Τιβερίου θάνατον καταγγέλλουσα καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τῆς ἡγεμονίας διαδοχήν, ἡ δὲ πρὸς Πείσωνα τὸν τῆς πόλεως φύλακα, ἐπιτρέ2.26 πουσα τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου μεταγαγεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐν ῃ πρὸ τοῦ δεθῆναι ην. Γάιος δὲ εἰς ̔Ρώμην τὸν τοῦ Τιβερίου νεκρὸν ἀγαγὼν καὶ θάψας πολυτελῶς, αὐτίκα λῦσαι τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν ἐβούλετο· ἡ δ' ̓Αντωνία κεκώλυκεν, οὐ μίσει τοῦ λυθησομένου, φροντίδι δέ γε τοῦ λύσοντος, ινα μὴ δοκῇ τῇ μεταστάσει τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐφηδόμενος ἐκ τοῦ λῦσαι τὸν ἐκείνου δέσμιον τάχιστα. ἡμερῶν δὲ μετρίων παρελθουσῶν μεταπέμπεται τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν, κείρει τε τὸ περιττὸν τῆς τριχὸς καὶ μεταμφιέννυσιν, ειτα καὶ τὸ διάδημα περιτίθησι καὶ βασιλέα τῆς Φιλίππου τετραρχίας καθίστησι, προσθέμενος καὶ τὴν Λυσανίου τετραρχίαν εἰς αυξησιν, καὶ χρύσεα χαλκείων ἀλλάττει, ἀντὶ τῆς σιδηρᾶς ἁλύσεως μεθ' ης ἐδέδετο χρυσῆν ἰσόρροπον αὐτῷ παρασχόμενος. Τῷ δὲ δευτέρῳ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς μοναρχίας Γαΐου ἠξίου ̓Αγρίππας ἐκχωρηθῆναι αὐτῷ ἀφικέσθαι πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα, καὶ αυθις ἐπανελθεῖν κατετίθετο, οἰκονομησάμενος εἰς δέον τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς· καὶ ἐνδόντος Γαΐου ἐξέπλευσεν. ̔Ηρωδιὰς δὲ ἡ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὴ ἐφθόνει τῆς εὐπραγίας τῷ ἀδελφῷ, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπότε μετὰ τῶν τῆς βασιλείας παρασήμων ἑώρα αὐτὸν τοῖς πλήθεσι χρηματίζοντα, ἐξηρέθιζέ τε τὸν ανδρα ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμης πλεῖν καὶ ισην ἀρχὴν μνηστεύσασθαι ἑαυτῷ· ὁ δὲ ἡσυχάζειν ἐβούλετο. καὶ ἡ γυνὴ σφοδρότερον ἠνώχλει τἀνδρί, πάντα πράσσειν ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ κελεύουσα, καὶ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν εως καὶ ακοντα τὸν ̔Ηρώδην ἑαυτῇ πεποίηκεν ὁμογνώμονα. ἀνήγετο ουν σὺν τῇ γυναικὶ ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμης. ̓Αγρίππας δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην παρεσκευάζετο, προύπεμψε δὲ τῶν ἀπελευθέρων ενα δῶρα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι κομίζοντα καὶ ἐπιστολὰς κατὰ τοῦ ̔Ηρώδου. καὶ καταλαμβάνουσι 2.27 τὸν Γάιον ἐν Βαίαις πολιχνίῳ τῆς Καμπανίας. αμα τε τῷ ̔Ηρώδῃ εἰς οψιν ηκεν ὁ Γάιος καὶ αμα τὰς ̓Αγρίππου ἐπιστολὰς ἐπῄει, κατηγορούσας ἐκείνου πρὸς Σηιανὸν ὁμολογίαν κατὰ τῆς Τιβερίου ἀρχῆς, καὶ πρὸς ̓Αρτάβανον αυθις τὸν Πάρθον τότε κατὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ Γαΐου. τεκμήριον δ' ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ λόγου οπλων ἀπόθεσιν ἐν ταῖς ὁπλοθήκαις ̔Ηρώδου, μυριάσιν ὁπλιτῶν ἀρκούντων ἑπτά. ἐκινεῖτο δ' ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπεσταλμένων ὁ Γάιος, καὶ ἠρώτα τὸν ̔Ηρώδην εἰ ἀληθὴς ὁ περὶ τῶν οπλων λόγος. τοῦ δὲ καταθεμένου, πιστεύσας τῇ ἀποστάσει αὐτοῦ τὴν τετραρχίαν ἀφαιρεῖται καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ ̓Αγρίππου προστίθησι, καὶ τὰ χρήματα αὐτῷ ὁμοίως δωρεῖται, τὸν δὲ