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celebrated for both his education and his courage in wars, he treated those 3.6 under his command most gently, and although he had great power, being a Caesar, he was as moderate as the weakest, and he did nothing to arouse envy in Drusus nor anything treacherous toward Tiberius, and though he could have taken the imperial power from the willing soldiers and the senate and the people, he was unwilling. But Piso, having been brought back to Rome some time later, and having been brought into the senate-house by Tiberius himself on the charge of the murder of Germanicus—Tiberius deflecting the suspicion concerning the destruction of Germanicus—and having asked for a postponement, did away with himself. Germanicus died leaving three sons, whom Augustus in his will had named Caesars. Of these the eldest, Nero, was at that time enrolled among the youths of military age. Up to this time, then, Tiberius did very many good things and made few mistakes, but when Germanicus was out of his way, he gradually changed. For in other matters he ruled savagely and treated harshly, as if they had committed impiety, those who had done or said anything unsuitable against him or his mother or Augustus, and he was inexorable toward those suspected of plotting against him. And already, by indicating to some that he wanted certain people dead, he had them killed through those intermediaries, and it was not unnoticed that he did these things. He would also inquire into the day and hour on which each of the powerful men had been born, and so he would investigate the fate destined for each; so that when he met Galba, who afterwards became emperor, he said, "You too shall one day have a taste of the supreme power." But he spared him, saying that he would rule in his old age and long after his own death. Then Tiberius served as consul with Drusus, from which circumstance many 3.7 foretold the destruction of this Drusus; for there is no one of those who served as his colleague in the consulship who did not die a violent death. For after this he was destroyed by poison. For a certain Sejanus, having become very powerful with Tiberius and grown arrogant, having once struck him with his fist and as a result fearing both him and Tiberius, and at the same time expecting that if he did away with Drusus he would more easily manage Tiberius, gave him a certain poison through some of his servants and through his wife, whom some call Julia, but others write as Livia, for he was committing adultery with her. Thus he was destroyed in this way, but Tiberius, arriving at the senate, both lamented him and commended Nero and Drusus, the sons of Germanicus, to the senate, and the body of Drusus was laid out for public view on the rostra; and Nero, being his son-in-law, spoke praises over him. And indeed his death became the cause of death for many, on the grounds that they had rejoiced at his destruction. For many others were destroyed, and Agrippina with her children, except for the youngest. For Sejanus incited Tiberius greatly against her, expecting that with her and her children destroyed, he would marry Livia, the wife of Drusus, whom he loved, and would have the power, since Tiberius had no successor; for he hated his grandson as being also the child of an adulterer. And he both exiled and destroyed many others on various charges, the majority of which were fabricated, and he punished a certain man because he wrote a history of Caesar and Augustus, although he had written nothing against them, and burned the book wherever it was found, because it did not glorify them. and he destroyed more people on the grounds that they were slandering 3.8 him. And a certain Sabinus, having been accused on such a charge, was confined to the prison, then was also murdered, and his body was thrown into the river. And this was a terrible thing in and of itself to everyone, but a certain dog of Sabinus made it more terrible, having gone into the prison with him and having remained by him after he died and having leapt in with him when he was thrown into the river. These things happened in this way, and few things out of many have been recorded. And Livia, having become very old, passed away, having lived eighty-six years. And Tiberius neither visited her when she was sick nor honored her when she died, except for only a funeral procession and some images. but for slander

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παιδείᾳ τε αμα καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ ἐν πολέμοις εὐδοκιμῶν ἡμερώτατα τοῖς 3.6 ὑπ' αὐτὸν προσεφέρετο, καὶ μέγα δυνάμενος, ατε Καῖσαρ, ἐξ ισου τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις ἐσωφρόνει, καὶ ουτε τι πρὸς τὸν ∆ροῦσον ἐπίφθονον ουτε πρὸς τὸν Τιβέριον ἐποίει ἐπίβουλον, καὶ δυνάμενος παρά τε τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἑκόντων καὶ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ δήμου τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν αὐτοκράτορα λήψεσθαι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν. ὁ δὲ Πείσων χρόνῳ υστερον εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἀνακομισθείς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ τοῦ Γερμανικοῦ εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Τιβερίου εἰσαχθεὶς διακρουομένου τὴν ὑποψίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ φθορᾷ τοῦ Γερμανικοῦ, καὶ ἀναβολὴν αἰτήσας, ἑαυτὸν κατεχρήσατο. ἐπὶ τρισὶ δὲ υἱοῖς ὁ Γερμανικὸς ἐτελεύτησεν, ους ὁ Αυγουστος ἐν ταῖς διαθήκαις αὐτοῦ Καίσαρας ὠνόμασε. τούτων ὁ πρεσβύτατος Νέρων κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ἐκεῖνον τοῖς ἐφήβοις κατηριθμήθη. μέχρι μὲν ουν τοῦ χρόνου τούτου πλεῖστα χρηστὰ ὁ Τιβέριος επραξε καὶ βραχέα ἐξήμαρτεν, ἐπεὶ δ' ὁ Γερμανικὸς ἐκποδών οἱ ἐγένετο, κατ' ὀλίγον ἠλλοίωτο. τά τε γὰρ αλλα ἀγρίως ηρχε καὶ τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν η τὴν μητέρα η τὸν Αυγουστον πράξασί τι η εἰποῦσιν ἀνεπιτήδειον ἀπηνῶς ὡς ἀσεβήσασι προσεφέρετο, καὶ εἰς τοὺς ὑπονοηθέντας ἐπιβουλεύειν αὐτῷ ἀπαραίτητος ην. ηδη δὲ καὶ ἐνδεικνύμενός τισιν οτι βούλεται τεθνάναι τινάς, δι' ἐκείνων σφᾶς ἀπεκτίννυε, καὶ οὐκ ἐλάνθανε ταῦτα ποιῶν. ἐξήταζέ τε τῶν δυνατῶν ἑκάστου τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν ωραν ἐν ῃ ἐγεγέννητο, καὶ ουτω τὸ πεπρωμένον ἑκάστῳ ἐξηρεύνα· ωστε καὶ τῷ Γάλβᾳ τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐταρχήσαντι ἀπαντήσας εφη "καὶ σύ ποτε τῆς ἡγεμονίας γεύσῃ." ἐφείσατο δὲ αὐτοῦ, λέγων οτι ἐν γήρᾳ καὶ μετὰ πολὺ τῆς τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ αρξει. ειτα μετὰ τοῦ ∆ρούσου ὑπάτευσεν ὁ Τιβέριος, οθεν πολλοὶ τὸν 3.7 ολεθρον ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ∆ρούσου προεμαντεύσαντο· οὐ γὰρ εστιν οστις τῶν συνυπατευσάντων αὐτῷ οὐ βιαίως ἀπέθανε. μετὰ ταῦτα γὰρ φαρμάκῳ διώλετο. Σηιανὸς γάρ τις μέγα παρὰ τῷ Τιβερίῳ δυνηθεὶς καὶ ὑπέρογκος γεγονώς, πὺξ αὐτῷ ποτε ἐντείνας κἀκ τούτου δείσας κἀκεῖνον καὶ τὸν Τιβέριον, αμα καὶ προσδοκήσας, αν τὸν ∆ροῦσον κατεργάσηται, ῥᾷον μεταχειρίσασθαι τὸν Τιβέριον, φάρμακόν τι αὐτῷ διά τινων θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ καὶ διὰ τῆς γυναικός, ην ̓Ιουλίαν, ετεροι δὲ Λιβίαν γράφουσι, καὶ γὰρ ἐμοίχευεν αὐτήν, εδωκεν. ὁ μὲν ουν ουτως διώλετο, ὁ δέ γε Τιβέριος εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ἀφικόμενος ἐκεῖνόν τε ἀπωδύρατο καὶ τὸν Νέρωνα τόν τε ∆ροῦσον τοὺς τοῦ Γερμανικοῦ παῖδας τῇ γερουσίᾳ παρακατέθετο, καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ∆ρούσου προυτέθη ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος· καὶ ὁ Νέρων γαμβρὸς αὐτοῦ ων ἐπαίνους ἐπ' αὐτῷ ειπεν. ὁ δὲ δὴ θάνατος αὐτοῦ πολλοῖς αιτιος θανάτου ἐγένετο ὡς ἐφησθεῖσι τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ αὐτοῦ. πολλοί τε γὰρ καὶ αλλοι διώλοντο καὶ ἡ ̓Αγριππῖνα μετὰ τῶν παίδων αὐτῆς, τοῦ νεωτάτου χωρίς. πολλὰ γὰρ κατ' αὐτῆς ὁ Σηιανὸς παρώξυνε τὸν Τιβέριον, προσδοκήσας ἐκείνης μετὰ τῶν τέκνων ἀπολομένης τῇ τε Λιβίᾳ συνοικήσειν τῇ τοῦ ∆ρούσου γυναικί, ης ηρα, καὶ τὸ κράτος εξειν, μηδενὸς τῷ Τιβερίῳ διαδόχου τυγχάνοντος· τὸν γὰρ υἱιδοῦν ἐμίσει ὡς καὶ μοιχίδιον. καὶ αλλους δὲ πολλοὺς ἐπὶ αλλαις καὶ αλλαις αἰτίαις, ταῖς δέ γε πλείοσι πεπλασμέναις, καὶ ἐφυγάδευσε καὶ διέφθειρε, καί τινα οτι τὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ τὰ τοῦ Αὐγούστου ἱστόρησε, καίτοι μή τι κατ' ἐκείνων συγγεγραφότα, ἐκόλασε, καὶ τὸ σύγγραμμα οπου δὴ καὶ εὑρέθη κατέκαυσεν, οτι μὴ ἐκείνους ἐσέμνυνε. πλείονας δὲ ὡς αὐτὸν βλασφη3.8 μοῦντας διέφθειρε. καί τις Σαβῖνος ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ κατηγορηθεὶς αἰτίᾳ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον καθείρχθη, ειτα καὶ ἐφονεύθη, καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἐρρίφη. καὶ δεινὸν μὲν τοῦτο καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ απασιν ην, ἐδείνωσε δ' αὐτὸ ἐπὶ πλεῖον κύων τις τοῦ Σαβίνου, συνεισελθών τε αὐτῷ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἀποθανόντι παραμείνας καὶ εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ῥιφέντι συνεισπεσών. ταῦτα ταύτῃ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα ἱστόρηται. ̔Η δὲ Λιβία ὑπέργηρως γεγονυῖα μετήλλαξεν, εξ ζήσασα ετη καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα. καὶ ουτε νοσοῦσαν αὐτὴν ὁ Τιβέριος ἐπεσκέψατο ουτ' ἀποθανοῦσαν ἐτίμησε, πλὴν μόνης ἐκφορᾶς καὶ εἰκόνων τινῶν. ἀλλὰ πρὸς διαβολὴν