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to receive an emperor from others, but themselves to give one to all. Therefore even unwillingly, as it seemed, he submitted. But when the consuls and senators learned that the rule had already been seized, they too consented. And thus Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, the son of Drusus, son of Livia, obtained the imperial rule, being in his fiftieth year. He was not of a mean spirit, but had even been trained in learning, so that he also wrote some things; but his body was sickly. He was thoroughly dominated by women and at the same time by his slaves, inasmuch as he had been brought up from childhood both in sickness and in great fear, and from this he also pretended, more than was true, to a simplicity and weakness of character, which he himself also confessed in the senate, and having lived for a long time with his grandmother Livia, and a long time with his mother Antonia and with his freedmen, he displayed nothing worthy of a free man. His wives and his freedmen used to attack him during his drinking bouts and his sexual encounters; for he was utterly insatiable in his devotion to both. In addition, he also had cowardice. Being of such a nature, to speak summarily, he nevertheless did not a few things and fittingly, whenever he was free from the aforesaid passions and in control of himself. However, he did not immediately enter the senate, but after the thirtieth day, both fearing on account of Gaius, who had perished in this way, and because some men better than himself had been named for the rule by the senate. But he was carefully guarded in other respects and had all who approached him searched to see if they had any dagger, and at his banquets he had soldiers with him. This also happened afterwards; but the searching for daggers ceased through Vespasian. He therefore killed Chaerea and some others, not on account of Gaius, but providing for his own safety; and Sabinus also died willingly, not thinking it right to survive after Chaerea had been punished; and having brought Gaius' sisters, both Agrippina and Julia, back from exile, he both restored their property to them and likewise brought back the other exiles. And having carefully examined those who were bound in prisons, he released those who were being falsely accused, and punished those who had done some evil. And the poisons, many of which were found in Gaius' possession, and the books of Protogenes, whom he also killed, he burned. And the letters which Gaius said he had burned, but which were found to exist, he both showed to the senators, and gave them to be read by both those who had written them and those against whom they had been written, and after this he burned them up. And when the senate wished to dishonor Gaius, he himself prevented this from being decreed, but by night he made all his statues disappear, and he overturned the things that had been done incorrectly by Gaius and by others on his account. And when statues were decreed for him, he declined them; and he forbade sacrificing or worshipping him in statues. And he did many other such things, being moderate and doing these things with judgment, but not by design. At any rate, he betrothed his daughters, one to Lucius Junius Silanus, the other to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. And he did nothing excessive, but he himself also judged in those days and the senate was assembled. He therefore did these things reasonably, and when the consuls in the senate-house came down from their chairs to speak with him, he rose up before them and went to meet them. And for the most part he lived as a private citizen, and both he and those around him conducted their lives in the Greek manner. But concerning money he was remarkable. For he forbade money to be brought to him, which also used to happen in the time of Augustus. And he forbade being left as an heir by anyone who had relatives. And of the things that had been confiscated under both Tiberius and Gaius, he gave back some to the owners if they were still alive, and some to their children; and to many who had been deprived of their own provinces and lands by Gaius, he himself restored them again. And he performed other such deeds, for which he was praised. But by his freedmen and his wife Valeria Messalina other things were done, not of a similar kind. However, when a severe famine occurred, he took thought not only for the abundance at that time, but also for the future. For of imported
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ἑτέρων λαβεῖν αὐτοκράτορα, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ δοῦναι πᾶσι. διὸ καὶ ακων, ὡς ἐδόκει, ὑπέκυψε. μαθόντες δὲ καὶ οἱ υπατοι καὶ οἱ βουλευταὶ ηδη προκατειλῆφθαι τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡμολόγησαν. Καὶ ουτω Τιβέριος Κλαύδιος Νέρων Γερμανικὸς ὁ τοῦ ∆ρούσου τοῦ τῆς Λιβίας υἱοῦ παῖς τῆς αὐτοκρατοῦς ἀρχῆς ετυχεν, αγων ετος πεντηκοστόν. ἐγένετο δὲ τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν οὐ φαῦλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν παιδείᾳ ησκητο, ωστε καὶ συγγράψαι τινά· τὸ δὲ σῶμα νοσώδης. πάνυ δὲ ἐγυναικοκρατήθη αμα καὶ ἐδουλοκρατήθη, ατε καὶ ἐκ παίδων εν τε νοσηλείᾳ καὶ ἐν φόβῳ πολλῷ τραφείς, κἀντεῦθεν καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον τῆς ἀληθείας προσποιησάμενος εὐήθειαν καὶ ηθους χαυνότητα, οπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ βουλῇ ὡμολόγησε, καὶ πολὺν μὲν χρόνον τῇ τήθῃ Λιβίᾳ, πολὺν δὲ τῇ μητρὶ ̓Αντωνίᾳ τοῖς τ' ἀπελευθέροις συνδιαιτηθείς, οὐδὲν ἐλευθεροπρεπὲς ἐπεδείκνυτο. ἐπετίθεντο δ' αὐτῷ αἱ γυναῖκές τε καὶ οἱ ἀπελεύθεροι ἐν τοῖς πότοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς μίξεσι· πάνυ γὰρ ἀπλήστως ἀμφοτέροις προσέκειτο. πρὸς δὲ καὶ δειλίαν ειχε. τοιοῦτος δὲ πεφυκώς, ὡς συνελόντι εἰπεῖν, ομως οὐκ ὀλίγα καὶ δεόντως επραττεν ὁσάκις τῶν εἰρημένων παθῶν εξω ἐγίνετο καὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκράτει. οὐκ εὐθὺς μέντοι εἰς τὴν βουλὴν εἰσῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τριακο3.25 στὴν ἡμέραν, διά τε τὸν Γάιον ουτως ἀπολωλότα δεδιὼς καὶ οτι τινὲς ἑαυτοῦ βελτίους εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς ὠνομάσθησαν. ἀλλὰ τά τε αλλα ἀκριβῶς ἐφυλάσσετο καὶ πάντας τοὺς αὐτῷ προσιόντας ἐρευνᾶσθαι ἐποίει μή τι ξιφίδιον εχωσι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις στρατιώτας ειχεν αὐτῷ συνόντας. ο καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγίνετο· ἡ δὲ τῶν ξιφιδίων ερευνα διὰ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ ἐπαύσατο. Τὸν μὲν ουν Χαιρέαν καί τινας αλλους ἀπέκτεινεν, οὐ διὰ τὸν Γάιον, ἀλλ' ἑαυτῷ ἀσφάλειαν προμηθούμενος· καὶ ὁ Σαβῖνος δὲ ἑκὼν ἀπέθανε, μὴ ἀξιώσας κολασθέντος τοῦ Χαιρέου αὐτὸς περιεῖναι· τὰς δὲ τοῦ Γαΐου ἀδελφὰς τήν τε ̓Αγριππῖναν καὶ τὴν ̓Ιουλίαν καταγαγὼν ἐκ τῆς ὑπερορίας, καὶ τὰς οὐσίας αὐταῖς ἀπέδωκε, καὶ τοὺς αλλους τοὺς ἐκπεσόντας ὁμοίως κατήγαγε. καὶ τοὺς ἐν εἱρκταῖς δεδεμένους ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσας, τοὺς μὲν συκοφαντουμένους ἀφῆκε, τοὺς δὲ κακουργήσαντάς τι ἐκόλασε. καὶ τὰ φάρμακα, α πολλὰ ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Γαΐου εὑρέθη, καὶ τὰ βιβλία τοῦ Πρωτογένους, ον καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν, εκαυσε. τά τε γράμματα α ελεγε μὲν κατακαῦσαι ὁ Γάιος, εὑρέθησαν δὲ οντα, τοῖς βουλευταῖς τε ἐπέδειξε, καὶ εδωκεν ἀναγνῶναι τοῖς τε γράψασιν αὐτὰ καὶ τοῖς καθ' ων ἐγέγραπτο, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο κατέφλεξε. τῆς τε γερουσίας ἀτιμῶσαι βουληθείσης τὸν Γάιον, ψηφισθῆναι μὲν τοῦτο αὐτὸς ἐκώλυσε, νυκτὸς δὲ τὰς εἰκόνας αὐτοῦ πάσας ἠφάνισε, καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Γαΐου καὶ ὑφ' ἑτέρων δι' ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ὀρθῶς γεγονότα ἀνέτρεψεν. ἀνδριάντων δὲ αὐτῷ ψηφισθέντων παρῃτήσατο· καὶ θύειν η προσκυνεῖν ἐν ἀγάλμασιν αὐτῷ ἀπηγόρευσε. καὶ αλλα δὲ τοιαῦτα πολλὰ ἐποίει, μετριοφρονῶν καὶ κρίσει ταῦτα πράττων, ἀλλ' 3.26 οὐκ ἐπιτηδεύσει. τὰς γοῦν θυγατέρας κατηγγύησε τὴν μὲν Λουκίῳ ̓Ιουνίῳ Σιλανῷ, τὴν δὲ Γναίῳ Πομπηίῳ Μάγνῳ. καὶ οὐδὲν ὑπέρογκον επραξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐδίκασε καὶ ἡ βουλὴ ἠθροίσθη. ταῦτά τε ουν ἐπιεικῶς επραττε, καὶ τῶν ὑπάτων ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ καταβάντων ἀπὸ τῶν δίφρων, ινα διαλεχθῶσιν αὐτῷ, προσεξανέστη τε καὶ ἀντιπροσῆλθε σφίσιν. ἰδιωτικῶς τε εζη ὡς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ ἑλληνικῶς αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν διῃτῶντο. Περὶ τὰ χρήματα δὲ θαυμαστὸς ἐγένετο. ἀπηγόρευσε γὰρ ἀργύριον αὐτῷ προσφέρεσθαι, ο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Αὐγούστου ἐγίνετο. ἀπεῖπε δὲ μηδὲ κληρονόμος παρά τινος συγγενεῖς εχοντας καταλιμπάνεσθαι. καὶ τῶν προδημευθέντων ἐπί τε τοῦ Τιβερίου καὶ τοῦ Γαΐου τὰ μὲν αὐτοῖς ετι περιοῦσι, τὰ δὲ τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν ἀπέδωκε· καὶ πολλοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Γαΐου τὰς σφετέρας ἀρχὰς καὶ χώρας ἀφαιρεθεῖσιν αὐτὸς αυθις ἐπανεσώσατο. καὶ αλλα τοιαῦτα εργα εἰργάσατο, δι' α ἐπῃνεῖτο. ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν ἐξελευθέρων αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς Βαλερίας Μεσσαλίνης ετερα ἐπράχθη οὐχ ὁμοιότροπα. λιμοῦ μέντοι ἰσχυροῦ γενομένου οὐ μόνον τῆς τότε ἀφθονίας ἐφρόντισεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς εἰσέπειτα. ἐπεισάκτου γὰρ