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a marriage was performed, and she made Claudius her own, being most clever in managing affairs, and of those whom he regarded with goodwill, she won some over by fear, and others by benefactions. And finally she caused his son Britannicus to be raised as some ordinary person, for the other one had died, but Domitius she then showed to be a son-in-law to Claudius, but later she also had him adopted, and having had him adopted by Claudius, she both trained him for power and had him educated by Seneca. And she gathered untold wealth, not neglecting even the slightest opportunity for making money, and murdering many for the sake of money. Indeed, she killed some women out of jealousy. So, having killed Lollia Paulina and not recognizing her head when it was brought, she opened her mouth with her own hands and examined her teeth, which had a certain peculiarity. And after these things Claudius named Agrippina Augusta, and having adopted her son, renamed him Tiberius Claudius Nero Drusus Germanicus Caesar, caring not at all that on that day the sky seemed to be on fire. and after this, having transferred his daughter Octavia to another family, so that he would not seem to be uniting siblings in marriage, he betrothed her to him. And Agrippina exiled Calpur3.33 nia, a woman of the first rank, or, as it is said, even killed her, because Claudius had admired and praised her beauty. And when Nero, for this name prevailed for him, was enrolled among the youths, on the day on which he was enrolled, the divine power shook the earth violently and cast a fear of the night upon all alike. Nero, therefore, was being promoted, but Britannicus had neither any honor nor care; for Agrippina, of his attendants, she drove some out, and others she even killed; and she slaughtered Sosibius, to whom his upbringing and education had been entrusted, on the grounds that he was plotting against Nero. And having handed him over to those she wanted, she allowed him neither to be with his father nor to appear in public. She was able to do all things, controlling Claudius and having won over Narcissus and Pallas; for Callistus, having advanced far in power, had died. The astrologers were driven out of all Italy, and those who associated with them were punished. And a certain Caratacus, a chieftain of the barbarians, having been captured and brought to Rome, and having received a pardon from Claudius, then, wandering about the city after his release, and seeing its splendour and size, said, "Then you who possess these things and such things, do you covet our little tents?" But Claudius, being annoyed at a certain Julius Gallicus who was pleading a case, ordered him to be thrown into the Tiber. at which, indeed, Domitius Afer, who was the most powerful advocate of his time, made a most excellent joke; for when someone asked for his help, 3.34 since he had been abandoned by Gallicus, he said to him, "And who told you that I swim better than he does?" And when Claudius fell ill after this, Nero entered the senate, and promised a horse-race if Claudius should recover. For Agrippina was setting everything in motion in every way in order that she might gratify the multitude and he might be considered the sole successor to the supreme power. Therefore, she made Nero promise the horse-race, to which they were most devoted, for the health of Claudius, for which she was ardently praying he would not have; and having arranged for some disturbance to occur over the sale of bread, she persuaded Claudius both to declare to the people by an edict and to write to the senate that, even if he himself should die, Nero was now capable of administering public affairs. And he, from this, was a great man and on everyone's lips, but as for Britannicus, many did not even know if he was alive, while the rest thought him paralyzed and epileptic, since Agrippina was proclaiming these things. And when Claudius recovered, Nero magnificently celebrated the horse-race, and he then also married Octavia, so that from this he now seemed to be a man. But nothing seemed sufficient to Agrippina; although as many things as Livia had had were given to her, and some other greater things were decreed. And she also of equal power with

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γάμος ἐτελέσθη, τόν τε Κλαύδιον ἐσφετερίσατο, δεινοτάτη ουσα πράγμασι χρῆσθαι, καὶ πρὸς ους εὐνοϊκῶς ἐκεῖνος ειχε, τοὺς μὲν φόβῳ, τοὺς δὲ εὐεργεσίαις ᾠκειώσατο. καὶ τέλος τὸν μὲν Βρεττανικὸν τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ ὡς τῶν τυχόντων τινὰ τρέφεσθαι ἐποίει, ὁ γὰρ ετερος εθανε, τὸν δὲ ∆ομίτιον τότε μὲν γαμβρὸν τῷ Κλαυδίῳ ἀπέδειξεν, υστερον δὲ καὶ εἰσεποίησε, καὶ εἰσποιήσασα τῷ Κλαυδίῳ αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸ κράτος ἐξήσκει καὶ παρὰ τῷ Σενέκᾳ ἐξεπαίδευεν. ἀμύθητόν τε πλοῦτον συνέλεγεν, οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν λαβὴν ἐπ' ἀργυρισμῷ παραλείπουσα, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ φονεύουσα διὰ χρήματα. ηδη δέ τινας καὶ γυναῖκας ζηλοτυπήσασα εκτεινε. τὴν γοῦν Παυλῖναν τὴν Λολλίαν ἀποκτείνασα καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς κομισθεῖσαν μὴ γνωρίσασα, τό τε στόμα αὐτῆς αὐτὴ ταῖς χερσὶν ἀνέῳξε καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐπεσκέψατο ἰδίως πως εχοντας. Μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ καὶ Αὐγούσταν τὴν ̓Αγριππῖναν ὁ Κλαύδιος ἐπεκάλεσε, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς εἰσποιησάμενος μετωνόμασε Τιβέριον Κλαύδιον Νέρωνα ∆ροῦσον Γερμανικὸν Καίσαρα, μηδὲν φροντίσας οτι καίεσθαι ὁ οὐρανὸς τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην εδοξε. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τὴν θυγατέρα τὴν ̓Οκταουίαν εἰς ετερόν τι γένος εἰσαγαγών, ινα μὴ ἀδελφοὺς συνοικίζειν δοκῇ, ἐνεγύησεν αὐτῷ. ̓Αγριππῖνα δὲ καὶ Καλπουρ3.33 νίαν γυναῖκα τῶν πρώτων ἐφυγάδευσεν, η ὡς λέγεται καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς ὁ Κλαύδιος ἐθαύμασε καὶ ἐπῄνεσε. τοῦ δὲ Νέρωνος, τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ονομα ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἐξενίκησεν, ἐς τοὺς ἐφήβους ἐγγραφέντος, κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ῃ ἐνεγράφη, τὸ δαιμόνιον τήν τε γῆν ἐπὶ πολὺ εσεισε καὶ φόβον νυκτὸς πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ἐνέβαλε. Νέρων μὲν ουν ηυξετο, Βρεττανικὸς δὲ ουτε τινὰ τιμὴν ουτε ἐπιμέλειαν ειχεν· ἡ γὰρ ̓Αγριππῖνα τοὺς περιέποντας αὐτὸν τοὺς μὲν ἐξήλασε, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀπέκτεινε· καὶ τὸν Σωσίβιον, ῳ ἡ τροφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ παιδεία προσετέτακτο, κατέσφαξεν ὡς τῷ Νέρωνι ἐπιβουλεύοντα. καὶ παραδοῦσα αὐτὸν οις ηθελεν, ουτε τῷ πατρὶ συνεῖναι ουτε δημοσιεύειν εια. ἠδύνατο δὲ πάντα, τοῦ Κλαυδίου κρατοῦσα καὶ τὸν Νάρκισσον καὶ τὸν Πάλλαντα οἰκειωσαμένη· ὁ γὰρ Κάλλιστος ἐπὶ πολὺ προχωρήσας δυνάμεως ἐτελεύτησεν. Οἱ ἀστρολόγοι δὲ ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς ̓Ιταλίας ἠλάθησαν, καὶ οἱ αὐτοῖς συγγινόμενοι ἐκολάσθησαν. Καράτακος δέ τις βαρβάρων ἀρχηγὸς ἁλοὺς καὶ εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην ἀχθείς, καὶ συγγνώμης παρὰ τοῦ Κλαυδίου τυχών, ειτα περινοστήσας τὴν πόλιν μετὰ τὴν αφεσιν, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτῆς τὴν λαμπρότητα καὶ τὸ μέγεθος "ειτα" εφη "ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κεκτημένοι τῶν σκηνιδίων ἡμῶν ἐπιθυμεῖτε;" ̓Ιουλίῳ δέ τινι Γαλλικῷ δίκην λέγοντι ἀχθεσθεὶς ὁ Κλαύδιος ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν Τίβεριν ἐμβληθῆναι. ἐφ' ῳ δὴ ∆ομίτιος Αφρος, πλεῖστον τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ συνηγορεῖν ἰσχύσας, κάλλιστα ἀπέσκωψε· δεηθέντος γάρ 3.34 τινος τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας, ἐπειδὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ Γαλλικοῦ ἐγκατελείφθη, εφη πρὸς αὐτόν "καὶ τίς σοι ειπεν οτι κρεῖσσον ἐκείνου νήχομαι;" Νοσήσαντος δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦ Κλαυδίου εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Νέρων εἰς τὸ συνέδριον, καὶ εἰ ἀναρρωσθείη ὁ Κλαύδιος, ἱπποδρομίαν ὑπέσχετο. πάντα γὰρ τρόπον ἡ ̓Αγριππῖνα ἐκίνει ινα τῷ τε πλήθει χαρίζοιτο καὶ μόνος εσεσθαι νομίζοιτο τῆς αὐταρχίας διάδοχος. διὸ τόν τε ἱππικὸν ἀγῶνα, ῳ προσέκειντο μάλιστα, ἐποίησε τὸν Νέρωνα ὑποσχέσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Κλαυδίου ὑγείᾳ, ην καὶ πάνυ ἀπηύχετο· καὶ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶσιν τῶν αρτων θόρυβόν τινα γενέσθαι παρασκευάσασα, ἀνέπεισε τὸν Κλαύδιον τῷ τε δήμῳ ἐκ προγραφῆς δηλῶσαι καὶ τῇ γερουσίᾳ ἐπιστεῖλαι οτι, καν αὐτὸς ἀποθάνοι, ὁ Νέρων τὰ κοινὰ ἱκανὸς ηδη ἐστὶ διοικεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν πολύς τε ἐκ τούτου ην καὶ διὰ στόματος ηγετο απασι, τὸν δὲ Βρεττανικὸν συχνοὶ μὲν οὐδ' εἰ εζη ἐγίνωσκον, οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ παραπλῆγα καὶ ἐπίληπτον, ταῦτα κηρυττούσης τῆς ̓Αγριππίνης, ῳοντο. ῥαΐσαντος δὲ τοῦ Κλαυδίου τὴν ἱπποδρομίαν ὁ Νέρων μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐπετέλεσε, καὶ τὴν ̓Οκταουίαν δὲ τότε εγημεν, ωστε καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἀνὴρ ηδη δοκεῖν. οὐδὲν δὲ ἀρκοῦν τῇ ̓Αγριππίνῃ ἐδόκει· καίτοι οσα τε ἡ Λιβία εσχε κἀκείνῃ ἐδέδοτο, καὶ αλλ' αττα πλείω ἐψήφιστο. ἡ δὲ καὶ ἰσοκρατὴς τῷ