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strength on both land and sea, but was defeated because of a divided command, not because of weakness. He had also set out from Rome and led out the first troops. And giving a certain part of the force to Proculus, he himself withdrew, saying that he could not bear to see a battle of men of the same race. Therefore, the soldiers and the commanders, condemning his cowardice, did nothing that was needed, but were defeated and sent heralds to the forces of Vitellius and 3.46 mingled with them. But a horseman announced these things to Otho, and being disbelieved, he said, “Would that these things were false, Caesar;” and having said this, he killed himself. When because of this everyone believed and was ready to fight again, for the bodyguards were numerous, and not a few others were present, and they were begging him to betray neither himself nor them, “for we will all,” they said, “gladly die for you,” Otho said, “it is much more just for one to perish for all than many for one,” and that he did not wish for the Roman people to be in civil strife on account of one man and for so great a multitude of men to be destroyed. Having said these things he withdrew into his chamber, and having written something to both his household and to Vitellius on their behalf, he burned the letters that some had written to him against the latter, so that no one, being discovered from them, might be in danger, and calling each one of those present, he embraced them and gave them money. And during this, when a disturbance arose among the soldiers, he came out, and having calmed them, he did not withdraw before he had sent others elsewhere to safety. And so, when nothing disturbing was happening any longer, he killed himself. And the soldiers buried his body, and some slew themselves over it. This was the end that came to Otho, having lived for thirty-seven years, and having ruled for ninety days; whence also he overshadowed the impiety and wickedness of his life; for having lived most basely of men, he died most nobly. But the soldiers were immediately thrown into confusion, and many were killed by one another; then they came to an agreement and went over to the victors. 3.47 And those in Rome, learning of the fate of Otho—for he was away from the city, as has been said before—proclaimed Vitellius emperor. And while he was in Gaul, the death of Otho was announced. And his wife and child came to him, whom he, on a tribunal, named Germanicus and emperor, being six years old. Being fond of divination and doing not even the smallest thing without it, at that time he banished the astronomers, and later also the sorcerers, proclaiming that they should depart from all of Italy within that day. And they, putting up counter-proclamations at night, counter-ordered him to depart from life within the day on which he died. And he was given to luxury and licentiousness. And from the beginning he was such a one as to be devoted to taverns and gambling-dens and dancers and charioteers, and he spent unspeakable sums on such things and for this reason also had many creditors; but at that time he behaved even more wantonly, and spent most of the day and night insatiably stuffing himself and constantly vomiting, so that he was nourished only by the passage of the foods. Wherefore he was also able to hold out. And those who dined with him fared very badly. Whence one of them, having fallen ill and for this reason been absent from the common meal for some days, said, “If I had not been sick, I would certainly have perished.” And the entire time of his absolute rule became nothing other than 3.48 drunkenness and revelries. And why should one enumerate each of these, when it is agreed by all that he spent two hundred million and one thousand five hundred in the time of his rule on dinners. And often he also feasted at the houses of others, and on the same day some would provide him breakfast, others luncheon, others dinner, and others some after-dinner courses as a solace for satiety. But living thus, he was not entirely without noble deeds. For he kept the coinage struck under Nero and under Galba and Otho, not being angry at their images

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ἰσχὺν κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν, ἡττήθη δὲ διὰ πολυαρχίαν, οὐ δι' ἀσθένειαν. κἀκ τῆς ̔Ρώμης δὲ ἐξωρμήθη καὶ τοὺς πρώτους ἐξήγαγε. μέρος δέ τι τῆς δυνάμεως τῷ Πρόκλῳ δούς, αὐτὸς ἀνεχώρησε, λέγων μὴ φέρειν μάχην ἀνδρῶν ὁμοφύλων ἰδεῖν. οθεν μαλακίαν αὐτοῦ καταγνόντες οἱ στρατιῶται καὶ οἱ στρατάρχαι οὐδὲν τῶν δεόντων επραξαν, ἀλλ' ἡττήθησαν καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Οὐιτελλίου ἐπεκηρυκεύσαντο καὶ 3.46 ἀνεμίχθησαν σφίσι. τῷ δὲ Οθωνι ηγγειλε ταῦτα ἱππεύς, καὶ ἀπιστούμενος "ειθε" εφη "ταῦτα ψευδῆ, Καῖσαρ, ην·" καὶ εἰπὼν ἑαυτὸν διεχρήσατο. πιστευσάντων δ' ἐκ τούτου πάντων καὶ ἑτοίμως ἐχόντων ἀναμαχέσασθαι, οι τε γὰρ δορυφόροι συχνοὶ ησαν, καὶ ετεροι οὐκ ὀλίγοι παρῆσαν, καὶ ἱκετευόντων αὐτὸν μήθ' ἑαυτὸν μήτε σφᾶς προδοῦναι, "πάντες γὰρ" ελεγον "ὑπὲρ σοῦ ἡδέως ἀποθανούμεθα," ὁ Οθων "πολὺ δικαιότερόν ἐστιν" ειπεν "ενα ὑπὲρ πάντων η πολλοὺς ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς ἀπολέσθαι," καὶ μὴ βούλεσθαι δι' ενα ανδρα τὸν δῆμον τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων στασιάζειν καὶ τοσοῦτον οχλον ἀνθρώπων φθείρεσθαι. ταῦτ' εἰπὼν εἰς τὸ δωμάτιον ἀνεχώρησε, καί τινα τοῖς τε οἰκείοις καὶ τῷ Οὐιτελλίῳ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐπιστείλας, τά τε γράμματα οσα τινὲς αὐτῷ κατ' ἐκείνου ἐγεγράφεσαν εκαυσεν, ωστε μηδένα ἐξ αὐτῶν φωραθέντα κινδυνεῦσαι, καὶ καλῶν ενα εκαστον τῶν παρόντων ἠσπάζετο αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐδίδου σφίσι χρήματα. κἀν τούτῳ ταραχῆς γενομένης στρατιωτῶν ἐξῆλθε, καὶ καταστήσας αὐτοὺς οὐ πρότερον ἀνεχώρησε πρὶν ἐς τὸ ἀσφαλὲς αλλους ἀλλαχοῦ πέμψαι. καὶ ουτως ἐπεὶ μηδὲν ετι ταραχῶδες ἐγίνετο, ἑαυτὸν διεχρήσατο. καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ εθαψαν, καί τινες αὐτῷ ἐπέσφαξαν ἑαυτούς. Τοῦτο τὸ τέλος τῷ Οθωνι γέγονε, ζήσαντι μὲν ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα ετη, αρξαντι δὲ ἡμέρας ἐνενήκοντα· οθεν καὶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὴν πονηρίαν τοῦ βίου συνεσκίασε· κάκιστα γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ζήσας κάλλιστα ἀπέθανεν. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται εὐθὺς μὲν ἐταράχθησαν, καὶ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων πολλοὶ ἀνῃρέθησαν· επειτα ὡμονόησαν καὶ προσκεχωρήκεσαν τοῖς κεκρατηκόσιν. 3.47 Οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ τὸ πάθος μαθόντες τοῦ Οθωνος, ἀπεδήμει γὰρ τοῦ αστεος, ὡς προείρηται, αὐτοκράτορα τὸν Οὐιτέλλιον ἀνηγόρευον. οντι δ' ἐν τῇ Γαλατίᾳ ὁ θάνατος ἠγγέλθη τοῦ Οθωνος. ηλθε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καὶ τὸ παιδίον, ο καὶ ἐπὶ βήματος Γερμανικόν τε καὶ αὐτοκράτορα ἐπωνόμασεν, ἑξάετες ον. φιλόμαντις δὲ ὑπάρχων καὶ μηδὲ τὸ βραχὺ πράσσων ανευ αὐτῶν, τότε μὲν τοὺς ἀστρονόμους, υστερον δὲ καὶ τοὺς γόητας ἐξήλασε, προειπὼν σφίσιν ἐντὸς τῆσδε τῆς ἡμέρας ἐξ ἁπάσης ἐκχωρῆσαι τῆς ̓Ιταλίας. κἀκεῖνοι νυκτὸς ἀντιπροθέντες προγράμματα, ἀντιπαρήγγειλαν αὐτῷ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ βίου ἐντὸς τῆς ἡμέρας ἐν ῃ ἐτελεύτησεν. Ην δὲ τρυφῇ τε καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ προσκείμενος. καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τοιοῦτος ων οιος περὶ τὰ καπηλεῖα καὶ τὰ κυβευτήρια καὶ τοὺς ὀρχηστὰς καὶ τοὺς ἁρματηλάτας ἐσπουδακέναι, καὶ ἀμύθητα ἐς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀνήλισκε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ δανειστὰς πολλοὺς ειχε· τότε δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον υβριζε, καὶ τῆς τε ἡμέρας τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς τε νυκτὸς ἐδαπάνα ἀπλήστως ἐμφορούμενος καὶ συνεχῶς ἐξεμῶν, ὡς μόνῃ τῇ παρόδῳ τῶν σιτίων τρέφεσθαι. ἀφ' ουπερ καὶ ἀνταρκεῖν ἠδύνατο. οἱ δὲ συνδειπνοῦντες αὐτῷ πάνυ κακῶς ἀπηλλάσσοντο. οθεν εις τις αὐτῶν νοσήσας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡμέρας τινὰς τοῦ συσσιτίου ἀπολειφθεὶς ειπεν οτι "εἰ μὴ ἐνόσησα, πάντως αν ἀπολώλειν." καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ χρόνος ὁ τῆς αὐταρχίας αὐτοῦ σύμπας οὐδὲν αλλο η 3.48 μέθαι τε καὶ κῶμοι. καὶ τί αν τις καθ' εκαστον αὐτῶν καταλέγοι, ὁπότε πρὸς πάντων ὡμολόγηται δύο μυριάδας μυριάδων καὶ χιλίας πεντακοσίας ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ χρόνῳ ἐς τὰ δεῖπνα αὐτὸν δεδαπανηκέναι. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ παρ' αλλοις εἱστιᾶτο, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας αλλοι μὲν ἀκρατίσασθαι παρεῖχον αὐτῷ, αλλοι δὲ ἀριστῆσαι, ετεροι δὲ δεῖπνον, ετεροι δὲ μεταδόρπιά τινα πλησμονῆς παραμύθια. Ουτω δὲ βιοὺς οὐκ αμοιρος ην παντάπασι καὶ καλῶν εργων. τό τε γὰρ ἐπὶ Νέρωνος καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ Γάλβου τοῦ τε Οθωνος κοπὲν νόμισμα ἐτήρησεν, οὐκ ἀγανακτῶν ταῖς εἰκόσιν