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despised　such　things　as　being　mere　matters　of　chance；　or　because　the



decrees　of　fate；　though　they　be　foreshewn；　are　not　escaped。　Addressing



a　crowded　assembly　of　the　soldiers　he　announced；　with　imperial



brevity；　that　he　adopted　Piso；　following　the　precedent　of　the　Divine



Augustus；　and　the　military　custom　by　which　a　soldier　chooses　his



comrade。　Fearing　that　to　conceal　the　mutiny　would　be　to　make　them



think　it　greater　than　it　really　was；　he　spontaneously　declared　that



the　4th　and　18th　legions；　led　by　a　few　factious　persons；　had　been



insubordinate；　but　had　not　gone　beyond　certain　words　and　cries；　and



that　they　would　soon　return　to　their　duty。　To　this　speech　he　added



no　word　of　flattery；　no　hint　of　a　bribe。　Yet　the　tribunes；　the



centurions；　and　such　of　the　soldiers　as　stood　near；　made　an



encouraging　response。　A　gloomy　silence　prevailed　among　the　rest；　who



seemed　to　think　that　they　had　lost　by　war　that　right　to　a　donative



which　they　had　made　good　even　in　peace。　It　is　certain　that　their



feelings　might　have　been　conciliated　by　the　very　smallest　liberality



on　the　part　of　the　parsimonious　old　man。　He　was　ruined　by　his



old…fashioned　inflexibility；　and　by　an　excessive　sternness　which　we



are　no　longer　able　to　endure。



　　Then　followed　Galba's　speech　in　the　Senate；　which　was　as　plain　and



brief　as　his　speech　to　the　soldiery。　Piso　delivered　a　graceful　oration



and　was　supported　by　the　feeling　of　the　Senate。　Many　who　wished　him



well；　spoke　with　enthusiasm；　those　who　had　opposed　him；　in　moderate



terms；　the　majority　met　him　with　an　officious　homage；　having　aims　of



their　own　and　no　thought　for　the　state。　Piso　neither　said　nor　did



anything　else　in　public　in　the　following　four　days　which　intervened



between　his　adoption　and　his　death。　As　tidings　of　the　mutiny　in



Germany　were　arriving　with　daily　increasing　frequency；　while　the



country　was　ready　to　receive　and　to　credit　all　intelligence　that　had



an　unfavourable　character；　the　Senate　came　to　a　resolution　to　send



deputies　to　the　German　armies。　It　was　privately　discussed　whether　Piso



should　go　with　them　to　give　them　a　more　imposing　appearance；　they；



it　was　said；　would　bring　with　them　the　authority　of　the　Senate；　he　the



majesty　of　the　Caesar。　It　was　thought　expedient　to　send　with　them



Cornelius　Laco；　prefect　of　the　Praetorian　Guard；　but　he　thwarted　the



design。　In　nominating；　excusing；　and　changing　the　deputies；　the　Senate



having　entrusted　the　selection　to　Galba；　the　Emperor　shewed　a



disgraceful　want　of　firmness；　yielding　to　individuals；　who　made



interest　to　stay　or　to　go；　as　their　fears　or　their　hopes　prompted。



　　Next　came　the　question　of　money。　On　a　general　inquiry　it　seemed



the　fairest　course　to　demand　restitution　from　those　who　had　caused　the



public　poverty。　Nero　had　squandered　in　presents　two　thousand　two



hundred　million　sesterces。　It　was　ordered　that　each　recipient　should



be　sued；　but　should　be　permitted　to　retain　a　tenth　part　of　the　bounty。



They　had　however　barely　a　tenth　part　left；　having　wasted　the



property　of　others　in　the　same　extravagances　in　which　they　had



squandered　their　own；　till　the　most　rapacious　and　profligate　among



them　had　neither　capital　nor　land　remaining；　nothing　in　fact　but　the



appliances　of　their　vices。　Thirty　Roman　Knights　were　appointed　to



conduct　the　process　of　recovery；　a　novel　office；　and　made　burdensome



by　the　number　and　intriguing　practices　of　those　with　whom　it　had　to



deal。　Everywhere　were　sales　and　brokers；　and　Rome　was　in　an　uproar



with　auctions。　Yet　great　was　the　joy　to　think　that　the　men　whom　Nero



had　enriched　would　be　as　poor　as　those　whom　he　had　robbed。　About



this　time　were　cashiered　two　tribunes　of　the　Praetorian　Guard；



Antonius　Taurus　and　Antonius　Naso；　an　officer　of　the　City　cohorts；



Aemilius　Pacensis；　and　one　of　the　watch；　Julius　Fronto。　This　led　to　no



amendment　with　the　rest；　but　only　started　the　apprehension；　that　a



crafty　and　timid　policy　was　getting　rid　of　individuals；　while　all　were



suspected。



　　Otho；　meanwhile；　who　had　nothing　to　hope　while　the　State　was



tranquil；　and　whose　whole　plans　depended　on　revolution；　was　being



roused　to　action　by　a　combination　of　many　motives；　by　a　luxury　that



would　have　embarrassed　even　an　emperor；　by　a　poverty　that　a　subject



could　hardly　endure；　by　his　rage　against　Galba；　by　his　envy　of　Piso。



He　even　pretended　to　fear　to　make　himself　keener　in　desire。　〃I　was；



said　he；　〃too　formidable　to　Nero；　and　I　must　not　look　for　another



Lusitania；　another　honourable　exile。　Rulers　always　suspect　and　hate



the　man　who　has　been　named　for　the　succession。　This　has　injured　me



with　the　aged　Emperor；　and　will　injure　me　yet　more　with　a　young　man



whose　temper；　naturally　savage；　has　been　rendered　ferocious　by



prolonged　exile。　How　easy　to　put　Otho　to　death！　I　must　therefore　do



and　dare　now　while　Galba's　authority　is　still　unsettled；　and　before



that　of　Piso　is　consolidated。　Periods　of　transition　suit　great



attempts；　and　delay　is　useless　where　inaction　is　more　hurtful　than



temerity。　Death；　which　nature　ordains　for　all　alike；　yet　admits　of　the



distinction　of　being　either　forgotten；　or　remembered　with　honour　by



posterity；　and；　if　the　same　lot　awaits　the　innocent　and　the　guilty；



the　man　of　spirit　will　at　least　deserve　his　fate。〃



　　The　soul　of　Otho　was　not　effeminate　like　his　person。　His



confidential　freedmen　and　slaves；　who　enjoyed　a　license　unknown　in



private　families；　brought　the　debaucheries　of　Nero's　court；　its



intrigues；　its　easy　marriages；　and　the　other　indulgences　of　despotic



power；　before　a　mind　passionately　fond　of　such　things；　dwelt　upon　them



as　his　if　he　dared　to　seize　them；　and　reproached　the　inaction　that



would　leave　them　to　others。　The　astrologers　also　urged　him　to



action；　predicting　from　their　observation　of　the　heavens



revolutions；　and　a　year　of　glory　for　Otho。　This　is　a　class　of　men；



whom　the　powerful　cannot　trust；　and　who　deceive　the　aspiring；　a



class　which　will　always　be　proscribed　in　this　country；　and　yet



always　retained。　Many　of　these　men　were　attached　to　the　secret



councils　of　Poppaea　and　were　the　vilest　tools　in　the　employ　of　the



imperial　household。　One　of　them；　Ptolemaeus；　had　attended　Otho　in



Spain；　and　had　there　foretold　that　his　patron　would　survive　Nero。



Gaining　credit　by　the　result；　and　arguing　from　his　own　conjectures　and



from　the　common　talk　of　those　who　compared　Galba's　age　with　Otho's



youth；　he　had　persuaded　the　latter　that　he　would　be　called　to　the



throne。　Otho　however　received　the　prediction　as　the　words　of　wisdom



and　the　intimation　of　destiny；　with　that　inclination　so　natural　to　the



human　mind　readily　to　believe　in　the　mysterious。



　　Nor　did　Ptolemaeus　fail　to　play　his　part；　he　now　even　prompted　to



crime；　to　which　from　such　wishes　it　is　easy　to　pass。　Whether　indeed



these　thoughts　of　crime　were　suddenly　conceived；　is　doubtful。　Otho　had



long　been　courting　the　affections　of　the　soldiery；　either　in　the



hope　of　succeeding　to　the　throne；　or　in　preparation　for　some　desperate



act。　On　the　march；　on　parade；　and　in　their　quarters；　he　would



address　all　the　oldest　soldiers　by　name；　and　in　allusion　to　the



progresses　of　Nero　would　call　them　his　messmates。　Some　he　would



recognise；　he　would　inquire　after　others；　and　would　help　them　with　his



money　and　interest。　He　would　often　intersperse　his　conversation　with



complaints　and　insinuations　against　Galba　and　anything　else　that　might



excite　the　vulgar　mind。　Laborious　marches；　a　scanty　commissariat；



and　the　rigour　of　military　discipline；　were　especially　distasteful；



when　men；　accustomed　to　sail　to　the　lakes　of　Campania　and　the　cities



of　Greece；　had　painfully　to　struggle　under　the　weight　of　their　arms



over　the　Pyrenees；　the　Alps；　and　vast　distances　of　road。



　　The　minds　of　the　soldiery　were　already　on　fire；　when　Maevius　Pudens；



a　near　relative　of　Tigellinus；　added；　so　to　speak；　fuel　to　the　flames。



In　his　endeavour　to　win　over　all　who　were　particularly　weak　in



character；　or　who　wanted　money　and　were　ready　to　plunge　into



revolution；　he　gradually　went　so　far　as　to　distribute；　whenever



Galba　dined　with　Otho；　one　hundred　sesterces　to　each　soldier　of　the



cohort　on　duty；　under　pretext　of　treating　them。　This；　which　we　may



almost　call　a　public　bounty；　Otho　followed　up　by　presents　more



privately　bestowed　on　individuals；　nay　he　bribed　with　such　spirit；



that；　finding　there　was　a　dispute　between　Cocceius　Proculus；　a　soldier



of　the　bodyguard；　and　one　of　his　neighbours；　about　some　part　of



their　boundaries；　he　purchased　with　his　own　money　the　neighbour's



entire　estate；　and　made　a　present　of　it　to　the　soldier。　He　took



advantage　of　the　lazy　indifference　of　the　Prefect；　who　overlooked



alike　notorious　facts　and　secret　practices。



　　He　then　entrusted　the　conduct　of　his　meditated　treason　to　O