histories-第8节

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He　feigned　anger；　and　ordered　him　to　be　loaded　with　chains；



declaring　that　he　was　to　suffer　more　signal　punishment；　and　thus　he



rescued　him　from　immediate　destruction。



　　Every　thing　was　then　ordered　according　to　the　will　of　the



soldiery。　The　Praetorians　chose　their　own　prefects。　One　was　Plotius



Firmus；　who　had　once　been　in　the　ranks；　had　afterwards　commanded　the



watch；　and　who；　while　Galba　was　yet　alive；　had　embraced　the　cause　of



Otho。　With　him　was　associated　Licinius　Proculus；　Otho's　intimate



friend；　and　consequently　suspected　of　having　encouraged　his　schemes。



Flavius　Sabinus　they　appointed　prefect　of　the　city；　thus　adopting



Nero's　choice；　in　whose　reign　he　had　held　the　same　office；　though　many



in　choosing　him　had　an　eye　to　his　brother　Vespasian。　A　demand　was　then



made；　that　the　fees　for　furloughs　usually　paid　to　the　centurions



should　be　abolished。　These　the　common　soldiers　paid　as　a　kind　of



annual　tribute。　A　fourth　part　of　every　company　might　be　scattered　on



furlough；　or　even　loiter　about　the　camp；　provided　that　they　paid　the



fees　to　the　centurions。　No　one　cared　about　the　amount　of　the　tax；　or



the　way　in　which　it　was　raised。　It　was　by　robbery；　plunder；　or　the



most　servile　occupations　that　the　soldiers'　holiday　was　purchased。　The



man　with　the　fullest　purse　was　worn　out　with　toil　and　cruel　usage　till



he　bought　his　furlough。　His　means　exhausted　by　this　outlay；　and　his



energies　utterly　relaxed　by　idleness；　the　once　rich　and　vigorous



soldier　returned　to　his　company　a　poor　and　spiritless　man。　One　after



another　was　ruined　by　the　same　poverty　and　license；　and　rushed　into



mutiny　and　dissension；　and　finally　into　civil　war。　Otho；　however；



not　to　alienate　the　affections　of　the　centurions　by　an　act　of　bounty



to　the　ranks；　promised　that　his　own　purse　should　pay　these　annual



sums。　It　was　undoubtedly　a　salutary　reform；　and　was　afterwards　under



good　emperors　established　as　a　permanent　rule　of　the　service。　Laco；



prefect　of　the　city；　who　had　been　ostensibly　banished　to　an　island；



was　assassinated　by　an　enrolled　pensioner；　sent　on　by　Otho　to　do　the



deed。　Martianus　Icelus；　being　but　a　freedman；　was　publicly　executed。



　　A　day　spent　in　crime　found　its　last　horror　in　the　rejoicings　that



concluded　it。　The　Praetor　of　the　city　summoned　the　Senate；　the　rest　of



the　Magistrates　vied　with　each　other　in　their　flatteries。　The　Senators



hastily　assembled　and　conferred　by　decree　upon　Otho　the　tribunitial



office；　the　name　of　Augustus；　and　every　imperial　honour。　All　strove　to



extinguish　the　remembrance　of　those　taunts　and　invectives；　which　had



been　thrown　out　at　random；　and　which　no　one　supposed　were　rankling



in　his　heart。　Whether　he　had　forgotten；　or　only　postponed　his



resentment；　the　shortness　of　his　reign　left　undecided。　The　Forum　yet



streamed　with　blood；　when　he　was　borne　in　a　litter　over　heaps　of



dead　to　the　Capitol；　and　thence　to　the　palace。　He　suffered　the



bodies　to　be　given　up　for　burial；　and　to　be　burnt。　For　Piso；　the



last　rites　were　performed　by　his　wife　Verania　and　his　brother



Scribonianus；　for　Vinius；　by　his　daughter　Crispina；　their　heads　having



been　discovered　and　purchased　from　the　murderers；　who　had　reserved



them　for　sale。



　　Piso；　who　was　then　completing　his　thirty…first　year；　had　enjoyed



more　fame　than　good　fortune。　His　brothers；　Magnus　and　Crassus；　had



been　put　to　death　by　Claudius　and　Nero　respectively。　He　was　himself



for　many　years　an　exile；　for　four　days　a　Caesar；　and　Galba's　hurried



adoption　of　him　only　gave　him　this　privilege　over　his　elder　brother；



that　he　perished　first。　Vinius　had　lived　to　the　age　of　fifty…seven；



with　many　changes　of　character。　His　father　was　of　a　praetorian　family；



his　maternal　grandfather　was　one　of　the　proscribed。　He　had　disgraced



himself　in　his　first　campaign　when　he　served　under　the　legate



Calvisius　Sabinus。　That　officer's　wife；　urged　by　a　perverse



curiosity　to　view　the　camp；　entered　it　by　night　in　the　disguise　of　a



soldier；　and　after　extending　the　insulting　frolic　to　the　watches　and



the　general　arrangements　of　the　army；　actually　dared　to　commit　the　act



of　adultery　in　the　head…quarters。　Vinius　was　charged　with　having



participated　in　her　guilt；　and　by　order　of　Caius　was　loaded　with



irons。　The　altered　times　soon　restored　him　to　liberty。　He　then　enjoyed



an　uninterrupted　succession　of　honours；　first　filling　the　praetorship；



and　then　commanding　a　legion　with　general　satisfaction；　but　he



subsequently　incurred　the　degrading　imputation　of　having　pilfered　a



gold　cup　at　the　table　of　Claudius；　who　the　next　day　directed　that　he



alone　should　be　served　on　earthenware。　Yet　as　proconsul　of　Gallia



Narbonensis　he　administered　the　government　with　strict　integrity。　When



forced　by　his　friendship　with　Galba　to　a　dangerous　elevation；　he



shewed　himself　bold；　crafty；　and　enterprising；　and　whether　he



applied　his　powers　to　vice　or　virtue；　was　always　equally　energetic。



His　will　was　made　void　by　his　vast　wealth；　that　of　Piso　owed　its



validity　to　his　poverty。



　　The　body　of　Galba　lay　for　a　long　time　neglected；　and　subjected；



through　the　license　which　the　darkness　permitted；　to　a　thousand



indignities；　till　Argius　his　steward；　who　had　been　one　of　his



slaves；　gave　it　a　humble　burial　in　his　master's　private　gardens。　His



head；　which　the　sutlers　and　camp…followers　had　fixed　on　a　pole　and



mangled；　was　found　only　the　next　day　in　front　of　the　tomb　of



Patrobius；　a　freedman　of　Nero's；　whom　Galba　had　executed。　It　was　put



with　the　body；　which　had　by　that　time　been　reduced　to　ashes。　Such



was　the　end　of　Servius　Galba；　who　in　his　seventy…three　years　had　lived



prosperously　through　the　reigns　of　five　Emperors；　and　had　been　more



fortunate　under　the　rule　of　others　than　he　was　in　his　own。　His



family　could　boast　an　ancient　nobility；　his　wealth　was　great。　His



character　was　of　an　average　kind；　rather　free　from　vices；　than



distinguished　by　virtues。　He　was　not　regardless　of　fame；　nor　yet



vainly　fond　of　it。　Other　men's　money　he　did　not　covet；　with　his　own　he



was　parsimonious；　with　that　of　the　State　avaricious。　To　his　freedmen



and　friends　he　shewed　a　forbearance；　which；　when　he　had　fallen　into



worthy　hands；　could　not　be　blamed；　when；　however；　these　persons　were



worthless；　he　was　even　culpably　blind。　The　nobility　of　his　birth　and



the　perils　of　the　times　made　what　was　really　indolence　pass　for



wisdom。　While　in　the　vigour　of　life；　he　enjoyed　a　high　military



reputation　in　Germany；　as　proconsul　he　ruled　Africa　with　moderation；



and　when　advanced　in　years　shewed　the　same　integrity　in　Eastern　Spain。



He　seemed　greater　than　a　subject　while　he　was　yet　in　a　subject's　rank；



and　by　common　consent　would　have　been　pronounced　equal　to　empire；



had　he　never　been　emperor。



　　The　alarm　of　the　capital；　which　trembled　to　see　the　atrocity　of



these　recent　crimes；　and　to　think　of　the　old　character　of　Otho；　was



heightened　into　terror　by　the　fresh　news　about　Vitellius；　news　which



had　been　suppressed　before　the　murder　of　Galba；　in　order　to　make　it



appear　that　only　the　army　of　Upper　Germany　had　revolted。　That　two　men；



who　for　shamelessness；　indolence；　and　profligacy；　were　the　most



worthless　of　mortals；　had　been　selected；　it　would　seem；　by　some



fatality　to　ruin　the　Empire；　became　the　open　complaint；　not　only　of



the　Senate　and　the　Knights；　who　had　some　stake　and　interest　in　the



country；　but　even　of　the　common　people。　It　was　no　longer　to　the　late



horrors　of　a　dreadful　peace；　but　to　the　recollections　of　the　civil



wars；　that　men　recurred；　speaking　of　how　the　capital　had　been　taken　by



Roman　armies；　how　Italy　had　been　wasted　and　the　provinces　spoiled；



of　Pharsalia；　Philippi；　Perusia；　and　Mutina；　and　all　the　familiar



names　of　great　public　disasters。　〃The　world；〃　they　said；　〃was



well…nigh　turned　upside　down　when　the　struggle　for　empire　was



between　worthy　competitors；　yet　the　Empire　continued　to　exist　after



the　victories　of　Caius　Julius　and　Caesar　Augustus；　the　Republic



would　have　continued　to　exist　under　Pompey　and　Brutus。　And　is　it　for



Otho　or　for　Vitellius　that　we　are　now　to　repair　to　the　temples？



Prayers　for　either　would　be　impious；　vows　for　either　a　blasphemy；　when



from　their　conflict　you　can　only　learn　that　the　conqueror　must　be



the　worse　of　the　two。〃　Some　were　speculating　on　Vespasian　and　the



armies　of　the　East。　Vespasian　was　indeed　preferable　to　either；　yet



they　shuddered　at　the　idea　of　another　war；　of　other　massacres。　Even



about　Vespasian　there　were　doubtful　rumours；　and　he；　unlike　any　of　his



predecessors；　was　changed　for　the　better　by　power。



　　I　will　now　describe　the　origin　and　occasion　of　the　revolt　of



Vitellius。　After　the　destruction　of　Julius　Vindex　and　his　whole　force；



the　army；　flushed　with　the　delights　of　plunder　and　glory；　as　men　might



well　be　who　had　been　fortuna