order1. Other prominent persons however perished, as Macro, to whom he had owed so much, and Macro's wife, Ennia, to whom he had formerly promised marriage 2. The scandal of his open incest with Drusilla was yet further increased by his demanding her deification and other extravagant honours at her death3.

By this time the treasury had been emptied by lavish expenditure of all kinds, especially by unparalleled magnificence in public entertainments. Gaius was thus driven to replenish his funds by confiscation; and numbers are stated to have been selected for condemnation, really on the ground of their wealth, ostensibly on such charges as that of having aided Seianus against Agrippina and her house, on the testimony of the records which he had pretended to burn *.

Already Gaius began to desire divine honours for himself. The known antipathy of the Jews to this cultus was made the occasion for a ferocious persecution of them by the Greeks of Alexandria, abetted by Avidius Flaccus, the praefect of Egypt. A visit paid by Agrippa to the city, on his way from Rome to take possession of his principality, furnished a pretext for a still further outbreak. His influence with Gaius appears to have assisted in procuring the removal of Flaccus, whereby the Jews of Egypt obtained some temporary respite 7.

A. U. C. 792, A. D. 39. C. CAESAR II, L. APRONIUS, L. F., CAESIANUS 8,

Coss.

Gaius resigned the consulship in thirty days to Sanquinius Maximus; his colleague held it for six months. The suffecti for the rest of the year were Cn. Domitius Corbulo and Cn. Domitius Afer 10.

Herodes Antipas, who had gone to Rome to sue for an increase of dominion, was exiled to Lugdunum, and accompanied thither by his wife, Herodias". Mithridates, who had become king of Armenia by the aid of Tiberius 12, was summoned to Rome and detained in custody 13.

To this year belongs the narrative of the most celebrated of the extravagances of Gaius, the construction of a bridge, formed chiefly of the ships that should have brought corn to Italy, across the gulf from Puteoli to Baiae; apparently for the mere purpose of crossing and recrossing it in a triumphal pageant ". Other schemes of a more practical

character may possibly belong to the same date, such as the commencement of an aqueduct1, and of harbours of refuge for the corn ships on either side of the Sicilian strait, and a project of cutting through the isthmus of Corinth 3. Numerous devices are also recorded for extorting funds to replenish the treasury. Among those put to death are mentioned Calvisius Sabinus and his wife Cornelia, Titius Rufus, and a praetor Junius Priscus. To this period belong also the accusation and peril of Domitius Afer, and the narrow escape of Seneca 5.

In the latter part of the year he set off suddenly to Gaul, ordering large levies to meet him there. No warlike operation, save a sham incursion across the Rhine, is recorded; but the expedition was the means of suppressing an apparently formidable conspiracy" originated by Lentulus Gaetulicus, legatus of Upper Germany, who appears to have been disarmed and put to death without a struggle. In connection with this plot, Lepidus, the former husband of Drusilla, was put to death, Agrippina and Julia were banished to the island of Pontia 1o, and others shared a similar fate. As a further expedient to raise money, the treasured heirlooms of the imperial house were sent for to Lugdunum and sold at an auction at which he was present and stimulated the bidding". He appears also at this time to have married his last wife Caesonia 12.

A. U. C. 793, A. D. 40. GAIUS CAESAR III, SOLE CONSUL 18.

He entered on the consulship at Lugdunum, but resigned it to two suffecti on Jan. 13. Ptolemaeus, king of Mauretania, was summoned by him to his presence and put to death 14. The army is said to have been led to the coast as for a descent on Britain, and bidden to gather shells as spoils of the ocean, and to have retired after building a lighthouse on the spot 15, taking with them a British prince, Adminius son of Cunobelinus, who had joined them voluntarily 16.

Gaius returned to Rome on his birthday (Aug. 31), with special indi

11 Dio, 59. 21, 5.

12 Since the death of Drusilla, he had already married and divorced Cornelia Orestilla (wife of C. Piso) and Lollia Paulina (on whom see 12. 1, 3).

13 This is explained by his ignorance of the death at Rome of his colleague designate (Suet. 17).

14 Dio, 59. 25, I: cp. 4. 23, I.

15 Suet. 46; Dio, 59. 25, 2; the expedition is alluded to, as a mere project, in Agr. 13. 4.

16 Suet. Cal. 44.

cations of hostility to the senate and nobles'. Among those put to death were Vitellinus Cassius and his father Capito2; while Scribonius Proculus was assassinated to please him by the senate during its sitting 3.

He is now stated to have assumed the attributes, dress, and insignia of various gods and even goddesses, and to have exacted the divine honours paid to each, also to have brought to Rome and adapted to his own likeness famous statues of gods from Greece and elsewhere, and to have meditated setting his effigy up in various famous temples 5.

A deputation from the Jews of Alexandria, headed by Philo, was sent to plead on behalf of the religious scruples of the Jews, but considered themselves fortunate in escaping with their lives".

Petronius, the legatus of Syria, was commanded to set up a statue of the emperor within the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple. The earnest remonstrances of the Jews to Petronius, backed up by his own intercession and that of Agrippa, procured a temporary remission of the sentence, but a final and peremptory decree is said to have been sent afterwards, and the crisis to have been averted only by the emperor's death 8.

At Rome men saved themselves only by abject flattery, in which L. Vitellius (who had earned a reputation in Syria by having extorted homage and hostages from Artabanus) was conspicuous".

A. U. C. 794, A. D. 41. C. CAESAR IV, CN. SENTIUS SATURNINUS, Coss.

A conspiracy was formed by Cassius Chaerea and Cornelius Sabinus, tribunes of the praetorian guard, in which the emperor's chief freedman Callistus and others took part. Gaius was assassinated during the Palatine Games, Jan. 24 10.

Principate of Claudius.

The senate met hastily to discuss the situation, and debated on the restoration of the Republic, but separated without coming to a decision ". Outside, all was in confusion; the German guards had taken vengeance, and had slain persons of distinction unconnected with the conspiracy 12;

the populace were clamouring for the names of the assassins, but were somewhat cowed by the boldness of Valerius Asiaticus'. Meanwhile, some of the praetorians had found Claudius hidden in the palace, had saluted him as imperator, and carried him to the camp, where on the next day, after promising them a donative of 15,000 H. S. each 2, he had accepted their sacramentum; and the senate, after some negotiation in which Herodes Agrippa had taken a prominent part, found itself left with only insignificant military authority, and had no resource but to ratify this choice 3.

His first act on entering the senate, after thirty days' interval', was to order the execution of Chaerea and of Lupus (who, by order of the former, had put to death Caesonia and her child): Sabinus, though exempted from this sentence, committed suicide. All others were embraced under the terms of a general amnesty ; but the assassination of Gaius left lasting effects in the jealous precautions taken to search all visitors to the princeps for hidden arms".

On the twentieth day of his rule (Feb. 13), his wife, Valeria Messalina, gave birth to a son, afterwards known as Britannicus R.

The first care of the new rule was to remedy the general disorganisation resulting from the late tyranny, to re-establish the constitution on principles professedly agreeing with those of Augustus, and to deal with conditions of disturbance and anarchy in various provinces and vassal kingdoms ".

Victories were gained in this year over the Mauri and Maurusii in Libya, and over the Chatti in Germany, from whom the last of the three eagles lost with Varus was recovered 10.

The baneful influence of Messalina begins already to exert itself. Julia, daughter of Germanicus, who (with her sister Agrippina) had been recalled from exile by Claudius at the beginning of his rule, excited her

1 See note on II. I, 2.

2 Suet. (Cl. 10) notes this as the first example of that evil practice ('primus Caesarum fidem militis etiam praemio pigneratus').

Of the imperial titles, it is noted that he did not accept that of 'pater patriae' (Dio, 60. 3, 2). It was assumed at the beginning of the following year (see Lehmann, p. 197). He followed Tiberius and Gaius in not using the 'praenomen imperatoris.' See Mommsen, Staatsr. ii. 796. Dio, 1. 1.

Dio, 60. 3, 4; Jos. Ant. 19. 4, 5. • Suet. Cl. 11; Dio, l. l.

7 See note on II. 22, I.

• The measures taken are fully described below (pp. 24 foll.).

10 In Dio, 60. 8, 7, the victory over the Maurusii is ascribed to Galba, that over the Chatti to Gabinius: but Galba was at this time legatus of Upper Germany, and probably gained this victory over the Chatti; Gabinius (who was his successor) is recorded to have gained successes over the Chauci and to have taken a cognomen from them (Suet. Cl. 24). For the recovery of the other eagles, see 1. 60, 4; 2. 25, 2.

jealousy by her beauty, independence, and intimacy with Claudius, and was attacked on a charge of adultery with Seneca, who was banished to Corsica, Julia being deported to Pandateria, where she was soon afterwards put to death 1.

A. U. C. 795, A. D. 42.

CLAUDIUS CAESAR II2, C. CAECINA
LARGUS, Coss.

The Mauri were further defeated by Suetonius Paulinus, and Mauretania was finally reduced and organised in two provinces by his successor, Cn. Hosidius Geta *.

6

Appius Junius Silanus, who had been sent for as a friend from his province in Spain, had given offence to Messalina (to whose mother, Domitia Lepida, he was married), and was put to death at her instigation and that of Narcissus, who worked on the fears of Claudius by a tale of a dream 5. This murder is represented as the principal cause of a formidable conspiracy set on foot by Annius Vinicianus 7, and supported by many nobles, especially by Furius Camillus Scribonianus, who as legatus of Delmatia had command of two legions close to the frontier of Italy. Camillus endeavoured to terrify Claudius into abdication by an insulting letter, and professed an intention to restore the Republic 10, but himself aspired to the imperial dignity. The conspiracy collapsed in five days by the return of the soldiers to their allegiance 12; Camillus was killed 1, and Vinicianus committed suicide 14. A bloody retribution followed; a number of the nobles being brought to trial before the senate in the presence of Claudius; when many senators and knights were tortured, and Messalina and the freedmen are said to have turned the occasion to account by getting those condemned who had offended

11

1 1 Dio, 60. 8, 5. On her exile under Gaius, see above, p. 8. That the place of her second exile and death was Pandateria, appears from 14. 63, 2.

2 Claudius laid down the consulship March 1, and was succeeded by Cornelius Lupus (Lehmann, p. 196).

On this person, see 11. 33, 3, and note. Dio, 60. 9. Lehmann (p. 256) places the constitution of the province three years later. Its Era is reckoned from

the death of its last king in 793, A.D. 40 (Marquardt, Staatsv. i. p. 324).

3

Dio, 60. 14, 3: cp. 11. 29, 1, and note. For the pedigree of the Junii Silani, see Introd. i. ix. 139.

• Dio, l. 1. On this person, see 6. 9, 5, and note. He appears to have been a nephew of

M. Vinicius, who was husband of the
Julia mentioned above as put to death.
8 One of them was Q. Pomponius (see
13. 43, 3, and note).

Suet. Cl. 35.

10 Dio, 60. 15, 3.

11 Suet. Cl. 13. So Tacitus says (H. 1. 89, 2): Scriboniani contra Claudium incepta simul audita et coercita.'

12 The two legions (VII and XI) were rewarded with the title Claudia fidelis pia' (Dio, 60. 15, 4).

13 Dio states (1. 1.) that he killed himself, but Tacitus (H. 2. 75, 3) gives the name of a soldier who was rewarded for killing him. See also Plin. Ep. 3. 16, 9. His successor in Delmatia was the father of the Emperor Otho (Suet. Oth. 1). 14 Dio, 60. 15, 5.