§10καὶ μέχρι μέν τινος ἔτ’ ἀντεῖχε μὴ κατὰ τὸ παντελὲς μεθιέμενος τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀντίληψιν.
And for a certain time he still held out, not entirely letting go of his grasp on affairs.
ὡς δ’ ἤκουσε τὸν Τιβερίου μὲν υἱωνὸν κοινωνὸν δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀναιρεθέντα Γαΐου κελεύσαντος, ἀλέκτῳ πληγεὶς συμφορᾷ καταβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν ἀχανὴς ἔκειτο, τῆς διανοίας πολὺ πρότερον ἀπειρηκυίας καὶ παρειμένης αὐτῷ.
But when he heard that Tiberius's grandson, who was also a partner in the empire, had been slain at the command of Gaius, struck by an unspeakable disaster, he cast himself down and lay speechless, his mind having already given up and failed him long before.
§11ζῶντος μὲν γὰρ τοῦ μειρακίου τὰ ζώπυρα τῆς ἰδίας σωτηρίας οὐκ ἀπεγίνωσκεν, ἀποθανόντος δὲ συντεθνάναι καὶ τὰς οἰκείας ἐλπίδας ἔδοξεν, εἰ καὶ μικρά τις ἀπελείπετο αὔρα βοηθείας, ἡ πρὸς Μάκρωνα φιλία τὰ σύμπαντα παρὰ Γαΐῳ κατ’ ἀρχὰς δυνηθέντα καὶ πλείστην μοῖραν ὡς λόγος εἰσενεγκάμενον αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ τυχεῖν τῆς ἡγεμονίας καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον πρὸς τὸ σωθῆναι, §12πολλάκις μὲν ἐκποδὼν ποιήσασθαι τὸν Γάιον διανοηθέντος Τιβερίου ὡς κακοήθη καὶ οὐ πεφυκότα πρὸς ἀρχήν, καὶ ἅμα διὰ τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ υἱωνῷ φόβον — ἐδεδίει γάρ, μὴ παρανάλωμα γένηται τελευτήσαντος αὐτοῦ —, πολλάκις δὲ τοῦ Μάκρωνος τὰς ὑπονοίας ὑπεξαιρουμένου καὶ τὸν Γάιον ἐπαινοῦντος ὡς ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀπόνηρον καὶ κοινωνικὸν καὶ τοῦ ἀνεψιοῦ μάλιστα ἡττημένον, ὡς ἢ μόνῳ ἂν ἐθελῆσαι παραχωρῆσαι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἢ πάντως τὰ πρωτεῖα.
For while the youth was alive, he did not despair of the sparks of his own safety, but when he died, his own hopes seemed to have died with him, even if some small breeze of help was left—the friendship with Macro, who initially had supreme power with Gaius and, as rumor had it, contributed the greatest share to his obtaining the sovereignty and even more to his safety, while Tiberius had often intended to make away with Gaius as malicious and unfit for rule, and at the same time out of fear for his grandson—for he feared lest he should become a victim after his own death—and while Macro often removed these suspicions and praised Gaius as simple, harmless, and cooperative, and especially devoted to his cousin, as one who would be willing to yield the sovereignty either to him alone or certainly the first place.
§13ὑφ’ ὧν ἀπατηθεὶς ἔλαθεν ἄσπονδον ἐχθρὸν ἑαυτῷ καὶ υἱωνῷ καὶ γένει καὶ παρακλήτῳ Μάκρωνι καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις καταλιπών.
Deceived by these things, he unwittingly left behind an implacable enemy to himself, his grandson, his family, his intercessor Macro, and all mankind.
§14ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Μάκρων ὁρῶν αὐτὸν ἐκδιαιτώμενον καὶ ἀχαλίνοις ταῖς ὁρμαῖς, ἐφ’ ἃ ἂν τύχῃ καὶ ὡς ἂν τύχῃ, χρώμενον ἐνουθέτει καὶ παρηγόρει νομίζων ἐκεῖνον εἶναι Γάιον τόν, ἡνίκ’ ἔτ’ ἔζη Τιβέριος, ἐπιεικῆ καὶ πειθαρχικόν, ὁ κακοδαίμων εὐνοίας περιττῆς ἔδωκε τὰς ἀνωτάτω δίκας πανοίκιος αὐτῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις συναναιρεθεὶς ὡς περιττὸν ἄχθος καὶ παρενόχλημα.
For when Macro, seeing him living degenerately and indulging in unbridled impulses, on whatever they might light and in whatever way they might happen, admonished and exhorted him, thinking that he was the same Gaius who, while Tiberius yet lived, was mild and obedient, the ill-fated man, because of his excessive goodwill, paid the extreme penalty, being destroyed along with his wife and children as a superfluous burden and an annoyance.
§15καὶ γὰρ ὁπότε πόρρωθεν αὐτὸν ἀφικνούμενον ἴδοι, τοιαῦτα πρὸς τοὺς συνόντας διεξῄει· „μὴ μειδιῶμεν, κατηφῶμεν·
For indeed, whenever he saw him approaching from afar, he would say to his companions: "Let us not smile, let us look downcast.
ὁ νουθετητὴς παραγίνεται, ὁ αὐθέκαστος, ὁ ἀνδρὸς τελείου καὶ αὐτοκράτορος ἀρξάμενος νῦν εἶναι παιδαγωγός, ὅτε καὶ τοὺς ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ὁ καιρὸς ἀπήλασε καὶ διέζευξεν. “ §16Ἐπεὶ δ’ οὖν καὶ τοῦτον ἔγνω προσανῃρημένον ὁ Φλάκκος, τὴν λοιπὴν ἐλπίδα κατὰ τὸ παντελὲς ἀπεγνώκει καὶ οὐκέθ’ ὁμοίως ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων οἷός τε ἦν ἐξασθενῶν καὶ διαρρέων τὴν γνώμην.
The admonisher arrives, the rigid one, who has now begun to be the tutor of a mature man and emperor, even when time has driven away and separated those tutors of his earliest youth." So when Flaccus learned that this man too had been destroyed, he completely despaired of his remaining hope, and was no longer able to grasp affairs in the same way, being weakened and losing his resolve.
§17ὅταν δ’ ὁ ἄρχων ἀπογνῷ τὸ δύνασθαι κρατεῖν, ἀνάγκη τοὺς ὑπηκόους εὐθὺς ἀφηνιάζειν καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἐκ μικρῶν καὶ τῶν τυχόντων πεφυκότας ἀνερεθίζεσθαι· ἐν οἷς τὸ Αἰγυπτιακὸν τὰ πρωτεῖα φέρεται διὰ βραχυτάτου σπινθῆρος εἰωθὸς ἐκφυσᾶν στάσεις μεγάλας.
But when the ruler despairs of being able to hold power, it is inevitable that the subjects immediately rebel, and especially those who are by nature easily excited by small and trivial matters; among whom the Egyptian crowd bears the palm, being accustomed to blow up great seditions from the smallest spark.
§18ἐν ἀμηχάνοις δὲ καὶ ἀπόροις γεγονὼς ἐσφάδᾳζε καὶ τὰ πρὸ μικροῦ πάντα ἤλλαξεν ἅμα τῇ τοῦ λογισμοῦ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον μεταβολῇ ποιησάμενος τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν συνηθεστάτων·
And being in helpless and desperate straits, he was in agony and changed all his previous ways, at the same time as his reasoning changed for the worse, beginning with those who were most familiar to him.
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ εὔνους καὶ μάλιστα φίλους ὑφωρᾶτο καὶ διωθεῖτο, τοῖς δ’ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνομολογηθεῖσιν ἐχθροῖς ἐσπένδετο καὶ συμβούλοις περὶ πάντων ἐχρῆτο.
For he suspected and pushed away his well-wishers and especially his friends, and made peace with those who were from the beginning his acknowledged enemies, and used them as counselors in all matters.
§19οἱ δ’ — ἐγκότως γὰρ εἶχον — τὸ κατηλλάχθαι δοκεῖν λόγῳ μόνον ἐπιμορφάσαντες, ἔργοις δὲ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἀσύμβατα μνησικακοῦντες καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν θεάτρῳ καθυποκρινόμενοι γνησίαν φιλίαν ὅλον αὐτὸν συναρπάζουσι·
And they—for they harbored resentment—pretended reconciliation in word only, but in their hearts retained an irreconcilable grudge, and acting out a genuine friendship as if on a stage, they completely carried him away.
καὶ γίνεται ὁ μὲν ἄρχων ὑπήκοος, οἱ δ’ ὑπήκοοι ἡγεμόνες, εἰσηγούμενοι μὲν ἀλυσιτελεστάτας γνώμας, εὐθὺς δὲ ταύτας ἐπισφραγιζόμενοι.
Thus the ruler became a subject, and the subjects became rulers, introducing the most unprofitable counsels and immediately sealing them.
§20βεβαιωταὶ γὰρ ὧν ἐβουλεύσαντο πάντων ἐγίνοντο κωφὸν ὡς ἐπὶ σκηνῆς προσωπεῖον ἕνεκα προσχήματος αὐτὸ μόνον παραλαμβάνοντες ἐπιγεγραμμένον ὄνομα ἀρχῆς, Διονύσιοι δημοκόποι, Λάμπωνες γραμματοκύφωνες, Ἰσίδωροι στασιάρχαι, φιλοπράγμονες, κακῶν εὑρεταί, ταραξιπόλιδες· τοῦτο γὰρ κεκράτηκέ πως τοὔνομα.
For they became the determiners of all that they planned, taking him only for the sake of appearance, like a silent mask on the stage, bearing the name of authority—the demagogues Dionysioi, the desk-stooping scribes Lampones, the faction-leaders Isidoroi, busybodies, inventors of evils, disturbers of the city, for this name has somehow prevailed.
§21συνταξάμενοι πάντες οὗτοι βούλευμα βουλεύουσι κατὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀργαλεώτατον καὶ τῷ Φλάκκῳ προσελθόντες ἰδίᾳ φασίν· §22"ἔρρει μέν σοι τὰ ἀπὸ Τιβερίου Νέρωνος τοῦ παιδός, ἔρρει δὲ καὶ ἡ μετ’ ἐκεῖνον ἐλπίς, ὁ ἑταῖρός σου Μάκρων, αἴσια δ’ οὐκ ἔστι σοι τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ κρατοῦντος·
All these, having combined, formed a most grievous plot against the Jews, and coming to Flaccus privately, they said: "Your support from Tiberius Nero the youth has gone, and your hope after him, your companion Macro, has also gone, and the favor of the ruler is not with you.
δεῖ δὴ παράκλητον ἡμᾶς εὑρεῖν δυνατώτατον, ὑφ’ οὗ Γάιος ἐξευμενισθήσεται.
We must therefore find a most powerful intercessor by whom Gaius will be appeased."