§49Procedente mox tempore etiam ad rapinas conuertit animum.
Soon after, he also turned his mind to plunder.
satis constat, Cn. Lentulum Augurem, cui census maximus fuerit, metu et angore ad fastidium uitae ab eo actum et ut ne quo nisi ipso herede moreretur; condemnatam et generosissimam feminam Lepidam in gratiam Quirini consularis praediuitis et orbi, qui dimissam eam e matrimonio post uicensimum annum ueneni olim in se comparati arguebat; praeterea Galliarum et Hispaniarum Syriaeque et Graeciae principes confiscatos ob tam leue ac tam inpudens calumniarum genus, ut quibusdam non aliud sit obiectum, quam quod partem rei familiaris in pecunia haberent; plurimis etiam ciuitatibus et priuatis ueteres immunitates et ius metallorum ac uectigalium adempta; sed et Vononem regem Parthorum, qui pulsus a suis quasi in fidem p. R. cum ingenti gaza Antiochiam se receperat. spoliatum perfidia et occisum.
It is well established that Cnaeus Lentulus Augur, who possessed a very large fortune, was driven by him through fear and anxiety to weariness of life, and to make no one but Tiberius himself his heir; and that Lepida, a woman of most noble birth, was condemned to gratify Quirinius, a very wealthy and childless consular, who accused her of having formerly prepared poison for him after her divorce from him in the twentieth year of their marriage; moreover, that the leading men of the Gauls, Spains, Syria, and Greece were confiscated on such trivial and shameless kinds of accusations that against some no other charge was brought than that they kept a part of their fortune in cash; also that from many cities and private individuals their ancient immunities and the rights of mines and taxes were taken away; and even Vonones, the king of the Parthians, who, having been expelled by his own people, had retired to Antioch with an immense treasure as if putting himself under the protection of the Roman people, was plundered by treachery and slain.
§50Odium aduersus necessitudines in Druso primum fratre detexit, prodita eius epistula, qua secum de cogendo ad restituendam libertatem Augusto agebat, deinde et in reliquis.
He first revealed his hatred toward his relatives in the case of his brother Drusus, by disclosing a letter of his in which Drusus was discussing with him about compelling Augustus to restore liberty, and then also toward the rest.
Iuliae uxori tantum afuit ut relegatae, quod minimum est, offici aut humanitatis aliquid impertiret, ut ex constitutione patris uno oppido clausam domo quoque egredi et commercio hominum frui uetuerit; sed et peculio concesso a patre praebitisque annuis fraudauit, per speciem publici iuris, quod nihil de his Augustus testamento cauisset.
So far was he from showing his wife Julia, when she was banished—which was the least he could do—any duty or humanity, that, in accordance with her father's decree, he confined her to a single town and forbade her even to leave the house or enjoy the society of mankind; he even defrauded her of the personal property granted to her by her father and of her annual allowance, under the pretext of public law, because Augustus had made no provision for these in his will.
matrem Liuiam grauatus uelut partes sibi aequas potentiae uindicantem, et congressum eius assiduum uitauit et longiores secretioresque sermones, ne consiliis, quibus tamen interdum et egere et uti solebat, regi uideretur.
Being annoyed by his mother Livia, as if she were claiming an equal share of power for herself, he avoided both frequent meetings with her and longer and more confidential conversations, lest he should seem to be ruled by her advice, which, however, he was accustomed sometimes both to need and to use.
tulit etiam perindigne actum in senatu, ut titulis suis quasi Augusti, ita et 'Liuiae filius' adiceretur.
He also took it very ill when a motion was made in the senate that to his titles, just as "son of Augustus," so also "son of Livia" should be added.
quare non 'parentem patriae' appellari, non ullum insignem honorem recipere publice passus est; sed et frequenter admonuit, maioribus nec feminae conuenientibus negotiis abstineret, praecipue ut animaduertit incendio iuxta aedem Vestae et ipsam interuenisse populumque et milites, quo enixius opem ferrent, adhortatam, sicut sub marito solita esset.
For this reason, he did not permit her to be called "parent of the country" or to receive any distinguished public honor; indeed, he frequently warned her to abstain from major affairs which did not befit a woman, especially when he noticed that she had intervened in a fire near the temple of Vesta and had exhorted the people and soldiers to bring help more actively, just as she had been accustomed to do under her husband.
§51dehinc ad simultatem usque processit hac, ut ferunt, de causa.
Then he proceeded even to open enmity, and that, as they say, for the following reason.
instanti saepius, ut ciuitate donatum in decurias adlegeret, negauit alia se condicione adlecturum, quam si pateretur ascribi albo extortum id sibi a matre.
When she repeatedly urged him to enroll a certain man, who had been presented with citizenship, into the decuries, he refused to enroll him on any other condition than that she should allow it to be written on the roll that this had been extorted from him by his mother.
at illa commota ueteres quosdam ad se Augusti codicillos de acerbitate et intolerantia morum eius e sacrario protulit atque recitauit.
But she, highly incensed, brought forth from her private shrine and read aloud some old letters of Augustus to her concerning the sourness and intolerance of his character.
hos et custoditos tam diu et exprobratos tam infeste adeo grauiter tulit, ut quidam putent inter causas secessus hanc ei uel praecipuam fuisse.
He took these being kept for so long and reproached so bitterly so seriously, that some think this was even the chief cause of his retirement.
toto quidem triennio, quo uiuente matre afuit, semel omnino eam nec amplius quam uno die paucissimis uidit horis; ac mox neque aegrae adesse curauit defunctamque et, dum aduentus sui spem facit, complurium dierum mora corrupto demum et tabido corpore funeratam prohibuit consecrari, quasi id ipsa mandasset.
Indeed, during the whole three years in which he was away while his mother was alive, he saw her only once, and for no more than a few hours on a single day; and shortly after, he did not care to attend her when she was ill, and when she died, after raising expectations of his arrival, he delayed for several days so that her body was finally buried only when it was decayed and putrid, and he forbade her to be consecrated, as if she herself had so directed.
testamentum quoque eius pro irrito habuit omnisque amicitias et familiaritates, etiam quibus ea funeris sui curam moriens demandauerat, intra breue tempus afflixit, uno ex iis, equestris ordinis uiro, et in antliam condemnato.
He also treated her will as void, and within a short time ruined all her friends and intimates, even those to whom she had on her deathbed entrusted the care of her funeral, condemning one of them, a man of equestrian rank, even to the treadmill.