§11accessit ad tanta discrimina mors Vindicis, qua maxime consternatus destitutoque similis non multum afuit quin uitae renuntiaret.
To such great crises was added the death of Vindex, by which he was so thoroughly dismayed and resembled one abandoned, that he was not far from renouncing his life.
sed superuenientibus ab urbe nuntiis ut occisum Neronem cunctosque in uerba sua iurasse cognouit, deposita legati suscepit Caesaris appellationem iterque ingressus est paludatus ac dependente a ceruicibus pugione ante pectus;
But when messengers arrived from the city and he learned that Nero had been killed and that all had sworn allegiance to him, he laid aside the title of legate and assumed the name of Caesar.
nec prius usum togae reciperauit quam oppressis qui nouas res moliebantur, praefecto praetori Nymphidio Sabino Romae, in Germania Fonteio Capitone, in Africa Clodio Macro legatis.
He set out on his journey clad in a general’s cloak, with a dagger hanging from his neck in front of his chest; nor did he resume the use of the toga until those who were plotting revolution were crushed—namely, the praetorian prefect Nymphidius Sabinus in Rome, and the legates Fonteius Capito in Germany and Clodius Macer in Africa.
§12Praecesserat de eo fama saeuitiae simul atque auaritiae, quod ciuitates Hispaniarum Galliarumque, quae cunctantius sibi accesserant, grauioribus tributis, quasdam etiam murorum destructione punisset et praepositos procuratoresque supplicio capitis adfecisset cum coniugibus ac liberis; quodque oblatam a Tarraconensibus e uetere templo Iouis coronam auream librarum quindecim conflasset ac tres uncias, quae ponderi deerant, iussisset exigi.
A rumor of his cruelty as well as his avarice had preceded him, on the grounds that he had punished the cities of Spain and Gaul that had been slower in joining his cause with heavier taxes, and some even with the destruction of their walls, and had executed their governors and procurators along with their wives and children; and also that he had melted down a golden crown of fifteen pounds weight, offered by the people of Tarraco from the ancient temple of Jupiter, and had ordered the three ounces that were lacking in the weight to be exacted from them.
ea fama et confirmata et aucta est, ut primum urbem introiit.
This rumor was both confirmed and increased as soon as he entered the city.
nam cum classiarios, quos Nero ex remigibus iustos milites fecerat, redire ad pristinum statum cogeret, recusantis atque insuper aquilam et signa pertinacius flagitantis non modo inmisso equite disiecit, sed decimauit etiam.
For when he compelled the marines, whom Nero had turned from rowers into regular soldiers, to return to their former status, and when they refused and obstinately demanded their eagle and standards, he not only dispersed them by sending in his cavalry, but even decimated them.
item Germanorum cohortem a Caesaribus olim ad custodiam corporis institutam multisque experimentis fidelissimam dissoluit ac sine commodo ullo remisit in patriam, quasi Cn. Dolabellae, iuxta cuius hortos tendebat, proniorem.
Likewise, he disbanded a cohort of Germans, which had been established long ago by the Caesars for their bodyguard and had proved extremely loyal in many trials, and sent them back to their native country without any reward, on the pretext that they were more favorable to Gnaeus Dolabella, near whose gardens their camp was situated.
illa quoque uerene an falso per ludibrium iactabantur, adposita lautiore cena ingemuisse eum, et ordinario quidem dispensatori breuiarium rationum offerenti paropsidem leguminis pro sedulitate ac diligentia porrexisse, Cano autem choraulae mire placenti denarios quinque donasse prolatos manu sua e peculiaribus loculis suis.
The following stories also, whether true or false, were circulated in mockery: that he groaned when a sumptuous dinner was served; that to his chief steward who presented a summary of accounts, he handed a plate of beans as a reward for his diligence and care; and that to Canus, a flute-player who pleased him wonderfully, he gave five denarii, which he drew with his own hand from his private purse.
§13Quare aduentus eius non perinde gratus fuit, idque proximo spectaculo apparuit, siquidem Atellanis notissimum canticum exorsis:
uenit Onesimus a uilla cuncti simul spectatores consentiente uoce reliquam partem rettulerunt ac saepius uersu repetito egerunt.
Consequently, his arrival was not so welcome, and this became apparent at the next public spectacle, since when the actors of the Atellan farce started a very well-known song: "Onesimus comes from the villa," all the spectators together in one voice repeated the rest of the part and performed it, repeating the verse several times.
§14maiore adeo et fauore et auctoritate adeptus est quam gessit imperium, quanquam multa documenta egregii principis daret; sed nequaquam tam grata erant, quam inuisa quae secus fierent.
Indeed, he acquired his empire with greater favor and authority than he ruled it, although he gave many proofs of being an excellent prince; but these were by no means as pleasing as the things done otherwise were hateful.
Regebatur trium arbitrio, quos una et intra Palatium habitantis nec umquam non adhaerentis paedagogos uulgo uocabant.
He was ruled by the will of three men, whom the public commonly called "pedagogues" because they lived together with him inside the Palace and were never away from his side.
ii erant T. Vinius legatus eius in Hispania, cupiditatis immensae; Cornelius Laco ex assessore praefectus praetorii, arrogantia socordiaque intolerabilis; libertus Icelus, paulo ante anulis aureis et Marciani cognomine ornatus ac iam summae equestris gradus candidatus.
These were Titus Vinius, his legate in Spain, a man of boundless greed; Cornelius Laco, who had risen from assessor to praetorian prefect, intolerable for his arrogance and indolence; and the freedman Icelus, who had shortly before been honored with golden rings and the surname Marcianus, and was now a candidate for the highest equestrian office.
his diuerso uitiorum genere grassantibus adeo se abutendum permisit et tradidit, ut uix sibi ipse constaret, modo acerbior parciorque, modo remissior ac neglegentior quam conueniret principi electo atque illud aetatis.
With these men, practicing different kinds of vices, he permitted himself to be so abused and surrendered himself to them that he was hardly consistent with himself, being now harsher and more parsimonious, now more indulgent and negligent than was fitting for a prince elect and of that age.
Quosdam claros ex utroque ordine uiros suspicione minima inauditos condemnauit.
He condemned several illustrious men of both orders without a hearing upon the slightest suspicion.
ciuitates R. raro dedit, iura trium liberorum uix uni atque alteri ac ne is quidem nisi ad certum praefinitumque tempus.
He rarely granted Roman citizenship, and the rights of three children to scarcely one or two, and even then only for a certain fixed period.
iudicibus sextam decuriam adici precantibus non modo negauit, sed et concessum a Claudio beneficium, ne hieme initioque anni ad iudicandum euocarentur, eripuit.
To the judges who petitioned for the addition of a sixth decury, he not only gave a refusal, but even deprived them of the privilege granted by Claudius, that they should not be summoned for judgment in winter or at the beginning of the year.