[image ALT: Much of my site will be useless to you if you've got the images turned off!]

mail:

Bill Thayer

Italiano

Help

Home

Book LXIV

This webpage reproduces a Book of

Roman History

by

Cassius Dio

published in Vol. VIII

of the
Loeb Classical Library edition,
1925

The text is in the public domain.

This text has not yet been proofread.

If you find a mistake though,

please let me know!

Book LXVI

Cassius Dio

Roman History

Thayer's Note: Before e-mailing me with questions, comments, or
corrections involving the numbering of Books, chapters, and sections in
this text,

please read the orientation page.

Vol. VIII
p259
Epitome of Book LXV

LXVI

1
Such was the course of these events; and following them Vespasian was
declared emperor by the senate also, and Titus and Domitian were given
the title of Caesars. The consular office was assumed by Vespasian and
Titus while the former was in Egypt and the latter in Palestine. 2 Now
portents and dreams had come to Vespasian pointing to the sovereignty
long beforehand. Thus, as he was eating dinner on his country estate,
where most of his time was spent, an ox approached him, knelt down and
placed his head beneath his feet. On another occasion, when he was also
eating, a dog dropped a human hand under the table. 3 And
a conspicuous cypress tree, which had been uprooted and overthrown by a
violent wind, stood upright again on the following day by its own power
and continued to flourish. From a dream he learned that when Nero
Caesar should lose a tooth, he himself should be emperor. This prophecy
about the tooth became a reality on the following day; and Nero himself
in his dreams once thought that he had brought the car of Jupiter to
Vespasian's house. These portents needed interpretation; 4 but not so the saying of a Jew named Josephus: he, having earlier been captured by

p261Vespasian and
imprisoned, laughed and said: "You may imprison me now, but a year from
now, when you have become emperor, you will release me."

2
Thus Vespasian, like some others, had been born for the throne. While he
was still absent in Egypt, Mucianus administered all the details of
government with the help of Domitian. For Mucianus, who claimed that he
had bestowed the sovereignty upon Vespasian, plumed himself greatly upon
his honours, and especially because he was called brother by him, and
had authority to transact any business that he wished without the
emperor's express direction, and could issue written orders by merely
adding the other's name. 2 And for this
purpose he wore a ring, that had been sent him so that he might impress
the imperial seal upon documents requiring authorization. In fact, he
and Domitian gave governorships and procuratorships to many and
appointed prefect after prefect and even consuls. 3 In
short, they acted in every way so much like absolute rulers that
Vespasian once sent the following message to Domitian: "I thank you, my
son, for permitting me to hold office and that you have not yet
dethroned me."

5
Now Mucianus was gathering countless sums into the public treasury with
the greatest eagerness from every possible quarter, thereby relieving
Vespasian of the censure what such a proceeding entailed. He was for
ever declaring that money was the sinews of sovereignty; and in
accordance with this belief he not only constantly urged Vespasian to
raise

p263funds from
every source, but also continued from the very first to collect money
himself, thus providing large amounts for the empire and at the same
time acquire large amounts for himself.

3
In the province of Germany various uprisings against the Romans took
place that are not worth being mentioned by me, at least, but there was
one incident that must occasion surprise. A certain Julius Sabinus, one
of the foremost of the Lingones, collected by his own efforts an
independent force of his own and took the name of Caesar, claiming to be
a descendant of Julius Caesar. 2 Upon
being defeated in several engagements he fled to a country estate, where
he descended into a subterranean vault beneath a monument, which he
first burned to the ground. His pursuers thought that he had perished in
the flames, but as a matter of fact he remained hidden there with his
wife for nine years and had two sons by her. 3 The
troubles in Germany were settled by Cerialis in the course of numerous
battles, in one of which so great a multitude of Romans and barbarians
was slain that the river flowing near by was dammed up by the bodies of
the fallen.

4
Domitian became afraid of his father because of what he himself had done
and far more of what he had intended to do; for he was quite ambitious
in his projects. So he spent most of his time in the neighbourhood of
the Alban Mount and devoted himself to his passion for Domitia, the
daughter of Corbulo. He had taken her away from her husband, Lucius
Lamia Aelianus, and at this time had her for one of his mistresses,
though later he married her.

p265

4
Titus, who had been assigned to the war against the Jews, undertook to
win them over by certain representations and promises; but, as they
would not yield, he now proceeded to wage war upon them. The first
battles he fought were indecisive; then he got the upper hand and
proceeded to besiege Jerusalem. This city had three walls, including the
one that surrounded the temple. 2 The
Romans, accordingly, heaped up mounds against the outer wall, brought up
painter engines, joined battle with all who sallied forth to fight and
repulsed them, and with their slings and arrows kept back all the
defenders of the wall; for they had many slingers and bowmen that had
been sent by some of the barbarian kings. 3 The
Jews also were assisted by many of their countrymen from the region
round about and by many who professed the same religion, not only from
the Roman empire but also from beyond the Euphrates; and these, also,
kept hurling missiles and stones with no little force on account of
their higher position, some being flung by the hand and some hurled by
means of engines. 4 They also made
sallies both night and day, whenever occasion offered, set fire to the
siege engines, slew many of their assailants, and undermined the Romans'
mounds by removing the earth through tunnels driven under the wall As
for the battering-rams, sometimes they threw ropes around them and broke
them off, sometimes they pulled them up with hooks, and again they used
thick planks fastened together and strengthened with iron, which they
let down in front of the wall and thus fended off the blow of still
others. 5 But the Romans suffered most hardship from the lack of water; for

p267their supply
was of poor quality and had to be brought from a distance. The Jews
found in their underground passages a source of strength; for they had
these tunnels dug from inside the city and extending out under the walls
to distant points in the country, and going out through them, they
would attack the Romans' water-carriers and harass any scattered
detachments. But Titus stopped up all these passages.

5
In the course of these operations many on both sides were wounded and
killed. Titus himself was struck on the left shoulder by a stone, and as
a result of this accident that arm was always weaker. 2 In
time, however, the Romans scaled the outside wall, and then, pitching
their camp between this and the second circuit, proceeded to assault the
latter. But here they found the conditions of fighting different; for
now that all the besieged had retired behind the second wall, its
defence proved an easier matter because its circuit was shorter. 3 Titus
therefore once more made a proclamation offering them immunity. But
even then they held out, and those of them that were taken captive or
deserted kept secretly destroying the Romans' water supply and slaying
any troops that they could isolate and cut off from the rest; hence
Titus would no longer receive any Jewish deserters. 4 Meanwhile
some of the Romans, too, becoming disheartened, as often happens in a
protracted siege, and suspecting, furthermore, that the city was really
impregnable, as was commonly reported, went over to the other side. The
Jews, even though they were short of food, treated these recruits
kindly, in order to be able to show that there were deserters to their
side also.

p269

6
Though a breach was made in the wall by means of engines, nevertheless,
the capture of the place did not immediately follow even then. On the
contrary, the defenders killed great numbers that tried to crowd through
the opening, and they also set fire to some of the buildings near by,
hoping thus to check the further progress of the Romans, even though
they should gain possession of the wall. In this way they not only
damaged the wall but at the same time unintentionally burned down the
barrier around the sacred precinct, so that the entrance to the temple
was now laid open to the Romans. 2 Nevertheless,
the soldiers because of their superstition did not immediately rush in;
but at last, under compulsion from Titus, they made their way inside.
Then the Jews defended themselves much more vigorously than before, as
if they had discovered a piece of rare good fortune in being able to
fight near the temple and fall in its defence. The populace was
stationed below in the court, the senators on the steps, and the priests
in the sanctuary itself. 3 And though
they were but a handful fighting against a far superior force, they were
not conquered until a part of the temple was set on fire. Then they met
death willingly, some throwing themselves on the swords of the Romans,
some slaying one another, others taking their own lives, and still
others leaping into the flames. And it seemed to everybody, and
especially to them, that so far from being destruction, it was victory
and salvation and happiness to them that they perished along with the
temple. 7 Yet even under these conditions many captives were taken, among them

p271Bargiora, their leader; and he was the only one to be executed in connexion with the triumphal celebration.

2
Thus was Jerusalem destroyed on the very day of Saturn, the day which
even now the Jews reverence most. From that time forth it was ordered
that the Jews who continued to observe their ancestral customs should
pay an annual tribute of two denarii to Jupiter Capitolinus. In
consequence of this success both generals received the title of imperator, but neither got that of Judaïcus,
although all the other honours that were fitting on the occasion of so
magnificent a victory, including triumphal arches, were voted to them.

8
Following Vespasian's entry into Alexandria the Nile overflowed, having
in one day risen a palm higher than usual; such an occurrence, it was
said, had only taken place only once before. Vespasian himself healed
two persons, one having a withered hand, the other being blind, who had
come to him because of a vision seen in dreams; he cured the one by
stepping on his hand and the other by spitting upon his eyes. 2 Yet,
though Heaven was thus magnifying him, the Alexandrians, far from
delighting in his presence, detested him so heartily that they were for
ever mocking and reviling him. For they had expected to receive from him
some great reward because they had been the first to make him emperor,
but instead of securing anything they had additional contributions
levied upon them. 3 In the first place, he collected large

p273sums from them
in various ways, overlooking no source, however trivial or however
reprehensible it might be, but drawing upon every source, sacred and
profane alike, from which money could be secured. He also renewed The
taxes that had fallen into disuse, increased many that were customary,
and introduced still other new ones. 4 And
he adopted this same course later in the rest of the subject territory,
in Italy, and in Rome itself. Hence the Alexandrians, both for these
reasons and also because he had sold the greater part of the palace,
were angry and hurled many taunts at him, this among others: "Six obols
more you demand of us." Vespasian, consequently, although the most
good-natured of men, became angry, 5 and
gave orders that six obols should be exacted from every man, and he
thought seriously about punishing them besides. For the words in
themselves were insulting enough, and there was something about their
broken anapaestic rhythm that roused his ire. 6 Titus,
however, begged that they might be forgiven and Vespasian spared them.
Yet they would not let him alone, but in a crowded assembly all loudly
shouted in chorus at Titus these words: "We forgive him; for he knows
not how to play the Caesar." 7 So the
Alexandrians at that time went on with these foolhardy demonstrations,
took their fill without restraint of that impudent licence which is
always working to their detriment, and abused the

p275good nature of the emperor. 9 But
Vespasian soon ceased to notice them. He sent a despatch to Rome
rescinding the disfranchisement of those who had been condemned by Nero
and succeeding rulers for acts of

maiestas, as they were called. This order applied to the living and
to the dead alike; and he put an end to the indictments based on such
complaints. 2 He banished the
astrologers from Rome, even though he was in the habit of consulting all
the best of them himself, and, by way of showing a favour to Barbillus a
man of that profession, had even permitted the Ephesians to celebrate
some sacred games, a privilege that he granted to no other city.

2a
He soon restored order in Egypt and sent thence a large supply of grain
to Rome. He had left his son Titus at Jerusalem to storm the place, and
was waiting for its capture in order that he might return to Rome with
him. But as time dragged on and the siege continued, he left Titus in
Palestine and took passage himself on a merchantman; in this manner he
sailed as far as Lycia, and from there he proceeded partly by land and
partly by sea to Brundisium.

3
Vespasian had later come to Rome, after meeting Mucianus and other
prominent men at Brundisium and Domitian at Beneventum. The latter,
because of his consciousness both of what he was planning and of what he
had already done, was ill at ease, and furthermore he sometimes even
feigned madness. 4 At any rate, he spent most of his time at the Alban Villa and did many absurd things, one of them being

p277to impale
flies on a stylus. Unworthy as this incident is of the dignity of
history, yet, because it shows his character so well and particularly
because he still continued the practice after he became emperor, I have
felt obliged to record it. 5 In view of
this habit of his, someone, in answer to the question, "Where is
Domitian?" made the witty reply: "He is living in retirement, without
even a fly to keep him company." 10 Vespasian
now proceeded to humble this son's pride, but greeted all the rest, not
as an emperor, but as a private citizen; for he was mindful of his own
past fortune.

1a
On reaching Rome he bestowed gifts upon both the soldiers and the
populace. He also repaired the sacred precincts and the public works
which had suffered injury and rebuilt such as had already fallen into
ruin; and upon completing them he inscribed upon them, not his own name,
but the names of those who had originally built them.

2
He immediately began to construct the temple on the Capitoline. He was
himself the first to carry out a load of soil, thereby evidently bidding
all the other leading citizens to do likewise, in order that the rest
of the populace might have no excuse for shirking this service.

2a
The property of his opponents who had fallen in the various conflicts he
left to their children or other kinsmen of theirs; furthermore, he
destroyed the notes that were long overdue belonging to the public
treasury.

3
Although he invariably expended in most munificent

p279fashion all
that was requisite for the public welfare and carried out the festivals
of a most sumptuous scale, his own style of living was very far from
costly and he spent no more than was absolutely necessary. Therefore
even in the taverns he allowed nothing cooked to be sold except pulse.
Thus he made it most evident that he was amassing money, not for his own
enjoyment, but for the needs of the people.

3a
Vespasian was laughed at every time he would say, when spending money: "I am paying for this out of my own purse."

3b
He was neither of noble birth nor rich.

4
The general routine of life that he followed was as follows. He lived but little in the palace, spending most of his time in

the Gardens of Sallust. There he received anybody who desired to see him, not only senators but also people in general. 5 With
his intimate friends he would hold converse even before dawn while
lying in bed; and others would greet him on the streets. The doors of
the palace stood open all day long and no guard was stationed at them.
He regularly attended the meetings of the senate, whose members he
consulted on all matters, and he frequently dispensed justice in the
Forum. 6 Whatever messages he was
prevented by old age and whatever communications he sent to the senate
when unable to be present, he usually caused to be read by his sons,
thus showing honour to that body even in this detail. Every day he made
many of the senators and others his guests at table, and he himself

p281often dined at the houses of his intimate friends. 11 In
short, he was looked upon as emperor only by reason of his oversight of
the public business, whereas in all other respects he was democratic
and lived on a footing of equality with his subjects. For example, he
indulged in jests like a man of the people and enjoyed jokes at his own
expense; and whenever any anonymous bulletins, such as are regularly
addressed to the emperors, were posted, if they contained scurrilous
references to himself, he would simply post a reply in kind, without
showing the least resentment. 2 One
day Phoebus approached him to make an apology. It seems that once,
during Nero's reign, Vespasian while in the theatre in Greece had
frowned when he saw the emperor behaving himself in unseemly fashion,
whereupon Phoebus had angrily bidden him go away. And when Vespasian
asked, "Go where?" Phoebus had replied, "To the deuce." So when Phoebus
now apologized for this remark, Vespasian did him no harm, and gave him
no answer other than this same retort: "To the deuce with you." 3 Again,
when Vologaesus sent him a letter of which the salutation ran thus:
"Arsaces, King of Kings, to Flavius Vespasian, Greeting," the emperor
did not rebuke him at all but wrote a reply in the same style, adding
none of his imperial titles.

12
Helvidius Priscus, the son-in‑law of Thrasea, had been brought up in the
doctrines of the Stoics and imitated Thrasea's frankness of speech,
sometimes unseasonably. He was at this time praetor, but instead of
doing aught to increase the honour due to the emperor he would not cease
reviling him. Therefore

p283the tribunes
once arrested him and gave him in charge of their assistants, a
procedure at which Vespasian was overcome by emotion went out of the
senate-chamber in tears, saying merely: "My successor shall be my son or no one at all."

1a
After Jerusalem had been captured Titus returned to Italy and both he
and his father celebrated a triumph, riding in a chariot. Domitian, who
was consul, also took part in the celebration, mounted upon a charger.
Vespasian afterwards established in Rome teachers of both Latin and
Greek learning, who drew their pay from the public treasury.

13
Inasmuch as many others, too, including Demetrius the Cynic, actuated by
the Stoic principles, were taking advantage of the name of philosophy
to teach publicly many doctrines inappropriate to the times, and in this
way were subtly corrupting some of their hearers, Mucianus, prompted
rather by anger than by any passion for philosophy, inveighed at length
against them and persuaded Vespasian to expel all such persons from the
city.

2 4 Mucianus
desired to be honoured by all and above all, so that he was displeased
not only when any man whatever insulted him, but also when anyone failed
to extol him greatly. Hence, just as he could never honour enough those
who assisted him to even the smallest extent, so his hatred was most
fierce against all who were not disposed to do so.

13
1a Mucianus made a great number of remarkable

p285statements to
Vespasian against the Stoics, asserting, for instance, that they are
full of empty boasting, and that if one of them lets his beard grow
long, elevates his eyebrows, wears his coarse brown mantle thrown back
over his shoulder and goes barefooted, he straightway lays claim to
wisdom, bravery and righteousness, and gives himself great airs, even
though he may not know either his letters or how to swim, as the saying
goes. They look down upon everybody and call a man of good family a
mollycoddle, the low-born slender-witted, a handsome person licentious,
an ugly person a simpleton, the rich man greedy, and the poor man
servile.

2
And Vespasian immediately expelled from Rome all the philosophers except
Musonius; Demetrius and Hostilianus he even deported to islands.
Hostilianus, though he decidedly would not desist when he was told about
the sentence of exile (he happened to be conversing with somebody), but
merely inveighed all the more strongly against monarchy, nevertheless
straightway withdrew. 3 Demetrius, on
the contrary, would not yield even then, and Vespasian commanded that
this message should be given to him: "You are doing everything to force
me to kill you, but I do not slay a barking dog."

12
2 It became strikingly clear that
Vespasian hated Helvidius Priscus, not so much on his own account or
that of his friends whom the man had abused, as because he was a
turbulent fellow who cultivated the favour of the rabble and was for
ever denouncing royalty and praising democracy. Helvidius' behaviour,

p287moreover, was
consistent with this opinion of him; for he banded various men together,
as if it were the function of philosophy to insult those in power, to
stir up the multitudes, to overthrow the established order of things,
and to bring about a revolution. 3 He
was Thrasea's son-in‑law and affected to emulate his conduct, but he
fell far short of doing so. For whereas Thrasea, though living in Nero's
time and displeased with him, nevertheless had neither said nor done
anything that was insulting to him, save merely that he refused to share
in his practices, Helvidius, on the other hand, bore a grudge against
Vespasian and would not let him alone either in private or in public.
Thus by his conduct he was courting death and by his meddlesome
interference he was destined eventually to pay the penalty.

14
It was at this time that Caenis, the concubine of Vespasian, died.
I mention her because she was exceedingly faithful and was gifted with a
most excellent memory. Here is an illustration. Her mistress Antonia,
the mother of Claudius, had once employed her as secretary in writing a
secret letter to Tiberius about Sejanus 2 and
had immediately ordered the message to be erased, in order that no
trace of it might be left. Thereupon she replied: "It is useless,
mistress, for you to give this command; for not only this but as
whatever else you dictate to me I always carry in my mind and it can
never be erased." 3 And not only for
this reason does she seem to me to have been a remarkable woman, but
also because Vespasian took such excessive delight in her. This gave her
the greatest influence and she amassed untold wealth, so that it was
even

p289thought that
he made money through Caenis herself as his intermediary. For she
received vast sums from many sources, sometimes selling governorships,
sometimes procuratorships, generalships and priesthoods, and in some
instance even imperial decisions. 4 For
although Vespasian killed no one on account of his money, he did spare
the lives of many who gave it; and while it was Caenis who received the
money, people suspected that Vespasian willingly allowed her to do as
she did. This was inferred from his other acts, a few of which, for the
sake of illustration, I will relate. 5 When
some persons voted to erect to him a statue costing a million, he held
out his hand and said: "Give me the money; this is its pedestal." And to
Titus, who expressed his indignation at the tax placed upon public
urinals, — one of the new taxes that had been established, — he said, as
he picked up some gold pieces that had been realized from this source
and showed them to him: "See, my son, if they have any smell."

15
In the sixth consulship of Vespasian and the fourth of Titus the
precinct of Pax was dedicated and the "Colossus" was set up on the
Sacred Way. This statue is said to have been one hundred feet in height
and to have borne the features of Nero, according to some, or those of
Titus, according to others. 2 Vespasian
often gave wild-beast hunts in the theatres, but he did not take much
pleasure in armed combats between men; yet Titus had once in the course
of the youthful sports which were celebrated in his native district
engaged in a sham fight in heavy

p291armour with Alienus. 3 When
the Parthians, who had become involved in war with some neighbours,
asked for his help, he would not go to their aid, declaring that it was
not proper for him to interfere in others' affairs.

Berenice was at the very height of her power and consequently came to Rome along with her brother Agrippa. 4 The
latter was given the rank of praetor, while she dwelt in the palace,
cohabiting with Titus. She expected to marry him and was already
behaving in every respect as if she were his wife; but when he perceived
that the Romans were displeased with the situation, he sent her away. 5 For,
in addition to all the other talk that there was, certain sophists of
the Cynic school managed somehow to slip into the city at this time,
too; and first Diogenes, entering the theatre when it was full,
denounced the pair in a long, abusive speech, for which he was flogged;
and after him Heras, expecting no harsher punishment, gave vent to many
senseless yelpings in true Cynic fashion, and for this was beheaded.

16
At this same period two other incidents occurred: such a quantity of
wine overflowed its cask in a certain tavern that it ran out into the
street; and Sabinus, the Gaul who, as said before, had once styled
himself Caesar and after taking up arms had been defeated and had hidden
himself in the monument, was discovered and brought to Rome. 2 With him perished also his wife Peponila, who had previously

p293saved his
life. She threw her children at Vespasian's feet and delivered a most
pitiful plea in their behalf: "These little ones, Caesar, I bore and
reared in the monument, that we might be a greater number to supplicate
you." Yet, though she cause both him and the rest to weep, no mercy was
shown to the family.

3
Meantime the emperor was the object of a conspiracy on the part of both
Alienus and Marcellus, although he considered them among his best
friends and bestowed every honour upon them without stint. But he did
not die at their hands, for they were detected. Alienus was slain at
once, in the imperial residence itself, as he rose from a meal with his
intended victim. Titus issued this order, desiring to forestall any act
of revolution that night; for Alienus had already got many of the
soldiers in readiness. 4 Marcellus was
brought to trial before the senate and was condemned, whereupon he cut
his own throat with a razor. Thus not even kindness can subdue those who
are naturally vicious, as is shown by the plotting of these men against
the one who had done them so many kindnesses.

◂ previous

next ▸