Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
seen publicly at Rome, they would think it an utter disgrace
ever to have had such a Caesar.
At last it was resolved, about midnight, to bring Nymphidius
into the camp, and declare him emperor. But Antonius Honoratus,
who was first among the tribunes, summoning together in the
evening those under his command, charged himself and them
severely with their many and unreasonable turns and alterations,
made without any purpose or regard to merit, simply as if some
evil genius hurried them from one treason to another. "What
though Nero's miscarriages," said he, "gave some color to your
former acts, can you say you have any plea for betraying Galba
in the death of a mother, the blood of a wife, or the
degradation of the imperial power upon the stage and amongst
players? Neither did we desert Nero for all this, until
Nymphidius had persuaded us that he had first left us and fled
into Egypt. Shall we, therefore, send Galba after, to appease
Nero's shade, and, for the sake of making the son of Nymphidia
emperor, take off one of Livia's family, as we have already the
son of Agrippina? Rather, doing justice on him, let us revenge
Nero's death, and show ourselves true and faithful by preserving
Galba."
The tribune having ended his harangue, the soldiers assented,
and encouraged all they met with to persist in their fidelity to
the emperor, and, indeed, brought over the greatest part. But
presently hearing a great shout, Nymphidius, imagining, as some
say, that the soldiers called for him, or hastening to be in
time to check any opposition and gain the doubtful, came on with
many lights, carrying in his hand a speech in writing, made by
Cingonius Varro, which he had got by heart, to deliver to the
soldiers. But seeing the gates of the camp shut up, and large
numbers standing armed about the walls, he began to be afraid.
Yet drawing nearer, he demanded what they meant, and by whose
orders they were then in arms; but hearing a general
acclamation, all with one consent crying out that Galba was
their emperor, advancing towards them, he joined in the cry, and
likewise commanded those that followed him to do the same. The
guard notwithstanding permitted him to enter the camp only with
a few, where he was presently struck with a dart, which
Septimius, being before him, received on his shield; others,
however, assaulted him with their naked swords, and on his
flying, pursued him into a soldier's cabin, where they slew him.
And dragging his body thence, they placed a railing about it,
and exposed it next day to public view. When Galba heard of
the end which Nymphidius had thus come to, he commanded that all
his confederates who had not at once killed themselves should
immediately be dispatched; amongst whom were Cingonius, who made
his oration, and Mithridates, formerly mentioned. It was,
however, regarded as arbitrary and illegal, and though it might
be just, yet by no means popular, to take off men of their rank
and quality without a hearing. For everyone expected another
scheme of government, being deceived, as is usual, by the first
plausible pretenses; and the death of Petronius Turpilianus, who
was of consular dignity, and had remained faithful to Nero, was
yet more keenly resented. Indeed, the taking off of Macer in
Africa by Trebonius, and Fonteius by Valens in Germany, had a
fair pretense, they being dreaded as armed commanders, having
their soldiers at their bidding; but why refuse Turpilianus, an
old man and unarmed, permission to try to clear himself, if any
part of the moderation and equity at first promised were really
to come to a performance? Such were the comments to which these
actions exposed him. When he came within five and twenty
furlongs or thereabouts of the city, he happened to light on a
disorderly rabble of the seamen, who beset him as he passed.
These were they whom Nero made soldiers, forming them into a
legion. They so rudely crowded to have their commission
confirmed, that they did not let Galba either be seen or heard
by those that had come out to meet their new emperor; but
tumultuously pressed on with loud shouts to have colors to their
legion, and quarters assigned them. Galba put them off until
another time, which they interpreting as a denial, grew more
insolent and mutinous, following and crying out, some of them
with their drawn swords in their hands. Upon seeing which,
Galba commanded the horse to ride over them, when they were soon
routed, not a man standing his ground, and many of them were
slain, both there and in the pursuit; an ill omen, that Galba
should make his first entry through so much blood and among dead
bodies. And now he was looked upon with terror and alarm by any
who had entertained contempt of him at the sight of his age and
apparent infirmities.
But when he desired presently to let it appear what change would
be made from Nero's profuseness and sumptuosity in giving
presents, he much missed his aim, and fell so short of
magnificence, that he scarcely came within the limits of
decency. When Canus, who was a famous musician, played at
supper for him, he expressed his approbation, and bade the bag
be brought to him; and taking a few gold pieces, put them in
with this remark, that it was out of his own purse, and not on
the public account. He ordered the largesses which Nero had
made to actors and wrestlers and such like to be strictly
required again, allowing only the tenth part to be retained;
though it turned to very small account, most of those persons
expending their daily income as fast as they received it, being
rude, improvident livers; upon which he had further inquiry made
as to those who had bought or received from them, and called
upon these people to refund. The trouble was infinite, the
exactions being prosecuted far, touching a great number of
persons, bringing disrepute on Galba, and general hatred on
Vinius, who made the emperor appear base-minded and mean to the
world, whilst he himself was spending profusely, taking whatever
he could get, and selling to any buyer. Hesiod tells us to
drink without stinting of
The end and the beginning of the cask.
And Vinius, seeing his patron old and decaying, made the most of
what he considered to be at once the first of his fortune and
the last of it.
Thus the aged man suffered in two ways: first, through the evil
deeds which Vinius did himself, and, next, by his preventing or
bringing into disgrace those just acts which he himself
designed. Such was the punishing Nero's adherents. When he
destroyed the bad, amongst whom were Helius, Polycletus,
Petinus, and Patrobius, the people mightily applauded the act,
crying out, as they were dragged through the forum, that it was
a goodly sight, grateful to the gods themselves, adding,
however, that the gods and men alike demanded justice on
Tigellinus, the very tutor and prompter of all the tyranny.
This good man, however, had taken his measures beforehand, in
the shape of a present and a promise to Vinius. Turpilianus
could not be allowed to escape with life, though his one and
only crime had been that he had not betrayed or shown hatred to
such a ruler as Nero. But he who had made Nero what he became,
and afterwards deserted and betrayed him whom he had so
corrupted, was allowed to survive as an instance that Vinius
could do anything, and an advertisement that those that had
money to give him need despair of nothing. The people, however,
were so possessed with the desire of seeing Tigellinus dragged
to execution, that they never ceased to require it at the
theater and in the race-course, till they were checked by an
edict from the emperor himself, announcing that Tigellinus could
not live long, being wasted with a consumption, and requesting
them not to seek to make his government appear cruel and
tyrannical. So the dissatisfied populace were laughed at, and
Tigellinus made a splendid feast, and sacrificed in thanksgiving
for his deliverance: and after supper, Vinius, rising from the
emperor's table, went to revel with Tigellinus, taking his
daughter, a widow, with him; to whom Tigellinus presented his
compliments, with a gift of twenty-five myriads of money, and
bade the superintendent of his concubines take off a rich
necklace from her own neck and tie it about hers, the value of
it being estimated at fifteen myriads.
After this, even reasonable acts were censured; as, for example,
the treatment of the Gauls who had been in the conspiracy with
Vindex. For people looked upon their abatement of tribute and
admission to citizenship as a piece, not of clemency on the part
of Galba, but of money-making on that of Vinius. And thus the
mass of the people began to look with dislike upon the
government. The soldiers were kept on a while in expectation of
the promised donative, supposing that if they did not receive
the full, yet they should have at least as much as Nero gave
them. But when Galba, on hearing they began to complain,
declared greatly, and like a general, that he was used to enlist
and not to buy his soldiers, when they heard of this, they
conceived an implacable hatred against him; for he did not seem
to defraud them merely himself in their present expectations,
but to give an ill precedent, and instruct his successors to do
the like. This heart-burning, however, was as yet at Rome a
thing undeclared, and a certain respect for Galba's personal
presence somewhat retarded their motions, and took off their
edge, and their having no obvious occasion for beginning a
revolution curbed and kept under, more or less, their
resentments. But those forces that had been formerly under
Virginius, and now were under Flaccus in Germany, valuing
themselves much upon the battle they had fought with Vindex, and
finding now no advantage of it, grew very refractory and
intractable towards their officers: and Flaccus they wholly
disregarded, being incapacitated in body by unintermitted gout,
and, besides, a man of little experience in affairs. So at one
of their festivals, when it was customary for the officers of
the army to wish all health and happiness to the emperor, the
common soldiers began to murmur loudly, and on their officers
persisting in the ceremony, responded with the words, "If he
deserves it."
When some similar insolence was committed by the legions under
Vitellius, frequent letters with the information came to Galba
from his agents; and taking alarm at this, and fearing that he
might be despised not only for his old age, but also for want of
issue, he determined to adopt some young man of distinction, and
declare him his successor. There was at this time in the city
Marcus Otho, a person of fair extraction, but from his childhood
one of the few most debauched, voluptuous, and luxurious livers
in Rome. And as Homer gives Paris in several places the title
of "fair Helen's love," making a woman's name the glory and
addition to his, as if he had nothing else to distinguish him,
so Otho was renowned in Rome for nothing more than his marriage
with Poppaea, whom Nero had a passion for when she was
Crispinus's wife. But being as yet respectful to his own wife,
and standing in awe of his mother, he engaged Otho underhand to
solicit her. For Nero lived familiarly with Otho, whose
prodigality won his favor, and he was well pleased when he took
the freedom to jest upon him as mean and penurious. Thus when
Nero one day perfumed himself with some rich essence and favored
Otho with a sprinkle of it, he, entertaining Nero next day,
ordered gold and silver pipes to disperse the like on a sudden
freely, like water, throughout the room. As to Poppaea, he was
beforehand with Nero, and first seducing her himself, then, with
the hope of Nero's favor, he prevailed with her to part with her