Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
entreated him, catching hold of his hand, and throwing
themselves upon the ground, and with all the moving language of
tears and persuasion, besought him to stand by them, not abandon
them to their enemies, but employ in his service their lives and
persons, which would not cease to be his so long as they had
breath; so urgent was their zealous and universal importunity.
And one obscure and private soldier, after he had drawn his
sword, addressed himself to Otho: "By this, Caesar, judge our
fidelity; there is not a man amongst us but would strike thus to
serve you;" and so stabbed himself. Notwithstanding this, Otho
stood serene and unshaken, and, with a face full of constancy
and composure, turned himself about and looked at them, replying
thus: "This day, my fellow-soldiers, which gives me such proofs
of your affection, is preferable even to that on which you
saluted me emperor; deny me not, therefore, the yet higher
satisfaction of laying down my life for the preservation of so
many brave men; in this, at least, let me be worthy of the
empire, that is, to die for it. I am of opinion the enemy has
neither gained an entire nor a decisive victory; I have advice
that the Moesian army is not many days' journey distant, on its
march to the Adriatic; Asia, Syria, and Egypt, and the legions
that are serving against the Jews, declare for us; the senate is
also with us, and the wives and children of our opponents are in
our power; but alas, it is not in defense of Italy against
Hannibal or Pyrrhus or the Cimbri that we fight; Romans combat
here against Romans, and, whether we conquer or are defeated,
our country suffers and we commit a crime: victory, to whichever
it fall, is gained at her expense. Believe it many times over,
I can die with more honor than I can reign. For I cannot see at
all, how I should do any such great good to my country by
gaining the victory, as I shall by dying to establish peace and
unanimity and to save Italy from such another unhappy day."
As soon as he had done, he was resolute against all manner of
argument or persuasion, and taking leave of his friends and the
senators that were present, he bade them depart, and wrote to
those that were absent, and sent letters to the towns, that they
might have every honor and facility in their journey. Then he
sent for Cocceius, his brother's son, who was yet a boy, and
bade him be in no apprehension of Vitellius, whose mother and
wife and family he had treated with the same tenderness as his
own; and also told him that this had been his reason for
delaying to adopt him, which he had meant to do, as his son; he
had desired that he might share his power, if he conquered, but
not be involved in his ruin, if he failed. "Take notice," he
added, "my boy, of these my last words, that you neither too
negligently forget, nor too zealously remember, that Caesar was
your uncle." By and by he heard a tumult amongst the soldiers
at the door, who were treating the senators with menaces for
preparing to withdraw; upon which, out of regard to their
safety, he showed himself once more in public, but not with a
gentle aspect and in a persuading manner as before; on the
contrary, with a countenance that discovered indignation and
authority, he commanded such as were disorderly to leave the
place, and was not disobeyed.
It was now evening, and feeling thirsty, he drank some water,
and then took two daggers that belonged to him, and when he had
carefully examined their edges, he laid one of them down, and
put the other in his robe, under his arm, then called his
servants, and distributed some money amongst them, but not
inconsiderately, nor like one too lavish of what was not his
own; for to some he gave more, to others less, all strictly in
moderation, and distinguishing every one's particular merit.
When this was done, he dismissed them, and passed the rest of
the night in so sound a sleep, that the officers of his
bedchamber heard him snore. In the morning, he called for one
of his freedmen, who had assisted him in arranging about the
senators, and bade him bring him an account if they were safe.
Being informed they were all well and wanted nothing, "Go then,"
said he, "and show yourself to the soldiers, lest they should
cut you to pieces for being accessory to my death." As soon as
he was gone, he held his sword upright under him with both his
hands, and falling upon it, expired with no more than one single
groan, to express his sense of the pang, or to inform those that
waited without. When his servants therefore raised their
exclamations of grief, the whole camp and city were at once
filled with lamentation; the soldiers immediately broke in at
the doors with a loud cry, in passionate distress, and accusing
themselves that they had been so negligent in looking after that
life which was laid down to preserve theirs. Nor would a man of
them quit the body to secure his own safety with the approaching
enemy; but having raised a funeral pile, and attired the body,
they bore it thither, arrayed in their arms, those among them
greatly exulting, who succeeded in getting first under the bier
and becoming its bearers. Of the others, some threw themselves
down before the body and kissed his wound, others grasped his
hand, and others that were at a distance knelt down to do him
obeisance. There were some who, after putting their torches to
the pile, slew themselves, though they had not, so far as
appeared, either any particular obligations to the dead, or
reason to apprehend ill usage from the victor. Simply it would
seem, no king, legal or illegal, had ever been possessed with so
extreme and vehement a passion to command others, as was that
of these men to obey Otho. Nor did their love of him cease with
his death; it survived and changed erelong into a mortal hatred
to his successor, as will be shown in its proper place.
They placed the remains of Otho in the earth, and raised over
them a monument which neither by its size nor the pomp of its
inscription might excite hostility. I myself have seen it, at
Brixillum; a plain structure, and the epitaph only this: To the
memory of Marcus Otho. He died in his thirty-eighth year, after
a short reign of about three months, his death being as much
applauded as his life was censured; for if he lived not better
than Nero, he died more nobly. The soldiers were displeased
with Pollio, one of their two prefects, who bade them
immediately swear allegiance to Vitellius; and when they
understood that some of the senators were still upon the spot,
they made no opposition to the departure of the rest, but only
disturbed the tranquillity of Virginius Rufus with an offer of
the government, and moving in one body to his house in arms,
they first entreated him, and then demanded of him to accept of
the empire, or at least to be their mediator. But he, that
refused to command them when conquerors, thought it ridiculous
to pretend to it now they were beat, and was unwilling to go as
their envoy to the Germans, whom in past time he had compelled
to do various things that they had not liked; and for these
reasons he slipped away through a private door. As soon as the
soldiers perceived this, they owned Vitellius, and so got their
pardon, and served under Caecina.