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unfavourably　regarded；　indeed；　when　a　ruler　once　becomes　unpopular；



all　his　acts；　be　they　good　or　bad；　tell　against　him。　The　freedmen　in



their　excessive　power　were　now　putting　up　everything　for　sale；　the



slaves　caught　with　greedy　hands　at　immediate　gain；　and；　reflecting



on　their　master's　age；　hastened　to　be　rich。　The　new　court　had　the　same



abuses　as　the　old；　abuses　as　grievous　as　ever；　but　not　so　readily



excused。　Even　the　age　of　Galba　caused　ridicule　and　disgust　among　those



whose　associations　were　with　the　youth　of　Nero；　and　who　were



accustomed；　as　is　the　fashion　of　the　vulgar；　to　value　their　emperors



by　the　beauty　and　grace　of　their　persons。



　　Such；　as　far　as　one　can　speak　of　so　vast　a　multitude；　was　the



state　of　feeling　at　Rome。　Among　the　provinces；　Spain　was　under　the



government　of　Cluvius　Rufus；　an　eloquent　man；　who　had　all　the



accomplishments　of　civil　life；　but　who　was　without　experience　in



war。　Gaul；　besides　remembering　Vindex；　was　bound　to　Galba　by　the



recently　conceded　privileges　of　citizenship；　and　by　the　diminution



of　its　future　tribute。　Those　Gallic　states；　however；　which　were



nearest　to　the　armies　of　Germany；　had　not　been　treated　with　the　same



respect；　and　had　even　in　some　cases　been　deprived　of　their



territory；　and　these　were　reckoning　the　gains　of　others　and　their



own　losses　with　equal　indignation。　The　armies　of　Germany　were　at



once　alarmed　and　angry；　a　most　dangerous　temper　when　allied　with



such　strength；　while　elated　by　their　recent　victory；　they　feared



because　they　might　seem　to　have　supported　an　unsuccessful　party。



They　had　been　slow　to　revolt　from　Nero；　and　Verginius　had　not



immediately　declared　for　Galba；　it　was　doubtful　whether　he　had　himself



wished　to　be　emperor；　but　all　agreed　that　the　empire　had　been



offered　to　him　by　the　soldiery。　Again；　the　execution　of　Capito　was　a



subject　of　indignation；　even　with　those　who　could　not　complain　of



its　injustice。　They　had　no　leader；　for　Verginius　had　been　withdrawn　on



the　pretext　of　his　friendship　with　the　Emperor。　That　he　was　not　sent



back；　and　that　he　was　even　impeached；　they　regarded　as　an　accusation



against　themselves。



　　The　army　of　Upper　Germany　despised　their　legate；　Hordeonius　Flaccus；



who；　disabled　by　age　and　lameness；　had　no　strength　of　character　and　no



authority；　even　when　the　soldiery　were　quiet；　he　could　not　control



them；　much　more　in　their　fits　of　frenzy　were　they　irritated　by　the



very　feebleness　of　his　restraint。　The　legions　of　Lower　Germany　had



long　been　without　any　general　of　consular　rank；　until；　by　the



appointment　of　Galba；　Aulus　Vitellius　took　the　command。　He　was　son



of　that　Vitellius　who　was　censor　and　three　times　consul；　this　was



thought　sufficient　recommendation。　In　the　army　of　Britain　there　was　no



angry　feeling；　indeed　no　troops　behaved　more　blamelessly　throughout



all　the　troubles　of　these　civil　wars；　either　because　they　were　far



away　and　separated　by　the　ocean　from　the　rest　of　the　empire；　or



because　continual　warfare　had　taught　them　to　concentrate　their



hatred　on　the　enemy。　Illyricum　too　was　quiet；　though　the　legions　drawn



from　that　province　by　Nero　had；　while　lingering　in　Italy；　sent



deputations　to　Verginius。　But　separated　as　these　armies　were　by　long



distances；　a　thing　of　all　others　the　most　favourable　for　keeping



troops　to　their　duty；　they　could　neither　communicate　their　vices；



nor　combine　their　strength。



　　In　the　East　there　was　as　yet　no　movement。　Syria　and　its　four　legions



were　under　the　command　of　Licinius　Mucianus；　a　man　whose　good　and



bad　fortune　were　equally　famous。　In　his　youth　he　had　cultivated　with



many　intrigues　the　friendship　of　the　great。　His　resources　soon　failed；



and　his　position　became　precarious；　and　as　he　also　suspected　that



Claudius　had　taken　some　offence；　he　withdrew　into　a　retired　part　of



Asia；　and　was　as　like　an　exile；　as　he　was　afterwards　like　an



emperor。　He　was　a　compound　of　dissipation　and　energy；　of　arrogance　and



courtesy；　of　good　and　bad　qualities。　His　self…indulgence　was



excessive；　when　he　had　leisure；　yet　whenever　he　had　served；　he　had



shown　great　qualities。　In　his　public　capacity　he　might　be　praised；　his



private　life　was　in　bad　repute。　Yet　over　subjects；　friends；　and



colleagues；　he　exercised　the　influence　of　many　fascinations。　He　was



a　man　who　would　find　it　easier　to　transfer　the　imperial　power　to



another；　than　to　hold　it　for　himself。　Flavius　Vespasian；　a　general



of　Nero's　appointment；　was　carrying　on　the　war　in　Judaea　with　three



legions；　and　he　had　no　wish　or　feeling　adverse　to　Galba。　He　had　in



fact　sent　his　son　Titus　to　acknowledge　his　authority　and　bespeak　his



favour；　as　in　its　proper　place　I　shall　relate。　As　for　the　hidden



decrees　of　fate；　the　omens　and　the　oracles　that　marked　out　Vespasian



and　his　sons　for　imperial　power；　we　believed　in　them　only　after　his



success。



　　Ever　since　the　time　of　the　Divine　Augustus　Roman　Knights　have



ruled　Egypt　as　kings；　and　the　forces　by　which　it　has　to　be　kept　in



subjection。　It　has　been　thought　expedient　thus　to　keep　under　home



control　a　province　so　difficult　of　access；　so　productive　of　corn；　ever



distracted；　excitable；　and　restless　through　the　superstition　and



licentiousness　of　its　inhabitants；　knowing　nothing　of　laws；　and　unused



to　civil　rule。　Its　governor　was　at　this　time　Tiberius　Alexander；　a



native　of　the　country。　Africa　and　its　legions；　now　that　Clodius



Macer　was　dead；　were　disposed　to　be　content　with　any　emperor；　after



having　experienced　the　rule　of　a　smaller　tyrant。　The　two　divisions



of　Mauritania；　Rhaetia；　Noricum　and　Thrace　and　the　other　provinces



governed　by　procurators；　as　they　were　near　this　or　that　army；　were



driven　by　the　presence　of　such　powerful　neighbours　into　friendship



or　hostility。　The　unarmed　provinces　with　Italy　at　their　head　were



exposed　to　any　kind　of　slavery；　and　were　ready　to　become　the　prize



of　victory。　Such　was　the　state　of　the　Roman　world；　when　Servius　Galba；



consul　for　the　second　time；　with　T。　Vinius　for　his　colleague；



entered　upon　a　year；　which　was　to　be　the　last　of　their　lives；　and



which　well　nigh　brought　the　commonwealth　to　an　end。



　　A　few　days　after　the　1st　of　January；　there　arrived　from　Belgica



despatches　of　Pompeius　Propinquus；　the　Procurator；　to　this　effect；



that　the　legions　of　Upper　Germany　had　broken　through　the　obligation　of



their　military　oath；　and　were　demanding　another　emperor；　but



conceded　the　power　of　choice　to　the　Senate　and　people　of　Rome；　in



the　hope　that　a　more　lenient　view　might　be　taken　of　their　revolt。



These　tidings　hastened　the　plans　of　Galba；　who　had　been　long



debating　the　subject　of　adoption　with　himself　and　with　his　intimate



friends。　There　was　indeed　no　more　frequent　subject　of　conversation



during　these　months；　at　first　because　men　had　liberty　and



inclination　to　talk　of　such　matters；　afterwards　because　the　feebleness



of　Galba　was　notorious。　Few　had　any　discrimination　or　patriotism；　many



had　foolish　hopes　for　themselves；　and　spread　interested　reports；　in



which　they　named　this　or　that　person　to　whom　they　might　be　related



as　friend　or　dependant。　They　were　also　moved　by　hatred　of　T。　Vinius；



who　grew　daily　more　powerful；　and　in　the　same　proportion　more



unpopular。　The　very　easiness　of　Galba's　temper　stimulated　the　greedy



cupidity　which　great　advancement　had　excited　in　his　friends；　because



with　one　so　weak　and　so　credulous　wrong　might　be　done　with　less　risk



and　greater　gain。



　　The　real　power　of　the　Empire　was　divided　between　T。　Vinius；　the



consul；　and　Cornelius　Laco；　prefect　of　the　Praetorian　Guard。　Icelus；　a



freedman　of　Galba；　was　in　equal　favour；　he　had　been　presented　with　the



rings　of　knighthood；　and　bore　the　Equestrian　name　of　Martianus。



These　men；　being　at　variance；　and　in　smaller　matters　pursuing　their



own　aims；　were　divided　in　the　affair　of　choosing　a　successor；　into　two



opposing　factions。　T。　Vinius　was　for　Marcus　Otho；　Laco　and　Icelus



agreed；　not　indeed　in　supporting　any　particular　individual；　but　in



striving　for　some　one　else。　Galba　indeed　was　aware　of　the　friendship



between　Vinius　and　Otho；　the　gossip　of　those　who　allow　nothing　to　pass



in　silence　had　named　them　as　father…in…law　and　son…in…law；　for



Vinius　had　a　widowed　daughter；　and　Otho　was　unmarried。　I　believe



that　he　had　also　at　heart　some　care　for　the　commonwealth；　in　vain；



he　would　think；　rescued　from　Nero；　if　it　was　to　be　left　with　Otho。　For



Otho's　had　been　a　neglected　boyhood　and　a　riotous　youth；　and　he　had



made　himself　agreeable　to　Nero　by　emulating　his　profligacy。　For　this



reason　the　Emperor　had　entrusted　to　him；　as　being　the　confidant　of　his



amours；　Poppaea　Sabina；　the　imperial　favourite；　until　he　could　rid



himself　of　his　wife　Octavia。　Soon　suspecting　him　with　regard　to　this



same　Poppaea；　he　sent　him　out　of　the　way　to　the　province　of　Lusitania；



ostensibly　to　be　its　governor。　Otho　ruled　the　province　with



mildness；　and；　as　he　was　the　first　to　join　Galba's　party；　was　not



without　energy；　and；　while　the　war　lasted；　was　the　most　conspicuous　of



the　Emperor's　followers；　he　was　led　to　cherish　more　and　more



passionately　every　day　those　hopes　of　adoption　which　he　had



entertained　from　the　first。　Many　of　the　soldiers　favoured　him；　and　the



court　was　biassed　in　his　favour；　because　he　resembled　Nero。



　　When　Galba　heard　of　the　mutiny　in　Germany；　though　nothing　was　as　yet



known　about　Vitellius；　he　felt　anxious　as　to　the　direction　which　the



violence　of　the　legions　might　take；　while　he　could　not　trust　even



the　soldiery　of　the　capital。　He　therefore　resorted　to　what　he　supposed



to　be　the　only　remedy；　and　held　a　council　for　the　election　of　an



emperor。　To　this　he　summoned；　besides　Vinius　and　Laco；　Marius



Celsus；　consul　elect；　and　Ducennius　Geminus；　prefect　of　the　city。



Having