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by　secret　treason。　The　shades　of　night　and　the　obscurity　of　a　rural



hiding…place　had　veiled　the　flight　of　Nero。　Piso　and　Galba　had；　it



might　be　said；　fallen　in　battle。　In　an　assembly　of　his　own　people；　and



in　the　midst　of　his　own　soldiers；　with　the　very　women　of　his　family



looking　on；　Vitellius　stood　and　spoke　a　few　words　suitable　to　the



sad　conjuncture。　〃He　gave　way；〃　he　said；　〃for　the　sake　of　peace；　for



the　sake　of　his　country；　let　them　only　remember　him；　and　think　with



compassion　of　his　brother；　of　his　wife；　of　his　young　and　innocent



children。〃　At　the　same　time　he　held　out　his　son；　commending　him



first　to　individual　bystanders；　then　to　the　whole　assembly。　At　last；



unable　to　speak　for　weeping；　he　unfastened　the　dagger　from　his　side；



and　offered　it　to　the　Consul；　Caecilius　Simplex；　who　was　standing　by



him；　as　if　to　indicate　that　he　surrendered　the　power　of　life　and　death



over　the　citizens。　The　Consul　rejecting　it；　and　those　who　were



standing　by　in　the　assembly　shouting　remontrance；　he　departed；　as　if



with　the　intention　of　laying　aside　the　emblems　of　Imperial　power　in



the　Temple　of　Concord；　and　of　betaking　himself　to　his　brother's　house。



Louder　shouts　here　met　him　from　the　crowd；　which　hindered　him　from



entering　a　private　house；　and　invited　him　to　return　to　the　palace。



Every　other　route　was　closed；　and　the　only　one　open　was　one　which



led　into　the　Via　Sacra。　Then　in　utter　perplexity　he　returned　to　the



palace。　The　rumour　that　he　had　renounced　the　Imperial　dignity　had



preceded　him　thither；　and　Flavius　Sabinus　had　sent　written　orders　to



the　tribunes　of　the　cohorts　to　keep　their　soldiers　under　restraint。



　　Then；　as　if　the　whole　State　had　passed　into　the　hands　of



Vespasian；　the　leading　men　of　the　Senate；　many　of　the　Equestrian



order；　with　all　the　city　soldiery　and　the　watch；　thronged　the　dwelling



of　Sabinus。　Intelligence　was　there　brought　to　him　of　the　enthusiasm　of



the　populace　and　of　the　threatening　attitude　of　the　German　cohorts。　He



had　now　gone　too　far　to　be　able　to　retreat；　and　every　one；　fearing　for



himself；　should　the　Vitellianists　come　upon　them　while　they　were



scattered　and　comparatively　weak；　urged　him；　in　spite　of　his



reluctance；　to　hostilities。　As　usually　happens；　however；　in　such



cases；　all　gave　the　advice；　but　few　shared　the　risk。　The　armed　retinue



which　was　escorting　Sabinus　was　met；　as　it　was　coming　down　by　the　Lake



Fundanus；　by　some　of　the　most　determined　of　the　Vitellianists。　From



this　unforeseen　collision　resulted　an　encounter　slight　indeed；　but



terminating　favourably　for　the　Vitellianists。　In　the　hurry　of　the



moment　Sabinus　adopted　the　safest　course　open　to　him；　and　occupied　the



Capitol　with　a　miscellaneous　body　of　soldiery；　and　some　Senators　and



Knights。　It　is　not　easy　to　give　the　names　of　these　persons；　since



after　the　triumph　of　Vespasian　many　pretended　to　have　rendered　this



service　to　his　party。　There　were　even　women　who　braved　the　dangers



of　the　siege；　the　most　conspicuous　among　them　being　Verulana　Gratilla；



who　was　taken　thither；　not　by　the　love　of　children　or　kindred；　but



by　the　fascination　of　war。　The　Vitellianists　kept　but　a　careless　watch



over　the　besieged；　and　thus　at　the　dead　of　night　Sabinus　was　able　to



bring　into　the　Capitol　his　own　children　and　Domitian　his　brother's



son；　and　to　send　by　an　unguarded　route　a　messenger　to　the　generals



of　the　Flavianist　party；　with　information　that　they　were　besieged；　and



that；　unless　succour　arrived；　they　must　be　reduced　to　distress。　The



night　passed　so　quietly　that　he　might　have　quitted　the　place　without



loss；　for；　brave　as　were　the　soldiers　of　Vitellius　in　encountering



danger；　they　were　far　from　attentive　to　the　laborious　duties　of



watching。　Besides　this；　the　sudden　fall　of　a　winter　storm　baffled　both



sight　and　hearing。



　　At　dawn　of　day；　before　either　side　commenced　hostilities；　Sabinus



sent　Cornelius　Martialis；　a　centurion　of　the　first　rank；　to　Vitellius；



with　instructions　to　complain　of　the　infraction　of　the　stipulated



terms。　〃There　has　evidently；〃　he　said；　〃been　a　mere　show　and



pretence　of　abdicating　the　Empire；　with　the　view　of　deceiving　a　number



of　distinguished　men。　If　not；　why；　when　leaving　the　Rostra；　had　he



gone　to　the　house　of　his　brother；　looking　as　it　did　over　the　Forum；



and　certain　to　provoke　the　gaze　of　the　multitude；　rather　than　to　the



Aventine；　and　the　family　house　of　his　wife？　This　would　have　befitted　a



private　individual　anxious　to　shun　all　appearance　of　Imperial　power。



But　on　the　contrary；　Vitellius　retraced　his　steps　to　the　palace；　the



very　stronghold　of　Empire；　thence　issued　a　band　of　armed　men。　One　of



the　most　frequented　parts　of　the　city　was　strewed　with　the　corpses



of　innocent　persons。　The　Capitol　itself　had　not　been　spared。　〃I；〃　said



Sabinus；　〃was　only　a　civilian　and　a　member　of　the　Senate；　while　the



rivalry　of　Vitellius　and　Vespasian　was　being　settled　by　conflicts



between　legions；　by　the　capture　of　cities；　by　the　capitulation　of



cohorts；　with　Spain；　Germany；　and　Britain　in　revolt；　the　brother　of



Vespasian　still　remained　firm　to　his　allegiance；　till　actually　invited



to　discuss　terms　of　agreement。　Peace　and　harmony　bring　advantage　to



the　conquered；　but　only　credit　to　the　conqueror。　If　you　repent　of　your



compact；　it　is　not　against　me；　whom　you　treacherously　deceived；　that



you　must　draw　the　sword；　nor　is　it　against　the　son　of　Vespasian；　who



is　yet　of　tender　age。　What　would　be　gained　by　the　slaughter　of　one　old



man　and　one　stripling？　You　should　go　and　meet　the　legions；　and　fight



there　for　Empire；　everything　else　will　follow　the　issue　of　that



struggle。〃　To　these　representations　the　embarrassed　Vitellius　answered



a　few　words　in　his　own　exculpation；　throwing　all　the　blame　upon　the



soldiers；　with　whose　excessive　zeal　his　moderation　was；　he　said；



unable　to　cope。　He　advised　Martialis　to　depart　unobserved　through　a



concealed　part　of　the　palace；　lest　he　should　be　killed　by　the



soldiers；　as　the　negotiator　of　this　abhorred　convention。　Vitellius　had



not　now　the　power　either　to　command　or　to　forbid。　He　was　no　longer



Emperor；　he　was　merely　the　cause　of　war。



　　Martialis　had　hardly　returned　to　the　Capitol；　when　the　infuriated



soldiery　arrived；　without　any　leader；　every　man　acting　on　his　own



impulse。　They　hurried　at　quick　march　past　the　Forum　and　the　temples



which　hang　over　it；　and　advanced　their　line　up　the　opposite　hill　as



far　as　the　outer　gates　of　the　Capitol。　There　were　formerly　certain



colonnades　on　the　right　side　of　the　slope　as　one　went　up；　the



defenders；　issuing　forth　on　the　roof　of　these　buildings；　showered



tiles　and　stones　on　the　Vitellianists。　The　assailants　were　not　armed



with　anything　but　swords；　and　it　seemed　too　tedious　to　send　for



machines　and　missiles。　They　threw　lighted　brands　on　a　projecting



colonnade；　and　following　the　track　of　the　fire　would　have　burst



through　the　half…burnt　gates　of　the　Capitol；　had　not　Sabinus；



tearing　down　on　all　sides　the　statues；　the　glories　of　former



generations；　formed　them　into　a　barricade　across　the　opening。　They



then　assailed　the　opposite　approaches　to　the　Capitol；　near　the　grove



of　the　Asylum；　and　where　the　Tarpeian　rock　is　mounted　by　a　hundred



steps。　Both　these　attacks　were　unexpected；　the　closer　and　fiercer　of



the　two　threatened　the　Asylum。　The　assailants　could　not　be　checked



as　they　mounted　the　continuous　line　of　buildings；　which；　as　was



natural　in　a　time　of　profound　peace；　had　grown　up　to　such　a　height



as　to　be　on　a　level　with　the　soil　of　the　Capitol。　A　doubt　arises　at



this　point；　whether　it　was　the　assailants　who　threw　lighted　brands



on　to　the　roofs；　or　whether；　as　the　more　general　account　has　it；　the



besieged　thus　sought　to　repel　the　assailants；　who　were　now　making



vigorous　progress。　From　them　the　fire　passed　to　the　colonnades



adjoining　the　temples；　the　eagles　supporting　the　pediment；　which



were　of　old　timber；　caught　the　flames。　And　so　the　Capitol；　with　its



gates　shut；　neither　defended　by　friends；　nor　spoiled　by　a　foe；　was



burnt　to　the　ground。



　　This　was　the　most　deplorable　and　disgraceful　event　that　had　happened



to　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome　since　the　foundation　of　the　city；　for　now；



assailed　by　no　foreign　enemy；　with　Heaven　ready　to　be　propitious；



had　our　vices　only　allowed；　the　seat　of　Jupiter　Supremely　Good　and



Great；　founded　by　our　ancestors　with　solemn　auspices　to　be　the



pledge　of　Empire；　the　seat；　which　neither　Porsenna；　when　the　city



was　surrendered；　nor　the　Gauls；　when　it　was　captured；　had　been　able　to



violate；　was　destroyed　by　the　madness　of　our　Emperors。　Once　before



indeed　during　civil　war　the　Capitol　had　been　consumed　by　fire；　but



then　only　through　the　crime　of　individuals；　now　it　was　openly



besieged；　and　openly　set　on　fire。　And　what　were　the　motives　of　this



conflict？　what　the　compensation　for　so　great　a　disaster？　was　it　for



our　country　we　were　fighting？　King　Tarquinius　Priscus　had　vowed　its



erection　in　his　war　with　the　Sabines；　and　had　laid　the　foundations



on　a　scale　which　suited　the　hopes　of　future　greatness　rather　than　what



the　yet　moderate　resources　of　Rome　could　achieve。　After　him；　Servius



Tullius；　heartily　assisted　by　the　allies；　and　Tarquinius　Superbus；



employing　the　spoils　of　war　from　the　conquered　Suessa　Pometia；



raised　the　superstructure。　But　the　glory　of　its　completion　was



reserved　for　the　days　of　liberty。　After　the　expulsion　of　the　Kings；



Horatius　Pulvillus；　in　his　second　consulate；　dedicated　it；　a



building　so　magnificent；　that　the　vast　wealth　afterwards　acquired　by



the　people　of　Rome　served　to　embellish　rather　than　increase　it。　It　was



rebuilt　on　the　same　site；　when；　after　an　interval　of　415　years；　it　was



burnt　to　the　ground　in　the　consulate　of　Lucius　Scipio　and　Caius



Norbanus。　Sulla；　after