66 66 "for such predictions, when they come to fail, make the grief at last, and in earnest, more bitter than if the party "had never heard of any such thing. However, though I run the hazard of my own self, I think it fit to declare to "thee the prediction of the gods. It cannot be that thou "shouldest long continue in these bonds; but thou wilt soon "be delivered from them, and wilt be promoted to the high est dignity and power, and thou wilt be envied by all those "who now pity thy hard fortune; and thou wilt be happy "till thy death, and wilt leave that thine happiness to the "children whom thou shalt have. But do thou remember, "when thou seest this bird again, that thou wilt then live. "but five days longer. This event will be brought to pass "by that God who hath sent this bird hither to be a sign unto "thee. And I cannot but think it unjust to conceal from "thee what I foreknow concerning thee, that, by thy know❝ing beforehand what happiness is coming upon thee, thou "mayest not regard thy present misfortunes. But, when "this happiness shall actually befall thee, do not forget what "misery I am in myself, but endeavour to deliver me." So, when the German had said this, he made Agrippa laugh at him as much as he afterwards appeared worthy of admiration. But now Antonia took Agrippa's misfortune to heart; however, to speak to Tiberius on his behalf, she took to be a very difficult thing, and indeed quite impracticable, as to any hope of success: yet did she procure of Macro, that the soldiers that kept him should be of a gentle nature, and that the centurion who was over them, and was to diet with him, should be of the same disposition, and that he might have leave to bathe himself every day, and that his freed-men and friends might come to him, and that other things that tended to ease him, might be indulged him. So his friend Silas came in to him, and two of his freed-men, Marsyas and Stechus, brought him such sorts of food as he was fond of, and indeed took great care of him; they also brought him garments, under pretence of selling them, and, when night came on, they laid them under him; and the soldiers assisted them, as Macro had given them order to do beforehand. And this was Agrippa's condition for six months time, and in this case were his affairs. 8. But for Tiberius, upon his return to Capres, he fell sick. At first his distemper was but gentle; but, as that distemper increased upon him, he had small or no hopes of recovery. Hereupon he bid Euodus, who was that freed-man whom he most of all respected, to bring the children * to him; for that he wanted to talk to them before he died. Now *Tiberius his own grandson, and Caius his brother Drusus's grandson. * he had at present no sons of his own alive; for Drusus, who was his only son, was dead; but Drusus's son Tiberius was still living, whose additional name was Gemellus: there was also living Caius, the son of Germanicus, who was the son of his brother [Drusus]. He was now grown up, and had had a liberal education, and was well improved by it, and was in esteem and favour with the people on account of the excellent character of his father Germanicus, who had attained the highest honour among the multitude, by the firmness of his virtuous behaviour, by the easiness and agreeableness of his conversing with the multitude, and because the dignity he was in, did not hinder his familiarity with them all, as if they were his equals; by which behaviour he was not only greatly esteemed by the people and the senate, but by every one of those nations that were subject to the Romans; some of which were affected, when they came to him, with the gracefulness of their reception by him, and others were affected in the same manner by the report of the others that had been with him and upon his death there was a lamentation made by all men; not such an one as was to be made in way of flattery to their rulers, while they did but counterfeit sorrow, but such as was real; while every body grieved at his death, as if they had lost one that was near to them. And truly such had been his easy conversation with men, that it turned greatly to the advantage of his son among all; and, among others, the soldiery were so peculiarly affected to him, that they reckoned it an eligible thing, if need were, to die themselves, if he might but attain to the government. : 9. But when Tiberius had given order to Euodus to bring the children to him the next day in the morning, he prayed to his country gods to shew him a manifest signal, which of those children should come to the government; being very desirous to leave it to his son's son, but still depending upon what God should foreshew concerning them, more than upon his own opinion and inclination; so he made this to be the omen, that the government should be left to him who should come to him first the next day. When he had thus resolved within himself, he sent to his grandson's tutor, and ordered him to bring the child to him early in the morning, as supposing that God would permit him to be made emperor. But God proved opposite to his designation; for while Tiberius was thus contriving matters, and as soon as it was at all day, he bid Euodus to call in that child which should be there ready. So he went out, and found Caius before the door, for Tibe * So I correct Josephus's copy, which calls Germanicus his brother, who was his brother's sen. rius was not yet come, but staid waiting for his breakfast; for Euodus knew nothing of what his lord intended; so he said to Caius," Thy father calls thee," and then brought him in. As soon as Tiberius saw Caius, and not before, he reflected on the power of God, and how the ability of bestow ing the government on whom he would was entirely taken from him; and thence he was not able to establish what he had intended. So he greatly lamented that this power of es tablishing what he had before contrived was taken from him, and that his grandson Tiberius was not only to lose the Roman empire by this fatality, but his own safety also, because his preservation would now depend upon such as would be more potent than himself, who would think it a thing not to be borne, that a kinsman should live with them, and so his relation would not be able to protect him: but he would be feared and hated by him who had the supreme authority, partly on account of his being next to the empire, and partly on account of his perpetually contriving to get the govern ment, both in order to preserve himself, and to be at the head of affairs also. Now Tiberius had been very much given to astrology,* and calculation of the nativities, and had spent his life in the esteem of what predictions had proved true, more than those whose profession it was. Accordingly, when he once saw Galba coming in to him, he said to his most intimate friends, that "there came in a man that would one "day have the dignity of the Roman empire." So that this Tiberius was more addicted to all such sorts of diviners than any other of the Roman emperors, because he had found them to have told him truth in his own affairs. And indeed he was now in great distress upon this accident that had befallen him, and was very much grieved at the destruction of his son's son, which he foresaw and complained of himself, that he should have made use of such a method of divination beforehand, while it was in his power to have died without grief by this knowledge of futurity; whereas he was now tormented by his foreknowledge of the misfortune of such as were dearest to him, and must die under that torment. Now although he were disordered at this unexpected revolution of the government to those for whom he did not intend it, he spake thus to Caius, though unwillingly and against his own inclination: "O child! although Tiberius be nearer related "to me than thou art, I, by my own determination, and the "conspiring suffrage of the gods, do give, and put into thy "hand, the Roman empire; and I desire thee, never to be This is a known thing among the Roman historians and poets, that Tiberius was greatly given to astrology and divination. 66 "unmindful when thou comest to it, either of my kindness "to thee, who set thee in so high a dignity, or of thy rela"tion to Tiberius. But as thou knowest that I am, together "with, and after the gods, the procurer of so great happiness to thee, so I desire that thou wilt make me a return "for my readiness to assist thee, and will take care of Tibe"rius because of his near relation to thee. Besides which "thou art to know, that, while Tiberius is alive, he will be a security to thee, both as to empire and as to thy own pre"servation; but, if he die, that will be but a prelude to thy "own misfortunes; for, to be alone, under the weight of such "vast affairs, is very dangerous; nor will the gods suffer "those actions which are unjustly done, contrary to that law "which directs men to act otherwise, to go off unpunished." This was the speech which Tiberius made, which did not persuade Caius to act accordingly, although he promised so to do; but, when he was settled in the government, he took off this Tiberius, as was predicted by the other Tiberius; as he was also himself in no long time afterward slain by a secret plot laid against him. 10. So when Tiberius had at this time appointed Caius to be his successor, he outlived but a few days, and then died, after he had held the government twenty-two years five months and three days: now Caius was the fourth emperor. But when the Romans understood that Tiberius was dead, they rejoiced at the good news, but had not courage to believe it; not because they were unwilling it should be true, for they would have given large sums of money that it might be so, but because they were afraid, that if they had shewed their joy when the news proved false, their joy should be openly known, and they should be accused for it, and be thereby undone. For this Tiberius had brought a vast number of miseries on the best families of the Romans, since he was easily inflamed with passion in all cases, and was of such a temper as rendered his anger irrevocable, till he had executed the same, although he had taken a hatred against men without reason; for he was by nature fierce in all the sentences he gave, and made death the penalty for the slightest offences; insomuch that when the Romans heard the rumour about his death gladly, they were restrained from the enjoyment of that pleasure by the dread of such miseries as they foresaw would follow, if their hopes proved ill-grounded. Now Marsyas, Agrippa's freedman, as soon as he heard of Tiberius's death, came running to tell Agrippa the news; and finding him going out to the bath, he gave him a nod, and and said in the Hebrew tongue, "The lion is dead :" who *This name of a lion is often given to tyrants, especially by the Jews, such as understanding his meaning, and being overjoyed at the news, Nay, said he, but all sorts of thanks and happiness attend "thee for this news of thine; only I wish that what thou say. "est may prove true." Now the centurion, who was set to keep Agrippa, when he saw with what haste Marsyas came, and what joy Agrippa had from what he said, he had a suspicion that his words implied some great innovation of affairs, and he asked them about what was said. They at first diverted the discourse; but upon his farther pressing, Agrippa, without more ado, told him, for he was already become his friend; so he joined with him in that pleasure which this news occasioned, because it would be fortunate to Agrippa, and made him a supper. But as they were feasting, and the cups went about, there came one who said, That "Tiberius was "still alive, and would return to the city in a few days." At which news the centurion was exceedingly troubled, because he had done what might cost him his life, to have treated so joyfully a prisoner, and this upon the news of the death of Cæsar; so he thrust Agrippa from the couch whereon he lay, and said, "Dost thou think to cheat me by a lie about the "emperor without punishment? and shalt not thou pay for "this thy malicious report at the price of thine head!" When he had so said, he ordered Agrippa to be bound again, (for he had loosed him before), and kept a severer guard over him than formerly, and in that evil condition was Agrippa that night; but the next day the rumour increased in the city, and confirmed the news that Tiberius was certainly dead; insomuch that men durst now openly and freely talk about it; nay, some offered sacrifices on that account. Several letters also came from Caius, one of them to the senate, which informed them of the death of Tiberius, and of his own entrance on the government; another to Piso, the governor of the city, which told him the same thing. He also gave order that Agrippa should be removed out of the camp, and go to that house where he lived before he was put in prison; so that he was now out of fear as to his own affairs; for although he were still in custody, yet was it now with ease to his own affairs. Now as soon as Caius was come to Rome, and had brought Tiberius's dead body with him, and had made a sumptuous funeral for him, according to the laws of his country, he was much disposed to set Agrippa at liberty that very day, but Antonia hindered him; not out of any ill-will to the prisoner, but out of regard to decency in Caius, lest that Agrippa, and probably his freed-man Marsyas, in effect, were, Ezek. xix. 1–9. Esth. xiv. 13. 2 Tim. iv. 17. They are also sometimes compared to, or represented by wild beasts, of which the lion is the principal. Dan. vii. 3-8. Apoc. xiii. 1, 2. |