histories-第19章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




provinces；　not　without　a　military　population；　and　well　furnished



with　money。　There　were　all　the　islands　of　the　Mediterranean。　And　there



was　the　sea　itself；　which　during　the　interval　of　preparation　for　war



would　be　both　a　convenience　and　a　protection。



　　The　ardour　of　the　troops　was　not　unknown　to　their　generals；　but　it



was　judged　advisable　to　wait　for　the　issue　of　the　struggle　which



others　were　carrying　on。　The　conquerors　and　the　conquered；　it　was



said；　never　unite　with　a　genuine　good　faith。　It　matters　not　whether



fortune　make　Otho　or　Vitellius　to　be　the　victor。　Even　great　generals



grow　insolent　in　prosperity；　these　men　are　quarrelsome；　indolent；



and　profligate；　and　their　own　faults　will　make　war　fatal　to　the　one；



and　success　to　the　other。　They　therefore　postponed　the　war　until　a



more　fitting　opportunity；　and　though　Vespasian　and　Mucianus　had　but



lately　resolved　on　concerted　action；　the　others　had　done　so　long



before。　The　worthiest　among　them　were　moved　by　patriotism；　many　were



wrought　upon　by　the　attractions　of　plunder；　some　by　their　private



embarrassments。　And　so；　good　and　bad；　from　different　motives；　but　with



equal　zeal；　were　all　eager　for　war。



　　About　this　time　Achaia　and　Asia　Minor　were　terrified　by　a　false



report　that　Nero　was　at　hand。　Various　rumours　were　current　about　his



death；　and　so　there　were　many　who　pretended　and　believed　that　he　was



still　alive。　The　adventures　and　enterprises　of　the　other　pretenders



I　shall　relate　in　the　regular　course　of　my　work。　The　pretender　in　this



case　was　a　slave　from　Pontus；　or；　according　to　some　accounts；　a



freedman　from　Italy；　a　skilful　harp…player　and　singer；



accomplishments；　which；　added　to　a　resemblance　in　the　face；　gave　a



very　deceptive　plausibility　to　his　pretensions。　After　attaching　to



himself　some　deserters；　needy　vagrants　whom　he　bribed　with　great



offers；　he　put　to　sea。　Driven　by　stress　of　weather　to　the　island　of



Cythnus；　he　induced　certain　soldiers；　who　were　on　their　way　from　the



East；　to　join　him；　and　ordered　others；　who　refused；　to　be　executed。　He



also　robbed　the　traders　and　armed　all　the　most　able　bodied　of　the



slaves。　The　centurion　Sisenna；　who　was　the　bearer　of　the　clasped　right



hands；　the　usual　emblems　of　friendship；　from　the　armies　of　Syria　to



the　Praetorians；　was　assailed　by　him　with　various　artifices；　till　he



left　the　island　secretly；　and；　fearing　actual　violence；　made　his



escape　with　all　haste。　Thence　the　alarm　spread　far　and　wide；　and



many　roused　themselves　at　the　well…known　name；　eager　for　change；　and



detesting　the　present　state　of　things。　The　report　was　daily　gaining



credit　when　an　accident　put　an　end　to　it。



　　Galba　had　entrusted　the　government　of　Galatia　and　Pamphylia　to



Calpurnius　Asprenas。　Two　triremes　from　the　fleet　of　Misenum　were　given



him　to　pursue　the　adventurer：　with　these　he　reached　the　island　of



Cythnus。　Persons　were　found　to　summon　the　captains　in　the　name　of



Nero。　The　pretender　himself；　assuming　a　studied　appearance　of



sorrow；　and　appealing　to　their　fidelity　as　old　soldiers　of　his　own；



besought　them　to　land　him　in　Egypt　or　Syria。　The　captains；　perhaps



wavering；　perhaps　intending　to　deceive；　declared　that　they　must



address　their　soldiers；　and　that　they　would　return　when　the　minds　of



all　had　been　prepared。　Everything；　however；　was　faithfully　reported　to



Asprenas；　and　at　his　bidding　the　ship　was　boarded　and　taken；　and　the



man；　whoever　he　was；　killed。　The　body；　in　which　the　eyes；　the　hair；



and　the　savage　countenance；　were　remarkable　features；　was　conveyed



to　Asia；　and　thence　to　Rome。



　　In　a　state　that　was　distracted　by　strife；　and　that　from　frequent



changes　in　its　rulers　trembled　on　the　verge　between　liberty　and



licence；　even　little　matters　were　attended　with　great　excitement。



Vibius　Crispus；　whose　wealth；　power；　and　ability；　made　him　rank



among　men　of　distinction；　rather　than　among　men　of　worth；　demanded



that　Annius　Faustus；　of　the　Equestrian　order；　who　in　the　days　of



Nero　had　practised　the　trade　of　the　informer；　should　be　brought　to



trial　before　the　Senate。　The　Senators　indeed　had　recently；　during



the　reign　of　Galba；　passed　a　resolution；　that　cognizance　should　be



taken　of　the　cases　of　the　informers。　This　decree　was　variously　carried



out；　and；　while　retained　as　law；　was　powerless　or　effectual；　according



as　the　person；　who　happened　to　be　accused；　was　influential　or



helpless。　Besides　the　terror　of　the　law；　Crispus　had　exerted　his　own



power　to　the　utmost　to　destroy　the　man　who　had　informed　against　his



brother。　He　had　prevailed　upon　a　great　part　of　the　Senate　to　demand



that　he　should　be　consigned　to　destruction；　undefended　and　unheard。



But；　on　the　other　hand；　there　were　some　with　whom　nothing　helped　the



accused　person　so　much　as　the　excessive　power　of　the　accuser。　They



gave　it　as　their　opinion；　that　time　ought　to　be　allowed；　that　the



charges　ought　to　be　specified；　that；　odious　and　guilty　as　the　man



might　be；　he　yet　ought　to　be　heard；　as　precedent　required。　At　first



they　carried　their　point；　and　the　trial　was　postponed　for　a　few



days；　but　before　long　Faustus　was　condemned；　but　by　no　means　with　that



unanimity　on　the　part　of　the　people　which　his　detestable　character　had



deserved。　Men　remembered　that　Crispus　had　followed　the　same　profession



with　profit；　nor　was　it　the　penalty　but　the　prosecutor　that　they



disliked。



　　Meanwhile　the　campaign　had　opened　favourably　for　Otho；　at　whose



bidding　the　armies　of　Dalmatia　and　Pannonia　had　begun　to　move。　These



comprised　four　legions；　from　each　of　which　two　thousand　troops　were



sent　on　in　advance。　The　7th　had　been　raised　by　Galba；　the　11th；



13th；　and　14th　were　veteran　soldiers；　the　14th　having　particularly



distinguished　itself　by　quelling　the　revolt　in　Britain。　Nero　had　added



to　their　reputation　by　selecting　them　as　his　most　effective　troops。



This　had　made　them　long　faithful　to　Nero；　and　kindled　their　zeal　for



Otho。　But　their　self…confidence　induced　a　tardiness　of　movement



proportionate　to　their　strength　and　solidity。　The　auxiliary　infantry



and　cavalry　moved　in　advance　of　the　main　body　of　the　legions。　The



capital　itself　contributed　no　contemptible　force；　namely　five



Praetorian　cohorts；　some　troops　of　cavalry；　and　the　first　legion；



and　together　with　these；　2000　gladiators；　a　disreputable　kind　of



auxiliaries；　but　employed　throughout　the　civil　wars　even　by　strict



disciplinarians。　Annius　Gallus　was　put　at　the　head　of　this　force；



and　was　sent　on　with　Vestricius　Spurinna　to　occupy　the　banks　of　the



Padus；　the　original　plan　of　the　campaign　having　fallen　to　the



ground；　now　that　Caecina；　who　they　had　hoped　might　have　been　kept



within　the　limits　of　Gaul；　had　crossed　the　Alps。　Otho　himself　was



accompanied　by　some　picked　men　of　the　body…guard；　with　whom　were　the



rest　of　the　Praetorian　cohorts；　the　veteran　troops　from　the　Praetorian



camp；　and　a　vast　number　of　the　levies　raised　from　the　fleet。　No



indolence　or　riot　disgraced　his　march。　He　wore　a　cuirass　of　iron；



and　was　to　be　seen　in　front　of　the　standards；　on　foot；　rough　and



negligent　in　dress；　and　utterly　unlike　what　common　report　had　pictured



him。



　　Fortune　seemed　to　smile　on　his　efforts。　Through　his　fleets；　which



commanded　the　sea；　he　held　the　greater　part　of　Italy；　even　as　far　as



where　the　chain　of　the　Maritime　Alps　begins。　The　task　of　attempting



the　passage　of　this　chain；　and　of　advancing　into　the　Provincia



Narbonensis；　he　had　entrusted　to　three　generals；　Suedius　Clemens；



Antonius　Novellus；　and　Aemilius　Pacensis。　Pacensis；　however；　was　put



in　irons　by　his　insubordinate　troops；　Antonius　possessed　no　kind　of



authority；　and　Clemens　commanded　only　for　popularity；　and　was　as



reckless　in　transgressing　the　good　order　of　military　discipline　as



he　was　eager　to　fight。　One　would　not　have　thought　that　it　was　Italy；



the　fields