histories-第5章

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and　dare　now　while　Galba's　authority　is　still　unsettled；　and　before



that　of　Piso　is　consolidated。　Periods　of　transition　suit　great



attempts；　and　delay　is　useless　where　inaction　is　more　hurtful　than



temerity。　Death；　which　nature　ordains　for　all　alike；　yet　admits　of　the



distinction　of　being　either　forgotten；　or　remembered　with　honour　by



posterity；　and；　if　the　same　lot　awaits　the　innocent　and　the　guilty；



the　man　of　spirit　will　at　least　deserve　his　fate。〃



　　The　soul　of　Otho　was　not　effeminate　like　his　person。　His



confidential　freedmen　and　slaves；　who　enjoyed　a　license　unknown　in



private　families；　brought　the　debaucheries　of　Nero's　court；　its



intrigues；　its　easy　marriages；　and　the　other　indulgences　of　despotic



power；　before　a　mind　passionately　fond　of　such　things；　dwelt　upon　them



as　his　if　he　dared　to　seize　them；　and　reproached　the　inaction　that



would　leave　them　to　others。　The　astrologers　also　urged　him　to



action；　predicting　from　their　observation　of　the　heavens



revolutions；　and　a　year　of　glory　for　Otho。　This　is　a　class　of　men；



whom　the　powerful　cannot　trust；　and　who　deceive　the　aspiring；　a



class　which　will　always　be　proscribed　in　this　country；　and　yet



always　retained。　Many　of　these　men　were　attached　to　the　secret



councils　of　Poppaea　and　were　the　vilest　tools　in　the　employ　of　the



imperial　household。　One　of　them；　Ptolemaeus；　had　attended　Otho　in



Spain；　and　had　there　foretold　that　his　patron　would　survive　Nero。



Gaining　credit　by　the　result；　and　arguing　from　his　own　conjectures　and



from　the　common　talk　of　those　who　compared　Galba's　age　with　Otho's



youth；　he　had　persuaded　the　latter　that　he　would　be　called　to　the



throne。　Otho　however　received　the　prediction　as　the　words　of　wisdom



and　the　intimation　of　destiny；　with　that　inclination　so　natural　to　the



human　mind　readily　to　believe　in　the　mysterious。



　　Nor　did　Ptolemaeus　fail　to　play　his　part；　he　now　even　prompted　to



crime；　to　which　from　such　wishes　it　is　easy　to　pass。　Whether　indeed



these　thoughts　of　crime　were　suddenly　conceived；　is　doubtful。　Otho　had



long　been　courting　the　affections　of　the　soldiery；　either　in　the



hope　of　succeeding　to　the　throne；　or　in　preparation　for　some　desperate



act。　On　the　march；　on　parade；　and　in　their　quarters；　he　would



address　all　the　oldest　soldiers　by　name；　and　in　allusion　to　the



progresses　of　Nero　would　call　them　his　messmates。　Some　he　would



recognise；　he　would　inquire　after　others；　and　would　help　them　with　his



money　and　interest。　He　would　often　intersperse　his　conversation　with



complaints　and　insinuations　against　Galba　and　anything　else　that　might



excite　the　vulgar　mind。　Laborious　marches；　a　scanty　commissariat；



and　the　rigour　of　military　discipline；　were　especially　distasteful；



when　men；　accustomed　to　sail　to　the　lakes　of　Campania　and　the　cities



of　Greece；　had　painfully　to　struggle　under　the　weight　of　their　arms



over　the　Pyrenees；　the　Alps；　and　vast　distances　of　road。



　　The　minds　of　the　soldiery　were　already　on　fire；　when　Maevius　Pudens；



a　near　relative　of　Tigellinus；　added；　so　to　speak；　fuel　to　the　flames。



In　his　endeavour　to　win　over　all　who　were　particularly　weak　in



character；　or　who　wanted　money　and　were　ready　to　plunge　into



revolution；　he　gradually　went　so　far　as　to　distribute；　whenever



Galba　dined　with　Otho；　one　hundred　sesterces　to　each　soldier　of　the



cohort　on　duty；　under　pretext　of　treating　them。　This；　which　we　may



almost　call　a　public　bounty；　Otho　followed　up　by　presents　more



privately　bestowed　on　individuals；　nay　he　bribed　with　such　spirit；



that；　finding　there　was　a　dispute　between　Cocceius　Proculus；　a　soldier



of　the　bodyguard；　and　one　of　his　neighbours；　about　some　part　of



their　boundaries；　he　purchased　with　his　own　money　the　neighbour's



entire　estate；　and　made　a　present　of　it　to　the　soldier。　He　took



advantage　of　the　lazy　indifference　of　the　Prefect；　who　overlooked



alike　notorious　facts　and　secret　practices。



　　He　then　entrusted　the　conduct　of　his　meditated　treason　to　Onomastus；



one　of　his　freedmen；　who　brought　over　to　his　views　Barbius　Proculus；



officer　of　the　watchword　to　the　bodyguard；　and　Veturius；　a　deputy



centurion　in　the　same　force。　Having　assured　himself　by　various



conversations　with　these　men　that　they　were　cunning　and　bold；　he



loaded　them　with　presents　and　promises；　and　furnished　them　with



money　with　which　to　tempt　the　cupidity　of　others。　Thus　two　soldiers



from　the　ranks　undertook　to　transfer　the　Empire　of　Rome；　and



actually　transferred　it。　Only　a　few　were　admitted　to　be　accomplices　in



the　plot；　but　they　worked　by　various　devices　on　the　wavering　minds



of　the　remainder；　on　the　more　distinguished　soldiers；　by　hinting



that　the　favours　of　Nymphidius　had　subjected　them　to　suspicion；　on　the



vulgar　herd；　by　the　anger　and　despair　with　which　the　repeated



postponement　of　the　donative　had　inspired　them。　Some　were　fired　by



their　recollections　of　Nero　and　their　longing　regrets　for　their　old



license。　All　felt　a　common　alarm　at　the　idea　of　having　to　serve



elsewhere。



　　The　contagion　spread　to　the　legions　and　the　auxiliary　troops；



already　excited　by　the　news　of　the　wavering　loyalty　of　the　army　of



Germany。　So　ripe　were　the　disaffected　for　mutiny　and　so　close　the



secrecy　preserved　by　the　loyal；　that　they　would　actually　have　seized



Otho　on　the　14th　of　January；　as　he　was　returning　from　dinner；　had　they



not　been　deterred　by　the　risks　of　darkness；　the　inconvenient



dispersion　of　the　troops　over　the　whole　city；　and　the　difficulty　of



concerted　action　among　a　half…intoxicated　crowd。　It　was　no　care　for



the　state；　which　they　deliberately　meditated　polluting　with　the



blood　of　their　Emperor；　it　was　a　fear　lest　in　the　darkness　of　night



any　one　who　presented　himself　to　the　soldiers　of　the　Pannonian　or



German　army　might　be　fixed　on　instead　of　Otho；　whom　few　of　them



knew。　Many　symptoms　of　the　approaching　outburst　were　repressed　by



those　who　were　in　the　secret。　Some　hints；　which　had　reached　Galba's



ears；　were　turned　into　ridicule　by　Laco　the　prefect；　who　knew



nothing　of　the　temper　of　the　soldiery；　and　who；　inimical　to　all



measures；　however　excellent；　which　he　did　not　originate；　obstinately



thwarted　men　wiser　than　himself。



　　On　the　15th　of　January；　as　Galba　was　sacrificing　in　front　of　the



temple　of　Apollo；　the　Haruspex　Umbricius　announced　to　him　that　the



entrails　had　a　sinister　aspect；　that　treachery　threatened　him；　that　he



had　an　enemy　at　home。　Otho　heard；　for　he　had　taken　his　place　close　by；



and　interpreted　it　by　contraries　in　a　favourable　sense；　as　promising



success　to　his　designs。　Not　long　after　his　freedman　Onomastus　informed



him　that　the　architect　and　the　contractors　were　waiting　for　him。　It



had　been　arranged　thus　to　indicate　that　the　soldiers　were



assembling；　and　that　the　preparations　of　the　conspiracy　were　complete。



To　those　who　inquired　the　reason　of　his　departure；　Otho　pretended　that



he　was　purchasing　certain　farm…buildings；　which　from　their　age　he



suspected　to　be　unsound；　and　which　had　therefore　to　be　first　surveyed。



Leaning　on　his　freedman's　arm；　he　proceeded　through　the　palace　of



Tiberius　to　the　Velabrum；　and　thence　to　the　golden　milestone　near



the　temple　of　Saturn。　There　three　and　twenty　soldiers　of　the



body…guard　saluted　him　as　Emperor；　and；　while　he　trembled　at　their



scanty　number；　put　him　hastily　into　a　chair；　drew　their　swords；　and



hurried　him　onwards。　About　as　many　more　soldiers　joined　them　on



their　way；　some　because　they　were　in　the　plot；　many　from　mere



surprise；　some　shouted　and　brandished　their　swords；　others　proceeded



in　silence；　intending　to　let　the　issue　determine　their　sentiments。



　　Julius　Martialis　was　the　tribune　on　guard　in　the　camp。　Appalled　by



the　enormity　and　suddenness　of　the　crime；　or　perhaps　fearing　that



the　troops　were　very　extensively　corrupted　and　that　it　would　be