Dio's Rome Volume IV Part 9

[-28-] During this same period also many wars took place. Pirates overran many quarters, so that Sardinia had no senatorial governor for some years, but was in charge of soldiers with knights for commanders. Not a few cities rebelled, with the result that for two years the same persons held office in the same provinces of the People, and were personally appointed instead of being chosen by lot. The provinces of Caesar were in general so arranged that men should govern in the same places for a considerable time. However, I shall not go into all these matters minutely. Many things not worthy of record happened in individual instances, and no one would be benefited by the exact details. I shall mention simply the events worth remembering, and very briefly, save those of greatest importance.

The Isaurians began marauding expeditions and kept on till they faced grim war, but were finally subdued. The Gaetuli, discontented with their king, Juba, and at the same time feeling themselves slighted because not governed by the Romans, rose against him: they ravaged the neighboring territory and killed even many of the Romans who made a campaign against them. In fine, they gained so great an ascendancy that Cornelius Cossus, who reduced them, received triumphal honors and t.i.tle for it. While these troubles were in progress expeditions against the Celtae were being conducted by various leaders, and notably by Tiberius. He advanced first to the river Visurgis and subsequently as far as the Albis, but nothing of any moment was accomplished then, although not only Augustus but also Tiberius was dubbed imperator for it, and Gaius Sentius, governor of Germany, received triumphal honors. The Celtae were so afraid of their foes that they made a truce with him not merely once but twice. And the reason that peace was again granted them, in spite of their having broken it so soon, was that the affairs of the Dalmatians and Pannonians, who had begun a rebellion on a large scale, needed vigilant attention.

[-29-] The Dalmatians, smarting under the levies of tribute, had for some time previous kept quiet even against their will. But, at the same time that Tiberius made his second campaign against the Celtae, Valerius Messalinus, the governor of Dalmatia and Pannonia, was himself despatched to the front with Tiberius, taking most of his army; they, too, were ordered to send a contingent and on coming together for this purpose had a chance to see the flower of their fighting force. After that there was no more delay, but urged on particularly by one Bato, a Daesidiatian, at first a few revolted and worsted the Romans that came against them, and this success then led others to rebel. Next, the Breuci, a Pannonian tribe, put another leader named Bato at their head and marched against Sirmium and the Romans in the town. This they did not capture: Caecina Severus, the governor of Moesia close by, he heard of their uprising marched rapidly upon them, and joining battle with them near the river Dravus vanquished their army. Hoping to renew the struggle soon, since many of the Romans also had fallen, they turned to summon their allies, and collected as many as they could. Meanwhile the Dalmatian Bato had made a descent upon Salonae, and being himself grievously wounded with a stone accomplished nothing, but sent some others, who wrought havoc along the whole sea-coast as far as Apollonia. There, in spite of his defeat, his representatives won a slight battle against the Romans who encountered them.

[-30-] Tiberius ascertaining this feared they might invade Italy and so returned from Celtica: he sent Messalinus ahead and himself followed with the rest of the army. Bato learned of their approach and though not yet well went to meet Messalinus. He proved the latter's superior in open conflict but was afterward conquered by an ambuscade. Thereupon he went to Bato the Breucan, and making common cause with him in the war occupied a mountain named Alma. Here they were defeated in a slight skirmish by Rhoemetalces the Thracian, despatched in advance against them by Severus, but resisted Severus himself vigorously. Later Severus withdrew to Moesia because the Dacians and the Sauromatae were ravaging it, and while Tiberius and Messalinus were tarrying in Siscia the Dalmatians overran their allied territory and likewise caused many to revolt. Although Tiberius approached them, they would engage in no open battle with him but kept moving from one place to another, devastating a great deal of ground. Owing to their knowledge of the country and the lightness of their equipment they could easily go wherever they pleased. When winter set in, they did much greater damage by invading Macedonia again.

Rhoemetalces and his brother Rhascuporis got the better of this force in battle.

[A.D. 7 (_a. u._ 760)]

The rest did not stay in their territory while it was being ravaged (this was princ.i.p.ally later, in the consuls.h.i.+p of Caecilius Metellus and Lincinius Sila.n.u.s), but took refuge on the heights, from which they made descents whenever they saw a chance.

[-31-] When Augustus learned this he began to be suspicious of Tiberius, for he thought the latter might have overcome them soon but was delaying purposely so that he might be under arms as long as possible, with war for an excuse. The emperor therefore sent Germanicus, though he was then quaestor, and gave him soldiers not only from the free born citizens but from the freedmen, some of whom were slaves that he had taken from both men and women, in return for their value, with food for six months, and had set free. This was not the only measure he took in view of the necessities of the war: he also postponed the review of the knights, which was wont to occur in the Forum. And he vowed to conduct the Great Games [18] because a woman had cut some letters on her arm and had practiced some kind of divination. He knew well, to be sure, that she had not been possessed by some divine power, but had done it intentionally.

Inasmuch, however, as the populace were terribly wrought up over the wars and the famine (which had now set in once more), he, too, affected to believe what was said and did anything that would lead to the encouragement of the mult.i.tude as a matter of course. In view of the stringency in the grain supply he again appointed two grain commissioners from among the ex-consuls, together with lictors. As there was need of further money for operations against the enemy and the support of night-watchmen, he introduced the tax of two per cent. on the sale of slaves, and he ordered that the money delivered from the public treasury to the praetors who gave armed combats should no longer be expended.

[-32-]The reason that he sent Germanicus and not Agrippa to take the field was that the latter possessed a servile nature and spent most of his time fis.h.i.+ng, wherefore he also used to call himself Neptune. He used to give way to violent anger and slandered Julia as a stepmother, while upon Augustus he heaped abundant reproaches in the matter of his paternal inheritance. When he could not be made to moderate his conduct he was banished and his property was given to the aerarium militare: he himself was put ash.o.r.e on Planasia, the island near Corsica.--These were the events in the City.

Germanicus reached Pannonia, where armies from various points were shortly to a.s.semble; the Batos watched for Severus, who was approaching from Moesia, and fell upon him unexpectedly, while he was encamped near the Volcaean marshes. The pickets outside the ramparts they frightened and hurled back within it, but as the men inside stood their ground, the attacking party was defeated. After this the Romans divided, in order that many detachments might overrun the country in separate places at one time. Most of them did nothing worthy of note during this enterprise, but Germanicus conquered in battle and badly demoralized the Maezei, a Dalmatian tribe.--These were the results of that year.

[A.D. 8 (_a. u._ 761)]

[-33-] In the consuls.h.i.+p of Marcus Furius with s.e.xtus Nonius the Dalmatians and Pannonians decided they would like to make peace because they were in distress primarily from famine and then from disease that followed it, due to their using gra.s.ses of various sorts and roots for food. They did not attempt, however to open any negotiations, being restrained by those who had no hope of preservation at the hands of the Romans. So even as they were they still resisted. And one Scen.o.bardus, who had feigned a readiness to change sides, and had had dealings on this very business with Manius Ennius, commander of the garrison in Siscia, declaring that he was ready to desert, became afraid that he might be injured ere his project was complete, and [19] ...

_The Po, which they call the monarch of rivers that cleave the soil of Italy, known by the name Erida.n.u.s, had its waters let into a very broad excavation, on the command of the emperor Augustus. A seventh division of the channel of this river flows through the center of the state, affording at its mouth a most satisfactory harbor, and was formerly believed (my authority is Dio) to be an entirely safe anchorage for a fleet of two hundred and fifty s.h.i.+ps._ (From the Latin of Jordan.)

When the famine at last had subsided, he conducted a horse-race in the name of Germanicus, who was son of Drusus, and in the name of his brother. On this occasion an elephant fought a rhinoceros, and a knight who had once held a prominent position on account of wealth contended in single combat.

And he found himself sinking under the burden of old age and physical weakness, so that he could not transact business with all the persons that needed his services, he delivered to three ex-consuls the care of the emba.s.sies that were constantly arriving from peoples and kings; each one of these officials separately was empowered to give any such delegation a hearing and to transmit an answer to them, save in such cases as he and the senate needed to pa.s.s upon finally. Other questions continued to be investigated and decided by the emperor himself with the help of his cabinet.

[-34-] ... however, among the first, but among the last he declared, in order that everybody might be permitted to hold an individual opinion, and no one of them be obliged to abandon his own ideas because he felt it obligatory to agree with his sovereign; and he would often help the magistrates try cases. Also, as often as the consulting judges held different views, his vote was reckoned only as equal to that of any one else. It was at this time that Augustus allowed the senate to try the majority of cases without his being present, and he no longer frequented the a.s.semblies of the people. Instead, he had the previous year personally appointed all who were to hold office, because there were factional outbreaks: this year and those following he merely posted a kind of bulletin and made known to the plebs and to the people what persons he favored. Yet he had so much strength for managing hostile campaigns that he journeyed to Ariminum in order that he might be able to give from close at hand all necessary advice in regard to the Dalmatians and Pannonians. Prayers were offered at his departure and sacrifices upon his return, as if he had come back from some hostile territory. This was what was done in Rome.

Meantime Bato the Breucan, who had betrayed Pinnes and received the governors.h.i.+p of the Breuci as reward for this, was captured by the other Bato, and perished. The Breucan had been a little suspicious of his subject tribes and went around to each of the garrisons to demand hostages: the other, learning of this habit, lay in wait for him, conquered him in battle, and shut him up within the fortifications. Later his defeated rival was given up by those in the place, and he took him and led him before the army, whereupon the man was condemned to death and sentence executed without delay. After this event numbers of the Pannonians rose in revolt. Silva.n.u.s led a campaign in person, conquered the Breucans, and won the allegiance of some of the rest without a struggle. Bato seeing this gave up all hope of Pannonia, but stationed garrisons at the pa.s.ses leading to Dalmatia and ravaged the country.

Then the remainder of the Pannonians, especially as their country was suffering harm from Silva.n.u.s, made terms. Only certain nests of brigands, who in so great a disturbance could naturally do damage for a long time, held out. Tins practically always happens in the case of all enemies, and is especially characteristic of the tribes in question. These localities were reduced by other persons.

[Footnote 1: Lat. _custodes vigilum_.]

[Footnote 2: Cp. Ovid, _Tristia_, IV, 10, vv. 7 and 8.]

[Footnote 3: See Chapter 2.]

[Footnote 4: Compare Reifferscheid's _Suetoni Reliquice_, page 136.]

[Footnote 5: Or _Curatores Viarum_.]

[Footnote 6: Between this point and ... "to Mars" two leaves are missing in the codex Marcia.n.u.s. The gap is filled in the usual makes.h.i.+ft fas.h.i.+on by Xiphilinus and Zonaras.]

[Footnote 7: The ancients seem rather uncertain about this personage's name, for Velleius Paterculus gives _Adduus_, and Florus _Donnes_. The modern reader may take his choice of the three, and the layman is as likely to be right as the expert]

[Footnote 8: Between this point and the words "he both adopted Tiberius,"

etc., in chapter 13, two leaves of the codex Marcia.n.u.s are lacking.

Of the missing portion Xiphilinus and Zonaras supply perhaps three-sevenths.]

[Footnote 9: These are the words of Xiphilinus. Zonaras presents an alternate possibility (X, 36) as follows: "Among the Greeks, Dio says, the coin called _aureus_ has twenty drachmae (denarii) as its regular rate of exchange."]

[Footnote 10: It seems rather likely that Zonaras has become confused, and that he should have said "Livia."]

[Footnote 11: Verb supplied by Xylander.]

[Footnote 12: Possibly a reference to the opening of Book Fifty-four.

(Boissee.)]

[Footnote 13: Compare Xenophon, _Cyropaedia_, VIII, 4, 5.]

[Footnote 14: The three words after "kill" are on the basis of a suggestion made by Boissevain. The MS. has a gap of some fifteen letters.]

[Footnote 15: Emendation by Mommsen.]

[Footnote 16: Compare Book Fifty-three, chapter 14.]

[Footnote 17: His true name was Archelaus.]

[Footnote 18: Cp. Suetonius, Life of Augustus, chapter 23.]

[Footnote 19: At this point in the codex Marcia.n.u.s four leaves have been lost.]

DIO'S ROMAN HISTORY

56

The following is contained in the Fifty-sixth of Dio's Rome:

How Augustus addressed those having children and afterward the childless and unmarried, and what rules he laid down to apply to them (chapters 1-10).

How Quintilius Varus was defeated by the Celtae and perished (chapters 18-24).

How the Temple of Concord was consecrated (chapter 25).

How the Portico of Livia was consecrated (chapter 27).

How Augustus pa.s.sed away (chapters 29-47).

Duration of time, six years, in which there were the following magistrates here enumerated:

Q. Sulpicius Q.F. Camerinus, C. Poppaeus Q.F. Sabinus. (A.D. 9 = a. u.

762.)