Tag: Cassius Dio

Ἐν δὲ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ τὴν Ἀντινόου ὠνομασμένην ἀνῳκοδόμησε πόλιν. ὁ γὰρ Ἀντίνοος ἦν μὲν ἐκ Βιθυνίου πόλεως Βιθυνίδος, ἣν καὶ Κλαυδιούπολιν καλοῦμεν, παιδικὰ δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐγεγόνει, καὶ ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ἐτελεύτησεν, εἴτ’ οὖν ἐς τὸν Νεῖλον ἐκπεσών, ὡς Ἁδριανὸς γράφει, εἴτε καὶ ἱερουργηθείς, ὡς ἡ ἀλήθεια ἔχει· τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα περιεργότατος Ἁδριανός, ὥσπερ εἶπον, ἐγένετο, καὶ μαντείαις μαγγανείαις τε παντοδαπαῖς ἐχρῆτο. καὶ οὕτω γε τὸν Ἀντίνοον, ἤτοι διὰ τὸν ἔρωτα αὐτοῦ ἢ ὅτι ἐθελοντὴς ἐθανατώθη (ἑκουσίου γὰρ ψυχῆς πρὸς ἃ ἔπραττεν ἐδεῖτο), ἐτίμησεν ὡς καὶ πόλιν ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ, ἐν ᾧ τοῦτ’ ἔπαθε, καὶ συνοικίσαι καὶ ὀνομάσαι ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐκείνου ἀνδριάντας ἐν πάσῃ ὡς εἰπεῖν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀγάλματα, ἀνέθηκε. καὶ τέλος ἀστέρα τινὰ αὐτός τε ὁρᾶν ὡς καὶ τοῦ Ἀντινόου ὄντα ἔλεγε, καὶ τῶν συνόντων οἱ μυθολογούντων ἡδέως ἤκουεν ἔκ τε τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ Ἀντινόου ὄντως τὸν ἀστέρα γεγενῆσθαι καὶ τότε πρῶτον ἀναπεφηνέναι. διὰ ταῦτά τε οὖν ἐσκώπτετο, καὶ ὅτι Παυλίνῃ τῇ ἀδελφῇ ἀποθανούσῃ παραχρῆμα μὲν οὐδεμίαν τιμὴν ἔνειμεν . . .
(Cassius Dio, Hist. 69.11.2-4)

In Egypt also he rebuilt the city named henceforth for Antinous. Antinous was from Bithynium, a city of Bithynia, which we also call Claudiopolis; he had been a favourite of the emperor and had died in Egypt, either by falling into the Nile, as Hadrian writes, or, as the truth is, by being offered in sacrifice. For Hadrian, as I have stated, was always very curious and employed divinations and incantations of all kinds. Accordingly, he honoured Antinous, either because of his love for him or because the youth had voluntarily undertaken to die (it being necessary that a life should be surrendered freely for the accomplishment of the ends Hadrian had in view), by building a city on the spot where he had suffered this fate and naming it after him; and he also set up statues, or rather sacred images, of him, practically all over the world. Finally, he declared that he had seen a star which he took to be that of Antinous, and gladly lent an ear to the fictitious tales woven by his associates to the effect that the star had really come into being from the spirit of Antinous and had then appeared for the first time. On this account, then, he became the object of some ridicule, and also because at the death of his sister Paulina he had not immediately paid her any honour . . . (tr. Earnest Cary)

 

Ὁ δὲ Κλαύδιος τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς Ἀγριππίνης δρωμένοις, ὧν γε καὶ ᾐσθάνετο ἤδη, ἀχθόμενος, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Βρεττανικὸν ἐπιζητῶν, ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῷ ἐπίτηδες ὑπ’ἐκείνης τὰ πολλὰ γιγνόμενον, Νέρωνι, οἷα τῷ ἑαυτῆς παιδὶ ἐκ τοῦ προτέρον ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς Δομιτίου, πάντα τρόπον περιποιουμένης τὸ κράτος, καὶ ὁπότε ἐντύχοι φιλοφρόνως συγγινόμενος, οὐκ ἤνεγκε τὸ γιγνόμενον, ἀλλ’ἐκείνην τε καταλῦσαι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐς τοὺς ἐφήβους ἐσαγαγεῖν καὶ διάδοχον τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀποδεῖξαι παρεσκευάζετο. μαθοῦσα δὲ ταῦτα ἡ Ἀγριππῖνα ἐφοβήθη, καὶ αὐτὸν προκαταλαβεῖν φαρμάκῳ πρίν τι τοιοῦτον πραχθῆναι ἐσπούδασεν. ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲν ὑπό τε τοῦ οἴνου, ὃν πολὺν ἀεί ποτε ἔπινε, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἄλλης διαίτῃς, ᾗ πάντες ἐπίπαν πρὸς φυλακήν σφων οἱ αὐτοκράτορες χρῶνται, κακοῦσθαι ἠδύνατο, Λουκοῦστάν τινα φαρμακίδα περιβόητον ἐπ’ αὐτῷ τούτῳ νέον ἑαλωκυῖαν μετεπέμψατο, καὶ φάρμακόν τι ἄφυκτον προκατασκευάσασα δι’ αὐτῆς ἔς τινα τῶν καλουμένων μυκήτων ἐνέβαλε. καὶ αὐτὴ μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἤσθιεν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἐκ τοῦ τὸ φάρμακον ἔχοντος (καὶ γὰρ μέγιστος καὶ κάλλιστος ἦν) φαγεῖν ἐποίησε. καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτως ἐπιβουλευθεὶς ἐκ μὲν τοῦ συμποσίου ὡς καὶ ὑπερκορὴς μέθης σφόδρα ὢν ἐξεκομίσθη, ὅπερ που καὶ ἄλλοτε πολλάκις ἐγεγόνει, κατεργασθεὶς δὲ τῷ φαρμάκῳ διά τε τῆς νυκτὸς οὐδὲν οὔτ’εἰπεῖν οὔτ’ἀκοῦσαι δυνηθεὶς μετήλλαξε, τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ δεκάτῃ τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου, ζήσας ἑξήκοντα καὶ τρία ἔτη καὶ μῆνας δύο καὶ ἡμέρας τρεῖς καὶ δέκα, αὐταρχήσας δὲ ἔτη τρία καὶ δέκα καὶ μῆνας ὀκτὼ καὶ ἡμέρας εἴκοσι.
(Cassius Dio, Hist. 61.34.1-3)

Claudius was angered by Agrippina’s actions, of which he was now becoming aware, and sought for his son Britannicus, who had purposely been kept out of his sight by her most of the time (for she was doing everything she could to secure the throne for Nero, inasmuch as he was her own son by her former husband Domitius); and he displayed his affection whenever he met the boy. He would not endure her behaviour, but was preparing to put an end to her power, to cause his son to assume the toga virilis, and to declare him heir to the throne. Agrippina, learning of this, became alarmed and made haste to forestall anything of the sort by poisoning Claudius. But since, owing to the great quantity of wine he was forever drinking and his general habits of life, such as all emperors as a rule adopt for their protection, he could not easily be harmed, she sent for a famous dealer in poisons, a woman named Lucusta, who had recently been convicted on this very charge; and preparing with her aid a poison whose effect was sure, she put it in one of the vegetables called mushrooms. Then she herself ate of the others, but made her husband eat of the one which contained the poison; for it was the
largest and finest of them. And so the victim of the plot was carried from the banquet apparently quite overcome by strong drink, a thing that had happened many times before; but during the night the poison took effect and he passed away, without having been able to say or hear a word. It was the thirteenth of October, and he had lived sixty-three years, two months, and thirteen days, having been emperor thirteen years, eight months and twenty days. (tr. Earnest Cary)

Ἦγε δὲ καὶ τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐμβριθῶς μᾶλλον ἢ θωπευτικῶς· καί ποτε ἰσχυρῶς αἰτοῦντί τι ἐν ὁπλομαχίᾳ οὔτε ἔνειμε, καὶ προσέτι ἐκέλευσε τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τοῦ Δομιτιανοῦ κηρυχθῆναι “σιωπήσατε”. οὐκ ἐλέχθη μὲν γάρ· ὁ γὰρ κῆρυξ ἀνατείνας τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τούτου ἡσυχάσας, ὥσπερ εἰώθασι ποιεῖν (οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ὁπότε ὑπὸ κηρύγματος σιγάζονται), ἐπειδὴ ἐσιώπησαν, ἔφη “τοῦτ’ ἐθέλει”. Καὶ οὐχ ὅτι τινὰ ὀργὴν τῷ κήρυκι ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐτίμησεν αὐτὸν ὅτι τὴν δυσχέρειαν τοῦ κελεύσματος οὐκ ἐξέφησεν. ἔφερε γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ οὐκ ἠγανάκτει εἴ τι καὶ παρὰ γνώμην καὶ πρὸς τῶν τυχόντων ὠφελοῖτο. ἀμέλει γυναικὸς παριόντος αὐτοῦ ὁδῷ τινι δεομένης, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὅτι “οὐ σχολάζω”, ἔπειτα ὡς ἐκείνη ἀνακραγοῦσα ἔφη “καὶ μὴ βασίλευε”, ἐπεστράφη τε καὶ λόγον αὐτῇ ἔδωκεν.
(Cassius Dio, Hist. 69.6)

He led the Roman people rather by dignity than by flattery. Once at a gladiatorial contest, when the crowd was demanding something very urgently, he not only would not grant it but further bade the herald proclaim Domitian’s command, “Silence.” The word was not uttered, however, for the herald raised his hand and by that very gesture quieted the people, as heralds are accustomed to do (for crowds are never silenced by proclamation), and then, when they had become quiet, he said: “That is what he wishes.” And Hadrian was not in the least angry with the herald, but actually honoured him for not uttering the rude order. For he could bear such things, and was not displeased if he received aid either in an unexpected way or from ordinary men. At any rate, once, when a woman made a request of him as he passed by on a journey, he at first said to her, “I haven’t time,” but afterwards, when she cried out, “Cease, then, being emperor,” he turned about and granted her a hearing. (tr. Earnest Cary)

Καὶ αὐτῆς ἄλλα τε καλῶς εἰρημένα ἀποφθέγματα φέρεται, καὶ ὅτι γυμνούς ποτε ἄνδρας ἀπαντήσαντας αὐτῇ καὶ μέλλοντας διὰ τοῦτο θανατωθήσεσθαι ἔσωσεν, εἰποῦσα ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀνδριάντων ταῖς σωφρονούσαις οἱ τοιοῦτοι διαφέρουσι. πυθομένου τέ τινος αὐτῆς πῶς καὶ τί δρῶσα οὕτω τοῦ Αὐγούστου κατεκράτησεν, ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι αὐτή τε ἀκριβῶς σωφρονοῦσα, καὶ πάντα τὰ δοκοῦντα αὐτῷ ἡδέως ποιοῦσα, καὶ μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐκείνου πολυπραγμονοῦσα, καὶ τὰ ἀφροδίσια αὐτοῦ ἀθύρματα μήτε ἀκούειν μήτε αἰσθάνεσθαι προσποιουμένη. τοιαύτη μὲν ἡ Λιουία ἐγένετο…
(Cassius Dio, Hist. 58.2.5)

Among the many excellent utterances of hers that are reported are the following. Once, when some naked men met her and were to be put to death in consequence, she saved their lives by saying that to chaste women such men are no whit different from statues. When someone asked her how and by what course of action she had obtained such a commanding influence over Augustus, she answered that it was by being scrupulously chaste herself, doing gladly whatever pleased him, not meddling with any of his affairs, and, in particular, by pretending neither to hear of nor to notice the favourites that were the object of his passion. Such was the character of Livia. (tr. Earnest Cary)