Suetonius whose father had fought for Otho at Bedriacom gives an unfavorable account of
Vitellius rise and brief and cruel administration into the lives of the twelve Caesars
Tacitus disagrees with some of Suetonius's assertions
Even though their own accounts of Vitellius are scarcely positive ones
Book One
The Rise of Vitellius Tacitus writes: The city was in a panic
the alarm aroused by the recent atrocious crime and by others well-known proclivities was further
increased by the fresh news about Vitellius this news had been suppressed before Galba's murder
and it was believed that only the army of upper germany had revolted now when they saw that the
two men in the world who were most notorious for immorality indolence and extravagance had been as
it were appointed by providence to ruin the empire not only the senators and knights who had some
stake and interest in the country but the masses as well openly deplored their fate their talk was
no longer of the horrors of the recent bloody peace they reverted to the records of the civil
wars the taking and retaking of rome by her own troops the devastation of italy the pillage of the
provinces the battles of farselia philippi parusia and matina those by words of national disaster
the world was turned upside down they mused even when good men fought for the throne yet the roman
empire survived the victories of Julius Caesar and of Augustus as the republic would have survived
had pompey and brutus been victorious but now are we to go and pray for otho or for vitellius
to pray for either would be impeach it would be wicked to offer vows for the success of
either in a war of which we can only be sure that the winner will prove the worse
some cherished hopes of vespasian and the armies of the east he was preferable to
either of the others still they shuddered at the thought of a fresh war and fresh bloodshed
besides vespasian's reputation was doubtful he was the first emperor who ever changed for the better
i must now explain the origin and causes of the rising of vitellius after the slaughter of julius
and his whole force the troops were in high spirits at the fame and booty they had acquired
without toil or danger they had won a most profitable victory so they were all for marching
against the enemy plunder seemed better than pay they had endured a long and unprofitable service
rendered the more irksome by the country and climate and by the strict discipline observed
but discipline however stern in time of peace is always relaxed in civil wars
when temptation stands on either hand and treachery goes unpunished
men armor and horses they had in abundance for use and for show but whereas before the war the
soldiers only knew the men of their own company or troop and the provincial frontier separated
the armies now having once joined forces against they had gained a knowledge of their own strength
in the state of the province and were looking for more fighting and fresh quarrels calling the gauls
no longer allies as before but our enemies or the vanquished they had also the support of the gaelic
tribes on the banks of the rhine who had espoused their cause and were now the most eager to rouse
them against the galbians as they now called them despising the name of so cherishing hostility
against the sequani and adewie and against all the other communities in proportion to their wealth
they drank in dreams of sacking towns and pillaging fields and looting houses inspired
partly by the peculiar failings of the strong greed and vanity and partly also by a feeling
of irritation at the insolence of the gauls who boasted to the chagrin of the army that galba had
remitted a quarter of their tribute and given the franchise and grants of land to their community
further fuel was added by a rumor cunningly circulated and rashly credited that there was
a project on foot to decimate the legions and discharge all the most enterprising centurions
from every side came alarming news and sinister reports from the city the colony of lodunum was
up in arms and its stubborn attachment to nero made it a hotbed of rumor but in the camp itself
the passions and fears of the soldiers and when once they had realized their strength
their feeling of security furnished the richest material for lies and won him easy credence
in the preceding year shortly after the beginning of december always vitellius had entered the
province of lower germany and held a careful inspection of the winter quarters of the legions
he restored many to their rank remitted degrading penalties and relieved those who had suffered
disgrace acting mainly from ambitious motives but partly also upon sound judgment amongst other
things he showed impartiality in remedying the injustices due to the mean and dishonest way in
which fontayas capito had issued promotions and reductions the soldiers did not judge vitellius
actions as those of a mere ex-consul they took him for something more and while serious critics
found him undignified his supporters spoke of his affability and beneficence because he
showed neither moderation nor judgment in making presence out of his own money and squandering
other people's besides they were so greedy for power that they took even his vices for virtues
in both armies there were plenty of quiet law-abiding men as well as many who were
unprincipled and disorderly but for sheer reckless cupidity none could match two of the legionary
leggets alienist casino and fabius valens valens was hostile to galba because after unmasking
virginia's hesitation and thwarting capitao's designs he considered that he had been treated
with ingratitude so he incited vitellius by pointing out to him the enthusiasm of the troops
you he would say to him are famous everywhere and you need find no obstacle in hordinius flaccos
britain will join and the german auxiliaries will flock to your standard
galba cannot trust the provinces the poor old man holds the empire on sufferance the transfer
can be soon affected if only you will clap on full sail and meet your good fortune halfway
virginias was quite right to hesitate he came of a family of knights and his father was a nobody
he would have failed had he accepted the empire his refusal saved him
your father was thrice consul and he was censor with an emperor for his colleague that gives you
imperial dignity to start with and makes it unsafe for you to remain a private citizen
these promptings stirred vitelia's sluggish nature to form desires but hardly hopes casino on the
other hand in upper germany was a handsome youth whose big build imperious spirit clever tongue and
upright carriage had completely won the hearts of the soldiers while questa in baitica he had
promptly joined galba's party and in spite of his youth had been given command of a legion later he
was convicted of misappropriating public funds and on galba's orders prosecuted for peculation
highly indignant casino determined to embroil the world and bury his own disgrace in the ruins
of his country nor were the seeds of dissension lacking in the army the entire force had taken
part in the war against nor was it until after nero's death that they joined galba's side and
even then they had been forestalled in swearing allegiance by the detachments of lower germany
then again the trivirian ling ones and the other communities which galba had punished
by issuing harsh edicts and confiscating part of their territory were in close communication with
the winter quarters of the legions they began to talk treason the soldiers degenerated in
civilian society it only wanted someone to avail himself of the offer they had made to virginias
following an ancient custom the tribe of the ling ones had made
a present of a pair of silver hands to the legions is a symbol of hospitality
assuming an appearance of squalid misery their envoys made the round of the office's quarters in
the soldiers tents complaining of their own wrongs and of the rewards lavished on neighbouring tribes
finding the soldiers ready to listen they made inflammatory allusions to the army itself
its dangers and humiliation mutiny was almost right when jordinius flaccus ordered the envoys
to withdraw and in order to secure the secrecy of the departure gave instructions to them to
leave the camp by night this gave rise to an alarming rumor many declared that the envoys had
been killed and that if they did not look out for themselves the leading spirits among the soldiers
who had complained of the present state of things would be murdered in the dark while their comrades
knew nothing about it so the legions formed a secret compact the auxiliaries were also taken
into the plot although at first they had been distrusted because their infantry and cavalry
had been posted in camp all around the legion's quarters as though an attack on him were meditated
however they soon showed themselves the kinah conspirators disloyalty is a better bond for
war than it ever proves in peace in lower germany however the legions on the 1st of january swore
the usual oath of allegiance to galba though with much hesitation few voices were heard
even in the front ranks the rest were silent each waiting for his neighbour to take some bold step
human nature is always ready to follow where it hates to lead however the feelings of the legions
varied the first and fifth were already mutinous enough to throw a few stones at galba's statue
the 15th and 16th dead not venture beyond muttered threats but they were watching to see the outbreak
begin in upper germany on the other hand on the very same day the 4th and the 22nd legions who
were courted together smashed their statues of galba to atoms the fourth took the lead
the 22nd at first holding back but eventually making common cause with them they did not want
it to be thought that they were shaking off their allegiance to the empire so in taking the oath
they invoked the long obsolete names of the senate and people of rome none of the offices made any
movement for galba and indeed some of them as happens in such outbreaks headed the rebellion
however nobody made any kind of set speech or mounted the platform for there was no one as yet
with whom to carry favor the ex-consul hordianis flacca stood by and watched their treachery
he had not the courage to check the storm or even to rally the wavers and encourage the faithful
sluggish and cowardly it was mere indolence that kept him loyal four centurions of the 22nd legion
nonius receptus donatious valens romelus marcellus and calpurnius repentinus who tried to protect
galba's statues were swept away by the rush of the soldiers and put under arrest no one retained
any respect for their former oath of allegiance or even remembered it and as happens in mutinies they
were all on the side of the majority on the night of the 1st of january a standard bearer of the
fourth legion came to cologne and brought the news to vitellius at his dinner that the 4th and 22nd
legions had broken down galba's statues and sworn allegiance to the senate and people of rome as
this oath was meaningless it seemed best to seize the critical moment and offer them an emperor
vitellius dispatched messengers to inform his own troops and generals that the army of the upper
province had revolted from Galba so they must either make war on the rebels immediately or if
they preferred peace and unity make an emperor for themselves and there was less danger he reminded
them in choosing an emperor than in looking for one the quarters of the first legion were
nearest at hand and Fabius Valens was the most enterprising of the generals on the following day
he entered cologne with the cavalry of his legion and auxiliaries and saluted Vitellius's emperor
the other legions of the province followed suit vying with each other in enthusiasm and the army
of the upper province dropping the fine sounding titles of the senate and people of rome joined
vitellius on the 3rd of january which clearly showed that on the two previous days they were not
really at the disposal of a republican government the inhabitants of cologne and the triviri and
ling ones rivalling the zeal of the troops made offers of assistance or of horses or arms or money
each according to the measure of their strength wealth or enterprise and these offers came not
only from the civil and military authorities men who had plenty of money to spare and much to hope
from victory but whole companies or individual soldiers handed over their savings or instead of
money their belts or the silver ornaments on their uniforms some carried away by a wave of enthusiasm
some acting from motives of self-interest vitelius accordingly commended the zeal of the troops
he distributed among roman knights the court offices which had been usually held by friedman
paid the centurions their furlough fees out of the imperial purse and for the most part conceded the
soldiers savage demands for one execution after another though he occasionally cheated them by
pretending to imprison their victims thus pompeus propinquis the imperial agent in belgica was
promptly executed while julius birdo who commanded the fleet on the rhine was adroitly rescued
the indignation of the army had broken out against him because he was supposed to have
intrigued against fontis capito and to have accused him falsely capitao's memory was dear
to the army and when violence reigns murder may show its face but pardon must be stealthy
so birdo was kept in confinement and only released after victory had delayed the soldier's rancour
meanwhile a centurion named crispinus was offered as a scapegoat he had actually stained his hands
with capitao's blood so his guilt seemed more obvious to those who clamored for his punishment
and vitelius felt he was a cheaper sacrifice julius civilis was the next to be rescued from
danger he was all-powerful among the batavi and vitellius did not want to alienate so spirited of
people by punishing him besides eight cohorts of batavian troops were stationed among the ling ones
they had been an auxiliary force attached to the fourteenth and in the general disturbance had
deserted the legion their decision for one side or the other would be of the first importance
nanius donatus romelus and calpernius the centurions mentioned above were executed
by order of vitellius they had been convicted of loyalty a heinous offense among deserters
his party soon gained the accession of valerio's asiaticus governor of belgica who subsequently
married vitellius daughter and of junius blasis governor of the lions division of gaul
who brought with him the italian legion and a regiment of cavalry known as taurus
horse which had been courted at ludunum the forces in rishia lost no time in joining his standard
and even the troops in britain showed no hesitation tribelius maximus the governor
of britain had earned by his meanness and cupidity the contempt and hatred of the army
which was further inflamed by the action of his old enemy rocius celius who commanded the 20th
legion and they now seized the opportunity of the civil war to break out into a fierce quarrel
tribelius blamed celius for the mutinous temper and insubordination of the army
celias complained that trebellus had robbed his men and impaired their efficiency meanwhile
their unseemly quarrel ruined the discipline of the forces whose insubordination soon came to
a head the auxiliary horse and foot joined in the attacks on the governor and rallied round
trebellius thus hunted out and abandoned took refuge with vitellius the province remained
quiet despite the removal of the ex-consul the government was carried on by the commanding
offices of the legions who were equal in authority though celius's audacity gave him an advantage
over the rest thus reinforced by the army from britain vitellius who now had an immense force
and vast resources at his disposal decided on an invasion by two routes under two separate generals
fabius valens was to lure the gauls to his standard or if they refused
to devastate their country and then invade italy by way of the cottian alps
casino was to follow the shorter route and descend into italy over the pennine pass
valen's column comprised the fifth legion with its eagle and some picked detachments from the army
of lower germany together with auxiliary horse and foot amounting in all to forty thousand men
kasina's troops from upper germany numbered thirty thousand main strength consisting in
the 21st legion both columns were reinforced by german auxiliaries whom vitelius also
recruited to fill up his own army intending to follow with the main force of the attack
strange was the contrast between vitellius and his army the soldiers were all eagerness
clamoring for battle at once while gaul was still frightened and spain still undecided
winter was no obstacle to them peace and delay were for cowards they must invade italy and
seize rome haste was the safest course in civil war where action is better than deliberation
vitellius was duly apathetic anticipating his high station by indulging in idle
luxury and lavish entertainments at midday he would be drunk and drowsy with overeating
however such was the zeal of the soldiers that they even did the general's duties
and behaved exactly as if he had been present to encourage the alert and threaten the laggards
they promptly fell in and began to clamor for the signal to start the title of germanicus
was then and there conferred on vitellius caesar he would never be called even after his victory
civil war between the factions of otho and vitellius takes hold as we continue on the next
chapter of the histories by tacitus please hit the like button if you are enjoying these videos
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