on the 1st of january 69 a.d the day galba took the office of consul fortune was not with him
the 4th and 22nd legions of upper germany refused to swear loyalty to galba
they toppled his statues demanding that a new emperor be chosen
on the following day the soldiers of lower germany also refused to swear their loyalty and proclaimed
the governor of the province orlis vitellius as emperor galba tried to ensure his authority as
emperor was recognized in the following days by adopting the 31 year old nobleman lucius
calpurnias piso lycinianus is his successor he was the last known direct descendant of the
triumva and was the last known direct descendant of the triumva who bore his name little is known
of lycinianus's life prior to his adoption by the emperor galba the decision by galba to overlook
ortho as his successor as well as his continuing austerity towards the legion sealed his fate
book one
the german revolt and the adoption of peso a few days after the 1st of january a dispatch
arrived from belgica in which pompius propinkus the imperial agent announced that the legions of
upper germany had broken their oath of allegiance and were clamoring for a new emperor but that by
way of tempering their treason they referred the final choice to the senate and people of rome
galba had already been deliberating and seeking advice is to the adoption of a successor and this
occurrence hastened his plans during all these months this question formed the current subject
of gossip throughout the country galba was far spent in years and the general propensity for
such a topic knew no check few people showed sound judgment or any spirit of patriotism
many were influenced by foolish hopes and spread self-interested rumors pointing to some friend
or patron thereby also gratifying their hatred for titus vinius whose unpopularity waxed daily
with his power galba's affability only served to strengthen the gaping ambition of his newly
powerful friends for his weakness and credulity halved the risk and doubled the reward of treason
the real power of the throne was divided between the consul titus vinius and cornelius loco the
prefect of the guards and an influence is great was enjoyed by iceless one of galba's
friedman who had been given the gold ring and was now greeted by the name of marchianus
these three ordinarily disagreed and followed each his own interest
in smaller matters on the question of the succession they fell into two camps
vinius was for marcus otho laco and iceless were agreed not so much on anyone as on any other
galba was aware of the friendship between otho and vinius otho was a bachelor and vinius had an
unmarried daughter so gossip never reticent pointed to them as father and son-in-law
galba one may suppose felt some concern for his country too why take the throne from nero
if it was to be left to ortho otho had led a careless boyhood and a dissolute youth and
endeared himself to nero by aping his vices thus it was to ortho as being already in the secret
that nero entrusted his favorite mistress papaya sabina until he could get rid of octavia later he
grew jealous and removed otho to the province of lusitania under cover of a governorship
otho had been popular in his administration of the province and was one of the first to join
galba's party being a man of action and one of the most distinguished of galba's offices in the war
when once he had conceived the hope of succeeding him he eagerly indulged it
most of the soldiers were on his side and the court supported him as nero's double after
receiving the news of the german revolt although galba knew nothing for certain of vitellia's plans
he was fearful to what lengths the outbreak of the troops might go so being unable to trust the
troops in the city he had recourse to what seemed his sole remedy and held an imperial election
besides vinius and le co he summoned marius celsius consul elect and the city prefect du
cenius geminus after prefacing a few words about his own advanced age he ordered peso-lycinionis
to be sent for either on his own initiative or as some believed at the instance of lacoe
laco had met piso at rubellius plortus's house and they had formed a friendship but he cunningly
pretended that he was supporting a stranger and piso's good repute gave colour to this policy
piso was a noble on both sides being the son of marcus crassus and scribonia there was an
old world austerity in his face and bearing and just critics spoke of his strict morality
people who took a less favorable view thought him soured but while those who disliked this side of
his character carpet it it was a recommendation in the eyes of the emperor who intended to adopt him
galba is said to have taken piso's hand and addressed him as follows
were i a private citizen and write to adopt you in the presence of the priests by the usual formality
of a curial statute it would be an honour for me to introduce into my family a descendant of canis
pompeus and of marcus crassus and for you it would be a distinction to add to your noble ancestry the
glories of the sulpician and lutation houses as it is i have been called by the consent of gods and
men to be an emperor your distinguished qualities and your patriotism have persuaded me to offer to
you peacefully and quietly the throne for which our ancestors fought on the field of battle and
which i too won by war in so doing i am following the precedent set by the sainted augustus
who raised to the rank next himself first his nephew marcellus then his son-in-law agrippa
then his daughter's sons and finally his stepson tiberius nero however while augustus looked for
a successor in his own family i have searched throughout the country not that i lack either
kinsmen or supporters but it was by no favour of birth that i myself came to the throne and to
prove my policy in this matter consider how i have passed over not only my own relatives but yours
you have an elder brother as noble as yourself he would have been worthy of this position but you
are worthier you are old enough to have outlived youthful passions your life has been such that
you have nothing in your past to excuse so far you have only experienced misfortune prosperity probes
the heart with akina touch misery only calls for patience but there is corruption in success
honesty candor and affection are the best of human qualities and doubtless you yourself
have enough character to retain them but the complacence of others will weaken your character
flattery and servile compliments will break down its defenses in self-interest too
the bane of all sincerity what though you and i can talk plainly with each other today
others will address themselves not to us but to our fortunes to persuade an emperor
what he ought to do is a laborious task anyone can flatter him without a spark of sincerity
if the vast bulk of this empire could stand and keep its balance without a guiding hand
the republic might well have dated its birth from me as it is things have long ago come to such
a past that neither i in my old age can give the roman people any better gift than a good successor
nor you in your prime anything better than a good emperor under tiberius caligula and
claudius rome was the heirloom of a single family there is a kind of liberty in the free
choice we have begun to exercise now that the julian and claudian houses are extinct by the
think of nero swollen with the pride of his long line of royal ancestry it was not with a
powerless province at his back nor i with a single legion that freed rome's shoulders of that burden
it was his own cruelty and profligacy and that was before there was any precedent for the conviction
of an emperor we have been called to the throne by the swords of those who thought is worthy
our high state will not escape the eye of envy you may be sure of that but there is no reason for you
to feel alarm because in this worldwide upheaval a couple of legions have not yet settled down
i myself did not succeed to a safe and peaceful throne and when once the news of your adoption
is spread i shall cease to be charged with my advanced age which is now the only fault they
find in me the rascals will always miss nero you and i have got to see that good citizens
do not miss him too a longer sermon would all befit the time and i have fulfilled my purpose
if i have done right in choosing you the soundest and easiest criterion of right and wrong policy
is to consider what you would have approved or condemned in another emperor for rome is not
like the nations which are ruled by kings where one house is supreme and the rest are slaves
your future subjects are men who cannot endure the extremes either of bondage or of freedom
galba spoke these words and more to the same effect in the tone of one creating an emperor
the rest addressed peso as though he were emperor already he is said to have betrayed no sign of
amazement or relation either before those who were then present or later when everybody's
eyes centered upon him his language to his emperor and adoptive father was deeply respectful and he
spoke modestly of himself he made no change in his expression or bearing showing himself more able
than anxious to rule a discussion then took place whether the adoption should be announced before
the people or in the senate or in the guards camp they decided in favor of the camp on the ground
that it would be a compliment to the troops whose goodwill was hard to win by flattery or bribes
but was by no means to be despised if it could be won by good means meanwhile the curiosity of
the populace impatient of any important secret had brought together crowds all around the palace and
when once the rumor began to leak out an attempt its suppression only resulted in spreading it
the 10th of january was a dreary wet day and an extraordinary storm of thunder and lightning
showed the displeasure of providence such phenomena were regarded in old days as a sign
for the suspension of public business but they did not deter galba from proceeding to the camp
either he disregarded such things as the result of pure chance or else he felt that the blows
of fate may be foretold but not forestalled he addressed a crowded assembly of the soldiers
with true imperial brevity stating simply that in adopting peso he was following the
example of the sainted augustus and the old military custom whereby each man chose another
he was afraid that by suppressing the news of the german rebellion he might only seem to exaggerate
the danger so he voluntarily declared that the 4th and 22nd legions had been led by
a few traitors into seditious murmurings but no further and would soon return to their allegiance
he made no attempt to enhance his words either by eloquence or largesse however the tribunes
and centurions and those of the soldiers who stood nearest to him gave well-sounding answers
the rest was sorry and silent for the war seemed to have lost them the largest that had always been
usual even in peace everybody agrees that they could have been won over had the parsimonious old
emperor made the least display of generosity he was ruined by his strict old-fashioned
inflexibility which seems too rigorous for these degenerate days from the camp they proceeded to
the senate and galba's speech to its members was no fuller or finer than to the soldiers
piso spoke graciously and there was no lack of support in the senate many wished him well those
who did not were the more effusive the majority were indifferent but displayed already affability
intent on the private speculations without thought of the country's good no other public action
is reported of peso during the four days which intervened between his adoption and assassination
in the next episode of the histories by tacitus galba is powerless to prevent his
violent overthrow and offer rises to power stay tuned and don't forget to like and
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