§. His cruelty, and how forwarded.
Nor, which is wonderful, did he in all this delicacy and effeminateness, remit or un∣give any thing of his bloodiness and cruelty, but as in his person he plaid the Swine in Capreae, so by his letters did he the Lion at Rome. The cowardize, and fawning of the Senate from which he was run, and which he sought to destroy, did forward his inhu∣mane disposition exceeding much: for as this inhumanity provoked him to do what mis∣chief he could, so did their compliance shew him that he might do what his list, when things were come to that pass (saith * 1.1 Dion) that there was no man that could deny, but that he could heartily eat the Emperors flesh, yet when Cn. Domitius and Camillus Scribonianus were Consuls (which was the year we have in hand) a thing most ridiculous came to pass. For whereas it had been decreed long before, that the Senate should not swear to the acts of the Emperor on the first day of January, man by man, but that one should take the oath, and the rest should give their consent: this year they did not so, but of their own offer, and no one constraining, they were sworn every man in particular.
And there befel also a thing yet more ridiculous than this. For they decreed that Tiberius should choose out of their order as many as he would: and twenty of those chosen by lot and weaponed he should have for his guard whensoever he should come into the Senate. Now seeing that without the Senate house all was well guarded with a band of Souldiers, and that no private man came within, for whom else would they or could they have this guard added but for themselves? Tiberius commended their forwardness and gave them thanks for their good will, but the thing it self he declined as a thing unusual: for he was not so simple, as to put swords into their hands whom he so much hated, and of whom he was hated so much.
Thus Dion: and thus the Senate, taken in their own net which they had laid too plain; arming Tiberius with suspition, hatred, and power, while they thought to have weaponed themselves. A far milder nature than his, would hardly have missed to have made a domineering use of such an opportunity, when their visible hatred had shewed him his own danger, and their cowardly flattery had shewed him his power, and how he made advantage of these his notions, did appear by the sequel.