A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1118 TIBERIUS. TIBERIUS.
a depraved imagination could suggest: lust and whose licentious life was no secret to her husband:
cruelty are not strangers. It is said, too, that he probably, too, he was unwilling to stay at Rome
was addicted to excess in wine: he was not when the grandsons of Augustus were attaining
originally avaricious, but he became so. He affected years of maturity, for there was mutual jealousy
a regard to decency and to externals. He was the between them and Tiberius. During his residence
prince of hypocrites; and the events of his reign at Rhodes, Tiberius, among other things, employed
are little more than the exhibition of his detestable himself on astrology, and he was one of the dupes
character. [TACITUS.] of this supposed science. His chief master in this
Tiberius was about thirteen years of age when art was Thrasyllus, who predicted that he would
he accompanied Augustus in his triumphal entry be emperor. (Tacit. Aznn. vi. 21.) Augustus had
into Rome (B. C. 29) after the death of M. Ali- not been very ready to allow Tiberius to retire to
tonius: Tiberius rode on the left of Augustus and Rhodes, and he was not willing to let him come
Marcellus on his right. Augustus conferred on back; but, at the instance of Caius Caesar, TibeTiberius and his brother Drusus titles of dignity, rius was allowed to return, A. D. 2. He was rewhile his grandsons, Caius and Lucius, were still lieved from one trouble during his absence, for his
living: but besides Caius and Lucius, Marcellus, wife Julia was banished to the island of Pandataria
the nephew of Augustus, had superior claims to (B. c. 2), and he never saw her again. (Dion Cass.
the succession, and the prospect of Tiberius suc- Iv. 10.) Suetonius says that Tiberius, by letter,
ceeding to the power of his mother's husband entreated the emperor to let Julia keep whatever
seemed at one time very remote. The death of he had given her.
Agrippa made way for Tiberius being employed in Tiberius was employed in public affairs until the
public affairs, and Augustus compelled him, much death of L. Caesar (A. D. 2), which was followed by
against his will, to divorce his wife Vipsania the death of C. Caesar (A. D. 4). Augustus, now
Agrippina, the daughter of Agrippa, by whom he being without a successor of his own blood, adopted
had one son, and who was then pregnant, and to Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia, with the view
marry Julia (B. C. 11), the widow of Agrippa, and of leaving to him the power that he had himself
the emperor's daughter, with whom Tiberius did acquired; and at the same time he required Tibenot long live in harmony. He had one child by rius to adopt Germanicus, the son of his brother
Julia, but it did not live. Drusus, though Tiberius had a son Drusus by his
He was employed on various military services wife Vipsania. (Sueton. Tiber. 15; Vell. Pat. ii.
during the lifetime of Augustus. He made his 1 03.) Augustus was not ignorant of the character of
first campaign in the Cantabrian war as Tribunus Tiberius, but, like others in power, he left it to a
Militum. In B. C. 20 he was sent by Augustus man whom he did not like, and could not esteem,
to restore Tigranes to the throne of Armenia. Ar- rather than allow it to go out of his family. Autabazus, the occupant of the throne, was murdered gustus had indeed adopted Postumus Agrippa,
before Tiberius reached Armenia, and Tiberius the brother of C. and L. Caesares, but there was
had no difficulty in accomplishing his mission. nothing to hope for from him; and Germanicus
(Dion Cass. liv. 9.) It was during this campaign was too young to be adopted by Augustus with a
that Horace addressed one of his epistles to Julius view to the direct succession.
Florus (i. 12), who was serving under Tiberius. From the year of his adoption to the death of
In B. C. 15, Drusus and his brother Tiberius were Augustus, A. D. 14, Tiberius was in command of
engaged in warfare with the Rhaeti, who occupied the Roman armies, though lie visited Rome several
the Alps of Tridentum (Trento), and the exploits times. He was sent into Germany A. D. 4, and
of the two brothers were sung by Horace (Carm. the historian Velleius Paterculus accompanied
iv. 4, 14; Dion Cass. liv. 22.) In B. C. 13 Tiberius him as praefectus equitum. Tiberius reduced all
was consul with P. Quintilius Varus. In B. C. 11, Illyricum to subjection A. D. 9; and in A. D. 12 he
the same year in which he married Julia, and had the honour of a triumph at Rome for his
while his brother Drusus was fighting against the German and Dalmatian victories. Tiberius disGermans, Tiberius left his new wife to conduct, by played military talent during his transalpine canmthe order of Augustus, the war against the Dalma- paigns; he maintained discipline in his army, and
tians who had revolted, and against the Pannonians. took care of the comforts of his soldiers. In A. D.
(Dion Cass. liv. 31.) Drusus died (B. c. 9) owing 14 Augustus held his last census, in which he had
to a fall from his horse, after a campaign against Tiberius for his colleague.
the Germans between the Weser and the Elbe. Tiberius being sent to settle the affairs of
On the news of the accident, Tiberius was sent by Illyricum, Augustus accompanied him as far as
Augustus, who was then at Pavia, to Drusus, Beneventum, but as the emperor was on his way
whom he found just alive. (Dion Cass. Iv. 2.) He back to Rome he died at Nola, on the 19th of
conveyed the body to Rome from the banks of August, A. D. 14. Tiberius was immediately sumthe Rhine, walking all the way before it on foot moned home by his mother Livia, who managed
(Sueton. Tiber. 7), and he pronounced a funeral affairs so as to secure the power to her son, so far
oration over his brother in the forum. Tiberius as such precaution was necessary.. If nothing more
returned to the war in Germany, and crossed the had been known of Tiberius than his conduct
Rhine. In B. c. 7 lie was again in Rome, was during the lifetime of the emperor, he might halve
made consul a second time, and celebrated his descended to posterity with no worse character
second triumph. (Vell. Pat. ii. 97.) than many other Romans. His accession to power
In B. c. 6 he obtained the tribunitia potestas for developed all the qualities which were not unfive years, but during this year he retired with the known to those who were acquainted with him,
emperor's permission to Rhodes, where he spent the but which hitherto had not been allowed their full
next seven years. Tacitus (Alnn. i. 53) says that play. He took the power which nobody was prehis chief reason for leaving Rome was to get away pared to dispute with him, affecting all the while a
fr ml his wife, who treated him with contempt, and great reluctance; and he declined the name of Pater