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

1122 TIBERIUS. TIBERIUS.
this time, may all the gods and goddesses torment public execution by voluntary death. (Tacit. Ann.
me more, than I daily feel that I am suffering, if I vi. 26.)
do know." This artful tyrant knew how to sub- In the year A. D. 33 Jesus Christ suffered under
mit to what he could not help: M. Terentius was Pontius Pilatus, in Judaea. [PONTIUS PILATUS.]
charged before the senate with being a friend of It became the fashion in the time of Tiberius
Sejanus, and he boldly avowed it. His courage either for the accused or the accuser to be punished;
saved him from death, his accusers were punished, and there was perhaps justice in it at such a time.
and Tiberius approved of the acquittal of Terentius Abudius Rufo made it a charge against L. Gaetu(Dion Cass. lviii. 19). The emperor also pru- licus, under whom he had served, that Gaetulicus
dently took no notice of an insult of the praetor had designed to give his daughter to the son of
L. Sejanus, the object of which was to ridicule the Sejanus, and Abudius was banished from the city.
emperor's person. [SEJANUS, L.] Tiberius now Gaetulicus was at that time in command of the
left his retreat for Campania, and he came as fiLr as legions in Upper Germany, and he is said to have
his gardens on the Vatican; but he did not enter written a letter to Tiberius, from which the emperor
the city, and he placed soldiers to prevent any one might learn that a general at the head of an army,
coming near him. Old age and debauchery had by whom he was beloved, was not to be treated like
bent his body, and covered his face with ugly a man who was within the walls of Rome.
blotches, which made him still more unwilling to Artaxias, whom Germanicus had placed on the
show himself; and his taste for obscene pleasures, throne of Armenia, was now dead, and Artabanus,
which grew upon him, made him court solitude still king of the Parthians, had put his eldest son, Armore. saces, on the throne. But Artabanus had enemies
One of the consuls of theyear A. D. 33 was Serv. around him, who sent a secret message to Rome to
Sulpicis Galba, afterwards emperor. A great ask the emperor to send them Phraates for their
number of informers in this year pressed for the king, whom his father Phraates had given as a
prosecution of those who had lent money contrary hostage to Augustus. Phraates was sent, but he
to a law of the dictator Caesar. The Romans died in Syria, upon which Tiberius nominated
never could understand that money must be treated Tiridates, who was of the same family, and he sent
as a commodity, and from the time of the Twelve L. Vitellius to direct affairs in the East (A. D. 35).
Tables they had always interfered with the free It was the policy of Tiberius to give employment
trade in money, and without success. The law of to Artabanus by raising up enemies against him at
Caesar was enforced, but as many of the senators home, rather than by employing the arms of Rome
had violated it, eighteen months were allowed to against him. [TIRIDATES; ARTABANUS.]
persons to settle their affairs, so as to bring them Rome was still the scene of tragic occurrences.
clear of the penalties of the lex. The consequence Vibulenus Agrippa, who was accused before the
was great confusion in the money market, as every senate, after his accusers had finished their charge
creditor was pressing for payment, and people were against him took poison in the senate-house, and
threatened with ruin by a forced sale of their pro- fell down in the agonies of death; yet he was
perty, to meet their engagements. The emperor dragged off to prison, and strangled though life was
relieved this distress by loans of public money, on already extinct. Tigranes, once king of Armenia,
security of land, and without interest. (Tacit. who was then at Rome, was also accused and put
Ann. vi. 17.) to death. In the same year (A. D. 36) a conflaThe death of Sex. Marius, once a friend of Tibe- gration at Rome destroyed a part of the Circus
rius, is given by Dion Cassius (lviii. 22), as an ex- contiguous to the Aventine hill, and the houses on
ample of the emperor's cruelty. Marius had a hand. the Aventine also; but the emperor paid the owners
some daughter, whom he removed to a distance, to of property to the full amount of their losses.
save her from the lust of his imperial friend. Upon Tiberius, now in his seventy-eighth year, had
this he was accused of incestuous commerce with his hitherto enjoyed good health; and he was accusown daughter, and put to death; and the emperor tomed to laugh at physicians, and to ridicule those
took possession of his gold mines, though they had who, after reaching the age of thirty, required the
been declared public property. The prisons, which advice of a doctor to tell them what was useful or
were filled with the friends or supposed friends of injurious to their health. (Tacit. Ann. vi. 46.) But
Sejanus, were emptied by a general massacre of he was now attacked with a slow disease, which
men, women, and children, whose bodies were seized him at Astura, whence he travelled to
thrown into the Tiber. Circeii, and thence to Misenum, to end his life in
About this time, when the emperor was re- the villa of Lucullus. He concealed his sufferings
turning to Capreae, he married Claudia, the as much as he could, and went on eating and indaughter of M. Silanus, to C. Caesar, the son dulging himself as usual. But Charicles, his phyof Germanicus, a youth whose early years gave sician, took the opportunity of feeling the old
ample promise of what he would be and what man's pulse, and told those about him that he
he was, as the emperor Caligula. Asinius Gallus, would not last two days. No successor was yet
the son of Asinius Pollio, and the husband of Vip- appointed. Tiberius had a grandson, Tiberius
sania, the divorced wife of Tiberius, died this year Nero Gemellus, who was only seventeen, and too
of hunger, either voluntarily or by constraint. young to direct affairs. Caius, the son of GermaDrusus, the son of Germanicus, and his mother nicus, was older and beloved by the people; but
Agrippinla, also died at this time. The death of Tiberius did not like him. He thought of Claudius,
Agrippina brought on the death of Plancina, the the brother of Germanicus, as a successor, but
wife of Cn. Piso, for Livia being dead, who pro- Claudius was too weak of understanding. Accordtected her, and Agrippina, who was her enemy, ingly, says Tacitus, he made no declaration of his
there was now no reason why justice should not will, but left it to fate to determine his successor.
have its course; yet it does not appear what evi- Dion Cassius says (lviii. 23) that he nanmed C. Calidenlce there was against her. Plancina escaped a gula, because he knew his bad disposition; but this