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honours ; in proportion as any one was intimate with Sejanus had he 

 access to the friendship of the Emperor : those, on the other hand, to 

 whom he showed hostiUty, were exposed to fear and persecution. I will 

 mention no names ; but in my own case I shall defend all those who 

 had no share in his last schemes. For it was not simply Sejanus of 

 Vulsinii whom we acknowledged as our patron, but a member of the 

 Claudian and Julian house into which he had married, thy own son-in- 

 law, o Csesar, the companion in thy consulship, who discharged thy 

 duties in the state. It is not for us to judge, whom thou raisest above 

 others, and for what reasons. To thee the gods have given supreme 

 authority, nothing is left to us but the credit of obedience. Moreover, 

 we look at that only wliich is open and apparent, who receives from thee 

 wealth and honours, who has the greatest power to do us good or evil. 

 Who does not know that this was the case with Sejanus ? To pene- 

 trate into the secret thoughts of the Prince and into liis private counsels 

 is unlawful and dangerous ; nor is it possible withal. Do not bear in 

 mind only the last day of Sejanus, o Conscript Fathers, but the last 

 sixteen years. We used to respect even Satrius and Pomponius ; it 

 was considered a splendid success to be noticed by his freedmen and 

 doorkeepers. What then follows ? Is this defence general and applic- 

 able to all cases ? Certainly not ; but let a just distinction be di-a-mi ; 

 let treason against tlie state, and plans against the life of the Emperor 

 be punished ; but as far as friendsliip and friendly offices are concerned, 

 the same motive will acquit thee, o Csesar, and us." The result of 

 such boldness was the acquittal of Terentius and the condemnation of 

 his accusers. A direct interference of Tiberius in favour of an intended 

 victim took place in the trial of Cotta Messalinus. (Tac. Ann. VI. 5.) 

 who was charged with irreverent language regarding the Emperor. 

 Tiberius requested that a few unguarded words which had escaped a man 

 in a convivial hour should not be imputed to him as a crime. Similar 

 leniency he showed in a case in which five of the most distinguished 

 men were implicated. Two of them were saved by their counsel, the 

 trial of the other thi-ee was postponed, at the request of Tiberius, until 

 he should be present at Rome, which he never intended to be. 



These cases are sufiicient to show that no brutal blood-thirstiness 

 animated Tiberius to an indiscriminate slaughter. If there were many 

 cases of conviction and capital punishment, we may be sm'e that most, 

 if not all of them, were richly deserved. In some cases we are able to 

 show this ; in others our imperfect knowledge of detail prevents us 

 from forming an opinion. But our esteem for the impartiahty of Tacitus 

 is much shaken when we find him lavish his rhetorical sympathy on 

 such wretches as Fulcinius Trio, and Paconianus. (Tac. Ann. VI. 3f<, 30.) 



