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Herodian
(late second, first half third century): Greek historian, author of a History
of the Roman Empire since the Death of Marcus Aurelius (table
of contents) in which he describes the reign of
Commodus (180-192), the Year of the Five Emperors (193), the age of the
Severan dynasty (211-235),
and the Year of the Six Emperors (238).
The translation was made by Edward C. Echols (Herodian of Antioch's History of
the Roman Empire, 1961 Berkeley and Los Angeles) and was
put online for the
first time by Roger Pearse (Tertullian.Org).
The version offered on these pages is hyperlinked and contains notes by
Jona Lendering. |
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The Senate House |
4.5: Caracalla in the Senate
[20 December 211]  The emperor spent that night in the
temple in the praetorian camp; then, growing bold because he had won
over the soldiers by gifts, he came from the Senate house accompanied
by the entire guard, which was more heavily armed that was customary
for the imperial escort. After he had gone in and offered sacrifices,
Caracalla mounted the
imperial throne and addressed the senators as follows:
 "I
am not unaware that every murder of a kinsman, immediately the deed is
known, is despised, and that the name 'kinsman-killer' arouses harsh
censure as soon as it falls upon the ear. Pity follows for the victims,
hatred for the victors. In such cases it appears that the victim is
abused, the victor abusing.
 But if one were to
consider the deed with sober judgment and not with sympathy for the
fallen, and if he were to evaluate the victor's motive and intent, he
would find that sometimes it is both reasonable and necessary for the
man about to suffer an injury to defend himself and not stand passively
and submit. Censure for cowardice follows when a man succumbs to
disaster, but the winner gains, together with his
safety, a reputation for courage.
 As
to the rest, all the plots he laid against me, using deadly poisons and
every kind of treachery, these you can discover by the use of torture.
For this reason I issued orders for Geta's servants to be present here
so that you may learn the truth. Several have already been examined,
and the results of the examination are available. In his final act of
treachery, Geta burst in upon me while I was with my mother, accompanied by swordsmen whom he had obtained for this attempt upon my life.
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 But I grasped the
situation with great shrewdness and presence of mind and defended
myself against an enemy who no longer displayed the attitude or
feelings of a brother. Now to defend oneself against plots is not
merely proper; it is a standard practice. Indeed, Romulus, the founder
of this city, refused to allow his brother to ridicule what he had
done.[1]
 And I pass over
without comment Germanicus, brother [2] of Tiberius; Britannicus, Nero's
brother [3]; and Titus, brother of Domitian.[4] Even Marcus himself, who
professed to love philosophy and excellence, would not tolerate the
arrogance of Lucius, his brother-in-law, and by a plot removed him from
the scene.[5] So I too, when poisons were prepared for me and a sword hung
over me, defended myself against my enemy, for this is the name which
describes his actions.
 First of all, you must
give thanks to the gods for having preserved at least one of your
emperors for you; then you must lay aside your differences of opinion
in thought and in attitude and lead your lives in security, looking to
one emperor alone. Jupiter, as he is himself sole ruler of the gods,
thus gives to one ruler sole charge of mankind." After making these
statements at the top of his voice, in a towering rage, he glared
balefully at his brother's friends and returned to the palace, leaving
most of the senators pale and trembling.
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Note
1:
Remus had made jokes about the height of the walls that Romulus was still building; Romulus killed the joker.
Note
2:
Nephew, in fact. There were rumors that Tiberius had ordered the poisoning of Germanicus.
Note
3:
Nero had been adopted by Claudius, who already had a son, Britannicus.
Note
4:
This rumor is also found in Philostratus, Life of Apollonius, 6.32.
Note
5:
This is nonsense; Lucius Verus died of natural causes. Herodian uses this to show that Caracalla is insincere.
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Online
2007
Revision: 2 July 2007 |
