at Cn. Piso, quo celerius consilia inciperet, postquam Syriam ac legiones attigit, largitione et ambitu infimos militum iuvabat
But Gnaeus Piso, in order to begin his plans more quickly, after he reached Syria and his legions, began to help the most disreputable of the soldiers with generous gifts and bribery
cum veteres centuriones, severos tribunos demovisset, locaque eorum clientibus suis attribuisset, desidiam in castris, licentiam in urbibus, lascivientes per agros milites sinebat
When he had removed the senior centurions and the strict officers, and had handed over their posts to his clients, he allowed idleness in the camp, hooliganism in the cities and soldiers running riot through the countryside
nec Plancina, uxor Pisonis, se gerebat ut feminam decebat, sed exercitio equitum intererat, et in Agrippinam, in Germanicum contumelias iaciebat
Nor did Plancina, the wife of Piso, behave as was proper for a woman, but was present at the exercises of the cavalry and hurled insults at Agrippina and at Germanicus
nota haec Germanico, sed praeverti ad Armenios instantior cura fuit
These things were known to Germanicus, but a more pressing concern was to attend first to the Armenians
saevam vim morbi augebat persuasio veneni a Pisone accepti; et reperiebantur solo ac parietibus erutae humanorum corporum reliquiae, carmina et devotiones et nomen Germanici plumbeis tabulis insculptum, cineres semusti ac tabo obliti aliaque malefica quib
The belief that poison had been received from Piso increased the savage force of the illness, and there were found in the floor and walls dug up remains of human bodies, spells and curses and the name of Germanicus inscribed on lead tablets, cremated rema
simul missi a Pisone incusabantur quod valetudinis adversae signa exspectarent
At the same time people sent by Piso were being blamed because they were waiting for signs of ill health
haec Germanico haud minus ira quam per metum accepta sunt
These things were received by Germanicus as much in anger as through fear
componit epistulam qua amicitiam ei renuntiabat
He composed a letter in which he renounced his friendship
Germanicus paulisper se credidit convalescere; deinde fessum fiebat corpus
For a little while Germanicus believed that he was getting better; then his body started to become tired
ubi finis aderat, adstantes amicos ita adloquitur: " erit vobis occasio querendi apud senatum atque invocandi leges
When the end was at hand, he addressed his friends standing by in this way: You will have the opportunity of complaining before the senate and appealing to the laws
decet amicos non prosequi defunctum gnavo questu, sed quae voluerit meminisse, quae mandaverit exsequi
It is proper for friends not to escort the dead man with pointless lamentation, but to remember what he wanted, to carry out what he ordered
vindicabitis vos, si me potius quam fortunam meam diligebatis.
You will avenge me, if you loved me rather than my status
amici, dextram morientis amplectentes, iuraverunt se vitam ante quam ultionem amissuros esse
The friends, clasping the hand of the dying man, swore that they would give up life before revenge
neque multo post mortuus est, ingenti luctu provinciae et circumiacentium populorum
Not long afterwards he died, to the great grief of the province and the surrounding peoples
indoluerunt exterae nationes regesque: tanta fuerat illius comitas in socios, mansuetudo in hostes; propter vultum eloquentiamque venerationem omnium adeptus erat
Foreign peoples and kings mourned: so great had been the friendliness of that man towards allies, his mercy towards his enemies; because of his expression and eloquence he had gained the respect of everyone
et erant qui illum magno Alexandro ob formam aetatem genus locumque mortis adaequarent; nam affirmaverunt utrumque corpore decoro praeditum, genere insigni ortum, vix triginta annos natum periisse
And there were those who compared him with Alexander the Great because of his appearance, his age and the manner and place of his death; for they declared that each of them had been endowed with a handsome body, had been descended from a distinguished fam
at Agrippina, quamquam defessa luctu et corpore aegro, impatiens tamen erat omnium quae ultionem morarentur
But Agrippina, although exhausted by grief and ill health, was nevertheless impatient of everything which delayed vengeance
ascendit navem cum cineribus Germanici et liberis, miserantibus omnibus quod femina summa nobilitate pulcherrimoque matrimonio, quae venerationem omnium mereret, tunc ferales reliquias sinu ferret, incerta ultionis
She boarded a ship with the ashes of Germanicus and with her children, with everyone pitying her because a woman of the highest nobility and most glorious marriage, who deserved the respect of everyone, was then carrying the remains of the dead man in her
Pisonem interim apud Coum insulam nuntius adsequitur perisse Germanicum
Meanwhile a message reached Piso at the island of Cos that Germanicus had perished
quo gavisus caedit victimas, adit templa
Rejoicing at this he killed victims, and went to the temples
non modo Piso ipse gaudio immoderato se gerit, sed etiam magis insolescit Plancina, quae luctum mortua sorore tum primum in laetum cultum mutavit
Not only did Piso himself behave with excessive joy, but Plancina grew even more insolent, and she then for the first time changed her mourning clothes for her dead sister into cheerful clothes
at Romae, postquam fama Germanici valetudinis percrebuit cunctaque, ut ex longinquo, aucta in deterius adferebantur, dolor, ira, questus erumpebant: ideo nimirum Germanicum in extremas terras relegatum esse, ideo Pisoni permissam provinciam
But at Rome, after the rumour of Germanicus' ill health spread and everything, as usually happens from a distance, was reported exaggerated for the worse, grief, anger and lamentations broke out: doubtless for that reason Germanicus had been banished to t
hos vulgi sermones mors Germanici, ubi nuntiata est, adeo incendit ut, ante edictum magistratuum, ante senatus consultum, sumpto iustitio desererentur fora, clauderentur domus
The death of Germanicus, when it was announced, inflamed these conversations of the ordinary people to such an extent that, before any edict of the magistrates, before any decree of the senate, a break from legal business was taken and the law courts were
ubique silentium et gemitus
Everywhere silence and sorrow
et quamquam insignibus lugentium non abstinebant, altius animis maerebant
And although they did not refrain from the outward signs of mourners, they grieved more deeply in their hearts
navigatione hiberni maris nequaquam intermissa Agrippina Brundisio appropinquat
With her voyage over the wintry sea not at all interrupted, Agrippina approached Brundisium
interim adventu eius audito multi amici et plurimi milites qui sub Germanico stipendia fecerant ruerunt ad portum
Meanwhile, when her arrival was heard of, many friends and very many soldiers who had served under Germanicus rushed to the harbour
simulac visa est navis, complentur non solum portus sed etiam moenia ac tecta turba maerentium et rogantium inter se, silentione an voce aliqua egredientem exciperent
As soon as the ship was seen, not only the harbour but also the walls and roofs were filled with a crowd of people mourning and asking each other whether they should receive her in silence or with some speech as she disembarked.
navis lente appropinquat, non celeriter, ut solet, sed cunctis ad tristitiam compositis
The ship approached slowly, not quickly, as it was accustomed, but with all the signs of mourning in place
postquam duobus cum liberis, feralem urnam tenens, egressa e nave defixit oculos, idem fuit omnium gemitus
After she disembarked from the ship with her two children, clasping the funeral urn, and cast down her eyes; the same groan arose from everyone
die senatus Tiberius orationem moderatam habuit
On the day of the senate's meeting Tiberius made a restrained speech
Piso" inquit "patris mei legatus et amicus erat
'Piso' he said 'was my father's friend and representative
eum Germanico adiutorem misi ego cum auctoritate senatus ad res apud Orientem administrandas
I sent him as assistant to Germanicus with the authority of the senate to administer affairs in the east
integris animis est diiudicandum utrum Piso contumacia et certaminibus vexaverit iuvenem exituque eius laetatus sit, an scelere eum exstinxerit
You must judge with unbiased minds whether Piso annoyed the young man by his arrogance and rivalry and rejoiced at his death, or whether he destroyed him by some crime
simul reputate utrum legiones ad seditionem incitaverit.
At the same time consider whether he incited the legions to rebellion
deinde biduum criminibus obiciendis statuitur utque post intervallum sex dierum reus per triduum defenderetur
Then two days were allocated for presenting the charges and it was decreed that, after an interval of six days, the accused should be defended for three days
tres amici Germanici consimili studio obiecerunt Pisonem, odio Germanici et rerum novarum studio, milites per licentiam et sociorum iniurias corrupisse; postremo ipsum Germanicum devotionibus et veneno occidisse
Three friends of Germanicus with similar eagerness alleged that Piso, in hatred of Germanicus and eagerness for revolution, had corrupted the soldiers through disorder and ill-treatment of the allies; finally he had killed Germanicus himself by curses and
tum et Pisonem et Planciam, postquam sacra et immolationes nefandas fecissent, petivisse armis rem publicam
Then [they alleged that] both Piso and Plancina, after they had performed rites and wicked sacrifices, had attacked the state with arms
defensio in ceteris criminibus trepidavit; nam neque ambitio militum neque iniuria in provinciam, ne contumeliae quidem adversum imperatorem, negari poterant: solum veneni crimen potuit Piso diluere
The defence faltered in regard to the other charges; for neither the bribery of the soldiers nor the ill-treatment towards the province, not even the insults against the general, could be denied: only the charge of poison could Piso refute
at simul populi ante curiam voces audiebantur: non temperaturos manibus si Piso sententias patrum evasisset
But at the same time the voices of the people were being heard outside the senate house: [they said] they would not restrain their hands if Piso escaped the verdict of the senators
eadem erat Plancinae invidia
There was the same resentment towards Plancina
atque ipsa, dum Pisoni spes erat absolutionis, sociam se cuiuscumque fortunae futuram esse et, si necesse esset, comitem exitii promittebat sed paulatim segregari a marito coepit
And she herself, while Piso had some hope of acquittal, kept promising that she would be his ally in whatever misfortune and, if it were necessary, his companion in death: but gradually she began to distance herself from her husband
quod postquam Piso sibi exitiabile esse intellexit, dubitavit an causam diceret amplius
After Piso saw that this was fatal for him, he doubted whether he should plead his case further
itaque, tamquam defensionem in posterum diem meditaretur, pauca scribit obsignatque et liberto tradit; tum solita curando corpori exsequitur
And so, as if he were thinking about his defence for the next day, he wrote a few things and sealed them and handed them to a freedman; then he attended to his personal needs, as usual
deinde multam post noctem, egressa cubiculo uxore, claudi ianuam iussit; et prima luce perfosso iugulo, iacente humi gladio, repertus est
Then after much of the night, with his wife having left the bedroom, he ordered the door to be closed; and at dawn he was found with his throat cut, a sword lying on the ground