Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

Germanicus and Piso

But Gnaeus Piso, in order to make a quicker start on his plans, after he reached Syria and the legions [1], he started to help the most disreputable of the soldiers with bribes and generous gifts[2]. When he had removed the senior centurions
[3]

and [4] the strict Tribunes and when he had handed over their positions to his

own clients [5] , he started to allow idleness in the camp, hooliganism in the cities, and the soldiers to run riot through the countryside [6][7]. And Plancina, the wife of Piso, was not behaving as fitting for a woman, but she attended the cavalry mens training exercises, she was in the habit of hurling insults at Agrippina and Germanicus. These things were known to Germanicus. But it was a more pressing concern to attend to the Armenians. [8] The Death of Germanicus; The belief of poison received from Piso increased the savage force of illness, the remains of human bodies were dug from the floor and the walls, also found were spells and curses and the name of Germanicus inscribed in lead tablets and also the charred, half burned remains of ash, smeared with rotten flesh and evil objects by which [9] it is believed that spirits of the underworld are dedicated to. At the same time men were sent from Piso and accused of being there waiting for signs of adverse health. These things were accepted [10] by Germanicus no less by anger than in fear [11]. He composed [12] a letter by which he broke off the friendship with him [13]. Germanicus, for a short time believed that he was recovering, and then his body started to become tired. When the end was at hand, he spoke to his

Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

friends that stood by in the following way. There will be an opportunity for you to complain before the senate and to invoke the laws. It is not fitting for friends to escort the corpse with pointless lamentations, but to remember what he wanted and to carry out what he ordered [14]. You will avenge me; if you loved me more than my status. The friends cling to the right hand of the dying man, swearing that they would lose their own lives for vengeance. Not long after, he died, with great grief in the province and in the surrounding people. Foreign nations and kings [15] mourned. So great had been hid friendliness to his allies, and so great had been his mercy to his enemies. He had received the respect of everyone, because of the expression on his face [16] and because of his eloquence. And there were people who compared him to Alexander the Great because of his appearance and because of his age, because of his nobility and because of their place of death [17]. For they declared that each of them was endowed with a handsome body, and they both descended from a noble family and that both of them had perished at the age of scarcely thirty years [18]. Mourning; But Agrippina, although tired with grief and with an ill body, even so was impatient with all thinks that would delay vengeance. She boarded a ship with the ashes of Germanicus and with her children. Everyone felt sorry for her, because she was a woman of highest nobility, and a woman who enjoyed a most beautiful marriage. And a woman who had earned the respect of all, but then she was carrying the remains of her dead husband, uncertain of revenge. Meanwhile on the island of Cos, a message reached Piso, to say the death had occurred of Germanicus. Rejoicing at this Piso slaughtered sacrificial

Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

animals and visited the temple. But not only did Piso act with excessive joy, but Plancina acted in a more arrogant way, she exchanged her cloths of mourning, which she had been wearing because her sister had died, for cloths of celebration. But at Rome, after the rumour of the ill-health of Germanicus, spread to all, and when all of the things that were being told, with pessimistic exaggeration, as usually happens over long distances, grief and anger and complaint started to break out. [19] And it was obvious for that reason that Germanicus had been exiled to a far out land, and it was for that reason that the Province of Syria had been entrusted to Piso. The death of Germanicus when it was announced, so inflamed the conversations that, before any public officials had made a proclamation, before any senatorial decree, legal proceedings were suspended, law courts closed, and peoples homes were closed. Everywhere there was silence and lamentation, and although they showed the outward signs of mourning, they actually mourned more deeply inside. Agrippina approached [20] Brundisium [21] because there had been no interruption to her voyage over the wintry sea. Meanwhile when her approach was heard, many friends and very many soldiers who had served under Germanicus, rushed to the harbour. As soon as her ship was seen, not only were the port areas full, but also the walls and the rooftops filled with a crowd of people mourning, and of people asking each other whether they should welcome her, as she was disembarking from the boat in silence, or with some greeting. The ship slowly approached, not quickly as was the custom, but with all the signs of mourning [22]. After she disembarked from the ship with her

Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

children, holding the funeral urn, and after she cast down her eyes, everyone groaned together.

Revenge On the day of the senate meeting, Tiberius made a restrained speech. Piso, he said Was a representative and friend of my father. I sent him, with the authority of the senate, as an assistant to Germanicus, to administer the affairs in the east. The judgement must be given with impartial minds, as to whether Piso annoyed the young man with arrogance and rivalry, judgement must also be given on whether Piso rejoiced at his death or whether he killed him by criminal dealings. At the same time, you must consider whether he in sighted the legions to rebellion. Then a two day period was allocated for the presentation of the charges, and also after an interval of six days it was decided that the accused should be defended for a period of three days. Three friends of Germanicus with a similar degree of eagerness, alleged that Piso, out of his hatred of Germanicus and a desire for rebellion; had corrupted the soldiers through rebellion and also the injuries done to the allies and that finally that he had killed Germanicus himself by means of curses and poison. And then they alleged that Piso and Plancina after carrying out the sacrifices and rites, they sought to gain Rome by means of arms. His defence faltered on the other charges; for neither the bribery of the soldiers, nor the injustice in the province, nor the insulting of the general [23], could be denied. Piso was able to wash away [24] only the charge of poison. But

Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

at the same time, the voices of the people were heard in front of the senate; the people were saying they would not restrain their hands, if Piso evaded the verdict of the Senate. The Same ill-feeling was directed to Plancina, and she herself, while there was hope for Pisos acquittal, promised herself as a companion of whatever destiny would come to pass and if it was necessary, she promised herself a companion in his death, but gradually she began to distance herself from her husband. After Piso realised that this behaviour was fatal for him he hesitated as to the whether he should defend himself any further. And so as if he were planning his defence for the next day, he wrote a few things and he sealed them and handed it to his freedman, then he attended to his body by taking care of the usual things [25]. Then after most of the night, and after his wife left the bedroom, [26] he ordered the door to be closed. And at dawn he was found with his throat cut, lying on the ground with his sword.

Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

Notes
[1] There were 4 legions situated in Syria, as governor Piso has control over the governors but as Germanicus is the head of the military in the east he is Pisos superior. [2] Piso gives generous gifts to acquire the trust of the soldiers as well as to cause trouble within the legions. [3] Centurions were long serving senior officers within the, they would look after 100 of the lower ranked soldiers. Tribunes were officers of a higher rank. [4] Asyndeton is the omission of conjunctions in order to increase the pace of narrative, here and was inserted. [5] Pisos clients would obey him without question, Piso wanted to give the army a bad reputation, so as to affect the goal of Germanicus. [6] Here Tacitus writes a tri-colon, to add rhetorical effect. If each subsequent part increases in severity it is called a tri-colon crescens. [7] The two preceding phrases are described as variation; Tacitus likes to grammatically change different phrases, hooliganism an abstract noun and run riot a participle. [8] Armenia acted as a buffer zone between Syria and the Parthians. [9] The use of a passive presents the idea that Tacitus does not believe in these dark objects. [10] Accepted: - in the sense that he learned of them [11] This is another example of variation; ira is ablative, by anger and per metum, through fear. [12] The verb componit is accented here, through being placed at the beginning of the sentence and also the vivid present tense, both of these are used to force the verb composed [13] The friendship referred to was diplomatic, not personal; the renunciation amounted to a dismissal of Piso from office. There was a rumour at the time that Germanicus had ordered Piso to leave Syria [14] Another example of an Asyndeton, omitting the word and

Germanicus and Piso Set Text Daniel Garner 5G

[15] These foreign kings included the king of Parthia, a bitter enemy to the Roman Empire. The king of Parthia suspended hunting out of respect. [16] This phrase draws a parallel to modern day where major politicians are chosen on looks [17] Although they did not die in the same place, even 1000s of Km apart they both died in the far east of the Roman Empire, the bounds of knowledge of an average Roman Citizen [18] The restatement of the qualities shown is an example of an anaphor, a rhetorical repetition [19] Another example of both a tri-colon and of an asyndeton [20] An example of the historic present [21] Brundisium is the major port in the south of Italy [22] Personification of the boat to add to the feeling of mourning [23] An example of a tri-colon [24] A metaphor, very rare in the work of Tacitus [25] i.e. to have a bath and eat a meal [26] Tacitus includes this detail so as to drive home the isolation Piso was in.