21meanwhile otho had nothing to hope from a peaceful settlement: all his plans demanded a disturbance. many motives spurred him on: his extravagance would have ruined a prince, and his poverty have perplexed a private person: he was angry with galba and jealous 39of piso. he also alleged fears for his safety, by way of whetting his ambition. 'i proved a nuisance to nero,' he would say, 'and can scarcely expect the compliment of a second exile to lusitania.47 besides, monarchs always hate and suspect the man who is mentioned as "next to the throne". this was what did me harm with the old emperor, and it will weigh still more with the youthful piso, who is naturally savage and has been exasperated by a long period of exile. it would be easy to kill me. i must do and dare while galba's authority is on the wane and piso's not yet established. these times of change suit big enterprises; inaction is more deadly than daring; there is no call for delay. death is the natural end for all alike, and the only difference is between fame and oblivion afterwards. seeing that the same end awaits the innocent and the guilty, a man of spirit should at least deserve his fate.'
22otho's character was by no means so effeminate as his person. his intimate freedmen and slaves, who were allowed a licence unusual in private households, dangled before him the baits for which he was greedy: the luxuries of nero's court, the marriages he could make, the adulteries he could commit, and all the other imperial pleasures. they were his, they pointed out, if he would bestir himself; it was shameful to lie quiet and leave them to others. he was also incited by the astrologers, who declared that their study of the stars pointed to great changes and a year 40of glory for otho. creatures of this class always deceive the ambitious, though those in power distrust them. probably we shall go on for ever proscribing them and keeping them by us.48 poppaea49 had always had her boudoir full of these astrologers, the worst kind of outfit for a royal ménage. one of them, called ptolemy, had gone with otho to spain50 and foretold that he would outlive nero. this came true and otho believed in him. he now based his vague conjectures on the computations of galba's age and otho's youth, and persuaded him that he would ascend the throne. but, though the man had no real skill, otho accepted the prophecy as if it was the finger of fate. human nature always likes to believe what it cannot understand.
23nor was ptolemy himself slow to incite his master to crime, to which it is only a short step from such ambitions. but whether his criminal designs were deliberate or suddenly conceived, it is impossible to say. he had long been courting the goodwill of the soldiers either in the hope of being adopted by galba or to prepare the way for treason. on the road from spain, while the men were marching or on outpost duty, he would address the veterans by name, reminding them how he and they had served together under nero, and calling them his comrades. he renewed acquaintance 41with some, asked after others and helped them with money or influence, frequently letting fall complaints and ambiguous remarks about galba, using all the arts which work upon uneducated minds. the soldiers grumbled bitterly at the exertions of the march, the shortage of provisions, and the strict discipline. what they were used to was a journey to the campanian lakes or greek seaports on board ship;51 they found it hard to struggle over the pyrenees and alps, and march immense distances under arms.
24while the soldiers were thus already fired with discontent, maevius pudens, one of tigellinus'52 intimates, added fuel to their feelings by luring on all who were naturally unstable or in need of money, or rashly eager for a change. eventually, whenever galba dined with him, otho went the length of presenting a hundred sesterces to each of the soldiers on guard, on the pretext that this was instead of entertaining them.53 this system of public largess otho extended by making presents in confidence to individuals, and such spirit did he show in bribery that when a member of the body guard, cocceius proculus, brought an action to 42claim part of his neighbour's farm, otho bought the whole property out of his own pocket and gave it to him. he was enabled to do this by the inefficiency of the prefect laco, who was no less blind to notorious than to secret scandals.
25otho then put onomastus, one of his freedmen, in charge of the projected crime, and onomastus took into his confidence barbius proculus, an aide-de-camp, and a subaltern named veturius, both in the body guard.54 having assured himself by many interviews that they were both bold and cunning, otho proceeded to load them with bribes and promises, providing them with funds to enable them to test the feelings of the others. and so a couple of common soldiers took it upon them to transfer the roman empire: and they did it. a very few were admitted as accomplices. these, by various devices, worked on the indecision of the others. the non-commissioned officers who had been promoted by nymphidius felt themselves under suspicion; the private soldiers were indignant and in despair at the constant postponement of galba's largess; some few were fired by the recollection of nero's régime and longed for the days of licence; all in common shared the fear of being drafted out of the praetorian guards.
26the infection of treason soon spread to the legions 43and auxiliaries, whose excitement had been aroused as soon as they heard that the armies of germany were wavering in their allegiance. so, as the disloyal were ready for treason and the loyal shut their eyes, they at first determined to acclaim otho as he was returning from dinner on the night of the fourteenth. however, they hesitated: the darkness spelt uncertainty, the troops were scattered all over the town, and unanimity could scarcely be expected from drunken men. they were not deterred by any affection for their country's honour, which they were deliberately preparing to stain with its emperor's blood, but they were afraid that, as otho was unknown to the majority, some one else might by mistake be offered to the pannonian or german legions and proclaimed emperor. some evidence of the brewing plot leaked out, but it was suppressed by the conspirators. rumours even reached galba's ears, but laco made light of them, being totally ignorant of soldiers' characters, hostile to any suggestion, however wise, that was not his own, and extremely obstinate with men who knew more than he did.
27on january 15, as galba was sacrificing in front of the temple of apollo, the priest umbricius declared the omens unfavourable: treason was impending, and an enemy within the walls. otho, who was standing beside galba, overheard and construed the omen as being from his own point of view a good one, favourable to his plans. in a few moments his freedman, onomastus, announced that the architect and contractors were waiting to see him. this had been agreed 44upon as the signal that the troops were assembling and the conspiracy was ripe. on being asked where he was going, otho pretended that he was buying an old property, but suspected its condition and so had to inspect it first. thus, leaning on his freedman's shoulder, he passed through tiberius' house into the velabrum and thence to the golden milestone at the foot of the temple of saturn.55 there thirty-three soldiers of the body guard saluted him as emperor. when he showed alarm at the smallness of their number they put him hastily into a litter, and, drawing their swords, hurried him away. about the same number of soldiers joined them on the way, some accomplices, others merely curious. some marched along shouting and flourishing swords; others kept silent, intending to take their cue from subsequent events.
28julius martialis was the tribune on duty in the camp. he was so overcome by the magnitude of this unexpected crime and so afraid that the treason was widespread in the camp, and that he might be killed if he offered any opposition, that he led most people to suppose he was in the plot. so, too, the other tribunes and centurions all preferred present safety to a risky loyalty. in fact the general attitude was this: few dared to undertake so foul a crime, many wished to see it done, and everybody was ready to condone it.
