Tiberius | Page 4

houses of correction [304] throughout Italy, the masters of which had
fallen under the odious suspicion of seizing and keeping confined, not
only travellers, but those whom the fear of being obliged to serve in the
army had driven to seek refuge in such places.
IX. He made his first campaign, as a military tribune, in the Cantabrian
war [305]. Afterwards he led an army into the East [306], where he
restored the kingdom of Armenia to Tigranes; and seated on a tribunal,
put a crown upon his head. He likewise recovered from the Parthians
the standards which they had taken from Crassus. He next governed,
for nearly a year, the province of Gallia Comata, which was then in
great disorder, on account of the incursions of the barbarians, and the
feuds of the chiefs. He afterwards commanded in the several wars
against the Rhaetians, Vindelicians, Pannonians, and Germans. In the
Rhaetian and Vindelician wars, he subdued the nations in the Alps; and
in the Pannonian wars the Bruci, and (199) the Dalmatians. In the
German war, he transplanted into Gaul forty thousand of the enemy
who had submitted, and assigned them lands near the banks of the
Rhine. For these actions, he entered the city with an ovation, but riding
in a chariot, and is said by some to have been the first that ever was
honoured with this distinction. He filled early the principal offices of
state; and passed through the quaestorship [307], praetorship [308], and

consulate [309] almost successively. After some interval, he was
chosen consul a second time, and held the tribunitian authority during
five years.
X. Surrounded by all this prosperity, in the prime of life and in
excellent health, he suddenly formed the resolution of withdrawing to a
greater distance from Rome [310]. It is uncertain whether this was the
result of disgust for his wife, whom he neither durst accuse nor divorce,
and the connection with whom became every day more intolerable; or
to prevent that indifference towards him, which his constant residence
in the city might produce; or in the hope of supporting and improving
by absence his authority in the state, if the public should have occasion
for his service. Some are of opinion, that as Augustus's sons were now
grown up to years of maturity, he voluntarily relinquished the
possession he had long enjoyed of the second place in the government,
as Agrippa had done before him; who, when M. Marcellus was
advanced to public offices, retired to Mitylene, that he might not seem
to stand in the way of his promotion, or in any respect lessen him by his
presence. The same reason likewise Tiberius gave afterwards for his
retirement; but his pretext at this time was, that he was satiated with
honours, and desirous of being relieved from the fatigue of business;
requesting therefore that he might have leave to withdraw. And neither
the earnest entreaties of his mother, nor the complaint of his
father-in-law made even in the senate, that he was deserted by him,
could prevail upon him to alter his resolution. Upon their persisting in
the design of detaining him, he refused to take any sustenance for four
days together. At last, having obtained permission, leaving his wife and
son at Rome, he proceeded (200) to Ostia [311], without exchanging a
word with those who attended him, and having embraced but very few
persons at parting.
XI. From Ostia, journeying along the coast of Campania, he halted
awhile on receiving intelligence of Augustus's being taken ill, but this
giving rise to a rumour that he stayed with a view to something
extraordinary, he sailed with the wind almost full against him, and
arrived at Rhodes, having been struck with the pleasantness and
healthiness of the island at the time of his landing therein his return
from Armenia. Here contenting himself with a small house, and a villa
not much larger, near the town, he led entirely a private life, taking his

walks sometimes about the Gymnasia [312], without any lictor or other
attendant, and returning the civilities of the Greeks with almost as
much complaisance as if he had been upon a level with them. One
morning, in settling the course of his daily excursion, he happened to
say, that he should visit all the sick people in the town. This being not
rightly understood by those about him, the sick were brought into a
public portico, and ranged in order, according to their several
distempers. Being extremely embarrassed by this unexpected
occurrence, he was for some time irresolute how he should act; but at
last he determined to go round them all, and make an apology for the
mistake even to the meanest amongst them, and such as were entirely
unknown to him. One instance only