ipe
for revolt, they deported most of those of military age, especially the
strongest, leaving behind only so many as would be sufficient to inhabit
the country but unable to make any uprising.

[-23-] This same year Vedius Pollio died, a man who in general had done
nothing deserving notice, being the son of liberti, ranking as a knight,
without any achievement of consequence in his record; but he had become
exceedingly renowned for his wealth and his cruelty, so that he has
even won a place in history. Most of the things that he did it would be
wearisome to relate, but I may mention that he kept in tanks huge eels
trained to eat men, and was accustomed to throw to them the slaves that
he desired to put to death. Once, when he was entertaining Augustus, the
cupbearer shattered a crystal goblet, and without respect to the guest he
ordered that the fellow be thrown to the eels. Hereupon the boy fell on
his knees supplicating Augustus who at first tried to persuade Pollio not
to carry out his intentions. As his host would not yield the point the
emperor said: "Bring all the rest of the drinking vessels which are of
the same sort or any others of value that you may possess, for I want to
use them," and when they were brought he ordered them to be broken. The
master seeing this was of course vexed but could no longer be angry over
one cup, considering the great number of others that were ruined, and
could not punish his servant for what Augustus had done; therefore
reluctantly he took no action. That was the sort of person this Pollio
was, who died. He left various bequests to many different persons and to
Augustus a good share of his inheritance together with Pausilypum[7], a
place between Neapolis and Puteoli, with instructions that some public
work of great beauty should be erected. Augustus razed his house to the
foundation, on the pretext that it was necessary for the preparation of
the other structure, but really with the purpose that he should have no
monument in the city, and built a colonnade, inscribing on it the name
not of Pollio but of Livia.

This he did later. At the time mentioned he founded a number of cities as
colonies in Gaul and in Spain and restored to the people of Cyzicus their
freedom. To the Paphians, who had suffered from an earthquake, he gave
money and allowed them, by a decree, to call their city Augusta. I have
recorded this, not because Augustus himself and the senators failed to
aid many oth