en or another? Do you not see how many are
attacking both me and our sovereignty? The vengeance meted out to those
found guilty does not retard them: quite the contrary, as if they were
pressing forward to do some noble action the rest also hasten to perish
similarly."

Livia, hearing this, said: "That you should be the object of plots is not
remarkable, nor is it contrary to human nature. Having so large an empire
you must do many things and naturally you cause grief to not a few
people. A ruler can not please all: on the contrary, even an exceedingly
upright sovereign must inevitably make foes of many persons. For those
who wish to be unjust are many more than those who act justly, and their
desires it is impossible to satisfy. Even among such as possess a certain
excellence some yearn for many great rewards which they can not obtain
and some chafe because they are inferior to others: so both of them find
fault with the ruler. From this you can see that it is impossible to
avoid evil, and furthermore that of all the attacks made none is upon you
but all upon your position of supremacy. If you were a private citizen,
no one would willingly do you any harm unless he had previously received
some injury. But for the supremacy and for the good things that it
contains all yearn, and those who occupy any post of influence far more
than their inferiors. It is the nature of wicked men, who have very
little sense, to do so. It is implanted in their dispositions, just like
anything else, and it is impossible by either persuasion or compulsion to
remove such a bent from some of them. There is no law or fear stronger
than natural tendencies. Reflect on this and do not take the offences of
others so hard, but keep yourself and your supremacy carefully guarded,
that we may hold it safely not by virtue of inflicting severe punishments
but by means of strict watchfulness."

[-15-] To this Augustus replied: "Wife, I too know that nothing great is
ever free from envy and plots,--least of all sole power. We should be
peers of the gods if we did not have troubles and cares and fears beyond
all private individuals. But to me it is also a source of grief that this
is inevitably so and that no cure for it can be found."

"Yet," said Livia, "since some men are so constituted as to want to do
wrong in any event, let us guard against them. We have many soldiers who
protect us,--some marshaled against foreign foes and others about your
person,