gaged, that he might live and rule so long
a time as should be to the advantage of the public. And he was so
democratic in all circumstances alike that on his birthday he did not
permit any unusual demonstrations, and he did not give people the right
to swear by his Fortune nor did he prosecute any one who after swearing
by it incurred the charge of perjury. In short, he would not (at first,
at least) sanction in his own case the carrying out of the custom which
has obtained as a matter of course on the first day of the year, down to
the present, in honor of Augustus, of all rulers that came after him of
whom we make any account, and of such as nowadays succeed to imperial
privileges,--namely, the ratification under oath of what they have done
and of what they shall do by citizens alive during the particular year
in question. Yet in the case of the measures of Augustus he both
administered the oath to others and took it himself. In order to render
his attitude more striking, he would let the first day of the month go
by, not entering the senate nor showing himself at all in the City on
that day, but spending the time in some suburb; then later he would come
in and take pledges separately. This was part of the reason that he
remained somewhere outside on the first days of the month, but he was
also anxious to avoid disturbing any of the inhabitants, who were
concerned with the new offices and the festival, and to avoid taking
money from them. He did not even commend Augustus for his behavior in
this respect because it brought about great dissatisfaction and a great
expenditure in order to return favors. [-9-] Not only in this way were his
actions democratic, but no precinct was set apart for him either by his
own choice or in any other way,--that is to say at this time. Nor was any
one allowed to set up an image of him. Without delay he expressly forbade
any city or individual to do this. To this refusal he attached the phrase
"unless I grant permission "; but he added: "I will not grant it." Least
of all did he assume to have been insulted or to have been impiously
treated by any one. (Men were already calling such a procedure impiety,
and were bringing many suits based on that ground.) He would not hear of
any such indictment being brought for his own benefit, though he paid
tribute to the majesty of Augustus in this matter also. At first he would
not punish even such as had incurred charges for their actions in regard
t