to the senate. Later he took similar action in a
number of other cases.

Now the young Tiberius perished on suspicion of having utilized the
emperor's illness as an occasion for conspiracy. On the other hand, there
were Publius Afranius Potitus, a plebeian, who in a burst of foolish
servility had promised not only of his own free will but under oath that
he would give his life to have Gaius recover, and a certain Atanius
Secundus, a knight, who announced that in the event of a favorable
outcome he would fight as a gladiator. These, instead of the money which
they hoped to receive from him in return for offering to die in exchange
for his life, were compelled to keep their promises so as not to
perjure themselves. That was the cause of these men's death. Again, his
father-in-law Marcus Silanus, though he had made no promise and taken
no oath, nevertheless, because his virtue and his relationship made him
displeasing to the emperor and subjected him to extreme insults, for
this reason committed suicide. Tiberius had held him in such honor as to
refuse always to try a case that was appealed from his jurisdiction and
to refer all such disputes back to him again. But Gaius abused him in
every way and had such a high opinion of him that he called him "the
golden sheep." Now Silanus on account of his age and his reputation was
accorded by all the consuls the honor of casting his vote first; and to
prevent his doing so any longer Gaius had abolished the custom of having
some of the ex-consuls vote first or second according to the pleasure of
those who put the vote. He arranged that such persons should cast their
votes on the same footing as the rest and in the same order as they had
held the office. Moreover, he put aside his victim's daughter to marry
Cornelia Orestilla, whom he had actually seized during the marriage
festival which she was celebrating with her betrothed, Gaius Calpurnius
Piso. Before two months had elapsed he banished both of them on the
ground that they had carnal knowledge of each other. He allowed Piso to
take with him ten slaves, and then when the latter asked for more he
let him employ as many as he liked, saying: "You will have just so many
soldiers."

[A.D. 38 (_a. u._ 791)]

[-9-] The next year Marcus Julianus and Publius Nonius, regularly
appointed, became consuls. Oaths pertaining to the acts of Tiberius were
not introduced and for this reason are not used nowadays either. No
one numbers Tiberiu