nger from an unexpected source and secured his preservation
in a still more remarkable way. Gaius was incensed against him (if for no
other reason) because in the reign of Tiberius he had accused a woman who
was related to the emperor's mother Agrippina. Later the woman had met
Afer and as she saw that out of embarrassment he stood aside from her
path she called to him and said (referring to the matter): "Never mind,
Domitius: it wasn't you, but Agamemnon, that caused me these troubles."
[13] Just about this time Afer had set up an image of the emperor and had
placed upon it an inscription showing that Gaius in his twenty-seventh
year was already consul for the second time. This vexed the latter, who
felt that undue notice was being given to his youth and his transgression
of the law. So for this action, for which Afer had looked to be honored,
he brought him before the senate and read a long speech against him.
Gaius always maintained that he surpassed all living orators, and knowing
that his adversary was an extremely gifted speaker he strove on this
occasion to excel him. He would certainly have put Afer to death, if the
latter had entered into the least competition with him. As it was,
the man made no answer or defence, but pretended to be astonished and
overcome by the cleverness of Gaius, and repeating the accusation point
by point he praised it as though he were some listener and not on trial.
When opportunity was given him to speak, he took to supplicating and
bewailing his lot; finally he threw himself on the earth and lying there
prostrate he besought his accuser, apparently fearing him as an orator
rather than as Caesar. In this way the latter when he saw and heard what I
have described was melted, for he thought that he had really overwhelmed
Domitius by the eloquence of his address. For this reason, then, and on
account of Callistus the freedman, whom he was wont to honor and whose
favor Domitius had courted, he ceased his anger. And when Callistus later
blamed him for having accused the man in the first place, the emperor
answered: "It would not have been right for me to hide such a speech."
So Domitius was saved by being convicted of no longer being a skillful
speaker.

On the other hand Lucius Annaeus Seneca, who was superior in wisdom to all
the Romans of his day and to many other great men, came very near being
ruined, though he had done no wrong and there was no suspicion of such
a thing, but just beca