w himself on the
heap of gold and silver collected from these persons and roll in it.
[When, however, after enacting severe laws in regard to the taxes he
inscribed them in exceedingly small letters on a tablet which he then
hung up aloft so as to make sure that it should be read as little as
possible and that many through ignorance of what was bidden or forbidden
should make themselves liable to the penalties thereof, the people
straightway ran together excitedly into the hippodrome and raised fierce
shouts.]

Once the people had come together in the hippodrome and were objecting
to his conduct, and he had them cut down by the soldiers. In this way he
imposed silence upon them all.

[A.D. 41 (a. u. 794)]

[-29-] As he continued to show insanity in every way, a plot was formed
against him by Cassius Chairea and Cornelius Sabinus, though they were
holding tribuneships in his pretorian guard. A number were in the
conspiracy and privy to what was being done, among whom were Callistus
and the prefect.

Practically all of his courtiers were interested, both in their own
behalf and for the common good. Any who did not take part in the
conspiracy still refused to reveal it, though they knew of it and were
glad to see a plot formed against him.

But the men who actually killed Gaius were those mentioned. It is worth
noting, besides, that Chairea was an old-fashioned sort of man and had a
private cause for anger. Gaius was in the habit of nicknaming him "sissy"
(though he was the hardiest of men) and whenever it came the turn of
Chairea to command would give him some such watchword as "yearning" or
"Venus." Again, an oracle had a short time before warned Gaius to beware
of Cassius. The former, supposing that it had reference to Gaius Cassius,
governor of Asia at the time, because he was a descendant of that Cassius
who had slain Caesar, had him brought as a prisoner. The person whose
future conduct the divinity was really indicating to the emperor,
however, was this Cassius Chairea. Likewise a certain Egyptian,
Apollonius, foretold in his native land what happened to him. For this
speech he was sent to Rome and was brought before the emperor the day on
which the latter was destined to die; his punishment was postponed till a
little later, and in this way his life was saved.

The deed was done as follows: Gaius was celebrating a festival in the
palace and was attending to the production of a spectacle. In the course
of th