e palace for the purpose of making spoil of something or other found
Claudius hidden away in a dark corner. He was attending Gaius when the
latter came out of the theatre, and at this time through fear of the
confusion had crouched down out of the way. At first, the men thinking
that he was some one else and perhaps had something worth taking dragged
him out. Afterwards, on recognizing him, they hailed him as emperor and
conducted him to the camp. Then in company with their comrades they
delivered to him the entire power of government, inasmuch as he was of
the imperial race and was regarded as suitable. In spite of his shrinking
and remonstrance the more he attempted to avoid the honor and to resist
the more did the soldiers in turn insist upon not accepting an emperor
from others but upon their own right to establish such a sovereign over
the entire world. Hence, with a show of reluctance, he yielded. The
consuls for a time sent tribunes and others forbidding him to assume any
such authority and to submit to the jurisdiction of the people and the
senate and the laws; but, when their attendant soldiers left them in the
lurch, then finally they too yielded and voted him all the remaining
privileges pertaining to sole rulership.

[-2-] So it was that Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, the son of
Drusus child of Livia, obtained the imperial power without having been
previously tested at all in any position of authority, save only that he
had been consul. He was fifty years of age. In mental development he was
by no means inferior, having been through a sufficient education to do
a little history writing, but physically he was frail, and his head and
hands shook a little. Hence his voice was also faltering and he did not
himself read all the measures that he introduced before the senate but
would give them to the quaestor to read,--though at first, at least,
he was regularly present. Whatever he did read in person he generally
recited sitting down. He was the first of the Romans, too, to employ a
covered chair,--which has led to the present custom which prescribes that
not only the emperors be carried in chairs but we ex-consuls, as well.
Before this time, Augustus, Tiberius, and some others used to be carried
sometimes in litters such as women even at the present day affect. These
infirmities, however, were not the cause of nearly so much trouble to
him as were the freedmen and women with whom he associated; for more
consp