discovered
who he was, and owned him to be Claudius. So he said to his followers,
"This is a Germanicus; [12] come on, let us choose him for our emperor."
But when Claudius saw they were making preparations for taking him away
by force, and was afraid they would kill him, as they had killed Caius,
he besought them to spare him, putting them in mind how quietly he had
demeaned himself, and that he was unacquainted with what had been done.
Hereupon Gratus smiled upon him, and took him by the right hand, and
said, "Leave off, sir, these low thoughts of saving yourself, while you
ought to have greater thoughts, even of obtaining the empire, which the
gods, out of their concern for the habitable world, by taking Caius out
of the way, commit to thy virtuous conduct. Go to, therefore, and accept
of the throne of thy ancestors." So they took him up and carried him,
because he was not then able to go on foot, such was his dread and his
joy at what was told him.

2. Now there was already gathered together about Gratus a great number
of the guards; and when they saw Claudius carried off, they looked with
a sad countenance, as supposing that he was carried to execution for the
mischiefs that had been lately done; while yet they thought him a man
who never meddled with public affairs all his life long, and one that
had met with no contemptible dangers under the reign of Caius; and some
of them thought it reasonable that the consuls should take cognizance of
these matters; and as still more and more of the soldiery got together,
the crowd about him ran away, and Claudius could hardly go on, his body
was then so weak; and those who carried his sedan, upon an inquiry that
was made about his being carried off, ran away and saved themselves, as
despairing of their Lord's preservation. But when they were come into
the large court of the palace, [which, as the report goes about it,
was inhabited first of all the parts of the city of Rome,] and had just
reached the public treasury, many more soldiers came about him, as
glad to see Claudius's face, and thought it exceeding right to make
him emperor, on account of their kindness for Germanicus, who was his
brother, and had left behind him a vast reputation among all that were
acquainted with him. They reflected also on the covetous temper of the
leading men of the senate, and what great errors they had been guilty
of when the senate had the government formerly; they also considered the
imposs