ll decked with garlands, was
ablaze with lights and smoky with incense, and the whole population,--the
senators themselves most of all,--kept shouting aloud: "Vah, Olympian
Victor! Vah Pythian Victor! Augustus! Augustus! Hail to Nero the Hercules,
hail to Nero the Apollo!! The one National Victor, the only one from the
beginning of time! Augustus! Augustus! O, Divine Voice! Blessed are they
that hear thee!"--Why should I employ circumlocutions instead of letting
you see their very words? The actual expressions used do not disgrace my
history: no, the concealment of none of them rather lends it distinction.

[Sidenote:--21--] When he had finished these ceremonies, he announced a
series of horse-races, and transferring to the hippodrome these crowns and
all the rest that he had secured by victories in chariot racing, he put
them about the Egyptian obelisk. The number of them was one thousand eight
hundred and eight. After doing this he appeared as charioteer.--A certain
Larcius, a Lydian, approached him with an offer of twenty-five myriads if
he would play and sing for them. Nero would not take the money, disdaining
to do anything for pay; and so Tigillinus collected it, as the price of
not putting Larcius to death. However, the emperor did appear on the stage
with an accompanied song and he also gave a tragedy. In the equestrian
contests he was seldom absent, and sometimes he would voluntarily let
himself be defeated in order to make it more credible that he really won
at other times.

Dio 62nd Book: "And he inflicted uncounted woes on many cities."

[Sidenote:--22--] This was the kind of life Nero led, this was the way he
ruled. I shall narrate also how he was put down and driven from his
throne.

While Nero was still in Greece, the Jews revolted openly and he sent
Vespasian against them. The inhabitants of Britain and of Gaul, likewise,
oppressed by the taxes, experienced an even keener distress, which added
fuel to the already kindled fire of their indignation.

--There was a Gaul named Gaius Julius Vindex [an Aquitanian], descended
from the native royal race and on his father's side entitled to rank as a
Roman senator. He was strong of body, had an intelligent mind, was skilled
in warfare and was full of daring for every enterprise. [He was to the
greatest degree a lover of freedom and was ambitious; and he stood at the
head of the Gauls.] Now this Vindex made an assembly of the Gauls, who had
suffered much durin