orehand that had a
bearing on his sovereignty. Personally his conduct was in most ways
moderate and he avoided giving offence since he bore in mind that he had
not taken the emperor's seat but it had been given him;--indeed, he said
so frequently:--unfortunately, he collected money greedily since his wants
were numerous, though he spent comparatively little after all, bestowing
upon some persons not even denarii but merely asses. His freedmen,
however, committed a great number of wrongs, the responsibility for which
was laid upon him. Ordinary individuals need only keep themselves from
crime, but those who hold sovereign power must see to it that no dependent
of theirs practices villany either. For it makes little difference to the
ones who suffer wrong at whose hands they happen to be ill treated.
Consequently, even though Galba abstained from inflicting injury, yet he
was ill spoken of because he allowed these others to commit crimes, or at
least was ignorant of what was taking place. Nymphidius and Capito, in
particular, were allowed by him to run riot. For instance, Capito, when
one day some one appealed a case from his jurisdiction, changed his seat
hastily to a high chair near by and then cried out: "Now plead your case
before Caesar!" He went through the form of deciding it and had the man
put to death. Galba felt obliged to proceed against them for this.

[Sidenote:--3--] As he drew near the City, the guards of Nero met him and
asked that their organization be preserved intact. At first he was for
postponing his decision and averred that he wanted to think the matter
over. Since, however, they would not obey but kept up a clamor, the army
submitted to them. As a consequence about seven thousand of his soldiers
lost their lives and the guardsmen were decimated. This shows that even if
Galba was bowed down with age and disease, yet his spirit was keen and he
did not believe in an emperor's being compelled to do anything
unwillingly. A further proof is that when the Pretorians asked him for the
money which Nymphidius had promised them, he would not give it, but
replied: "I am accustomed to levy soldiers, not to buy them." And when the
populace brought urgent pressure to bear on him to kill Tigillinus and
some others who had before been wantonly insolent, he would not yield,
though he would probably have disposed of them had not their enemies made
this demand. Helius, however, as well as Narcissus, Patrobius, Lucusta