e with him. The monarch's frequent previous requests had always met
with refusal. Decebalus now accepted the arrangement, for he was indeed
hard pressed, yet he did not wish personally to hold a conference with
Domitian, but sent Diegis with other men to give him the arms and a few
captives, whom he pretended were the only ones he had. When this had been
accomplished, Domitian set a diadem on the head of Diegis, just as if he
had in very truth conquered and could make some one king over the Dacians.
To the soldiers he granted honors and money. Like a victor, again, he sent
on ahead to Rome, besides many other things, envoys from Decebalus, and
something which he affirmed was a letter of his, though rumor declared it
had been forged. He graced the festival that followed with many articles
pertaining to a triumph, though they did not belong to any booty he had
taken;--quite the reverse: and besides allowing the truce he made an
outlay of a great deal of money immediately and also presented to
Decebalus artisans of every imaginable profession, peaceful and warlike,
and promised that he would give him a great deal more. These exhibits came
from the imperial furniture which he at all times treated as captive
goods, because he had enslaved the empire itself.

[Sidenote: A.D. 91 (a.u. 844)] So many rewards were voted
him that almost the whole world (so far as under his dominion) was filled
with his images and statues of both silver and gold. He also gave an
extremely costly spectacle in regard to which we have noted nothing that
was striking for historical record, save that virgins contended in the
foot-race. After this, in the course of holding what seem to have been
triumphal celebrations, he arranged numerous contests. First of all, in
the hippodrome he had battles of infantry against infantry, and again
battles of cavalry, and next he gave a naval battle in a new place. And
there perished in it practically all the naval combatants and numbers of
the spectators. A great rain and violent storm had suddenly come up, yet
he allowed no one to leave the spectacle; indeed, though he himself
changed his clothing to a thick woolen cloak, he would not permit the
people to alter their attire. As a result, not a few fell sick and died.
By way of consoling them for this, he provided them at public expense a
dinner lasting all night. Often, too, he would conduct games at night, and
sometimes he would pit dwarfs [Footnote: Reading [Greek: