The annals of Tacitus

INTRODUCTION xix
He arranged the long-sbinding difficult}' of the throne of
Armenia, and converted the client-kingdoms of Cappadocia
and Commagene into Roman provinces. Then came a great
tragedy. Germanicus died at Antioch, the victim, it was
said, of foul play on the part of his rival Piso, governor of
Syria. He stands out as a charming popular hero,—' one of
the short-lived loves of the Roman i)C()[)le.' The death of his
son Drusus in 23 a.d. was a very grievous blow to Tiberius.
Nothing was left but to adopt the two eldest sons of German-
icus, Nero and Drusus. But his widow Agrippina was not
satisfied even with this proceeding, which marked out these
two princes as successors of Tiberius.
It is interesting to observe what vigorous language Tacitus
habitually employs in writing of the family of Germanicus
e.g. iv 12 domum Germanici reuirescere occidti laetahantur
and in the same chapter, pudicitia Agrippinae inpenetrahili
and again, ut superbam fecujiditate, subnixam popularibua
studiis inhiare dominationi apud Caesarem arguerent. Com-
pare also iv 15, referring to Nero, recenti memoria Germanici
ilium uspici, ilium audiri rehantur ; also iv 17, 18, 19; and
52 Agrippina semper atrox. Compare 53 peruicax irae, and
the rest of the chapter.
The turning-point in the history comes when Sejanus
proposes to marry the younger Livia (Livilla). Foiled in
this by Tiberius, he makes up his mind to destroy the house
of Germanicus.
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