him; for the former reason he honored him with a present of money and for the latter he expelled him from the city.  Later, the exile approached him to make supplication during the course of which he purposely let fall a crystal goblet, which fell apart somehow or was broken, and then by passing his hands over it showed it straightway intact; for this the suppliant hoped to have obtained pardon, but instead the emperor put him to death.

[-22-] Drusus, son of Tiberius, perished by poison.  Sejanus, puffed up by power and rank, in addition to his other overweening behavior finally turned against Drusus and once struck him a blow with his fist.  As this gave the assailant reason to fear both Drusus and Tiberius, and inasmuch as he felt sure that, if he could get the young man out of the way, he could handle the elder very easily, he administered poison to the former through the agency of those in attendance upon him and of Drusus’s wife, whom some name Livilla. [5] Sejanus was her paramour.—­The guilt was imputed to Tiberius because he altered none of his accustomed habits either during the illness of Drusus or at his death and would not allow others to alter theirs.  But the story is not credible.  This was his regular behavior, as a matter of principle, in every case alike, and furthermore he was attached to his son, the only one he had and legitimate.  Those that engineered his death he punished, some at once and some later.  At the time he entered the senate, delivered the appropriate eulogy over his child, and departed homeward.

Thus perished Sejanus’s victim.  Tiberius took his way to the senate-house, where he lamented him publicly, put Nero and Drusus (children of Germanicus) in charge of the senate, and exposed the body of Drusus upon the rostra; and Nero, being his son-in-law, pronounced an eulogy over him.  This man’s death proved a cause of death to many persons, who were taxed with being pleased at his demise.  Among the large number of people who lost their lives was Agrippina, together with her children, the youngest excepted.  Sejanus had incensed Tiberius greatly against her, anticipating that, when she and her children were disposed of, he might have for his spouse Livia, wife of Drusus, for whom he entertained a passion, and might wield supreme power, since no successor would be found for Tiberius.  The latter detested his nephew as a bastard.  Many others also did he banish or destroy for different and ever different causes, for the most part fictitious.

Tiberius forbade those debarred from fire and water to make any will,—­a custom still observed.  AElius Saturninus he brought before the senate for trial on the charge of having recited some improper verses about him, and the culprit having been found guilty was hurled from the Capitol. [-23-]I might narrate many other such occurrences, if I were to go into all in detail.  But the general statement may suffice that many were slain by him for such offences.