[-20-] Now of the consuls Domitius held office the whole year through,—­for he was husband of Agrippina, the daughter of Germanicus,—­but the rest adapted themselves to the whims of Tiberius.  Some he elevated for a longer time and some for a shorter:  some he stopped before the end of their appointed term and others he allowed to hold office beyond the limits designated.  Not infrequently he would appoint a man for an entire year and then depose him, setting up another and still another in his place.  Sometimes, after choosing certain substitutes for third place, he would then have others become consuls before them in the place of still others.  These irregularities in the case of the consuls occurred through practically his entire reign.  Of the candidates for the other offices he selected as many as he wished and sent their names to the senate, recommending some to that body,—­and these were chosen, by acclamation,—­but making others depend upon their own claims or the assent of the senate or the decision of the lot.  After that, in order to follow out ancient precedent, such as belonged to the people and the plebs went before one of these two bodies and were announced:  this is the same practice that is followed at present, intended to produce at least an appearance of valid election.  In case there was ever a deficiency of candidates or they became involved in irreconcilable strife, a smaller number was chosen.—­The following year, in which Servius Galba (that later became emperor) and Lucius Cornelius held the consular title, fifteen praetors held office.  This went on for many years, so that sometimes sixteen and sometimes one or two less were chosen.

[-21-] The next move of Tiberius was to approach the capital and sojourn in its environs; he did not, however, go within the walls, although he was but thirty stades distant, so that he bestowed in marriage the remaining daughters of Germanicus and also Julia, the daughter of Drusus.  Hence the city did not make a festival of their marriages, but everything went on as usual:  the senators met and decided judicial cases.  For Tiberius made an important point of their assembling as often as he would have convened them, and insisted on their not arriving later or departing earlier than the time fixed.  He sent to the consuls many injunctions on this head and once ordered certain statements to be read aloud by them.  He behaved in the same way in regard to certain other matters (just as if he could not write directly to the senate!).  To that body he sent in not only the documents given him by the informers but also the confessions under torture which Macro obtained, so that nothing was left in the hands of the senators save the vote of condemnation.  About this time, however, a certain Vibullius Agrippa, a knight, swallowed poison from a ring and died in the senate-house itself, and Nerva, who could no longer endure the emperor’s society, starved himself to death, his chief reason for doing so being that