[Sidenote:—­26—­] Likewise Thrasea and Soranus, who had no superiors in family, wealth, and every excellence, met their death not because they were accused of conspiracy but because they were what they were.  Against Soranus Publius Egnatius Celer, a philosopher, gave false evidence.  The victim had had two associates,—­Cassius Asclepiodotus of Nicaea and this Publius of Berytus.  Now Asclepiodotus so far from speaking against Soranus bore witness to his noble qualities; he was at the time exiled for his pains, but later, under Galba, was restored.  Publius in return for his services as blackmailer received money and honors (as did others of the same profession), but subsequently he was banished.  Soranus was slain on the charge of having caused his daughter to employ a species of magic, the foundation for this story being that when he was sick his family had offered some sacrifices.  Thrasea was executed for not appearing regularly at the senate-house, thus showing that he did not like the measures passed, for not listening to the emperor’s singing and zither-playing, for not sacrificing to Nero’s Divine Voice as did the rest, and for not giving any public exhibitions:  for it was remarked that at Patavium, his native place, he had acted in a tragedy given in pursuance of some old custom at a festival held every thirty years.  As he made the incision in his artery, he raised his hand, exclaiming:  “To thee, Jupiter, patron of freedom, I pour this libation of blood.”

[Sidenote:—­27—­] [And Junius Torquatus, a descendant of Augustus, made himself liable to a most strange indictment.  He had squandered his property in a rather lavish way, whether following his native bent or with the intention of not being very rich.  Nero therefore declared that, as he lacked many things, he must be covetous of the goods of others, and consequently caused a fictitious charge to be brought against him of aspiring to imperial power.]

And why should one be surprised that such complaints were fastened upon them, [Footnote:  A slight gap in the MS. exists here, filled by a doubtful conjecture of Boissevain’s.] seeing that one man [Footnote:  Salvidienus Orfitus (according to Suetonius, Life of Nero, chap. 37).] was brought to trial and slain for living near the Forum, for letting out some shops, or for receiving a few friends in them; and another [Footnote:  C.  Cassius Longinus (ibid)..] because he possessed a likeness of Cassius, the murderer of Caesar?

The conduct of a woman named Epicharis also deserves mention.  She had been included in the conspiracy and all its details had been trusted to her without reserve; yet she revealed none of these though often tortured in all the ways that the skill of Tigillinus could devise.  And why should one enumerate the sums given to the Pretorians on the occasion of this conspiracy or the excessive honors voted to Nero and his friends?  Let me say only that it led to the banishment of Rufus Musonius, the philosopher.  Sabina also perished at this time through an act of Nero’s.  Either accidentally or intentionally he had given her a violent kick while she was pregnant.