Dio 62nd Book:  “And he inflicted uncounted woes on many cities.”

[Sidenote:—­22—­] This was the kind of life Nero led, this was the way he ruled.  I shall narrate also how he was put down and driven from his throne.

While Nero was still in Greece, the Jews revolted openly and he sent Vespasian against them.  The inhabitants of Britain and of Gaul, likewise, oppressed by the taxes, experienced an even keener distress, which added fuel to the already kindled fire of their indignation.

—­There was a Gaul named Gaius Julius Vindex [an Aquitanian], descended from the native royal race and on his father’s side entitled to rank as a Roman senator.  He was strong of body, had an intelligent mind, was skilled in warfare and was full of daring for every enterprise. [He was to the greatest degree a lover of freedom and was ambitious; and he stood at the head of the Gauls.] Now this Vindex made an assembly of the Gauls, who had suffered much during the numerous forced levies of money, and were still suffering at Nero’s hands.  And ascending a tribunal he delivered a long and detailed speech against Nero, saying that they ought to revolt from the emperor and join him in an attack [upon him],—­“because,” said he, “he has despoiled the whole Roman world, because he has destroyed all the flower of their senate, because he debauched and likewise killed his mother, and does not preserve even the semblance of sovereignty.  Murders, seizures and outrages have often been committed and by many other persons:  but how may one find words to describe the remainder of his conduct as it deserves?  I have seen, my friends and allies,—­believe me,—­I have seen that man (if he is a man, who married Sporus and was given in marriage to Pythagoras) in the arena of the theatre and in the orchestra, sometimes with the zither, the loose tunic, the cothurnus, [Footnote:  The two kinds of footwear mentioned here appear in the Greek as chothornos and embates respectively.  These words are often synonymous, and both may refer, as a rule, to high boots.  In the present passage, however, some kind of contrast is evidently intended, and the most acceptable solution of the question is that given by Sturz, in his edition, who says that the chothornos seems to have been used by Nero only in singing, whereas he wore the embates (as also the mask) while acting.] sometimes with wooden shoes [Footnote:  see previous footnote] and mask.  I have often heard him sing, I have heard him make proclamations, I have heard him perform tragedy.  I have seen him in chains, I have seen him dragged about, pregnant, bearing children, going through all the situations of mythology, by speech, by being addressed, by being acted upon, by acting.  Who, then, will call such a person Caesar and emperor and Augustus?  Let no one for any consideration so abuse those sacred titles.  They were held by Augustus and by Claudius.  This fellow might most properly be termed Thyestes and Oedipus, Alcmeon and Orestes.  These are the persons he represents on the stage and it is these titles that he has assumed rather than the others.  Therefore now at length rise against him:  come to the succor of yourselves and of the Romans; liberate the entire world!”