[Sidenote:  A.D. 55 (a.u. 808)] [Sidenote:—­7—­] Agrippina found a grievance in the fact that she was no longer supreme in affairs of the palace.  It was chiefly because of Acte.  Acte had been brought as a slave from Asia.  She caught the fancy of Nero, was adopted into the family of Attalus, and was cherished much more carefully than was Nero’s wife Octavia.  Agrippina, indignant at this and at other matters, first attempted to rebuke him, and set herself to humiliating his associates, some by beatings and by getting rid of others.  But when she accomplished nothing, she took it greatly to heart and remarked to him:  “It was I who made you emperor,” just as if she had the power to take away the authority from him again.  She did not comprehend that every form of independent power given to any one by a private citizen immediately ceases to be the property of the giver and belongs to the one who receives it to use against his benefactor.

Britannicus Nero murdered treacherously by poison, and then, as the skin was turned livid by the action of the drug, he smeared the body with gypsum.  But as it was being carried through the Forum a heavy rain falling while the gypsum was still damp washed it all away, so that the horror was exposed not only to comment but to view. [After Britannicus was dead Seneca and Burrus ceased to give careful attention to public interests and were satisfied if they might manage them conservatively and still preserve their lives.  Consequently Nero now made himself conspicuous by giving free rein to all his desires without fear of retribution.  His behavior began to be absolutely insensate, as is shown, for instance, by his punishing a certain knight, Antonius, as a seller of poisons and by further burning the poisons publicly.  He took great credit for this action as well as for prosecuting some persons who had tampered with wills; but other people only laughed to see him punishing his own acts in the persons of others.]

[Sidenote:—­8—­] His secret acts of licentiousness were many, both at home and throughout the City, by night and by day.  He used to frequent the taverns and wandered about everywhere like a private person.  Any number of beatings and insults took place in this connection and the evil spread to the theatres, so that those who worked as dancers and who had charge of the horses paid no attention either to praetors or to consuls.  They were disorderly themselves and led others to be the same, while Nero not only did not restrain them even by words, but stirred them up all the more.  He delighted in their actions and used to be secretly conveyed in a litter into the theatres, where unseen by the rest he watched the proceedings.  Indeed, he forbade the soldiers who had usually been in attendance at all public gatherings to appear there any longer.  The reason he assigned was that they ought not to superintend anything but strictly military affairs, but his true purpose was to afford those who wished