[Sidenote:—­17—­] In view of these conditions, when Primus at last drew near, the consuls, Gaius Quintius Atticus and Gnaeus Caecilius Simplex, together with Sabinus (a relative of Vespasian) and the other foremost men held a consultation, the result of which was that they set out for the palace in company with the soldiers that favored their cause, intending to either persuade or force Vitellius to resign his position as emperor.  They encountered, however, the Celtae who were guarding him, and getting decidedly the worst of the encounter they fled to the Capitol.  Arrived there they sent for Domitian, son of Vespasian, and his relatives, and put themselves in a state of defence.  The following day, when their adversaries assailed them, they managed for a time to repulse them; but when the environs of the Capitol were set on fire, its defenders were beaten back by the flame.  In this way the soldiers of Vitellius forced their way up, slaughtered many of the resisting party, and after plundering the whole stock of votive offerings burned down with other structures the great temple.  Sabinus and Atticus they arrested and sent them to Vitellius.  Domitian and the junior Sabinus had made their escape from the Capitol at the first noise of conflict and by concealing themselves in houses had succeeded in eluding observation.

[Sidenote:—­18—­] Those soldiers of Vespasian that were led by Quintus Petilius Cerialis [Footnote:  The epitome of Dio spells uniformly Cerealius.] (one of the foremost senators and a relative of Vespasian by marriage) and by Antonius Primus—­for Mucianus had not yet overtaken them—­were by this time close at hand, and Vitellius fell into the depths of terror.  The oncoming leaders through the medium of certain messengers and by placing their letters in coffins with dead bodies, in baskets full of fruit, or the reed traps of bird-catchers, learned all that was being done in the city and formed their plans accordingly.  Now, when they saw the blaze rising from the Capitol as from a beacon, they made haste.  The first of the two to approach the city with his cavalry was Cerialis, [and he was defeated at the very entrance by being cut off with horsemen in a narrow spot.  However, he prevented any harm being done by his opponents.  For Vitellius, hoping that his proved superiority would afford him an opportunity to make terms, restrained his soldiers].  And having convened the senate he sent envoys chosen from that body together with the vestal virgins to Cerialis as envoys.

[Sidenote:—­19—­] Since no one would listen to them and they came very near losing their lives, the emissaries visited Primus, who was also at last approaching; from him they secured an audience, but accomplished nothing.  For at this juncture his soldiers came angrily toward him and overcame with ease the guard at the Tiber bridge. (When the latter took their stand upon it and disputed their passage, the horsemen forded the stream and fell upon