Aelianus Casperius, who was governor under him as he had been under Domitian, and had become one of the Pretorians, incited the soldiers to mutiny against him; his plan was to have them demand some persons for execution.  Nerva resisted them stoutly, even to the point of baring his collar-bone and offering them his throat:  but he accomplished nothing and those whom Aelianus wished were put out of the way.  Wherefore Nerva, subjected to such profound humiliation because of his old age, ascended the Capitol and cried aloud:  “To the good fortune of the Roman people and senate and myself I adopt Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajan.”

Subsequently in the senate he designated him Caesar and sent a message to him, written with his own hand (Trajan was governor of Germany): 

  “The Danaans by thy weapons shall requite my tears.” [Footnote:  From
  Homer’s Iliad, Book One, verse 42.]

[Sidenote:—­4—­] Thus did Trajan become Caesar and afterwards emperor, although there were relatives of Nerva.  But the man did not esteem family relationship above the safety of the State, nor was he less inclined to adopt Trajan because the latter was a Spaniard instead of an Italian or Italiot, [Footnote:  Dio means by Italian one born in Italy, by Italiot one who settles in Italy.] or because no foreigner had previously held the Roman sovereignty.  It was a person’s virtue and not his country that he thought needed examination.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 98 (a.u. 851)] Soon after this act he passed away, having ruled during the period of one year, four months and nine days.  His life prior to that time [Footnote:  Reading [Greek:  proebebiochei] (Boissevain).] had comprised sixty-five years, ten months, and ten days.

[Sidenote:—­5—­] Trajan, before he became emperor, had had a dream of the following nature.  He thought that an old man in purple robe and vesture, moreover adorned with a crown, as the senate is represented in pictures, impressed a seal upon him with a finger ring, first on the left side of his throat and then on the right.  When he had been made emperor, he sent a despatch to the senate written with his own hand, which stated, among other things, that he would not slay nor dishonor any man of worth.  This he confirmed by oaths not merely at that time but also later.

He sent for Aelianus and the Pretorians who had mutinied against Nerva, pretending that he was going to employ them in some way, and relieved the world of their presence. [Sidenote:  A.D. 99 (a.u. 852)] When he had entered Rome he did much toward the administration of state affairs and to please the excellent.  To the former business he gave unusual attention, making many grants even to Italian cities for the support of their children, and to good citizens he did continual favors.  Plotina, his wife, on first going into the palace turned around so as to face the Scalae and the populace, and said:  “My wish is to issue hence the same sort of person as I am now when I enter.”  And she so conducted herself during the entire sovereignty as to incur no censure.