[Sidenote:  A.D. 103 (a.u. 856)] [Sidenote:—­10—­] The envoys from Decebalus were introduced in the senate.  They laid down their arms, clasped their hands in the posture of captives, and spoke some words of supplication; thus they obtained peace and received back their arms.  Trajan celebrated a triumph and was given the title of Dacicus; in the theatre he had contests of gladiators, in whom he delighted, and he brought back dancers once more to the theatre, being in love with one of them, Pylades.  However, he did not pay less attention to general administration, as might have been expected of a warlike personage, nor did he hold court the less:  on the contrary, he conducted trials now in the forum of Augustus, now in the porch named the Porch of Livia, and often elsewhere on a platform.

And since Decebalus was reported to him to be acting in many ways contrary to the treaty, since he was gathering arms, receiving such as deserted, repairing the forts, sending ambassadors to the neighbors, and injuring those who had previously differed with him, since also he was devastating some land of the Iazygae (which Trajan later would not give back to them when they asked for it), therefore, the senate voted that he was again an enemy.  And Trajan again conducted the war against him, commanding in person and not represented by others.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 104 (a.u. 857)] [Sidenote:—­11—­] [As numerous Dacians kept transferring their allegiance to Trajan, and for certain other reasons, Decebalus again requested peace.  But since he could not be persuaded to surrender both his arms and himself, he proceeded openly to collect troops and called the surrounding nations to his aid, saying that if they deserted him they themselves would come into danger and that it was safer and easier by fighting on his side to preserve their freedom, before suffering any harm, than if they should allow his people to be destroyed and then later be subjugated when bereft of allies.] And Decebalus in the open field came off poorly, but by craft and deceit he almost compassed the death of Trajan.  He sent into Moesia some deserters to see whether they could make away with him, inasmuch as the emperor was generally accessible, and now, on account of the needs of warfare, admitted to conference absolutely every one who desired it.  But this plan they were unable to carry out, since one of them was arrested on suspicion and, under torture, revealed the entire plot.

[Sidenote:—­12—­] Longinus was the commandant of the Roman camp who had made himself a terror to the Dacian leader in warfare.  The latter, therefore, sent him an invitation and persuaded him to meet him, on the pretext that he would perform whatever should be enjoined.  He then arrested him and questioned him publicly about Trajan’s plans.  As the Roman would not yield at all, he took him about with him under guard, though not in bonds.  And [Decebalus sending an envoy to Trajan, asked that he might get back the territory as far