When six or seven lie breathless on the ground,
'Twas I, 'twas I, say thousands, gave the wound.
Thus many that had no share in the murder wetted their hands and
swords in blood, and came and showed them to Otho, presenting
memorials suing for a gratuity. Not less than one hundred and
twenty were identified afterwards from their written petitions;
all of whom Vitellius sought out and put to death. There came
also into the camp Marius Celsus, and was accused by many voices
of encouraging the soldiers to assist Galba, and was demanded to
death by the multitude. Otho had no desire for this, yet,
fearing an absolute denial, he professed that he did not wish to
take him off so soon, having many matters yet to learn from him;
and so committed him safe to the custody of those he most
confided in.
Forthwith a senate was convened, and as if they were not the
same men, or had other gods to swear by, they took that oath in
Otho's name which he himself had taken in Galba's and had
broken; and withal conferred on him the titles of Caesar and
Augustus; whilst the dead carcasses of the slain lay yet in
their consular robes in the marketplace. As for their heads,
when they could make no other use of them, Vinius's they sold to
his daughter for two thousand five hundred drachmas; Piso's was
begged by his wife Verania; Galba's they gave to Patrobius's
servants; who when they had it, after all sorts of abuse and
indignities, tumbled it into the place where those that suffer
death by the emperor's orders are usually cast, called
Sessorium. Galba's body was conveyed away by Priscus Helvidius
by Otho's permission, and buried in the night by Argius, his
freedman.
Thus you have the history of Galba, a person inferior to few
Romans, either for birth or riches, rather exceeding all of his
time in both, having lived in great honor and reputation in the
reigns of five emperors, insomuch that he overthrew Nero rather
by his fame and repute in the world than by actual force and
power. Of all the others that joined in Nero's deposition, some
were by general consent regarded as unworthy, others had only
themselves to vote them deserving of the empire. To him the
title was offered, and by him it was accepted; and simply
lending his name to Vindex's attempt, he gave to what had been
called rebellion before, the name of a civil war, by the
presence of one that was accounted fit to govern. And,
therefore, as he considered that he had not so much sought the
position as the position had sought him, he proposed to command
those whom Nymphidius and Tigellinus had wheedled into
obedience, no otherwise than Scipio formerly and Fabricius and
Camillus had commanded the Romans of their times. But being now
overcome with age, he was indeed among the troops and legions an
upright ruler upon the antique model; but for the rest, giving
himself up to Vinius, Laco, and his freedmen, who made their
gain of all things, no otherwise than Nero had done to his
insatiate favorites, he left none behind him to wish him still
in power, though many to compassionate his death.