« Dio 56.28 | Dio 56.29 | Dio 56.30 | About This Work »
29During a horse-race at the Augustalia, which were celebrated in honour of his birthday, a madman seated himself in the chair which was dedicated to Julius Caesar, and taking his crown, put it on. This incident disturbed everybody, for it seemed to have some bearing upon Augustus, as, indeed, proved true. 2For in the following year, when Sextus Apuleius and Sextus Pompeius were consuls, Augustus set out for Campania, and after superintending the games at Neapolis, passed away shortly afterward at Nola. Indeed, not a few omens had appeared, and these by no means difficult of interpretation, all pointing to this fate for him. 3Thus, the sun suffered a total eclipse and most of the sky seemed to be on fire; glowing embers appeared to be falling from it and blood-red comets were seen. When a meeting of the senate had been appointed on account of the emperor’s illness, in order that they might offer prayers, the senate-house was found closed and an owl sitting on it hooted. 4A thunderbolt fell upon his statue that stood upon the Capitol and blotted out the first letter of the name “Caesar.” This led the seers to declare that on the hundredth day after that he should attain to some divine state. They deduced this from the fact that the letter “C” signifies “one hundred” among the Latins, and the remainder of the word means “god” among the Etruscans. 5Now these signs appeared beforehand while he was still alive; but people of later days were struck also by coincidences in the case of the consuls and of Servius Sulpicius Galba. For the consuls then in office were in some way related to Augustus; and Galba, who later came to the throne, assumed the toga virilis at this time on the very first day of the year. 6Now since he was the first of the Romans to become emperor after the family of Augustus had passed away, it gave occasion to some to say that this had not been a mere coincidence, but had been brought about by some divine purpose.
« Dio 56.28 | Dio 56.29 | Dio 56.30 | About This Work »