After Cumanus's removal I remembered Herod's advice: and sent Felix out as governor: that was three years ago and he, is still there, having a difficult time, because the country is in a most disturbed state and overrun with bandits. He has married the youngest of Herod's daughters; she was previously married to the King of Homs, but left him. The other daughter married the son of Helcias. Herod Pollio is dead, and young Agrippa who governed Chalcis for four years after his uncle's death I have now made King of Bashan.
At Alexandria there were fresh disturbances three years ago and a number of deaths. I inquired into the case at Rome and found that the Greeks had provoked the Jews once more by interrupting their religious ceremonies. I punished them accordingly.
So much, then, for the East, and perhaps it would now be as well to wind up my account of events in other parts of the Empire, so as to be able to concentrate on my main story, which centres now in Rome.
At about the same time as the Parthians sent to Rome for a king, so did the great German confederation over which Hermann had ruled, the Cheruscans. Hermann had been assassinated by members of his own family for trying to reign over a free people in a despotic manner, and a feud had then- started between the two principal assassins, his nephews, which led to a prolonged civil war and finally to the extinction of the whole Cheruscan royal house, with one single exception. This was Italicus, the son of Flavius, Hermann's brother. Flavius remained loyal to Rome at the time that Hermann treacherously ambushed and massacred Varus's three regiments, but had been killed by Hermann in battle some years after while serving under my brother Germanicus. Italicus was born at Rome and was enrolled in the Noble Order of Knights, as his father had been. He was a handsome and gifted young man and had been given a good Roman education, but foreseeing that he, might one day occupy the Cheruscan throne I had insisted on his learning the use of German weapons as well as Roman ones, and on his studying his native language and laws with close attention: members of my bodyguard were his tutors. They
also taught him to drink-beer: a German prince who cannot drink pot for pot with his thegns is considered a weakling.
A Cheruscan delegation then came to Rome to ask for Italicus as their new king. They created a great stir in the Theatre on the first afternoon, of their arrival. None of them had even been in Rome before. They called on me at the Palace and were told that I was at the, Theatre, so they followed me there. A comedy of Plautus's, The Truculent Man, was being played, and everyone was listening with the greatest attention. They were shown into the public seats, and not very good ones either, high up, almost out of earshot of the stage. As soon as they had settled down they looked about them and began asking in loud tones: `Are these honourable seats?'
The ushers whisperingly tried to assure them that they were.
`Where's Caesar sitting? Where are his chief thegns?' they asked.
The ushers pointed down to the orchestra. 'There's Caesar. But he only sits down there because he's slightly deaf. The seats you are in are really the most honourable seats. The higher, the more honourable, you know.'
`Who are those dark-skinned men with jewelled caps, sitting quite-close to Caesar?'
'Those are Parthian ambassadors.'
`What's Parthia?'
'A great Empire in the East.'
`Why are they sitting down there? Aren't they honourable? Is it because of their colour?'
'Oh no, they are very honourable,' the ushers said. `But please don't talk so loud.'
`Then why are they sitting in such humble seats?' the Germans persisted.
('Hush, hush!' Quiet there, Barbarians, we can't hear!' and similar protests from the, crowd.)
`Out of compliment to Caesar,' the ushers lied. 'They swear that if Caesar's deafness forces him to occupy such a lowly seat, they won't presume to sit any higher.'
`And do you expect us to be outdone in courtesy by a miserable parcel of blackamoors?' the Germans shouted indignantly. `Come on, brothers, down we go!' The play was held up for five minutes as they forced their way down through the packed seats and fetched up triumphantly among the Vestal Virgins. Well, they meant no harm, and I greeted them honourably as they deserved and at dinner that night consented to let them have the king they wanted; II was, of course, very glad to be, able to do so.
I sent Italicus across the Rhine with an admonition that contrasted strangely with the one I had given Meherdates before I sent him across the Euphrates;, for the Parthians and; the Cheruscans are the two most dissimilar races, I suppose, that, you could find anywhere in the world. My words to Italicus were., these' 'Italicus, remember that you have been called upon to rule over a free nation. You have been educated as a Roman and accustomed to Roman discipline. Be careful not toexpect. as
much from your fellow tribesmen as a Roman magistrate or general would expect from his subordinates. Germans can be persuaded but not forced. If a Roman commander says to a military subordinate: "Colonel, take so many men to such-and-such a place and there raise an earthwork so-and-so many paces long, thick, and high,’ he replies, "Very good, General’: off he goes without argument and the earthwork is raised within twenty-four hours. You can't speak to a Cheruscan in that style. He'll want to know precisely why you want the earthwork raised and against whom, and wouldn't it be better to send someone else of less importance to perform this dishonourable task - earthworks are a sign of cowardice, he'll argue - and what gifts will you bestow on him if he consents, of his own free will, to carry out your suggestion? The art of ruling your compatriots, my friend Italicus, is never to give them a downright order, but to express your wishes clearly, disguising them as mere advice of State policy. Let your thegns think that; they are doing you, a favour, and thus honouring themselves, by carrying out these wishes of their own free will. If there is an unpleasant or thankless task to. be done, make it a matter of rivalry between your thegns who shall have the honour of undertaking it, and, never fail to reward with gold bracelets and weapons services which at Rome would be regarded as routine duties. Above all, be patient and never lose your temper.'
So he went off in high hopes,.; as Meherdates had gone off, and was welcomed by a majority of the thegns, the ones who knew that they had no chance of succeeding to the vacant throne themselves, but were jealous of all native-born claimants. Italicus did not know the ins-and-outs of Cheruscan domestic politics and could, be counted on to behave with-reasonable impartiality. But there was a minority of men who thought themselves worthy of the throne themselves and these temporarily sank their differences to unite against Italicus. They expected that Italicus would soon make a mess of the government from ignorance, but he disappointed them by ruling remarkably well. They therefore went secretly round to the chiefs of allied tribes raising feeling against him as a Roman interloper. 'The ancient liberty of Germany has departed,' they lamented, 'and the power of Rome is triumphant. Is there no native Cheruscan worthy of the throne, that the son of Flavius, the spy and traitor, should be permitted to usurp it?' They raised a large patriotic army by this appeal. Italicus's supporters, however, declared that Italicus had not usurped the throne, but had been offered it with the consent of a majority of the tribe; and that he was the only royal prince left and though born in Italy had studiously acquainted himself with the German language, customs, and weapons, and was ruling very justly; and that his father Flavius, far from being a traitor, had on the contrary sworn an oath of friendship with the Romans approved by the whole nation, including his brother Hermann, and unlike Hermann had not violated it. As for the ancient liberty of the Germans, that was hypocritical talk: the men who used it would think nothing of destroying the nation by renewed civil wars.