Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/476

 468 GALEA. the city were unsettled, find had not yet recovered ita tranquillity ; then that Clodius Macer withheld the com- ships from Africa ; that the legions in Gei'many began to be mutinous, and that he heard the like of those in Syria and Judsea. But Galba not minding him much nor giv- ing credit to his stories, he resolved to make his attempt beforehand, though Clodius Celsus, a native of Antioch, a person of sense, and friendly and faithful to Nymphidius, told him he was wrong, saying he did not believe one single street in Rome would ever give him the title of Caasar. Nevertheless many also derided Galba, amongst the rest Mithridates of Pontus, saying, that as soon as this wrinkled, bald-headed man should be seen publicly at Rome, they would think it an utter disgrace ever to have had such a Caesar. At last it was resolved, about midnight, to bring Nym- phidius into the camp, and declare him emperor. But An- tonius Honoratus, who was first among the tribunes, sum- moning together in the evening those under his command, charged himself and them severely with their many and unreasonable turns and alterations, made without any purpose or regard to merit, simply as if some evil genius hurried them from one treason to another. " What though Nero's miscarriages," said he, " gave some color to your former acts, can you say you have any plea for betraying Galba in the death of a mother, the blood of a wife, or the degradation of the imperial power upon the stage and amongst players ? Neither did we desert Nero for all this, until Nymphidius had persuaded us that he had first left us and fled into Egypt. Shall we, therefore, send Galba after, to appease Nero's shade, and, for the sake of making the son of Nymphidia emperor, take off one of Livia's family, as we have already the son of Agrip- pina ? Rather, doing justice on him, let us revenge Nero's death, and show ourselves true and faithful by pre- serving Galba."