Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/484

 476 GALEA. the men in chief power in the court. As often as he entertained Galba, he gave the cohort on duty, in addition to their pay, a piece of gold for every man there, upon pretence of respect to the emperor, while really he under- mined him, and stole away his popularity with the soldiers. So Galba consulting about a successor, Vinius introduced Otho, yet not even this gratis, but upon promise that he would marry his daughter, if Galba should make him liis adopted son and successor to the empire. But Galba, in all his actions, showed clearly that he preferred the public good before his own private interest, not aiming so much to pleasure himself as to advantage the Romans by his selection. Indeed he does not seem to have been so much as inclined to make choice of Otho, had it been but to inherit his own private fortune, knowing his ex- travagant and luxurious character, and that he was already plunged in debt five thousand myriads deep. So he listenedto Vinius, and made no reply, but mildly suspended his determination. Only he appointed him- self consul, and Vinius his colleague, and it was the general expectation that he would declare his successor at the beginning of the new year. And the soldiers de- sired nothing more than that Otho should be the person. But the forces in Germany broke out into their mutiny whilst he was yet deliberating, and antici- pated his design. All the soldiers in genei'al felt much resentment against Gulba for not having given them their expected largess, but these troops made a pretence of a more particular concern, that Virginius Eufus was cast off dishonorably, and that the Gauls who had fought with them were well rewarded, while those who had refused to take part with Vindex were punished ; and Galba'fi thanks seemed all to be for him, to whose memory he had done honor after his death with public tiolemnities as though he had been made emperor by his