Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/497

 OTHO. 489 sent with couriers, -went into Spain with the name of Nero affixed adoptively to that of Otho ; but as soon as he perceived this gave offence to the chief and most distinguished citizens, it was omitted. After he had begun to model the government in this manner, the paid soldiers began to murmur, and en- deavored to make him suspect and chastise the nobility, either really out of a concern for his safety, or wishing, upon this pretence, to stir up trouble and war- fare. Thus, whilst Crispiuus, whom he had ordered to bring him the seventeenth cohort from Ostia, began to collect what he wanted after it was dark, and was putting the arms upon the waggons,* some of the most turbulent cried out that Crispiuus was disaflected, that the senate was practising something against the empe- ror, and that those arms were to be employed against Caesar, and not for him. When this report was once set afoot, it got the belief and excited the passions of many ; they broke out into violence; some seized the waggons, and others slew Crispiuus and two centurions that opposed them ; and the whole number of them, arraying themselves in their anus, and encouraging one another to stand by Caesar, marched to Eome. And hearing there that eighty of the senators were at supper with Otho, they flew to the palace, and declared it was a fair opportunity to take off Caesar's enemies at one stroke. A general alarm ensued of an immediate coming sack of Csesar was subsequently, with- from Ostia, Otho diiTcted Crispi- out any proper claim to it, taken nus to procure arms to equip them by the emperors who had no con- from the magazine in the pra.no- nection with the Ciesar family. rian camp. On seeing him remov- understood the arms to have been rians took the alarm, declared he collected and the men to have was taking them to the senators broken out into this tumult at who meant to arm their slaves Ostia. The real fact was that, with them and attack Otho, and so having ordered a body of men up set off at once to protect him.
 * It would appear that Plutarch ing these arms by night, the prasto-