Plautius Lateranus

I want to be the part that gives meaning to the whole." And in another lesson, he told the story of a man who was exactly that.

His name was Plautius Lateranus.

He was consul-designate under Nero, and he was accused of being part of a conspiracy against the emperor.

The man who questioned him was Epaphroditus, the very master Epictetus had once served.

Meanwhile, with only three companions, so lonely did she find herself in a moment, she traversed the whole length of the city.

and mounting on a cart used to remove garden refuse proceeded along the road to Ostia not pitied so overpoweringly hideous were her crimes by a single person there was equal alarm on the emperor's side they put but little trust in Gaeta who commanded the praetorians a man swayed with good cause to good or evil Narcissus in concert with others who dreaded the same fate declared that the only hope of safety for the emperor lay in his transferring for that one day the command of the soldiers to one of the freedmen and he offered to undertake it himself and that Claudius might not be induced by Lucius Vitellius and Largas Asina to repent while he was riding into Rome he asked and took a seat in the emperor's carriage it was currently reported in after times that while the emperor broke into contradictory exclamations now inveighing against the infamies of his wife and now returning in thought to the remembrance of his love and of his infant children Vitellius said nothing but what audacity what wickedness Narcissus indeed kept pressing him to clear up his ambiguities and let the truth be known but still he could not prevail upon him to utter anything that was not vague and susceptible of any meaning which might be put on it or upon Largas Asina to do anything but follow his example and now Messalina had presented herself and was insisting that the emperor should listen to the mother of Octavia and Britannicus when the accuser roared out at her the story of Silius and her marriage at the same moment to draw Caesar's eye away from her he handed him some papers which detailed her debaucheries soon afterwards as he was entering Rome his children by Messalina were to have shown themselves had not Narcissus ordered their removal Vibidia he could not repel when with a vehemently indignant appeal she demanded that a wife should not be given up to death without a hearing so Narcissus replied that the emperor would hear her and that she should have an opportunity of disproving the charge meanwhile the holy virgin was to go and discharge her sacred duties all throughout Claudius preserved a strange silence Vitellius seemed unconscious everything was under the freedman's control by his order the paramour's house was thrown open and the emperor conducted thither first on the threshold he pointed out the statue of Silius's father which a decree of the senate had directed to be destroyed next how the heirlooms of the Neros and the Drusi had been degraded into the price of infamy then he led the emperor furious and bursting out in menace into the camp where the soldiers were purposely assembled Claudius spoke to them a few words at the dictation of Narcissus shame indeed checked the utterance even of a righteous anger instantly there came a shout from the cohorts demanding the names of the culprits and their punishment brought before the tribunal Silius sought neither defense nor delay but begged that his death might be hastened a light courage made several knights of the first rank desirous of a speedy doom Titius Proclus who had been appointed to watch Messalina and was now offering his evidence Vettius Valens who confessed his guilt together with Pompeius Ubricus and Sophleius Trogus from among her accomplices were ordered to execution Decius Calpurnianus too commander of the watch Sulpicius Rufus who had the charge of the games and Juncus Virgilianus a senator were similarly punished Menester alone occasioned a pause rending off his clothes he insisted on Claudius looking at the scars of his stripes and remembering his words when he surrendered himself without reserve to Messalina's bidding the guilt of others had been the result of presence or of large promises his of necessity he must have been the first victim had Silius obtained empire Caesar was touched by his appeal and inclined to mercy but his freedmen prevailed on him not to let any indulgence be shown to a player when so many illustrious citizens had fallen it mattered not whether he had sinned so greatly from choice or compulsion even the defense of Trullus Montanus a Roman knight was not admitted a young man of pure life yet of singular beauty he had been summoned and dismissed within the space of one night by Messalina who was equally capricious in her passions and dislikes in the case of Suilius Saesonius and Plautius Lateranus the extreme penalty was remitted the latter was saved by the distinguished services of his uncle the former by his very vices having amid that abominable throng submitted to the worst degradation Messalina meanwhile in the gardens of Lucullus was struggling for life and writing letters of entreaty as she alternated between hope arid fury in her extremity it was her pride alone which forsook her had not Narcissus hurried on her death ruin would have recoiled on her accuser Claudius had returned home to an early banquet then in softened mood when the wine had warmed him he bade someone go and tell the poor creature this is the word they say he used to come the morrow and plead her cause Hearing this, seeing too that his wrath was subsiding and his passion returning, and fearing in the event of delay the effect of approaching night and conjugal recollections, Narcissus rushed out and ordered the centurions and the tribunes who were on guard to accomplish the deed of blood.

Such, he said, was the emperor's bidding.

Evidus, one of the freedmen, was appointed to watch and complete the affair.

Nor would he allow the prosecution of Carinus Sila, a senator whom a slave accused, or of Julius Densas, a knight whose partiality for Britannicus was construed into a crime.

In the year of his consulship with Lucius Antistius, when the magistrates were at swearing obedience to imperial legislation, he forbade his colleague to extend the oath to his own enactments, for which he was warmly praised by the senators, in the hope that his youthful spirit, elated with the glory won by trifles, would follow on to nobler aspirations.

Then came an act of mercy to Plautius Lateranus, who had been degraded from his rank for adultery with Messalina, and whom he now restored, assuring them of his clemency in a number of speeches which Seneca, to show the purity of his teaching, or to display his genius, published to the world by the emperor's mouth.

Meanwhile the mother's influence was gradually weakened, as Nero fell in love with a freed woman, Acti by name, and took into his confidence Otho and Claudius Senecio, two young men of fashion, the first of whom was descended from a family of consular rank, while Senecio's father was one of the emperor's freedmen.