word of it be known, but sent speedily to her son an account of the
occurrence with the implication that it had happened by accident, and
conveyed to him the good news (as she assumed it to be) that she was safe.
Nero hearing this could not endure the unexpected outcome but punished the
messenger as savagely as if he had come to assassinate him, and at once
despatched Anicetus with the sailors to make an end of his mother. He
would not entrust the killing of her to the Pretorians. When she saw them,
she knew for what they had come, and leaping from her bed tore open her
clothing; exposing her abdomen, and cried out: "Strike here, Anicetus,
strike here, for this bore Nero!"

[Sidenote:--14--] Thus was Agrippina, daughter of Germanicus, grandchild of
Agrippa, descendant of Augustus, slain by the very son to whom she had
given the sovereignty and for whose sake she had killed her uncle and
others. Nero when informed that she was dead would not believe it, for the
monstrousness of his bold deed plunged him in doubts; therefore he desired
to behold the victim with his own eyes. So he laid bare her body, looked
her all over and inspected her wounds, finally uttering a remark far more
abominable even than the crime. What he said was: "I did not know I had so
beautiful a mother."

To the Pretorians he gave money evidently to secure their prayers for many
such occurrences, and he sent to the senate a message in which he
enumerated the offences of which he knew she was guilty, stating also that
she had plotted against him and on being detected had committed suicide.
Yet for all this calm explanation to the governing body he was frequently
subject to agitation at night, so that he would even leap suddenly from
his bed. And by day terror seized him at the sound of trumpets that seemed
to blare forth some horrid din of war from the spot where lay Agrippina's
bones. Therefore he went elsewhere. And when in his new abode he had again