was.

[Sidenote:--24--] Rufus, governor of Germany, set out to make war on
Vindex; but when he reached Vesontio he sat down to besiege the city, for
the alleged reason that it had not received him. Vindex came against him
to the aid of the city and encamped not far off. They then sent messages
back and forth to each other and finally held a conference together at
which no one else was present and made a mutual agreement,--against Nero,
as it was thought. After this Vindex set his army in motion for the
apparent purpose of occupying the town: and the soldiers of Rufus,
becoming aware of their approach, and thinking the force was marching
straight against them, set out without being ordered to oppose their
progress. They fell upon the advancing troop while the men were off their
guard and in disarray, and so cut down great numbers of them. Vindex
seeing this was afflicted with so great grief that he slew himself. For he
felt, besides, at odds with Heaven itself, in that he had not been able to
attain his goal in an undertaking of so great magnitude, involving the
overthrow of Nero and the liberation of the Romans.

This is the truth of the matter. Many afterwards inflicted wounds on his
body, and so gave currency to the erroneous supposition that they had
themselves killed him.

[Sidenote:--25--] Rufus mourned deeply his demise, but refused to accept
the office of emperor, although his soldiers frequently obtained it. He
was an energetic man and had a large, wide-awake body of troops. His
soldiers tore down and shattered the image of Nero and called their
general Caesar and Augustus. When he would not heed them, one of the
soldiers thereupon quickly inscribed these words on one of his standards.
He erased the terms, however, and after a great deal of trouble brought