seized, and men no longer waited to hear the fate of accused
persons, since it was always the same. One Paulus, of the
Praetorian guard, was at an entertainment, wearing a portrait of
Tiberius Caesar engraved in relief upon a gem. It would be absurd
for me to beat about the bush for some delicate way of explaining
that he took up a chamber-pot, an action which was at once noticed
by Maro, one of the most notorious informers of that time, and the
slave of the man who was about to fall into the trap, who drew the
ring from the finger of his drunken master. When Maro called the
guests to witness that Paulus had dishonoured the portrait of the
emperor, and was already drawing up an act of accusation, the slave
showed the ring upon his own finger. Such a man no more deserves to
be called a slave, than Maro deserved to be called a guest.

XXVII. In the reign of Augustus men's own words were not yet able
to ruin them, yet they sometimes brought them into trouble. A
senator named Rufus, while at dinner, expressed a hope that Caesar
would not return safe from a journey for which he was preparing,
and added that all bulls and calves wished the same thing. Some of
those present carefully noted these words. At daybreak, the slave
who had stood at his feet during the dinner, told him what he had
said in his cups, and urged him to be the first to go to Caesar,
and denounce himself. Rufus followed this advice, met Caesar as he
was going down to the forum, and, swearing that he was out of his
mind the day before, prayed that what he had said might fall upon
his own head and that of his children; he then begged Caesar pardon
him, and to take him back into favour. When Caesar said that he
would do so, he added, "No one will believe that you have taken me
back into favour unless you make me a present of something;" and he
asked for and obtained a sum of money so large, that it would have