]/mae rerum no[3]m sit V[3] / equidem primam omnium illam cogitationem hominum quam / maxime primam occursuram mihi provideo deprecor ne / quasi novam istam rem introduci exhorrescatis sed illa / potius cogitetis quam multa in hac civitate novata sint et / quidem statim ab origine urbis nostrae in quo formas / statusque res p(ublica) nostra diducta sit / quondam reges hanc tenuere urbem nec tamen domesticis succes/soribus eam tradere contigit supervenere alieni et quidam exter/ni ut Numa Romulo successerit ex Sabinis veniens vicinus qui/dem sed tunc externus ut Anco Marcio Priscus Tarquinius [is] / propter temeratum sanguinem quod patre Demaratho C[o]/rinthio natus erat et Tarquiniensi matre generosa sed inopi / ut quae tali marito necesse habuerit succumbere cum domi re/pelleretur a gerendis honoribus postquam Romam migravit / regnum adeptus est huic quoque et filio nepotive eius nam et / hoc inter auctores discrepat insertus Servius Tullius si nostros / sequimur captiva natus Ocresia si Tuscos Caeli quondam Vi/vennae sodalis fidelissimus omnisque eius casus comes post/quam varia fortuna exactus cum omnibus reliquis Caeliani / exercitus Etruria excessit montem Caelium occupavit et a duce suo / Caelio ita appellitatus mutatoque nomine nam Tusce Mastarna / ei nomen erat ita appellatus est ut dixi et regnum summa cum rei / p(ublicae) utilitate optinuit deinde postquam Tarquini Superbi mores in/visi civitati nostrae esse coeperunt qua ipsius qua filiorum ei[us] / nempe pertaesum est mentes regni et ad consules annuos magis/tratus administratio rei p(ublicae) translata est / quid nunc commemorem dictaturae hoc ipso consulari impe/rium valentius repertum apud maiores nostros quo in a[s]/perioribus bellis aut in civili motu difficiliore uterentu[r] / aut in auxilium plebis creatos tribunos plebei quid a consu/libus ad decemviros translatum imperium solutoque postea / decemvirali regno ad consules rusus reditum quid in [pl]u/ris distributum consulare imperium tribunosque mil[itu]m / consulari imperio appellatos qui seni et saepe octoni crearen/tur quid communicatos postremo cum plebe honores non imperi(i) / solum sed sacerdotiorum quoque iam si narrem bella a quibus / coeperint maiores nostri et quo processerimus vereor ne nimio / insolentior esse videar et quaesisse iactationem gloriae pro/lati imperi ultra oceanum sed illoc potius revertar civitatem / [ // p]otest sane / novo m[ore] et divus Aug[ustus av]nc[ulus] meus et patruus Ti(berius) / Caesar omnem florem ubique coloniarum ac municipiorum bo/norum scilicet virorum et locupletium in hac curia esse voluit / quid ergo non Italicus senator provinciali potior est iam / vobis cum hanc partem censurae meae adprobare coepero quid / de ea re sentiam rebus ostendam sed ne provinciales quidem / si modo ornare curiam poterint reiciendos puto / ornatissima ecce colonia valentissimaque Viennensium quam / longo iam tempore senatores huic curiae confert ex qua colo/nia inter paucos equestris ordinis ornamentum L(ucium) Vestinum fa/miliarissime diligo et hodieque in rebus meis detineo cuius libe/ri fruantur quaeso primo sacerdotiorum gradu postmodo cum / annis promoturi dignitatis suae incrementa ut dirum nomen la/tronis taceam et odi illud palaestricum prodigium quod ante in do/mum consulatum intulit quam colonia sua solidum civitatis Roma/nae benificium consecuta est idem de fratre eius possum dicere / miserabili quidem indignissimoque hoc casu ut vobis utilis / senator esse non possit / tempus est iam Ti(beri) Caesar Germanice detegere te patribus conscriptis / quo tendat oratio tua iam enim ad extremos fines Galliae Nar/bonensis venisti / tot ecce insignes iuvenes quot intueor non magis sunt paenitendi / senatores quam paenitet Persicum nobilissimum virum ami/cum meum inter imagines maiorum suorum Allobrogici no/men legere quodsi haec ita esse consentitis quid ultra desidera/tis quam ut vobis digito demonstrem solum ipsum ultra fines / provinciae Narbonensis iam vobis senatores mittere quando / ex Luguduno habere nos nostri ordinis viros non paenitet / timide quidem p(atres) c(onscripti) egressus adsuetos familiaresque vobis pro/vinciarum terminos sum sed destricte iam Comatae Galliae / causa agenda est in qua si quis hoc intuetur quod bello per de/cem annos exercuerunt divm Iulium idem opponat centum / annorum immobilem fidem obsequiumque multis trepidis re/bus nostris plus quam expertum illi patri meo Druso Germaniam / subigenti tutam quiete sua securamque a tergo pacem praes/titerunt et quidem cum ad census novo tum opere et inadsue/to Gallis ad bellum avocatus esset quod opus quam ar/duum sit nobis nunc cum maxime quamvis nihil ultra quam / ut publice notae sint facultates nostrae exquiratur nimis / magno experimento cognoscimus

[570] 48, Lugdunum, speech of Claudius; cf. Tac. Ann. 11. 23—5; M. Griffin, CQ, 32 (1982) pp. 404—18

[First line is fragmentary] . . . I deplore that first thought of all men, which, I foresee, will stand in my path first and foremost, lest you shy away, as if from the introduction of some revolutionary innovation; rather, think instead how many changes have occurred in this state and through how many forms and constitutions our state has been taken, from the very foundation of the city.

Once kings ruled this city; however, they did not pass it on to successors within their families. Members of other families and even foreigners came to the throne, as Numa, coming from the Sabines, succeeded Romulus; he was a neighbour certainly, but at that time he was a foreigner, as Tarquinius Priscus succeeded Ancus Marcius. Tarquinius, prevented from holding office in his own land, because of his impure blood - for he was the son of Demaratus of Corinth and his mother was from Tarquinium, a lady noble but poor, as she will have been if she needed to give her hand to such a husband — subsequently migrated to Rome and gained the throne. Between Tarquinius and his son or grandson (for even this is disputed among the sources) Servius Tullius intervened. If we follow Roman authorities, his mother was a prisoner of war, Ocresia; if we follow Etruscan authorities, he was once the most faithful companion of Caelius Vivenna and took part in all his adventures; subsequently, driven out by a change of fortune, he left Etruria with all the remnants of the army of Caelius and occupied the Caelian hill, naming it thus after his leader Caelius; Servius changed his name (for his name in Etruscan was Mastarna) and was called by the name I have used and he obtained the throne, to the very great advantage of the state. Then, after the ways of Tarquinius Superbus became hateful to our state — both his ways and those of his sons — people doubtless became disillusioned with the monarchy and the [с.200] government of the state was transferred to the consuls, annual magistrates.

Why should I remind you now of the power of the dictatorship, mightier than consular power itself, instituted among our ancestors to be used in particularly harsh wars or in particularly difficult civil unrest? Or of the tribunes of the plebs, created to help the plebs? Why should I remind you now of the powers transferred from the consuls to the decemvirs and returned to the consuls after the rule of the decemvirs was ended? Why should I remind you now of the distribution of the consular power among several men and of the military tribunes with consular power, as they were known, six or eight of whom were created each year? Why should I remind you now of the offices shared finally with the plebs, not only political offices but religious offices too? If I were now to tell of the wars, whence our ancestors started and to where we have advanced, I should be afraid lest I appear excessively arrogant and to be seeking to boast of the glory of having advanced the empire beyond the Ocean. But let me rather leave that aside. . . . can . . . citizenship. It was certainly an innovation when the divine Augustus, my great-uncle, and my uncle Tiberius Caesar decided to admit to this Senate House the entire flower of colonies and municipalities everywhere - upright, wealthy men, of course. But, you may say, is an Italian senator not better than a provincial one for all that? When I come to deal with this part of my censorship, I shall then show you by my actions what I feel on this matter. No, I think that not even provincials should be excluded, if they can ornament the Senate House at all.

Take the most distinguished and flourishing colony of Vienna: how long has it been sending senators to the Senate House? From this colony comes an ornament of the equestrian order with few peers, Lucius Vestinus, my most cherished friend, whom I employ in my service to this day. I ask that his children may enjoy the first grade of priesthoods and thereafter, with the passage of years, progress, through increases in their dignity. I shall not utter the wicked name of that brigand¹ — and I hate that portent of the wrestling-ring - because he brought the consulship to his family before his colony had achieved the firm benefit of Roman citizenship. I may say the same about his brother and that wretched and ignoble fate, so that he could not be of use to you as a senator.

It is now time, Tiberius Caesar Germanicus, to reveal to the conscript fathers where your speech is leading: for now you have come to the farthest borders of Gallia Narbonensis.

[с.201] Take all the young men whom I see before me; that they are senators should cause no more regret than Persicus feels - a most noble man and my friend — when he reads among the images of his ancestors the name of Allobrogicus. But if you agree that this is so, what more do you want than that I should point out to you that the land beyond tbe borders of the province of Narbonensis already sends you senators, since we do not regret the fact that we take members of our order from Lugdunum? It was with some timidity, conscript fathers, that I left the boundaries of provinces known and familiar to you, but I must now plead the case of Gallia Comata with some severity. If in this case anyone looks to the fact that they occupied the divine Julius in war for ten years, let him also take note of the hundred years of their constant good faith and loyalty, more than tested many times when we were in difficulties. They were the ones who gave my father Drusus the benefit of safe, internal peace and a secure rear when he was conquering Germany, although he was called to war while conducting a census, a practice then new and strange to the Gauls. How difficult this practice is for us, even now, although nothing more is demanded of us than that our resources be officially noted, we know through too great experience…

¹Probably Publius Valerius Asiaticus of Vienna; cf. Tac. Ann. 11. 1—3. Nothing is known of his brother.