After him Servaeus, Veranius, and Vitellius, all with equal zeal, but
Vitellius with great eloquence urged "that Piso, in hatred to Germanicus,
and passionate for innovations, had by tolerating general licentiousness,
and the oppression of the allies, corrupted the common soldiers to that
degree, that by the most profligate he was styled _Father of the Legions_:
he had, on the contrary, been outrageous to the best men, above all to the
friends and companions of Germanicus; and, at last, by witchcraft and
poison destroyed Germanicus himself: hence the infernal charms and
immolations practised by him and Plancina: he had then attacked the
Commonwealth with open arms; and, before he could be brought to be tried,
they were forced to fight and defeat him."
In every article but one his defence was faltering. For, neither his
dangerous intrigues in debauching the soldiery, nor his abandoning the
province to the most profligate and rapacious, nor even his insults to
Germanicus, were to be denied. He seemed only to wipe off the charge of
poison; a charge which in truth was not sufficiently corroborated by the
accusers, since they had only to allege, "that at an entertainment of
Germanicus, Piso, while he sat above him, with his hands poisoned the
meat.
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