""Alas!" he [Saturninus] said, "the republic has lost a useful servant, and the rashness of an hour has destroyed the services of many years. You know not," continued he, "the misery of sovereign power: a sword is perpetually suspended over our head. We dread our very guards, we distrust our companions. The choice of action or of repose is no longer in our disposition, nor is there any age, or character, or conduct, that can protect us from the censure of envy. In thus exalting me to the throne, you have doomed me to a life of cares, and to an untimely fate."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Chapter XII, part II
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_History_of_the_Decline_and_Fall_of_the_Roman_Empire
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
202 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire →
Related Quotes
"In every deed of mischief he had a heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute."
"You have lost," said Saturninus on the day of his elevation, "a useful commander, and you have made a very wretched e…"
"He was released from the miseries of life."
"A victorious line of march had been prolonged above a thousand miles from the rock of Gibraltar to the banks of the L…"
"Ammianus is so eloquent that he writes nonsense."
"The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true;…"
"But the zeal of fanaticism prevailed over the cold and feeble efforts of policy."
"Trajan was ambitious of fame; and as long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroye…"
"The terror of the Roman arms added weight and dignity to the moderation of the emperors. They preserved peace by a co…"
"Every age, however destitute of science or virtue, sufficiently abounds with acts of blood and military renown."