[14] He led him to the bar of Aeacus, who conducted the trial under the Cornelian law
against assassins. He asked that the court would enter the name, and recorded
the accusation: Senators killed, thirty-five; Roman knights, two hundred and
twenty-one; other persons, as many as the sands on the seashore. No one
was found as counsel for the accused until at length P. Petronius
came forward, an old boon companion of his, a man skilled in the Claudian tongue, and asked for a postponement. It was not
granted. Pedo Pompeius
spoke for the prosecution with loud shouts. The attorney for the defense wanted to begin his reply. Aeacus,
most equitable of persons, forbade him and condemned Claudius after hearing
only one side, saying: “Right will be done him if he be treated as he
treated others.” Then there was a tremendous silence. Everybody was struck
dumb by the novelty of the procedure. They said the thing never happened
before. To Claudius it seemed more unjust than new. Over the nature of the
penalty there was a long discussion, as to what would be an appropriate
sentence for him. Various ones said that if they made Tantalus’ suffering too
long he would perish of thirst unless somebody came to his rescue; and that
poor Ixion’s wheel ought at last to be stopped. But
it was decided that no release should be given to any of the old ones, lest
Claudius should sometime hope for the same in his turn. It was decided that a
new punishment ought to be arranged, that for him must be devised some vain
task and the hope of gratifying some desire, without end or consummation. Then Aeacus commanded him to gamble with a bottomless dice-box.
And already he had begun to search for his constantly escaping dice and to
accomplish nothing; for
|