laid against him by Sejanus, a man who had been her
husband's friend, and wire had the greatest authority, because he was
general of the army, and when many members of the senate and many of the
freed-men joined with him, and the soldiery was corrupted, and the plot
was come to a great height. Now Sejanus had certainly gained his point,
had not Antonia's boldness been more wisely conducted than Sejanus's
malice; for when she had discovered his designs against Tiberius, she
wrote him an exact account of the whole, and gave the letter to Pallas,
the most faithful of her servants, and sent him to Caprere to Tiberius,
who, when he understood it, slew Sejanus and his confederates; so that
Tiberius, who had her in great esteem before, now looked upon her with
still greater respect, and depended upon her in all things. So when
Tiberius was desired by this Antonia to examine Eutychus, he answered,
"If indeed Eutychus hath falsely accused Agrippa in what he hath said
of him, he hath had sufficient punishment by what I have done to him
already; but if, upon examination, the accusation appears to be true,
let Agrippa have a care, lest, out of desire of punishing his freed-man,
he do not rather bring a punishment upon himself." Now when Antonia told
Agrippa of this, he was still much more pressing that the matter
might be examined into; so Antonia, upon Agrippa's lying hard at her
continually to beg this favor, took the following opportunity: As
Tiberius lay once at his ease upon his sedan, and was carried about,
and Caius, her grandson, and Agrippa, were before him after dinner she
walked by the sedan, and desired him to call Eutychus, and have him
examined; to which he replied, "O Antonia! the gods are my witnesses
that I am induced to do what I am going to do, not by my own
inclination, but because I am forced to it by thy prayers." When he had
said this, he ordered Macro, who succeeded Sejanus, to bring Eutychus to
him; accordingly, without any delay, he was brought. Then Tiberius asked
him what he had to say against a man who had given him his liberty. Upon
which he said, "O my lord! this Caius, and Agrippa with him, were
once riding in a chariot, when I sat at their feet, and, among other
discourses that passed, Agrippa said to Caius, Oh that the day would
once come when this old fellow will dies and name thee for the governor
of the habitable earth! for then this Tiberius, his grandson, would be
no hinderance, but would be tak