‘Eulogies indeed, were written by Arulenus Rusticus and Herennius Senecio — the one, of Thrasea Paetus; the other of Helvidius Priscus. But both were treated as capital offences, and the savage rage of their enemies was vented upon the books as well as upon their authors. The public executioners, under official instructions, made a bonfire in the Comitium and Forum of those masterpieces of literary art. So much is in the record. In those fires doubtless the Government imagined that it could silence the voice of Rome and annihilate the freedom of the Senate and men’s knowledge of the truth. They even went on to banish the professors of philosophy and exile all honourable accomplishments, so that nothing decent might anywhere confront them. We have indeed set up a record of subservience. Rome of old explored the utmost limits of freedom; we have plumbed the depths of slavery, robbed as we are by informers even of the right to exchange ideas in conversation. We should have lost our memories as well as our tongues had it been as easy to forget as to be silent.’ Tacitus, Agricola 2.

‘Agricola had to deal with people living in isolation and ignorance, and therefore prone to fight; and his object was to accustom them to a life of peace and quiet by the provision of amenities. He therefore gave private encouragement and official assistance to the building of temples, public squares, and good houses. He praised the energetic and scolded the slack; and competition for honour proved as effective as compulsion. Furthermore, he educated the sons of the chiefs in the liberal arts, and expressed a preference for British ability as compared with the trained skills of the Gauls. The result was that instead of loathing the Latin language they became eager to speak it effectively. In the same way, the national dress came into favour and the toga was everywhere to be seen. And so the population was gradually led into the demoralizing temptations of colonnades, baths, and sumptuous banquets. The unsuspecting Britons spoke of such novelties as ‘civilization’, when in fact they were only a feature of their enslavement.’ Tacitus, Agricola 21.

‘Now, the farthest bounds of Britain lie open to our enemies; and what men know nothing about they always assume to be a valuable prize. But there are no more nations beyond us; nothing is there but waves and rocks, and the Romans, more deadly still than these — for in them is an arrogance which no submission or good behaviour can escape. Pillagers of the world, they have exhausted the land by their indiscriminate plunder, and now they ransack the sea. A rich enemy excites their cupidity; a poor one, their lust for power. East and West alike have failed to satisfy them. They are the only people on earth to whose covetousness both riches and poverty are equally tempting. To robbery, butchery, and rapine, they give the lying name of ‘government’; they create a desolation and call it peace.’ Tacitus, Agricola 30.

‘Upper class survivors found that slavish obedience was the way to succeed, both politically and financially’ (Tac. Ann. 1.1 p. 32).

'The first crime of the new principate was the assassination of Agrippa Postumus. He was killed by a centurion who found it a hard task, although he was intent on murder and the victim was taken by surprise. Tiberius said nothing about this matter in the Senate. He pretended that the orders came from Augustus, who was alleged to have instructed the commander in charge to kill Agrippa Postumus as soon as Augustus himself was dead. It is true that Augustus' scathing criticisms were undoubtedly what had prompted the senate to decree his banishment. But the emperor had never been callous enough to kill any of his relations, and that he should murder his own grandchild to remove the worries of his stepson seemed incredible. It would be nearer to the truth to suppose that Tiberius through fear and Livia through the malevolence of a stepmother, loathed and distrusted Agrippa Postumus and got rid of him at the first opportunity. But when the centurion reported in military fashion that he had carried out his orders, Tiberius answered that he had given no orders and that what the centurion had done would have to be accounted for in the Senate.' Tacitus, Annals 1.4 .