Otho
himself was opposed to all thoughts of war. He said, "I hold that to expose
such a spirit, such a courage as yours, to any further risk is to put too
high a value on my life. The more hope you hold out to me, should I choose
to live, the more glorious will be my death. Fortune and I now know each
other; you need not reckon for how long, for it
is peculiarly difficult to be moderate
with that prosperity which you think you will not long enjoy. The civil war
began with Vitellius; he was the first cause of our contending in arms for
the throne; the example of not contending more than once shall belong to me.
By this let posterity judge of Otho. Vitellius is welcome to his brother,
his wife, his children. I need neither revenge nor consolation. Others may
have held the throne for a longer time, but no one can have left it with
such fortitude. Shall I suffer so large a portion of the youth of
Rome and so many noble armies to be again laid low and
to be lost to the State? Let this thought go with me, that you were willing
to die for me. But live, and let us no longer delay, lest I interfere with
your safety, you with my firmness. To say too much about one's end is a mark
of cowardice. Take as the strongest proof of my determination the fact that
I complain of no one. To accuse either gods or men is only for him who
wishes to live."
