462 GALEA. after this great victory, to take the empire upon him, or else they would return to Nero again, Galba, in great alarm at this, wrote to Virginius, exhorting him to join with him for the preservation of the empire and the liberty of the Romans, and so retiring with his friends into Clunia, a town in Spain, he passed away his time, rather repenting his former rashness, and wishing for his wonted ease and privacy, than setting about what was fit to be done. It was now summer, when on a sudden, a little before dusk, comes a freedman, Icelus by name, having arrived in seven days from Eome ; and being informed where Galba was reposing himself in private, he went straight on, and pushing by the servants of the chamber, opened the door and entered the room, and told him,that Nero being yet alive but not appearing, first the army, and then the people and senate, declared Galba emperor ; not long after, it was reported that Nero was dead ; " but I," said he, " not giving credit to common fame, went my- self to the body and saw him lying dead, and only then set out to bring you word." This news at once made Galba great again, and a crowd of people came hastening to the door, all very confident of the truth of his tidings, though the speed of the man was almost incredible. Two days after came Titus Vinius with sundry others from the camp, who gave an account in detail of the orders of the senate, and for this service was considerably advanced. On the freedman, Galba conferred the honor of the gold ring,* and Icelus, as he had been before, now
- The gold ring had been the was a sort of beginning of a royal
mark of the Roman citizen of the power of conferring nobility. Any equestrian or cavalry class ; these freeborn citizen thus distinguished were the rings which Hannibal took equestrian rank, and a freed- coUected at CannM. But the gold man that of a freeborn citizen, ring was given also by the per- or ingenuui. sonal favor of the emperor, and
