The Book of Emperors: A Translation of the Middle High German Kaiserchronik

XVI. Nerva

167 XVI Nerva In his short reign, Marcus Cocceius Nerva (r. 96–98) contributed to the model of good rulership acknowledged by Romans of his own day. When Domitian was murdered in September 96, crowds of Roman soldiers and civilians hailed Nerva as emperor . He reversed Domitian’s harsh policies in Italy, recalling men Domitian sent into exile and restoring much of their confiscated property to them. He adopted Trajan as his son and choice to succeed him, thus beginning the century of the “five good emperors” under whom talented successors were chosen by ruling emperors: the sequence of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius gave the Roman Empire some of its best years before Marcus Aurelius failed to install a talented successor, allowing his worthless biological son, Commodus to succeed him. The story of the bronze horse designed for fiery executions has a long history as far back as the tyrant Phalaris, ruler of Agrigentum in Sicily in the fifth century BC, whose master craftsman designed a bronze bull for that purpose. For the rest of Greek and Roman antiquity the story illustrated either the evil in a cruel ruler or in his unscrupulous master craftsman. The Book of Emperors version departs in three main ways from other sources of the legend: (1) It makes the story show poetic justice that reflects well on the ruler. (2) It introduces Nerva as the ruler in the story for the first time. (3) It also substitutes a horse for the bull, possibly because the statue is introduced as providing a monument for the emperor, for which a horse, rather than a bull, might have seemed more appropriate. 168 Chapter Sixteen the Book informs us that Nerva then held the Empire. He became a marvelous king. A master craftsman once came to him and said, “Sire, to please a king as mighty as you are, I know a wondrous art. If you will follow my advice, then so long as this world lasts and if it is in accordance with your will, you will have to be remembered at Rome for all time.” “I would really like to see that,” replied the noble king, “and, if you fulfill my wishes, you will enjoy my favor forever.” “Sire, command that I be given the site that I will need, and your will shall reach fulfillment,” the master craftsman told him. “I will see to it that my pledge is fulfilled, but if I do not succeed in pleasing you and all your companions with what I do—why then—pronounce any judgment over my life that you wish.” “I will be glad to follow your advice,” said the noble king. He instructed his chamberlains to give the man everything that he himself asked for—everything that he needed; whatever his work required—and that they should be eager to help him in whatever he asked of them to carry out his plan. They were to carry out his every request. Further, Nerva told his chamberlains to show the man every courtesy . He showed them an extraordinarily large room and said the craftsman should have full use of it. Indeed, everything the cunning craftsman asked for was immediately given to him. The king himself looked in all the time, admonishing the craftsman; “Owî! I can hardly wait to see it! Now, my well-beloved man, do hurry along quickly with your work. I will make it very much worth your while.” The craftsman, who was to die very soon, was greatly cheered to hear this. He told his workers to go to that room, but he chose for himself a secret spot. The master craftsman then asked that no one disturb him until he was finished his work. He hastened night and day with his work, taking very little rest, until in the middle of the king’s courtyard he poured an image in the form of a horse. All those who ever saw it confirmed that never under this heaven was there ever such a statue of a horse made that impressed them so much with being lifelike. All the Romans agreed. So when the master worked everything into the statue that he needed until it was completely finished, he asked the king to come where it was and Nerva 169 look inside. “I want to show you its cunning complexity,” said that man who was about to die...