Chapter 34 Summary

The principle events of this chapter are undated but may be inferred to occur between 38 AD and 41 AD. The murder of Caligula is recounted in greater detail; Cassius and the other guards involved in the assassination plot hack the erstwhile emperor apart in a passageway. The German bodyguards react in an enraged frenzy and set out to slaughter thousands of Romans as they sit in a massive amphitheater—an enterprising actor, however, leaps to the main stage of the festivities and calms the Germans by making the absurd, but believed, claim that Caligula's wounds were ephemeral; the emperor, he states, has recovered and yet lives. Meanwhile, widespread rioting has broken out and confusion is rampant.

The German bodyguards stand ready to enact a great slaughter, hesitating only momentarily to see if their beloved Caligula will in fact appear unharmed. The Roman guards...