这是一个能够在历史记载中找到答案的问题。
摘自《十二帝王传》
不多一会儿,由于听到谋杀的消息而感到十分恐怖,他偷偷离开这里溜到旁边一座坚固的阳台上,躲进门帘里。当他卷缩那儿时,一个普通士兵从这里走过看到了他的脚,想知道那是谁,于是把他拖出来而认出了他。当克劳狄恐惧万分地跪在士兵的脚下时,这个士兵却高呼他为新皇帝。然后,这个士兵把克劳狄带到自己的伙伴那里,那些人当时正在那里瞎闹,却不知下一步该怎么办好。由于克劳狄的轿夫逃散了,士兵们只好让他坐在肩舆里轮流抬着他,嘻嘻哈哈地把他抬到营房里。克劳狄本人则怕得发抖,群众看到他时都可怜他,以为他是一个被拉去处死的无辜者。在壁垒里,他在士兵的保卫中度过了一个夜晚,虽然生命安全已可放心,但当皇帝的愿望却觉得渺茫,因为执政官、元老院和罗马城的步兵大队已经占据了罗马市中心广场和卡庇托尔,决心宣布普遍的自由。当库里亚会议让保民官召唤他去发表对时局的主张时,他捎去一句话:“我被武力和强制截留住了。”第二天,由于持不同政见的人互相争吵,元老院延迟了计划的实行,而聚集在会场周围的老百姓又要求个人统治,并明确地点了克劳狄的名字。这时,他才允许武装的士兵集会宣誓效忠他,并答应发给每人15000塞斯特尔提乌斯。
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摘自《犹太古史》
Now there was already gathered together about Gratus a great number of the guards; and when they saw Claudius carried off, they looked with a sad countenance, as supposing that he was carried to execution for the mischiefs that had been lately done; while yet they thought him a man who never meddled with public affairs all his life long, and one that had met with no contemptible dangers under the reign of Caius; and some of them thought it reasonable that the consuls should take cognizance of these matters; and as still more and more of the soldiery got together, the crowd about him ran away, and Claudius could hardly go on, his body was then so weak; and those who carried his sedan, upon an inquiry that was made about his being carried off, ran away and saved themselves, as despairing of their Lord's preservation. But when they were come into the large court of the palace, [which, as the report goes about it, was inhabited first of all the parts of the city of Rome,] and had just reached the public treasury, many more soldiers came about him, as glad to see Claudius's face, and thought it exceeding right to make him emperor, on account of their kindness for Germanicus, who was his brother, and had left behind him a vast reputation among all that were acquainted with him. They reflected also on the covetous temper of the leading men of the senate, and what great errors they had been guilty of when the senate had the government formerly; they also considered the impossibility of such an undertaking, as also what dangers they should be in, if the government should come to a single person, and that such a one should possess it as they had no hand in advancing, and not to Claudius, who would take it as their grant, and as gained by their good-will to him, and would remember the favors they had done him, and would make them a sufficient recompense for the same.
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我不认为我能够比苏埃托尼乌斯和约瑟夫斯解释的更好。
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说实话,我要是禁军,我都觉得糟心啊。是禁军的人动手杀了卡里古拉,结果元老院的人跳出来说要恢复共和?你们想要恢复共和咋不自己动手呢?
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至于皇帝的权力问题,我几乎想不到还有什么人能够比卡里古拉继位时拥有更多的权力和期待。同时,我也想不到还有什么人在当皇帝之前,混的比克劳迪还惨。