''The Tribune's Curse'' is a novel by

John Maddox Roberts John Maddox Roberts (June 25, 1947 – May 23, 2024) was an American author of science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction including the SPQR series, ''SPQR'' series and ''Hannibal's Children''. Personal life John Maddox Roberts was born ...

. It is the seventh volume of Roberts's

SPQR series The ''SPQR'' series is a series of historical mystery stories by John Maddox Roberts, published between 1990 and 2010, and set in the final years of the Roman Republic. SPQR (the original title of the first book, until the sequels came out) is ...

, featuring Senator Decius Metellus.

Plot summary

55 BC: Senator Decius Metellus the Younger is happy for once: he is in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, having been granted leave from

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

's campaign in

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

to return home and campaign for

aedile Aedile ( , , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public orde ...

, which he is confident of winning because of his

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

's influence, and he is newly married to Caesar's niece, Julia the Younger. The topic of discussion that year is

Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115–53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome". Wallechinsky, David & Walla ...

's planned war with

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

, which will commence as soon as Crassus steps down as

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

and departs Rome to take up his governorship of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. Crassus's planned war is equally unpopular with the ''

populares ''Optimates'' (, ; Latin for "best ones"; ) and ''populares'' (; Latin for "supporters of the people"; ) are labels applied to politicians, political groups, traditions, strategies, or ideologies in the late Roman Republic. There is "heated ...

'' and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, but there is little anyone can do to prevent it, since Crassus is wealthy enough to raise and equip his own Legions. While canvassing for votes in the Forum, Decius is unnerved by a visit from his mortal enemy, Clodius. Since Crassus,

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

and Caesar reached an agreement at

Luca Luca or LUCA may refer to: People * Luca (masculine given name), including a list of people * Luca (feminine given name), including a list of people * Luca (surname), including a list of people Places * The ancient name of Lucca, an Etruscan ...

the previous year, all three are working together to advance Crassus's ambitions, so Clodius (Caesar's man) tells Decius that Crassus will finance his term of office as aedile - which Decius already knows will be ruinously expensive - if he will help convince his family to drop their opposition to the Parthian war. Later, the offer is repeated, by Crassus himself, while Decius and Julia are attending a formal dinner at Milo's house. As tempted as he is, Decius refuses, and is unsettled when Crassus appears personally insulted. The next day, Decius is approached by Gaius Ateius Capito, the

tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune () was the first office of the Roman Republic, Roman state that was open to the plebs, plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the pow ...

most vehemently opposed to the war, who heard of Decius' refusals to Crassus and hails him as an ally. Decius cautiously says that, although he and his family oppose the war, he does not see what can be done, legally, to prevent Crassus leaving for Syria. Capito winks and says he is planning to appeal to "divine" forces. On the day of Crassus' departure, Capito appears atop the city gates, dressed in a bizarre robe and enacting a ritual to place a

curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

on Crassus and all his followers, then disappears. This act of

sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...

terrifies the populace, since it is an offense to the gods and will bring misfortune to the whole city. The

Chief Vestal In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals (, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty from several s ...

orders Crassus to depart Rome immediately, then declares a state of emergency, while Pompey convenes a meeting of the Senate. The first, necessary expurgation is a ''

lustrum A lūstrum (, plural lūstra) was a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome. It is distinct from the homograph ''lustrum'' ( ): a haunt of wild beasts (and figuratively, a den of vice), plural ''lustra'' ( ).Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary (2 ...

'' performed by the junior members of the Senate, including Decius: carrying three sacrificial animals on a litter around the perimeter of the whole city (i.e., carrying over a thousand pounds weight over sixteen consecutive hours). Decius is one of the twenty Senators who completes the task, and stumbles home in exhaustion. The next day, Decius is handed a commission by a secret committee of the Vestals and the state

pontifices In Roman antiquity, a pontiff () was a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs."Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007 The term ''pontiff'' was ...

: during his ritual, while speaking in a number of obscure languages, Ateius Capito spoke the Secret Name of Rome, a magic talisman supposedly known to only a handful of the priesthood's inner circle. Decius is to find out how Ateius learned the name. Decius starts by consulting the

fortune teller Fortune telling is the spiritual practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115–116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle ...

s and priests of foreign cults most prominent among his aristocratic wife's friends (these are regularly expelled from the city, but a few always bribe the aediles into letting them stay). One he consults, a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

scholar named Ariston, admits that he schooled Ateius Capito in ancient religious practices and certain magic rituals, but denies giving him any dangerous knowledge. Matters are complicated when Ateius Capito is found murdered, mauled almost beyond recognition. Though Capito was reviled by the city for performing the curse, a tribune of the plebs is supposed to be sacrosanct from violence, and the populace is outraged almost to the point of rioting. Pompey hands Decius a second commission, to locate Capito's murderer - or, at least, a convenient

scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...

to pacify the mob. Decius tracks Capito's movements a short distance beyond the city gate, then loses the trail. While investigating his past career, Decius is struck by the fact that, while in office, Capito devoted himself wholeheartedly to opposing Crassus' war with Parthia, to the exclusion of all other business. Julia points out that a tribunate is meant to be the start of a political career, yet Capito committed professional suicide by performing the curse, which means (assuming he wasn't insane) he must have had some alternate plan for the rest of his life. The mob is further outraged when news arrives from

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

that King Ptolemy Auletes has put his daughter, Berenice, to death, for rebelling against his rule, along with several thousand of her followers, including several prominent

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

n citizens with friends and connections in Rome. Pompey warns Decius that he has maybe one day left before the mob explodes in a riot. When he consults with his physician friend, Asklepeiodes, who examined Capito's body, Decius is surprised to hear him remark that Capito must have been a child when he was first enrolled in the

equestrian order The (; , though sometimes referred to as " knights" in English) constituted the second of the property/social-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian order was known as an (). Descript ...

. Decius asks him to explain, and Asklepeiodes says that the body he examined was not so badly mauled that he couldn't estimate his age - he was no older than his early twenties. Decius realizes that Capito faked his death, and is hiding in Rome somewhere. After a second, more careful review of Capito's records, Decius solves the case, and a short time later, he, Milo, and Pompey storm into the Egyptian embassy, to confront the

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

, Lisas. Ateius Capito met King Ptolemy while serving on the staff of Aemilius Scaurus, and offered to become Ptolemy's agent in Roman politics. The one thing Ptolemy wanted more than anything else was to prevent Crassus from acquiring his command in Syria; earlier that year, when Ptolemy petitioned the Senate for a military expedition to put him back on the Egyptian throne, Crassus vetoed the idea, going so far as to produce a fraudulent interpretation of the Sibylline Books, arguing that the gods would be angered at such an undertaking. Ptolemy eventually regained his throne by bribing Aulus Gabinius to mount an expedition, but never forgave Crassus. Thanks to Crassus' money, Capito could not legally prevent him from getting the Syrian command, so he decided to use the curse, which he purchased from Ariston (a corrupt man who also sold Crassus his fake Sibylline prophecy). After performing the curse, Capito faked his death by having a young slave dressed in his clothes and mauled by the

Nile crocodile The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the eastern, southern, and ce ...

s kept as pets inside the Embassy, where he has been hiding out ever since, waiting to make a dash to his new retirement villa in Egypt. Pompey threatens to make war on all of Egypt, and Lisas reluctantly tells him where Capito is hiding. With dramatic flair, Pompey produces Capito at Capito's own state-sponsored funeral and then tries him in front of the people, allowing them to see how they have been duped. Capito is convicted of sacrilege and treason, and hurled from the Tarpeian Rock. Decius remarks to Lisas that, although Capito is a fraud and a traitor, his curse may turn out to be perfectly effective. Decius is right: eighteen months after leaving Rome, Crassus is killed, along with most of his army, in the disastrous

Battle of Carrhae The Battle of Carrhae () was fought in 53 BC between the Roman Republic and the Parthian Empire near the ancient town of Carrhae (present-day Harran, Turkey). An invading force of seven Roman legion, legions of Roman heavy infantry under Marcus ...

Characters in ''The Tribune's Curse''

;Decius Metellus the Younger: protagonist; ;Hermes: Decius's freedman and assistant; ;Julia: Decius's wife,

's niece; ;Asklepeiodes: Greek physician, Decius's close friend; ;Decius Caecilius Metellus the Elder: Decius' father; ;Silvius: Capito's friend and accomplice; ;Lisas: the Egyptian ambassador; ;Elagabal of Syria: a priest of the Baalim and a wealthy fortune-teller; ;Ariston of Cumae: a scholar of ancient religions and magic;

Historical Characters

; Gaius Ateius Capito ;

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher ( – 18 January 52 BC) was a Roman politician and demagogue. A noted opponent of Cicero, he was responsible during his plebeian tribunate in 58 BC for a massive expansion of the Roman grain dole as well as Cic ...

;

Titus Annius Milo Titus Annius Milo (died 48 BC) was a Roman politician and agitator. The son of Gaius Papius Celsus, he was adopted by his maternal grandfather, Titus Annius Luscus. In 52 BC, he was prosecuted for the murder of Publius Clodius Pulcher and exile ...

;

Gaius Cassius Longinus Gaius Cassius Longinus (; – 3 October 42 BC) was a Roman senator and general best known as a leading instigator of the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC. He was the brother-in-law of Brutus, another leader of the conspir ...

; Gaius Trebonius ; Lucius Cornelius Balbus ;

Fausta Cornelia Fausta Cornelia (also called Cornelia Fausta) was a daughter of the Roman Dictator Sulla. Biography Early life Fausta and her twin brother Faustus were the children of their father's fourth wife Caecilia Metella. They had one older half-sister, ...

;

Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115–53 BC) was a ancient Rome, Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome".Wallechinsky, Da ...

;

; ;

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

; Gaius Sallustius Crispus ;

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Rom ...

;

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

; Cato the Younger ;

Ptolemy XII Auletes Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysus ( – 51 BC) was a king of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt who ruled from 80 to 58 BC and then again from 55 BC until his death in 51 BC. He was commonly known as Auletes (, "the Flautist"), referring to ...

(mentioned only) ;

Berenice IV of Egypt Berenice IV Epiphaneia (; 77–55 BC, born and died in Alexandria, Egypt) was ruling Ptolemaic queen and Hellenistic pharaoh of the Ptolemaic kingdom. From 58 to 55 BC, Berenice IV ruled Egypt during the political exile of her father Ptolemy XII ...

(mentioned only) ; Aulus Gabinius (mentioned only) ;

(mentioned only) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tribune's Curse, The Novels set in ancient Rome American mystery novels Cultural depictions of Publius Clodius Pulcher Cultural depictions of Marcus Licinius Crassus Cultural depictions of Mark Antony Cultural depictions of Cicero Cultural depictions of Cato the Younger