Years later Marcus wrote of the Caesares: “They will be remembered as great, yet no one will be completely certain in what their greatness lies. I believe I have solved the riddle: They loved no one but themselves. At no time did they forget their duty to themselves, or their own advantage. By this magic they convinced every man that the Caesares were uncommon men, indeed, and deserved honor and love.”* To the powerful, the Caesares were flattering, deferential, sincerely devoted, self-sacrificing, loyal, eagerly serving. To their equals they were kind and considerate, but faintly aloof;
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