THE ANNALS OF TACITUS

These four excerpts from The Annals of Imperial Rome by Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 57-117) describe the two major dangers Tacitus sees to Rome. Two excerpts deal with wars against the Germanic "barbarians" while two others describe the unrestrained vices he sees undermining Rome. The seamless editing places the material into thematic chapters. Added historical material gives background and explains Roman titles for the non-historian. George Wilson reads with an ironic moralistic tone suitable to Tacitus's style. He expresses proper contempt for the treacherous German barbarians, the scum that made up the Roman army, and the Roman nobility, represented by the bisexual, murderous Nero. W.W.G. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 93]