THE SCENE: Hadrian, 3rd of the “5 good emperors”, displays his trademark cool-headedness, showing that he was slow to anger, even in the face of an assassination attempt.
THE TEXT: After this he made for the Spains and wintered at Tarraco, where he restored the temple of Augustus at his own expense. All the Spaniards had been summoned to an assembly at Tarraco and were “jokingly expressing reluctance” – to use Marius Maximums’ actual words – over conscription. To the Italici he gave some strong advice, to the others he spoke cautiously and with circumspection. At this time, actually, he came into very grave danger, not without glory; while he was taking a stroll in the trees at Tarraco, a slave of his madly rushed at him with a sword. He took hold of him and handed him over to the attendance who ran up, and, when it was established that he was mad, he gave him over to doctors to be treated, he himself being in no way agitated.
– The Augustan History, Aelius Spartianus, 4th Century AD
