When they couldn't find sponges, he ordered his men to tear up the victims' clothes and stuff the rags into their mouths. What kind of savagery was this? Let a person take their last breath. Give their soul room to escape. Don't force it to leave the body through a wound. It gets tiresome to add that on the same night, he sent soldiers to the homes of the executed men and killed their fathers too. Being so compassionate, you see, he freed them from grief. But I'm not trying to describe how vicious Gaius was — I'm describing how vicious anger itself is. Anger doesn't just attack individuals. It tears apart entire nations. It even strikes out at cities, rivers, and things that can't feel pain.
When sponges were not forthcoming, he ordered the wretched men’s clothes to be torn up, and the rags stuffed into their mouths. What savagery was this? Let a man draw his last breath: give room for his soul to escape through: let it not be forced to leave the body through a wound. It becomes tedious to add to this that in the same night he sent centurions to the houses of the executed men and made an end of their fathers also, that is to say, being a compassionate-minded man, he set them free from sorrow: for it is not my intention to describe the ferocity of Gaius, but the ferocity of anger, which does not merely vent its rage upon individuals, but rends in pieces whole nations, and even lashes cities, rivers, and things which have no sense of pain.