Annals I.16

This was the state of affairs at Rome when a mutiny broke out in the legions of Pannonia, which could be traced to no fresh cause except the change of emperors and the prospect it held out of license in tumult and of profit from a civil war. In the summer camp three legions were quartered, under the command of Junius Blaesus, who on hearing of the death of Augustus and the accession of Tiberius, had allowed his men a rest from military duties, either for mourning or rejoicing. This was the beginning of demoralization among the troops, of quarreling, of listening to the talk of every pestilent fellow, in short, of craving for luxury and idleness and loathing discipline and toil. In the camp was one Percennius, who had once been a leader of one of the theatrical factions, then became a common soldier, had a saucy tongue, and had learnt from his applause of actors how to stir up a crowd. By working on ignorant minds, which doubted as to what would be the terms of military service after Augustus, this man gradually influenced them in conversations at night or at nightfall, and when the better men had dispersed, he gathered round him all the worst spirits.

There is rebellion in Pannonia (near today's Hungary). The forces under Junius Blaesus want more pay and are rallied by a man named Percennius.

Tacitus is going to compare two rebellions- this one in Pannonia and another Germany. Again, we are going to be looking at the lineage. Drusus, Tiberius' real son, is going to put down Pannonia. Germanicus, the adopted son who everyone loves, is going to put down Germany. We'll see how each one handles the situation. Though Tacitus tried to claim that Drusus was getting dissed and the path was already paved for Germanicus to become emperor, it is likely that Drusus still had a pretty good chance of becoming emperor.

This passage has one line that is fiarly clever. "....on hearing of the death of Augustus and the accession of Tiberius, had allowed his men a rest from military duties, either for mourning or rejoicing..." Though, on first glance, one assumes it is the mourning of the death of Augustus and the rejoicing of the accession of Tiberius, it is still written with some ambiguity. Were some happy Augustus was dead? Were some sad Tiberius has accended? That would certianly explain some motiviation for the rebellion.