Messalina

Messalina burned with a new and almost insane love. For she was so inflamed with love for Gaius Silius, a very handsome young man, that she drove out Junia Silana, a noble woman, from her marriage and took possession of her lover without his wife. And Silius had not been unaware of the danger or scandal; but he understood that he would face certain death, if he refused, and if he agreed, there would be some hope of hiding his crime; and at the same time he would receive a great reward. Therefore he was happy to ignore the future and to enjoy the present. She comes to his home not secretly but with many companions, she clings to him leaving, and she gives wealth and honours to him; finally slaves, Freedman and the furnishings of the emperor was being seen at the house of the lover. But Claudius was unaware of the state of his marriage.

Now Messalina, on account of the ease of adultery, turned to new pleasures. Silius, whether by fatal madness or thinking the dangers themselves were a cure for the imminent dangers, was urging her to throw off the concealment: for obviously it must not wait until the emperor has grown old. He himself, unmarried and childless, prepared for marriage and to adopt Britannicus. The same power would remain for Messalina, with added security, if they forewarned Claudius, who was unsuspicious of a plot but would be quick to anger. Messalina, not by love for her husband, but fearing that Silius, having received the highest powers, would reject her, hesitated for a long time; but was finally persuaded. For she longed for the name of marriage because of the magnitude of her ill repute. And having not delayed any longer than until Claudius had set out for Ostia for the sake of sacrifices, she celebrated all the ceremonies of marriage.