Tacitus, ad 68. The Emperor Nero's erratic and bloody reign is in its death throes when gaius valerius verrens is dispatched to Rome on a mission that will bring it to a close. With Nero dead, the city holds its breath a...Tacitus, ad 68. The Emperor Nero's erratic and bloody reign is in its death throes when gaius valerius verrens is dispatched to Rome on a mission that will bring it to a close. With Nero dead, the city holds its breath a tacitus, ad 68.