The Palace and Park by Phillips, Forbes, Latham, Owen, Scharf, and Shenton

[Born on the Island of Capreæ, A.D. 15. Died at Rome, A.D. 69. Aged 54.] A royal glutton. He commanded in Lower Germany, where his popularity with the troops led to his being proclaimed Emperor by the soldiers at Cologne. Vitellius succeeded Otho, and reigned eight months after the death of the latter, when he was murdered. Avaricious of money for the sake of what it would purchase for the stomach. The life of Vitellius is told when we state that it was devoted to eating, drinking, and acts of cruelty. It was his boast that the infamous Nero was his chosen model. [From the Louvre. Full of the character of the man--bloated and debased. He is said to have spent nine millions of sesterces in suppers.]