In an age when power was measured by words as much as by swords, Quintilian shaped Rome’s voice ... From the Provinces to the Heart of Rome ... Public domain ... He advanced rapidly ... He probably did not live beyond the first years of Nerva’s reign.
Their choice was Marcus Cocceius Nerva — elderly, childless, and untainted by tyranny ... From Domitian’s Death to Nerva’s Rise ... Nerva was a man whose reputation for moderation promised stability without vengeance.