them" yet was as effective as the Fabian strategy against Hannibal. And it was under Domitian when Veiento was appointed consul a third time, which experts believe was in 83. Career under Nerva Veiento evidently survived the assassination of Domitian without loss of rank or property, for he next appears in history at a banquet hosted by the emperor Nerva during the first year of his reign (AD 97). Pliny the Younger recounts how Veiento had been invited to the same dinner as Junius Mauricus, who had been exiled due to the efforts of a delator or informer. The blind Lucius Valerius Catullus Messalinus, who had been a notorious delator during his lifetime, was mentioned, and the emperor mused, "If he had gone on living, what do you think would have become of him?" Junius Mauricus replied, "He would be dining with us." Pliny elsewhere in his letter makes it clear the comment was directed at Veiento. The other incident recorded by Pliny is when Veiento, joined with four other ex-consuls and senators to oppose Pliny's motion to prosecute another delator, Publicius Certus, who had brought down Helvidius Priscus in 93. Despite the fact Pliny was almost alone in pursuing the matter, he managed through his eloquence to convince the Senate to approve the prosecution, despite a final plea against legal actions from Veiento. While the emperor Nerva failed to act on the motion to prosecute, Certus was passed over in consideration for a consulship, and in any event fell ill and died soon after this session of the Senate. These two anecdotes have led many writers — such as Syme above — to infer that Veiento himself was an informer who accused many prominent men of crimes in order to seize their wealth; as McDermott points out, all these passages prove is that the Younger Pliny greatly disliked Veiento. McDermott notes that Tacitus, who was a member of the Quindecimviri sacris faciundis like Veiento, and either knew the man well, or knew of him, did not consider Veiento a delator. When offering a list of delatores active under Domitian, Tacitus names Mettius Carus, the blind Catullus Messalinus, and Baebius Massa, but not Veiento. Veiento's last recorded act is on the Senate floor in 97, pleading leniency for Publicius Certus. How much longer he lived is unknown: assuming our above calculation of AD 24 for his birthdate is correct, then