CALIGULA SLEPT WITH one sister and prostituted the others. He made his horse, Incitatus, a consul, and he marched an entire Roman legion to the beach at Boulogne just to pick up sea-shells. He made it a capital offence for anyone to mention goats in his presence, because he was so self-conscious about his hairiness.

It's an appealing myth, but, of course, not true. If it were. he would have been dispatched much sooner. In fact, he lasted four years, a lot longer than some of Rome's rulers, and then there was public uproar and grief at his murder. Caligula has nevertheless become the most