Book VII, Epigram 37 (Ker)

Do you know, Castricus, the quaestor's signal for death? It is worth while to learn this new kind of death-warrant: he had given orders that, every time he blew his nose dripping with the cold, that should be the fatal sign of execution. An unsightly icicle was hanging from his hateful nose, when wild December was blowing a blast from the depths of its throat: his colleagues held his hands: what more do you ask? The unhappy man, Castricus, was not allowed to blow his nose!