Tacitus blames those who despair of their own times. _Ann._ ii. 88, 'dum vetera extollimus recentium incuriosi.' He thinks that the emperors, from their irresponsible position, were often gradually led into wickedness, their downward career being helped by flatterers and satellites, and draws a moral lesson from the servile Senate and the _delatores_, who, like the emperors themselves, received punishment for their conduct (_Ann._ i. 74; iii. 65 _sqq._).
_Ann._ vi. 48, 'Cum Tiberius post tantam rerum experientiam vi dominationis convulsus et mutatus sit.'
_Ann._ iv. 33, 'Pauci prudentia honesta ab deterioribus utilia ab noxiis discernunt, plures aliorum eventis docentur.'
_Ann._ vi. 6, 'Adeo facinora atque flagitia sua ipsi quoque in supplicium verterant ... Quippe Tiberium non fortuna, non solitudines protegebant, quin tormenta pectoris suasque ipse poenas fateretur.'
(2) Tacitus attaches himself to no particular school of philosophy, and deprecates too close an attention to the subject.
_Agr._ 4, 'Memoria teneo solitum ipsum [Agricolam] narrare se prima in iuventa studium philosophiae acrius, ultra quam concessum Romano ac senatori, hausisse, ni prudentia matris incensum ac flagrantem animum coercuisset.'
He cannot make up his mind as to freewill and predestination, but in spite of this doubt expressly states his desire to find out the causes of events.
_Ann._ vi. 22, 'Sed mihi haec ac talia audienti in incerto iudicium est, fatone res mortalium et necessitate immutabili an forte volvantur' (and the rest of the chapter, where the Stoic and Epicurean views are mentioned). On the other hand, _H._ i. 4, 'Ut non modo casus eventusque rerum, qui plerumque fortuiti sunt, sed ratio etiam causaeque noscantur.'
He expresses his belief in divine agency, particularly in the _Annals_, but sometimes adopts the pessimistic view that the gods take little interest in mankind.
_Ann._ xiv. 5, 'Noctem sideribus inlustrem et placido mari quietam, quasi convincendum ad scelus, di praebuere.'
_H._ v. 5, 'Pessimus quisque spretis religionibus patriis.'
_H._ i. 3, 'Nec enim umquam atrocioribus populi Romani cladibus magisve iustis indiciis adprobatum est non esse curae deis securitatem nostram, esse ultionem.'