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By analogy with the Peter Dinzelbacher’s slim volume of 2009, Why is the king crying? A critique of medieval panritualism, the present essay questions the possible reasons for the tears of Roman leaders. In literary representation, they are recognized, on the one hand, as the trace of an involuntary expression of inner sensitivity, yet, on the other hand, they evidently show that they could potentially be one of the tools used by Roman emperors to try to influence their political actions in the direction of their intended objectives. As was otherwise the case in their behavior, their tears and they way these were portrayed (thereby endowed with value) show their basic virtuous or shameful orientation.