Britannicus was poisoned at a dinner party attended by his sister, Octavia, Agrippina, and several other notables. Tacitus' account of the event is as follows: Britannicus was given a hot drink, which was tested by a food taster, and when he asked for it to be cooled, the poison was added to it with the cold water. The substance was instantly effective, and he "lost alike both voice and breath." Nero claimed to those present that Britannicus was merely suffering from an epileptic fit, and that he had been afflicted with the condition since childhood. He died sometime between December and his 14th birthday, on 11 February 55, when he was to assume manhood, and just four months after his father's death. For her service, the emperor had Locusta rewarded with large estates, and even sent her pupils.