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THE
L I V
E S
OF THE
■H-fe
FIRST TWELVE C^SARS,
TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN
O F
'C. SUETONIUS TRANQUILLUS;
WITH
ANNOTATIONS,
AND
A REVIEW
THE
GOVERNMENT AND LITERATURE
OF THE DIFFEREIJT PERIODS.
BY ALEXANDER THOMSON, M, D,
LONDON;
PRINTED FOR G. G. AND J. ROBINSON, PATERNOSTER-ROW.
M.DCC.XCVI.
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At '
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PREFACE
CaIUS Suetonius Tranquillus, whofe Hiftory
is here tranflated, was the Son of ^ Roman
Knight, and enjoyed for fome time the place of
Secretary to the Emperor Hadrian ; but was af-
terwards difmilTed from the Court, for behaving
difrefpe^tfully to the Emprefs Sabina. In his
Retitement he compofed feveral hiftorical
Works, of which the Lives of the Firft Twelve
Caefars are the only ’One now extant. As a
Writer, he comprehends in his Charafter a Mix-
ture of good Qualities and Blemiflies. In the
Arrangement of his Subje£l:,he is peculiarly me-
thodical, his Style is plain and unaffected, and
his Narrative every where appears to be in the
higheft degree faithful.
V' ...
Of two Kinds of Blemifhes, for which he is
confpicuous. One, namely, his minute Recital of
Omens, is a Fault of the Times in which he
lived, rather than any particular Superftition in
Himfelf : for the Other, which is Indelicacy of
Expreffion, on many OCcafions, he has too juftly
incurred the Cenfure, of having written the
Lives of the Caefars with a Degree of Licentiouf-
nefs equal to that of their own ConduCt. But
thofe who are acquainted with the Language of
this Author, will obferve, that his objeClionable
Expreffions have been foftened, and, in one or
two places, neceffarily fuppreffed, in the Tranf-
lation.
A 2
I
Let
PREFACE.
iv
Let it however be acknowledged, that a Ver-
fion of Suetonius, though a valuable Hiftorian,
was only a fecondary Objefl with the prefent
Tranflator, whofe principal Defign was, to ex-
amine the State of Literature amongfl the Ro-
mans, with greater Care and Precifion than has
hitherto ever been attempted. Almoft all the
Latin Claffic Writers flouriflied in the Periods
which form the Subject of Suetonius’s Hiftory ^
and a Tranflation of it, therefore, feemed a pro-
per Vehicle for conducting fuch an Enquiry.
Could a Difplay of the Merits and DefeCts of
^ thofe celebrated Writers, upon a larger Scale,
have been rendered compatible both with the
Gratification of Curiofity, and public Conveni-
ence, it was the Author’s With, to have adopted
a more extenfive Plan ; but it feemed more ad-
vifable, on thofe Accounts, to contrad the Detail,
and reftrain within narrower Limits the Scope
of critical Obfervation.
In the Chronological View now exhibited of
the Subject, he has endeavored not only to form
a juft Eftimate of Roman Literature, and afcer-
tain the Caufes which carried it to fuch a Degree
of Perfection ; but to elucidate the State of Go-
vernment, and the Progrcfs of Manners, in thofe
"i'imes. He has, likewife, it is prefumed, cor-
rected various Mifreprefentations of Biographers,
and Errors of Commentators.
INDEX
INDEX
To the HISTORY and REVIEW
Page
Divus Julius Ciefar, — i
Review of Government and Literature, 70
D. 06i:avius Ciefar Auguilus, — ^ 94
Review of Government and Literature, 185
Tiberius Nero Csefar, ^ — — ■ 247
Review of Government and Literature, 304
Caius Csefar Caligula, — — ^ 321
Review of Government, — 370
Tiberius Claudius Drufus Csefar, — 374
Review of Government, — 415
Nero Claudius Csefar, — - — 423
Reviev/ of Government and Literature, 474
Sergius Sulpicius Galba, — — 500
Review of his Chara£f er, — 51 S
M. Salvius Otho, — — 519
Review of his Condud, — ^ 531
: A Vitellius,
I N D E jj.
Pag«f
A. Vitellius, — — — 532
Review of his Charadler and Conduct, 547
Titus Flavius Vefpafianus, — 549
/ Review of Government and Literature, 568
Titus Flavius Vefpafianus Auguftus, — 573
Review of Government and Literature, 581
Titus Flavius Domitianus, . — ■ 589
Review of Government and Literature^ 6ii
I
INDEX
INDEX
To WRITERS and fome other Perfons,
particularly mentioned in the Review,
Ivivius Andronicus,
Page
76
Ennius, —
—
■ —
ibid.
Plautus, —
—
—
77
Terence, —
—
—
ibid.
Julius Ciefar, —
- —
—
ibid.
M. Tullius Cicero,
—
—
78
M. Terentius Varro,
—
—
85
C. Valerius Catullus,
—
—
88
T0 Lucretius Carus,
—
—
9»
M. Vipfanlus Agrippa,
—
—
192
C. Cilnius Mecsenas,
—
—
193
C. Crifpus Salluftius,
—
202
Cornelius Nepos,
—
/ —
205
Titus Livius, — r-
—
—
ibid.
P. Virgilius Alaro,
—
210
Q^Horatius Flaccus,
—
221
P. Ovidius Nafo,
—
- —
227
Albius Tibullus,
—
—
237
S. Aurelius Propertius,
—
—
241
Cn. Cornelius Gallus,
•r-
—
242
Livia
Vlll
INDE
X.
Livia' Dru{illa.> —
Page
306
^lius Sejanus,
—
312
M. Velleius Paterculus,
—
—
3^7
Valerius Maximus,
—
—
318
Phsedrus, —
—
ibid.
C. Julius Hyginus,
— -
—
319
A. Cornelius Celfus,
—
—
ibid.
Apicius Coelius,
—
—
320
Cara£l:acus, —
—
418
Valeria Meflalina,
•—
—
420
Julia Agrippina,
—
—
475
L. Annseus Seneca,
—
—
480
T. Petronius Arbiter,
—
490
M. Annseus Lucanus,
—
—
495
Aulus Perfius Flaccus,
f
—
497
C. Valerius Flaccus, •
—
—
571
C. Plinius Secundus,
—
—
583
M. Fabius Quintilianus,
—
—
612
D. Junius Juvenalis,
—
—
614
M. Papinius Statius,
—
—
616
M.' Valerius Martialis,
—
620
THE
THE LIFE
O F
DIVUS * JULIUS G^SAR.
I. Julius Caefar, at the deceafe of his father, had
not completed the fixteenth year of his age. Next year?
he was eledled Flamen Dialis f, or prieft of Jupiter ; when
repudiating Coffiitia, who was only of an equeflrian fa-
‘ mily.
The hyperbolical epithet of Divus, the Di'vine^ had for-
merly been conferred upon Romulus, through the policy of
the Patricians, to obviate a fufpicion entertained by the
people, that the king had been violently taken off* by a con-
fpiracy of that Order; and political circumftances again con-
curred with popular fuperftition to revive the pofthumous
adulation, in the perfon of Julius Caefar. It is remarkable
in the hiftory of a nation fo j'ealous of public liberty, that
in both inftances, they bellowed the moll extravagant mark
of human veneration upon men who owed their fate refpec-
lively to the introduflion of arbitrary power : firll, in the
founder of the Roman monarchy, and next, in the fubverter
of the republic. Both inllances, however, ferve to Con-
firm the manner in which many of the pagan deities derived
their origin in the fabulous ages.
The place of Flamen Dialis was an office of great dignity,
butTubjeded to many rellriclions. The perfon who held
-it could not ride on horfeback, nor llay one night without
the city. His wife was likewife under particular rellridlionsj
and could not be divorced. If file died, the Flamen refign-
ed his office, becaufe there were certain facred rites which
THE LIFE OF
mily, but extremely opulent, and to whom he had been
contradled during his minority, he married Cornelia, the
daughter of Cinna, who %vas four times Conful. From
this lady, who fbon after bore him a daughter, named
Julia, all the efforts of the Didfator Sylla could not in-
duce him to part. On which account he was puniffied
with the lofs of his facerdotal office, the fortune which
he had' acquired by marriage, and the eftate of his an-
ceftors. Being, befides, confidered as an enemy to the
exifting government, he was obliged to abfeond ; and,
though then greatly indifpofed wdth an intermitting fever,
to change his quarters almoft every night ; not without
the expence, at the fame time, of redeeming himfelf from
the hands of thofe who were fent to apprehend him ; un-
til, by the interceffion of the Veffal virgins of Mamer-
cus
he could not perform without her affiftance. Befides other
marks of diftindion, he wore a purple robe called Laena, and
a copical cap, called Apex.
* The Veftal virgins, upon their inftitution by Numa,
were four in number ; but two were added by Tarquinius
Prifeus, from whofe time they continued ever after to be fix.
Their employment was to keep the facred fire always burn-
ing. They watched it in the night-time alternately ; and
v/hoever allowed it to go out, was fcourged by the Pontifex
Maximus. This accident was always efteemed ominous, and
expiated ,by offering extraordinary facrifices. The fire,
when thus extinguifiied,' was lighted up again, not from an-
other fire, but from the rays of the fun ; in which manner
it was renewed every year upon the firft of March, that be-
ing anciently the day when the year commenced. Amonglt
the honors and privileges enjoyed by the Veftais, they could
abfolve a criminal from punifliment, if they met him ac-
cidentally ; and their interpofition, upon ail occafions, was
greatly refpected. But the violation of their vow of chaftity
was
JULIUS C^SAR. 3
cus ^mllius, and Aurelius Cotta, the two latter of whom
were allied to him by marriage, he at laft obtained a par-
don. It is certain, that Sylla, when he yielded to the
importunity of Caefar’s friends, broke forth into the fol-
lowing exclamation, whether from a divine impulfe up-
on his mind, or only the refultofhis ownfagacity ‘‘ Ye
Hiall have your defircj and are at liberty to take hiiri
amongd; you ; but know that the perfon wdiorn ye are
fo anxious to fave, will, one time or other, prove the de-
firuc^tion of the nobility which ye have affifled me to pro-
te61: : for, believe mej there are many Marius’s in that
Csefar.”
II. His firll: appointment in the military fervice, was
in the wars of Afia, under the command of M. Thermus
the Prsetor. Being fent by this general into Bithynia f»
to bring thence a fleet, he loitered fo long in die court of
Nicomedes, as to give occafion to a report of a criminal
intercourfe betwixt him and that prince ; which received
additional credit from his hafey return to Bithynia, under
was pimifhed with peculiar feverity. The. unfortunate fe-
male was buried alive, with funeral folemnities, in a place
called the Campus Sceleratus; and her paramour was fcourg-
ed to death in the Forum.
f Bithynia, called anciently Bebricia, is a country of the
peninfula of Afia, now called Afia Minor. It was bound-
ed on the fouth by the river Rhyndacus and mount Olym-
pus ; on the wefl by the Bofporus Thracius, and a part of
the Propontis ; and on the north by the Euxine fea. Its
boundaries towards the eafl are not clearly ascertained, Stra-
bo, Pliny, and Ptolemy diifering from each other on the fub-
ject. It is however generally recommended as a rich and
fruitful country ; the Greek geographers call it the greateji
and the bej},
B 2
the
4 THE LIFE OF
the pretext of recovering a debt due to a freed-man his
client. During the courfe of the Afiatic expedition, his
condudl was in other refpe^ts irrepiehenfible ; and upon
the taking of Mitylene ^ by llorm?‘he was ..prefentcd by
Thermus with the civic crown f.
«
III. He fervcd likewife in Cilicia J , under Servilius
Ifauricus, but fp,r a fhort time. For upon receiving ad-
vice of Sylla’s death, in the hope of attaining an afcen-
* Mitylene was a city of the ifiand Lefbos, famous for the
ftudy of phiiofophy and eloquence. According to Pliny, it
remained a free city and in power one thoufand five hundred
years. It fuffered much in the^Peloponnefiari^war from the
Athenians, and in the Mithridatic from the Romans, by
whom it was taken and dellroyed. But it foon rofe again,
having recovered its ancient liberty by the favor of Pom-
pey ; and was afterwards much adorned by Trajan, who
added to it the fplendor of his own name. This was the
country of Pittacus, one of the feven wife men of Greece,
as well as of Alcseus and Sappho. The natives fiiowed a par-
ticular tafie for poetry, and had, as Plutarch informs us, Bated
times for the celebration of poetical contefts.
f The Corona Civica was made of oak-leaves, and given to
him who had faved the life of a citizen. The perfon who
received it, wore it at public fpe6Iacles, and fat next the fe-
nators. When he entered, the audience rofe up, as a mark
of refpeft.
X A very extenfive country of Hither Afia ; lying be-
tween Pamphylia to the weft, mount Taurus and Amanus to
the north, Syria to the eaft, and the Mediterranean to the
fouth. It was divided into Afpera^ the rough or mountain-
ous ; and Campeflris, the level or champaign Cilicia. It
was anciently famous for faffron ; and hair-cloth, called
by the Romans Cilicium^ was the manufadture of this
country.
deucy
JULIUS C^SAR.
5
dency from a new commotion, which w'as attempted by
M. Lepidus, he returned with all fpeed to Rome. Dif~
truhing however the abilities of that perfonage, and find-
ing the times lefs favorable for the execution of fuch a
projedl than there feemed reafon at firft to imagine, he
abandoned all thoughts of embracing the intended confede-
racy, though the mofl; tempting offers were made him
to engage his concurrence.
IV. Soon after the re-eftablifhment of public tran-
quillity, he preferred a charge of extortion againft Cor-
nelius Dolabella, a man of confular dignity, and who had
obtained the honor of a triumph. But this impeachment
terminating in the acquittal of the accufed, he refolved
to retire to Rhodes *, with the view not only of avoiding
the public odium incurred by the charge, but of profe-
cuting his ftudies with greater advantage, under Apol-
lonius, the fon of Molon, at that time the moft celebrat-
ed inafier of rhetoric. While on his voyage thither, in
the winter feafon, he was taken by pirates near the
iiland of Pharinacufa ; with whom he continued, not
* A famous city in an ifland of the fame name, adjoining
to the coaft of Caria. Here was faid to be anciently a
huge flatiie of the Sun, called Coloffus; but fome are of
opinion, that the account delivered of it is fabulous. The
Rhodians were celebrated not only for fkill in naval affairs,
but for learning, philofophy, and eloquence. During the
latter periods of the Roman republic, and under fome of
the emperors, many reforted thither for the purpofe of pro-
fecuting their ftudies ; and it likewife became a place of
retreat to difeontented Romans. -Solinus informs us, that in
this ifland, the fky was feldom fo overcafl; but that the fun
might be feen; whence probably it obtained amongfl the
'poets the epithet Clara,
B 3
with-
6
THE LIFE OF
without feeling the utmoft indignation, during almoft
weeks ; his only attendants being one phyfician, and
two valets. For his other fervants, as well as the friends
who accompanied him, he had immediately difpatched
to raife money for his ranfom. Upon the payment of
fifty talents he was fet adiore ; when after the moft dili-
gent exertion to procure fome fliips, he came up with
the pirates, and making them all prjfoners, inflicted upon -
them the punifhment with which he had often jocofely
threatened them during his detention. Mithridates was
at that time carrying devaflation into the neighboring
countries ; and Caefar, on his arrival at Rhodes, that he
might not appear to difregard the danger which menaced
* the allies of Rome, paflfed over into Afla ; where having
colledled fome troops, and driven the king’s deputv out
of the province, he kept in their duty the cities which
had begun to waver, and were on the point of revolt.
V. After his return to Rome, he obtained from the fuf-
fi age of the people the honorable rank of a military Tri-
bune j and in this capacity zealoufly aflfifted the abettors
pf the tribunitian authority, which had been greatly di-
minifhed during the ufurpation of Sylla. He likewife by
a bill, which Plotius at his inftigation preferred to the’
people, and was feconded by a fpeech from himfelf, pro-
cured the recal of Lucius Cinna, his wife^s brother, and
others, who had been fent into banifhment, for having
fided with Lepidus, and afterwards with Sertorius, in the
|ate public diflurbances.
VI. During his Quaeftorfhip he pronounced funeral ora-
tions in the Roflra, according to cuflom, in praife of his
paternal aunt Julia, and his wife Cornelia. In his pa^
jiegyric on the former, he gives the following account of
the
JULIUS CJESAR.
the genealogy both of her and his father : “ My aunt Julia
derived her defcent, by the mother, from a race of kings,
and, by her father, from the immortal Gods. For the
Marcii Reges, which was her mother’s family, deduce
their pedigree from Ancus Marcius, and the Julii, which
is that of her father, from the goddefs Venus. We there-
fore unite in our defcent the facred majefly of kings, the
greatefl: among human kind, and the divine majefly of
Gods, to wliom kings themfelves are fubje6l.” In the
room of Cornelia he married Pompeia, the daughter of
Ch Pompeius, and grand-daughter of L. Sylla ; but this
lady he afterwards divorced, upon a fufpicion of her hav-
ing had an intrigue with Publius Clodius. For fo cuF'
rent was the report, that the latter had found accefs to
her in woman’s habit, during the performance of a reli“<
gious folemnity, that the Senate ordered a commiffion of
enquiry refpedting the fuppofed profanation.
VII. Upon his appointment to the Quajflorihip the pro-
vince of the Farther Spain fell to his lot ; where, when»
by commiffion from the Prsetor, he was going the circuit
of the country, for tlie adminiflration of juftice, and was
arrived at Gades, feeing, in the temple of Hercules, a
flatue of Alexander the Great, he fetched a deep figh ;
and as if vexed at his ina6tlvify, for having performed
nothing memorable at an age at which Alexander had
conquered the world, lie immediately requefted his dif-
charge, with the view of embracing the firll opportunity,
which might prefent in the city, of entering upon a more
fplendid career. His repofe was farther diiburbed by a
dream which he had the fucceeding night, of having been
guilty of inceftuous coinmerce with his mother. But the
interpreters of dreams derived thence an omen of events
the moft flattering to his ambition ; afErming it to be a
B 4 pre-
8
THE LIFE OF
prefage that he fhould yet rule the empire of the world :
for that the mother whom in his fleep he had feen ftfb-
je6led to his will, was no other than the earth, the com-
mon parent of all men.
VIII. Quitting therefore the province before the expi-
ration of the ufual term, he had recouife to the Latin co-
lonies, then eager in the projedt of folliciting for the free-
dom of Rome ; and he would have excited them to fome
bold attempt, had not the Confuls, to prevent any com-
motion, detained for fome time the legions which had
been railed for the fervice of Cilicia. But this vigilance
of the government did not deter him from making, foon
after, a yet greater eiFort within the precindls of the city
itfelf.
IX. For a few days before he entered upon the yEdile-
fliip, he incurred a fufpicion of engaging in a confpi-
racy with M. CrafTiis, a man of confular rank ; to whom
were joined^ P. Sylia and L. Autronius, who after they
had been chofen Confuls, were convidfed of bribery^
The plan of the confpirators was to fall upon the Senate
in the beginning of the year, and to murder as many of
them as fhould be deemed expedient for their purpofe:
upon which event CrafTus was to have afTumed the ofEce
of Didlatcr, and appoint Caefar his Maher of the horfe
When the commonwealth fhould thus have been fettled
according to their pleafure, the Confulfhip was to have
been rehored to Sylla and Autronius. Mention is made
* The proper office of the Maher of horfe was to com-
mand the cavalry, and to execute the orders of the Didlator.
He was ufuaily nominated from amongh thofe of confular
and praetorian dignity ; and had the ufe of a horfe, which
tiie didator had not without the order of the peoplL
of
JULIUS CJESAR.
9‘
of this plot by Tanufius Germinus in his hiflory, by M.
Bibulus in his edi6ls, and by Curio the father, in his
orations. Cicero likewife feems to hint at the fame
tranfadlion in a letter to Atticus, where he fays, that
Caefar had in his Confuiffiip fecured to himfelf that arbi-
trary power to which he had afpired when he was ^dile*
Tanufius adds, that Craffus, from remorfe or fear, did
not appear upon the day appointed for the maffacre of
the Senate : for which reafon Caefar did not give the fig-
nal, which, according to the plan concerted betwen them,
he was to have announced. The agreement. Curio fays,
was, that he fhould flip his toga from his fltoulder. We
have the authority of ,the fame Curio, and of M. Acto-
rius Nafo, for his having been likewife concerned in an-
other confpiracy wdth young Cn. Pifo ; to whom, upon
a fufpicion of fome mifehief being meditated in the city^
the province of Spain was decreed out of courfe, as the
means of fufpending any danger. It is how’ever faid
to have been agreed between them, that Pifo thould ex-,
cite an infurredtion agaiiift the government abroad,
whiKt the other Ihould attempt a fimilar revolt within
the limits of the domeftic adminiftration, by artfully prac-
tifmg upon the feditious difpofitions of the Lambrani, and
other tribes beyond the Po. But the execution of this
defign, it is remarked, was prevented by the death of
Pifo.
X. While In the office of^diie, he not only beautified
the Comitium, with the reft of the Forum, and the courts
adjoining, but the Capitol likewife, with piazzas, con-
ftrudled only to fubfift until the end of his ^dilefhip ;
that in them he might difplay the extraordinary prepa-
rations he w'as making for the gratification of the peo-
ple, whom he entertained with the hunting of wild
beafts,
IO
THE LIFE OF
beafls, and plays, both in conjundlion with his colleague,
and by himfelf. On this account, he obtained the
whole credit of the expence to which they had jointly
contributed; infomuch that his colleague, M. Bibulus,
could not forbear remarking that he was ferved in the
manner of Pollux. For as the temple eredled in the Fo-
rum to the two brothers, was denominated Caflor’s only,
fo his and Caefar’s joint munificence was imputed to the
latter alone. To the other public fpedlacles exhibited to
the people, Caefar added a combat of gladiators, but in a
fraaller number than he had intended. For fo great was
the company of them, which he colleTed from all parts,
that thofe of the Patricians who were not of his party
w^ere alarmed ; and the fenate pafTed an a6f, reftrldfing
the fliews of gladiators to a certain number, which, for
the future, no perfon fhould be allowed to exceed,
XI. Having thus conciliated the good graces of the peo-
ple, he endeavored, through his interefl: with fome of the
Tribunes, to procure, by a decree of the commons, the
province of ^gypt. The pretext for fuch an applica-
tion was, that the Alexandrians had violently expelled
their king, whom the fenate had complimented with the
title of an ally and friend of the Roman people. This
tranfadlion, which feemed to afFe£l; the dignity of the re-
public, produced a general fpirit of refentment among the
populace at Rome : notwithflanding which, on account
of an oppofuion from a party of the nobility, all the ef-
forts of Caefar and his friends could not procure him the
appointment. To diminihi therefore the authority of
that body, by every means in his power, he rehored the
trophies eredled in honor of C. Marius, upon account of
his victories over Jugurtha, the Cimbri, and the Teuto-
ni, but which had been demoli (bed by Sylla ; and fitting
in
JULIUS CiESAR.
II
in the capacitor of a judge, he treated as murderers all
thofe who, in the late profcription, had received money-
out of the treafury, for bringing in the heads of Roman
citizens, though they had been exprefsly abfoived from
punihiment by fubfequent laws.
XIT. He likewife procured a perfon to bring an im-
peachment of treafon againfl C. Rabirius, by whofe af-
fiftance the Senate had, a few years before, retrained the
feditious attempts of L. Saturninus the Tribune ; and be-
ing drawn by lot one of the judges for his trial, he difeo-
vered fo ftrong a dehre to convidd him, that upon his ap-
pealing to the people, no circumilance availed him'fo
much as the extraordinary bitternefs of his judge,
XIII. Having renounced all hope of obtaining the pro-
vince of ^gypt, he ftood candidate for the office of
High-prieft, in the purfuit of which objedl, he had re-
courfe to the' utmoft profufion of bribery. Refledling,
on this occafion, on the greatnefs of the debts he had
contradled, he is reported to have faid to Iiis mother, when
file kiffied him at his going out in the morning to the elec-
tion, “ I lhall never come home again, unlefs I am eledl-
ed high-prieft.” In effeci, he fo much baffled two com-
petitors of the moft powerful intereft,_and greatly fupe-
rior to him both in age and dignity, that he had more
votes in their own tiibes, than they both had in all toge-
ther.
XIV. After he had been chofen Prsetor, the confpi-
racy of Catiline was difeovered , and while every other
member of the Senate inclined to infiidl: capital punifh-
ment on the delinquents, he alone advifed to confifeate
their eftates, and commit their perfons to feparate pri-
, ■ Tons
12
THE LIFE OF
fons through the towns of Italy. He even firuck fo great
a terror into thofe who were advocates for greater feve-
rity, . by reprefenting to them what a general odium they
would infallibly incur, by carrying fuch a meafure into
execution, that D. Silanus, Conful-Elecl:, thought proper
to qualify his decifion, becaufe it was not very honor-
able to change it, by a fofcening interpretation, as if his
opinion had been underftood in a harflier fenfe than he
intended ; and Casfar would certainly have carried his
point, having brought over to his fide a great number
of the Senators, among whom was the brother of the
Conful Cicero, had not a fpeech of M. Cato’s infufed
new vigor into the refolutions of the houfe. He per-
fifted, however, to obftrudl their proceedings with intem-
perate ardor, until a body of the equeflrian Order, that'
(food under arms as a guard, holding up their drawn
fwords, threatened him with immediate death. Thofe
who fat next him inftantly moved off and a few friends,
with no fmall difficulty, proteded him, by taking him
in their arms, and holding their togas before him. Aj.
laft, difpirited by this refentment, he not only relinquifh.
ed the debate, but abfented himfelf from the houfe during
the remainder of that year.
XV. Upon the firft day of his Prastorfliip, he fum-
moned Catulus to render an account to the people
concerning the repairs of the Capitol ; prefenting at the
fame time a bill, for transferring that commiffion to an-
other perfon. But being unable to withftand the ftrong
oppofition made againft him by the ariflocratical party,
whom he perceived quitting, in great numbers, their at-
tendance upon the new Confuls, and fully refolved to
refift his propofal, he dropt the defign.
XVI. He
jlTLIUS C^SAR. 13
y^VI. He afterwards approved himfelf a moft refolute
adherent to Caecilius Metellus, Tribune of the commons»
who had preferred fome bills of a feditious tendency to*
the people, in fpite of all oppofiticn from his colleagues»
until they were both difmifTed from office by a vote of
the Senate. He ventured, notwithftanding, to continue
in -the adminiftratlon of juflice; but finding fome pre-
pared to obflru6l: him by force of arms, he difmifTed
his officers, threw off his gown, and betook himfelf pri-
vately to his own houfe, with the refolution of being
quiet, in a time fo unfavorable to his interefts. He like-
wife pacified the mob, which in two days after affembled
about him, and in a riotous manner offered him their
affiflance towards the vindication of his honor. This
happening contrary to expedfation, the Senate, which had
met in hafte, upon occafion of the tumult, gave him
their thanks by fome of the leading members of the
houfe, fent for him, and, after a high commendation of'
his behaviour, cancelled their former vote, and reflored
him to his place in the afTembly.
XVII. But he had fcarcely fooner emerged from his
late difafter, than he fell again into a frefli danger ; be-
ing named amongft the accomplices of Catiline, both be-
fore Novius Niger the Quasflor, by the informer L. Vet-
tius, and in the fenate by Curius ; to whom, for his
having firfl; dlfcovered the defigns of the confpirators, a
reward had been voted. Curius affirmed that he had re-
ceived his Information from Catiline. Vettius even en- ,
gaged to produce in evidence againfl him his own hand
writing, which he had given to Catiline. Csefar declar-
ing this treatment to be intolerable, appealed to Cicero
himfelf, whether he had not voluntarily made a difeo-
very to him of feme particulars of the confpiracy ; by
which
14
THE LIEE OP'
whicb means he prevented Curius from receiving his
expeded reward. He obliged Vettius to give pledges to
anfwer for his behaviour, alienated his goods, and after
feeing him roughly ufed, and almofl torn in pieces, in ait
affembly of the people at the Roflra, threw him in pri-
fon; to which he likewife fent Novius the Qu^hor,
for having prefumed to take an information againft a
magiflrate of fuperior authority.
XVIIL At the expiration of his Praetorlliip he got
by lot the Farther Spain, and abated the violence of his
creditors, who were for flopping him, by giving them
fecurity Contrary, however, to both law and cullom,
he took his departure before the ufual allowance for
his equipage was paid him from the treafury. It is un-
certain whether this precipitancy arofe from die appre-
henfion of an impeachment, after the expiration of his
provincial charge, which was intended, or from an ardor
to relieve the allies, who anxiouily longed for his pre-
fence. As foon as he had eftablidied tranquillity in the
province, he, without waiting for the arrival of his fuc-
cefTor, returned to Rome, with equal hafle, to fue for
a triumph and the Confullhip. The day of elecflion,
howxver, being already .fixed by proclamation, he could
not legally be admitted a candidate, unlefs he entered the
* Plutarch informs us, that Ccxfar, before he came into
any public office, orved his creditors to the amount of one
thoufand three hundred talents, which makes of our mo*
ney fomewhat more than 565,000!. But his debts encreafed
fo much after this period, if we may believe Appian, that
upon his departure for Spain, at the expiration of his Prac-
torfliip, he is reported to have faid, millies et quingenties
fibi decjje^ lit nihil haberet : i.e. That he was two miilions and
neai* twenty thoufand pounds worfe than nothing,
8
city
JULIUS C^SAR.
15
City as a private perfon. Oii this emergency he folli-
citcd a fufpenllon of the laws in his favor ; but fuch an
indulgence being ftrongly oppofed, he found himfelf un-
der the neceflity of abandoning all thoughts of a triunaph,
left he lliould be difappointed of the Confulfhip.
XIX. Of the two other competitors for the Conful-
fhip, L. Luceius and M. Bibulus, he.joined with the for-
mer, upon condition that Luceius, being a man of lefs
intereft but greater affluence, Biould promife money to
the burgeffles in the name of them both. His opponents
among the nobility dreading what enterprife he might
attempt, fhould he get poffeflion of the Confulfliip with
a colleague of the fame difpofitions with himfelf, advifed
Bibulus to promife the voters as much, and moft of
them contributed towards a fhare of the expence ; Cato
himfelf admitting that bribery upon fuch an occafion
was confiftent with, and even abfolutely necclTary to
the good of the public. He was accordingly eledled
Conful with Bibulus. Adtuated ftill by the fame motives,
the prevailing party took care to affign provinces of fmall
importance to the new Confuls, fuch as the care of
woods and roads. Caefar, incenfed at this indignity,
endeavored by the moft affiduous and flattering attentions
to gain to his fide. Cn. Pompey, at that time diffatisfled
with the Senate, for the backwardnefs tliey fliewed to
confirm his adls, after the conqueft of Mithridates. He
iikewife produced a reconciliation between Pompey and
M. CralTuSy who had ’been at variance from the time
of their joint Confulihip, in which office they were con-
tinually clafliing ; and he entered into an agreement
with both, that nothing fliould be tranfadled in die go-
vernment, that was difpieafing to any of the three.
XX. Hav-
THE LIFE OF
l6
XX» Having entered upon his ofEce, he introduced a
new regulation, which was, that all the adls both of the
Senate and people ihould be daily committed to writing,
and immediately made public. He alfo revived an old
cuflom, that an Accenfus * ihould walk betore him,
and hisLi^lors follow him, on the alternate months when
the fafccs were not carried in his train» Upon preferring
a bill to the people for the divifion of feme public lands,
he was oppofed by his colleague, whom he violently
drove out of the Forum. Next day the infulted Conful
made a complaint in the Senate of this treatment ; but
no member having the courage to move or advife the
houfe refpedling fo ferious an outrage, which had yet
been often done upon incidents of lefs importance, he
was fo much difpirited, that until the expiration of his
office he never (lirred from home, and only endeavored
to obftrudl: the proceedings of his colleague by procla-
' mations. From that time, therefore, Caefar had the foie
management of public affairs ; infomuch that foine wags,
when they ligned any writing as witneffes, did not add
“ in the confulfhip of Caefar and Bibulus,” but, “ of Ju-
lius and Casfar putting the fame perfon down twice
under his name and fujname. The following verfes
iikewife were currently repeated on this occafion :
Non Bibulo quidquam nuper, fed Caefare fadtum eft ;
Nam Bibulo fieri Confuie nil memini.
Nothing was done in Bibulus^^s year :
No j Csefar only was late Conful here.
* Within the city, the Li<ftors went before only one of
the Confuls, and that commonly for a month alternately.
A public fervant, called Accenfus, went before the other
Conful, and the Lidfors followed. This ciiftom had long
been difufed, but was now reftored by Csefar.
The‘
JULIUS CiESAR.
^7
The land of Stella, confecrated by our anceftors to the
gods, with fome other land of Campania left liable to
tribute, to fupport the expences of the government, he
divided, but not by lot, among upwards of twenty thou-
fand feamen, who had each of them three or more chil-
dren. He eafed the Publicans, upon their petition, of a
third part of the fum which they had engaged to pay into
the public treafury ; and openly admonifh'ed them not
to bid fo extravagantly upon the next occafion. All
other things he difpofed of at pleafure, without the leaf!:
oppofition from any quarter ; or if any attempt to that
purpofe ever became evident, it foon was fupprelTed. M.
Cato, who interrupted him in his proceedings, he ordered
to be dragged out of the Senate-houfe by an officer, and
carried to prifon. L. Lucullus, likewife, for oppofing
him with fome warmth, he fo terrified with the appre-
henfion of falfe accufatiouj that^ to deprecate the Confur#
refentment, he fell down on his knees. And upon Cice-
ro’s lamenting in fome trial the miferable condition of
the times, he the very fame day by nine o’clock, brought
over his enemy P. Clodius from the nobility to the com-
mons ; a tranfition which that perfonage himfelf had a
long time follicited in vain. At laft, effedfually to in-
timidate all thofe of the oppofite party, he by great re-
wards prevailed upon Vettius to declare, that he had been
follicited by certain perfons to affaffinate Pompey 5 and
when he was brought upon the Roftra to name fueh as
had been concerted between thern, after naming one or
two to no purpofcj not without great fufpicion of fub-
ornation, Caefar, defpairlng of fuccefs in this rafh ftra-
tagem, is fuppofedto have taken offhis informer by means
of poifon.
XXL About the fame time I\e married Calpurma, the
C dau:-rhter
ITKE LIFE OF
l8
daughter of L. Pifo, who was to fucceed hirrl in the Con-
fiilfliip, and gave his ow^n daughter to Pompey; rejevStlng
Servilius Caepio, to whom flie had been contradled, and
by whofe means chiefly he had but a little before baffled
Bibulus. After this new alliance, he began, upon any
debates in the Senate, to alk Pompey^s opinion firfl: ;
whereas he ufed before to pay that compliment to M.
Craflfus ; and it was the ufual pra6tice with the Conful
to obferve throughout the year the method of confulting
the houfe which he had adopted the fhll of January.
XXII. Being therefore now fupported by the interell
of his father and fon-in-law, of all the provinces he made
choice of Gaul, as mofl: likely to furnifh him with matter
and occafion for triumphs. At firfl; indeed he received
only Cifalpine Gaul, with the addition of Illyricum, by
a bill of Vatinius to the people ; but foon after obtained
by the fenate Gallia Comata ^ likewife ; the houfe en-
tertaining an apprehenfion, that if they Ihould with-hold
this province, it would be conferred on him by the com-
mons.
* Gallia was anciently divided into the Tranfalpina^ or
Ulterior^ and Cifalpma^ or Citerior^ with refpeft to Rome,
The Citerior was properly a part of Italy, occupied by
Gallic colonifts ; having the Rubicon, the ancient boundary
of Italy, on the fouth. It was alfo called Gallia Togata^
from the ufe of the Roman toga; the inhabitants of thofe
parts being, after the focial war, admitted to the right of ci-
tizens. The Gallia Tranfalpina^ or Ulterior^ was called Co-
mata^ from the people wearing their hair long, which the
Romans wore fliort; and the fouthern part of it, afterwards
called NarbonenJiSy came to have the epithet Braccata, from
the ufe of hraccce^ which were no part of the Roman drefs.
Some writers fuppofe the braccc^ to have been breeches; but
Aldus,
JULIUS C^SAR.
19
mons. Elated now with his fuccefs, he could not refrain
from boafting a few days after in a full houfe, that he
had, in fpite of his enemies, and to their great mortifica-
tion, obtained all he defired, and Ihould for the future
treat them with what indignity he pleafed. One of the
members fmartly obferving, ‘‘ That will not be very eafy
for a woman to do,’' he jocofely replied, Semiramis
has formerly reigned in Affyiia, and thc' Amazons been
pofTefTed of a great part of Afia.”
XXIII., When the term of his Confulfliip had expired,
upon a motion being made in the Senate by C. Memmius
and L. Domitius the Praetors, refpedling the tranfadlions
of the year pad, he offered to refer himfelf to the houfe ;
but they declining the bufinefs, after three days fpent in
vain altercation, he fet out for his province. Immedi-
ately, however, his Quseftor was impeached for feveral
mifdemcanors, by way of prelude to the future condem-
nation of Casfar. An accufation was foon after prefer-
red againfl himfelf, by L. Antiftius, Tribune of the com-
mons; but by making an appeal to the reft of the body,
he prevailed, as being abfent in the ferviee of his coun-
try, to have the profecution fufpended. . To fecure him-
felf therefore for the time to come, he was particularly
careful to oblige the magiftrates of every year, and to
affift none of the candidates with his intereft, nor fuffer
any to be advanced to any poft whatever, who would
not pofitively undertake to defend him in his abfence: for
Aldus, in a fhort difquifition on the fubjedi, affirms that they
were a kind of upper drefs. And this opinion feems to be
countenanced by the name hraccan being applied by the
modern Celtic nations, the defcendents of the Gallic Celts,
to fignify their upper garment, or plaid.
C 2
which
t«£ LIFE OF
ao
■which purpofe he made no fcruple to require of fom6:
an oath, and even a written obligation.
XXIV* But when L. Domitius was candidate for the
Confuhhip, and openly threatened that upon his eleftion
into ofEce, he would eiFe6t what he could not in the
capacity of Praetor, and divefl him of the command of
the armies, he fent for CralTus and Pompey to Luca a
city of liis province, and prefled them, for the purpofe
of difappolnting Domitius, to fue again for the Conful-
fhip, and to continue him in his command for five years
longer ; with both which requifitions they complied. Pre-
fumptuous now from his fuccefs, he added, at his own
private charge, more legions to thofe which he had re-
ceived from the government ; among the former of which
was one levied in Tranfalpine Gaul, and called by a
Gallic name Alauda, which he trained and armed in the
Roman fafhiqn, and afterwards made free of the city.
From this period, be declined no occafion of war, not
even of fuch as was unjufl and dangerous; attacking,
without any provocatiorr, as well the allies of Rome
^s the barbarous nations which were its enemies t info-
much that the Senate pafled a decree for fending commif-
fioners to examine into the condition of Gaul; and
^ fome members of the houfe even advifed the delivering
of him up to the enemy. But fo great being the fuccefs
of his enterprifes, he had the honor of obtaining more
days of fupplication, and thofe more frequently, than
had ever before been decreed to any commander.
XXV. During nine years in which he held the mi-
litary coiUmand, his atchievements were the following,
lie reduced all Gaul, bounded by the Pyrenean foreft,
the Alps, mount Gehenna, and the two rivers of the
8 Rhine
JULIUS C^SAR.
21
Rhine and Rhone, being about three thoufand two hun-
dred miles in compafs, into the form of a province, ex-
cepting only the allies of the republic, and fuch nations
as had merited his favor ; impofing upon this new ac-
quifition an annual tax of forty millions of feherces.
He firjR; of all the Romans pafled the Rhine by a bridge
againft the Germanic nations, and defeated them in fe-
veral engagements. He likewife invaded the Britons,
a people formerly unknown, of whom, after he had
overthrown tliem In battle, he exa£ted contributions and
hoftages, Amidfl fuch a feries of fuccefles, he experi-
enced only three times any fignal difaffcer: once in Bri-
tain, when his fleet was almoft deflroyed by a florm ; in
Gaul, at Gergovia, where one of his legions was put to
the rout; and in the territory of the Germans, his lieute-
nants Titurius and Aurunculeius were cut off by an am-
bufcade.
XXVI. During this period he loft his mother, whofe
death was followed by that of his daughter, and, net
long after, of his grand-daughter. In the mean time,
the Republic being alarmed by the murder of P. Clodius,
and the Senate pafling a vote that only one conful, name-
ly Pompey, fhould be chofen for the enfuing year, he
prevailed Vv^ith the Tribunes of the commons, who intended
joining him in nomination with Pompey, to propofe to
the people a bill, enabling him to ftand candidate for a
fecond Confulftiip in his abfence, when the term of his
command ftiould be near expiring ; that he might not be
obliged on that account to quit his province too foon, and
before the conclufion of the war. After he had attained
this objedl, carrying his views ftill higher, and animated
with the hopes of fuccefs, he omitted no opportunity of
gaining univerfal affedion, by a6ls of generofity and
C 3 kindnefs
THE LIFE OF
ai
kindnefs to individuals, both in public and private. With
money raifed from the fpoils of the war lie began to con-
fliu6l a new Forum ; the ground-plot of which cofl: hirn
above a hundred millions of feflerces. He promifed the
people a public entertainment of gladiators, and a feah:
in memory of his daughter, which none before him had
ever given. The more to ralfe their expedlations on
this occafion, though he had agreed with vi6luallers of all
denominations for his feafl, he made yet farther prepa-
rations in private houfes, in different quarters of the city.
He iffiied an order, that the moll: celebrated gladiators,
if at any time during the combat they incurred the dif-
pleafure of the public, Ihould be immediately carried off
by force, and referved for fomie future occafion. Young
gladiators he trained up not in the fchool, and by the
mailers of defence, but in gentlemen’s houfes, by Ro-
man knights, and even Senators, ikilled in the ufe of
arms j earneflly requeiling them, as appears from his
letters, to take upon themfelves the trouble of inilrudl-
ing and forming thofe novitiates to the difcipline of the
combat. He doubled the pay of the legions in perpe-
tuity ; allowing them likewife corn, when it was in
plenty, without any reilridlion ; and fometimes diilribut-
ing to every foldier in his army a ilave, and a portion of
land, or a houfe,
XXVII. To maintain an alliance and a good under-
flanding with Pompey, he offered him in marriage his
filer’s grand-daughter Odlavia, who had been married
to C. Marcellus, and requeiled for himfelf his daughter,
lately contradled to Fauilus Sylla. Every perfon about
him, and a great part likewife of the Senate, he obliged
by the loan of money at low interefl; or none at all ; and
to all others who came to wait upon him, either from in-
vitation
JULIUS CJESAR.
23
vitation or of their own accord, he made liberal prefents;
not negledling even freedmen and flaves, who were fa-
vorites with their mafters and patrons. He was, befides,
the flgnal protedlor and fupport of all perfons under pror
fecution, or in debt, or prodigal young gentlemen ; ex-
cluding from his beneficence only thofe who were fo
deeply immerfed in guilt, poverty, or luxury, that it was
impoffible eftedlually to relieve them. Thefe, he openly
declared, could derive no benefit from any other means
than a civil v/ar,
XXVIll. He endeavored with equal afliduity to en-
gage in his interefl: princes, and provinces, In every part
of the known world ; prefenting fome with thoufands
of prifoners, and fending to others the afliflance of
troops, at whatever time and place they defired, without
any authority for fuch extraordinary adls, either from
the Senate or people of Rome. He likewife ornamented
with magnificent public buildings the moll: potent cities
not only of Italy, Gaul, and Spain, but of Greece and
Afia ; until all people being now aftonifhed, and fpecu-
latlng on the obvious tendency of thofe proceedings,
Claudius Marcellus the Conful, declaring firft by procla-
mation, that he intended to propofe a meafure of the ut-
mofl Importance to the public, made a motion in the Senate
that fome perfon fliould be appointed to fucceed Crefar
in his province, before the term of vice-gerency was
expired, becaufe the war was brought to a conclufion,
and the vi6lorIou3 army firoiild be difbanded. He far-
ther moved, that Csefar being abfent, his fuit at the
next eledlion of Confuls fliould not be admitted, as the
expedient pradlifed by Pompey could not infringe the va-
lidity of the law which had been made by the people for
that purpofe. The fadf was, that Pompey in his law
C 4 relating
THE LIFE OF
?4
relating to the choice of chief magih: rates, had forgot to
except Csefar, in the article in which he declared all
fuch as were not prefent incapable of being candidates
for any poft jn the government ; and foon after, when
the law was infcribed upon a copper-plate, and depo-
fited in the trcafury, he corredled his miftake. Marcel-
lus, not content with depriving Csefar of his provinces,
and the favor intended him by Pompey, likewife, moved
the houfe, that the freedom of the city fhould be taken
from thofe colonifts whom, by the law of Vatinius, he.
had fettled at Novum Comum * ; becaufe it had been
conferred upon them with an ambitious view, and in ex-
prefs contradiction to the ftatute.
XXIX. Csfar being alarmed at thefc proceedings,
and tliinking, as he was often heard to fay, that it would
be a more difficult enterprife to bring him dov/n, now
that he v/as at the head of the government, from the firft
rank of citizens into the fecond, than from the fecond to
the loweft of all, made a vigorous oppofition to this
meafure, partly by the Tribunes, who interpofed in his
behajf, and partly by Servius Sulpitius the other Conful,
The following year likewife, when C. Marcellus, who
fucceeded his coufin Marcus in the Confulfhip, purfued
the fame mcafures, Caefar, by means of a large fum of
money, engaged in hi§ defence ^milius Paulus, the
other Conful, and C. Curio, the mod violent in temper of
* Comum was a town of the Orobii, of ancient danding,
and formerly powerful. Julius Csefar added to it five thou-
fand new colonifts ; whence it was generally called Novo-
comum. But in time it recovered its ancient name, Comum ;
Pliny the younger, who was a native of this place, calling
it by no other name.
all
25
JULIUS C^SAR.
;iil the Tribunes. But finding the oppofition obftinately
bent againft him, and that the Confuls Ele6l were alfo of
the party, lie wrote a letter to the Senate, requefting that
they w^ould not obftrud the kind intentions exprefled by
the people towards him ; or elfc that the other generals
ihould refign the command of their armies as well as him-
Celf ; fully pevfuaded, as it is thought, that he could more
eafily call together his veteran foldiers, whenever he
pleafed, than Pompey could his new-raifed troops,
though favored with the influence of the government.
At the fame time, he made his adverfaries an ofler to
furrender eight of his legions and Tranfalpine Gaul,
upon condition that he might retain two legions, with the
Cifalpine province, or but one legion with Illyricum, till
fie fhould be elected Conful.
XXX. But as the Senate declined to interpofe in the
hufinefs, and his enemies declared that they would enter
into no compromife relative to the adrainiftration of the
Republic, he advanced into Hither Gaul, and having gone
the circuit of the province for the holding of aflizes, he
made a halt at Ravenna, refolving to avenge himfelf by
war, if the Senate fliould proceed to feverity againfl; the
Tribunes of the commons who had efpoufed his caufe.
And this was indeed his pretext for engaging In a war
with his country ; but it is fuppofed that there were other
motives for his condudl. Cn. Pompey ufed frequently
to fay, that becaufe he was not able, with all the riches
he poflfefled, to complete the works he had begun, and
anfwer, at his return, the vafl expedlations which he had
excited in the people, he wiflied to throw every thing into
confufion. Others pretend, he was apprehenfive of be-
ing called to an account for what he had done in his
firfl: Confulfnip, contrary to the aufpices, laws, and au-
thority
20
THE LIFE OF
thority of the Tribunes ; M. Cato having fometimes de*.
dared, and that too with an oath, that he would prefer an
impeachment againfl: him, as foon as he difbanded his
army. A report likewife prevailed, that if he returned a
private perfon, he would, like Milo, be tried with a guard
to attend the court. This conjedlure is rendered highly
probable by Afinius Pollio, who informs us that Csefar,
upon viewing the vanquiflied and ilaughtered enemy in
the field of Pharfalia, exprefied himfelf in thefe very
words : “ This they intended : I, Caius Caefar, after all
the great atchievements I have performed, rauft have under-
gone a fentence of condemnation, had I not defired the
afiifiance of my army.’^ Some think, that having con*
traded from long habit an extraordinary love of power,
and weighed his own and his enemies’ frrength, he em-
braced that occafion of feizing the government, of which
from his youth he had been ambitious. This feems to
have been the opinion entertained by Cicero, who tells
us in the third book of his Olnces, that Caefar ufed to
have frequently in his mouth two verfcs of Euripides,
which he thus tranflates ;
Nam li violandum eft jus, regnandi gratia
Violandum eft : aliis rebus pietatem colas.”
For nought but fov’reign pow’r tranfgrefs the laws
Of Right j nought elfe can fan6rify the caufe.
XXXT. When advice therefore was brought, that the
interpofition of the Tribunes in his favor had been utterly
rejeded, and that they themfelves had fled from the city,
he forthwith privately difpatched before 'him fome bat-
talions, and to prevent any fufpicion of his defign, he
attended at a public ftiew, examined the model of a fen-
cing fchool which he propofed to build, and, as ufual, fat
dow’U
JULIUS CiESAR. 27
flown to table with a numerous party of his friends. But
after fun-fer, having put to his chaife mules from a neigh-
bouring bake-houfe, he fet out on his journey with all
pofTible privacy, ami a fmall retinue. But his lights go-
ing out, he loll: his way, and wandered about a long
time, until by the help of a guide, whom he found to-
wards day-break, he proceeded on foot through fome nar-
row paths, and again reached the road. Coming up
with his troops on the banks of the Rubicon, which was
the boundary of his province, he made a flop ; when re^
volving in his mind for fome time the greatnefs of his at-
tempt, he turned to thofe about him : “ We may flill re-
treat,” faid he, “ but if we pafs this little bridge, we mull
make our way by force of arms.”
XXXII. While he was thinking on what he (hould
refolve, there happened the following incident. On a
fudden, a perfon of a graceful fize and figure appeared
hard by, fitting and playing upon a pipe. Whilil a great
many not only fhepherds but foldiers too upon duty,
and amongfl them fome trumpeters, flocked to hear him,
he fnatched a trumpet from one of them, ran to the
river with it, and founding an alarm wu'th a prodigious
blafl, advanced to the other fide. Upon this, Caefar
cried out, “ Let us march whither divine prodigies,
and the perverfenefs of our enemies call us. The die
is now cafl.”
XXXIII. Accordingly drawing his army over the
river, and attended by the Tribunes of the commons,
who, upon their being forced from the city, were come
Up to him, he, at the head of his troops, with tears in his
eyes, and his garment rent from his breafl, implored their
prote(5lion. It has been fuppofed, that upon this occafion
he
28
THE LIFE OF
he promifed to every foldier a knight’s eftate ; but that
opinion is founded in a miftake. For when, in his ha-
rangue to them, he frequently held out a finger of his
left hand, and declared, that to recompenfe thofe who
jfliould afiiil; him in the defence of his honor, he would
wdlhngly part even with his ring ; the foldiers at a di-
ftance, who could more eafily fee, than hear him, while
he fpoke, formed their conception of what he fald, by
the eye, not by the ear ; and accordingly gave out, that
he had promifed to each of them the privilege of wear-
ing the gold ring, and an eflate of four hundred thou-
fand fefierces*.
XXXIV. Of the tranfa6lions that enfued I fliall give a
curfory detail, in the order in which they occurred.
He took pofieflion of Picene, Umbria and Etruria ; and
having obliged L. Domitius, who had in the late con-
fufion been nominated to fucceed him, and kept Corfi-
nitim with a garrifon, to furrender, and difmifled him, he
marched along the coafi: of the upper fea, to Brundifium,
to which place the Confuls and Ponipey were fled, with an
intention to pafs the fea as foon as poflTible. After he had
endeavored by various means, but in vain, to prevent
their getting out of the harbour, he marched towards
Rome, where he delivered to the Senate his fentiments
* Suetonius here accounts for the miflake of the foldiers
with great probability. The clafs to which they imagined
they were to be promoted, was that of the Equites, or Knights,
who enjoyed the privilege of wearing a gold ring. The for-
tune neceflary to thofe who were chofen into this order, was
about 3229I. of our money. Great as was the liberality of
Casfar to his legions, the performance of this imaginary pro-
mife was beyoi.d all reafonable expectation.
upon
JULIUS C^SAR, 29
upon the prefent fituation of affairs ; and then went for
Spain, in which province Pompey had a numerous army,
under the command of three lieutenants, M. Petreius,
L. Afranius, andM.Varro ; declaring amongft his friends,
before he fet forward, “ That he was going againft an
army without a general, and fliould thence return againft
a general without an army.” Though his progrefs
was retarded both by the fiege of Marfeilles, which fhut
her gates againft him, and a very great fcarcity of corn,
yet in a fhort time he bore down all before him.
XXXV. He afterwards returned to the city, and paCT-
ing thence into Macedonia, blocked up Pompey during
almoft four months, within a line of ramparts of prodi-
gious extent, and at laft routed him in the battle of Phar-
falia. He purfued him in his flight to Alexandria, where
he was informed of his murder, and prefently found him-
felf engaged with king Ptolemy, who, he faw, had a de~
fign upon his life, in a very dangerous war, under all
the difadvantages of time and place. It was winter,
and he within the walls of a well provided fubtle enemy,
deftitute of every thing, and wholly unprepared for fuch
an embarraffing occurrence. He fucceeded how'ever in
his attempt, and put the kingdom of Egypt into the
hands of Cleopatra and her younger brother ; being afraid
to make it a province of the empire, left, under a turbu-
lent governor, it might afford a temptation to rebel againft
tlie Romans. From Alexandria he went into Syria, and
thence to Pontus, induced by advice which he had receiv-
ed of the progrefs of Pharnaces. This prince, who was
fon of the great Mithridates, had laid hold of the oppor-
tunity which the diftraclion of the times offered, for mak-
ing war upon his neighbours, and was greatly elevated
with his fuccefs. Him however Csefar, within five days
after
3^
THE LIFE OF
after entering his country, and four hours after coming
in fight of liim, overthrew in one decifive engagement*
Upon which, he frequently remarked to thofe about him
the good fortune of Pompey, who had obtained his repu-
tation for a foldier, chiefly from the conquefi: of fo un-
warlike an enemy. He afterwards defeated Scipio and
Juba, who were rallying the remains of the party in
Africa, and Pompey’s fons in Spain,
XXXVL During the whole courfe of the civil war,
he never once experienced any difafter, except in the
perfon of his lieutenants ; of whom C. Curio loft his life
in Africa, C. Antonius was made prifoncr in Illyricum,
P. Dolabella loft a fleet in the fame Illyricum, and Cn.
Domitius Calvinus an army in Pontus. In every en-
counter with the enemy where he himfelf commanded,
he came off with fuccefs, and without ever incurring the
hazard of a doubtful vidlory, except on two occafions :
once at Dyrrachium, when being obliged to give ground,
and Pompey notpurfuing his advantage, he faid, Pompey
knew not how to conquer.’* The other inftance hap-
pened in his laft battle in Spain, where, in defpair of fuc-
cefs, he even had thoughts of killing himfelf.
XXXVIl. For the viiftories obtained in the feveral
wars, he triumphed five different times ; after the defeat of
Scipio, four times in one month, but each fubfequent tri-
umph fncceeding the former by an interval of a few days ;
and once again after the conqueft of Pom pey’s^ fons. His
firft and moft glorious triumph was for his vidlories ob-
tained over the Gauls. The next for that of Alexandria,
the third for the redudllon of Pontus, the fourth for his Afri-
can viclory, and the laft for that in Spain ; all different from
each other in variety of furniture and pomp. On the day
of'
JULIUS CiESAR.
3^
of the Gallic triumph, as he was proceeding along the
ftreet called Velabrum, he narrowly efcaped a fall from
his chariot by the breaking of the axle-tree, and mount-
ed the Capitol by torch-light, forty elephants carrying
flambeaux on the right and left of him. Amongfl: the
pageantry of the Pontic triumph, this infcription was
carried before him : ‘‘ I came, faw, and overcame *
not fignifying, as other mottos on the like occafion,
what was done, fo much as the difpatch with which it
was done*
XXXVIII. To every foot-foldier in his veteran le-
gions, befide the two thoufand feflerces paid them in the
beginning of the civil war, he gave twenty thoufand more,
under the name of plunder. He likewlfe afligned them
lands, but not contiguous to each other, that the former
owners might not be entirely difpoflefled. T o the people of
Rome, befides ten modius’s of corn, and as many pounds
of oil, he gave three hundred feflerces a man, which he
had formerly promifed them, and a hundred each more,
for the delay in fulfilling his engagement. He likewife
remitted a year’s rent due to the treafury, for fuch houfes
in Rome, as did not pay above two thoufand feflerces a
year ; and through the refl of Italy, for all fuch as did
not exceed in yearly rent five hundred feflerces. To all
this he added a public entertainment, and a diflribution of
flefli, and, after his Spanifh vidlory, two dinners. For,
confidering the firfl as too fparing, and unfultable to his
gcnerofity^ he five days after added another, w'hich was
moft plentiful.
XXXIX. He exhibited to the people fliews of various
f ‘‘ Veni, vidi, vici.”
kinds :
V
THE LIFE OF
3^
kinds : fuch as a combat of gladiators and flage-plays
in the feveral wards of the city, and in feveral languages ;
Circenfian games f like wife, wreftlers, and the rcprefent-
ation of a fea-fight. In the fight of gladiators prefented
in the Forum, Furius Leptinus, a man of a Pr^torian
family, entered the lilts as a combatant ; as did alfo
Calpenus,
* Gladiators were firfi: publicly exhibited at Rome by two
brothers called Btutz, at the funeral of their father, in the
year from the building of the city 490 ; and for fome time
they were exhibited only on fuch occafions. But afterwards
they were given alfo by the magiftrates, to entertain the peo-
ple, particularly at the Saturnalia^ and feafis of Minerva. It '
is incredible what numbers of men were deftroyed upon
thofe occafions ; and fiill more, that women of quality, lay-
ing afide the foftnefs of their fex, became combatants at fuch
exhibitions, under fome of the emperors. Thofe ferocious
i’peftacles were prohibited by Conftantine, but not entirely
fupprefled until the time of Honorius.
f Circenfian games were Ihews exhibited in the Circus
Maximus, and confifted of various kinds : firfi, chariot and
horfe-races, of which the Romans were extravagantly fond.
The charioteers were diftributed into four parties, diftin-
guifiied by the color of their drefs. The fpe<ftators, without
regarding the fvviftnefs of the horfes, or the art of the men,
were attra<5Ied merely by one or other of the colors, as caprice
inclined them. In the time of Jufiinian, no lefs than thirty
thoufand men lofi their lives at Conftantiriople, in a tumult
raifed by a contention araongft the partizans of the feveral
colors. Secondly, contefis of agility and ftrength ; of which
there were five kinds, hence called Pentathlum. Thefe
were, running, leaping, boxing, wreftling, and throwing the
Aifcus or quoit. Thirdly, Ludus Trojae, a mock-fight, per-
formed by young noblemen on horfeback, revived by Julius'
Csefar, and frequently celebrated by the fucceeding empe-
rors.'
JULIUS c^sar;
33
Q^Calpenus, formerly a Senator, and a pleader of caufes.
The Pyrrhic dance was performed by fome youths, w'ha
were fons to perfons of the firft diftindtion in Afia and
Pithynia. Decimus Laberius adled a mimic piece of his
own ; and being immediately prefented with five hundred
thoufand fefierces, and a gold ring, he went from the ftage,
through the orcheftra, into the feats allotted for the equeL
trian order. In the Circenfian games, the Circus being en-
larged at each end, and a canal funk round it, feveral of
the young nobility rode the races in chariots, drawn, fome
by four, and others by two horfes, and likewife on fingle
rors. We meet with a defcrlption of it in the fifth book of
the iEneid, beginning with the following lines ;
Incedunt pueri, pariterque ante ora parentum
Fraenatis lucent in equis: quos omnis euntes
Trinacriae mirata fremit Trojsque juventus.
Fourthly, Venatio, which was the fighting of wild beafis
with one another, or with men called BeJIiarii^ who were
either forced to the combat by way of punifliment, as the pri-
mitive Chriftians were ; or fought voluntarily, either from
a natural ferocity of difpofition, or induced by hire. An
incredible number of animals of various kinds were brought
from all quarters, at a prodigious expence, for the entertain-
ment of the people. Pompey, m his fecond Confulfiiip, ex-
hibited at once five hundred lions, which were all difpatched
in five days; alfo eighteen elephants. Fifthly, the reprefen-
tation of a horfe and foot battle, with that of an encamp-
ment or a fiege. Sixthly, the reprefentation of a fea-fighc
(Naumachia), which was at firft made in the Circus Maximus y
but afterwards oftener elfewhere. The combatants were
ufually captives or condemned malefactors, who fought to
death, unlefs fared by the clemency of the emperor. If
any thing unlucky happened at the games, they were renew-
ed, and often more than once.
D
horfes.
34
THE LIFE OF
horfes. The Trojan game was a6led by two diflln£l
companies of boys, one difFering from the other in point
of flature. The hunting of wild bcafls was prefented
for five days fucceilively ; and at laft a battle fought by
five hundred foot, twenty elephants, and thirty horfe
on each fide. For the accommodation of this fpedlacle
the goals were removed, and in their room two camps
were pitched, dire6lly oppofite to each ot;her. Wreftlers
likewife performed for three days fucceffively, in a ftadi-
um provided for the purpofe in the Campus Martius. In
a lake funk in the lefler Codeta, Tyrian and Egyptian
fleets, confiiling of fhips of two, three, and four banks
of oars, with a number of men on board, afforded an ani-
mated reprefentation of a fea-£ght. To thefe various di-
verfions there flocked fuch crowds of fpedlators from all
parts, that mofl of them were obliged to lodge in tents
eredled in the (Ireets, or the roads near the city. Several
in the throng were fcjueezed to death, amongfl: whom
were two Senators.
XL. Turning afterwards his thoughts to the regula-
tion of the commonwealth, he corre6led the Calendar,
which had for fome time become extremely confufed,
through the unw^arrantable liberty which the prlefls had
taken in the article of Intercalation. To fuch a height had
this abufe proceeded, that neither the holidays defigned
for the harvefl: fell in fummer, nor thofe for the vintage
in autumn. He accommodated the year to the courfe of
the fun, ordaining that in future it fliould confifl of three
hundred and flxty-five days, without any intercalatory
month ; and that every fourth year an intercalatory day
fliould be inferted. That the year might thenceforth con>
mence regularly with the Calends, or firfl: of January, he
inferted tw^o months betwi.xt November and December ;
8 fo
JULIUS CiESAR.
35
fo that the year in which this regulation was made con-
fifled of fifteen months, including the month of intercala-
tion, which, acccording to the divifion of time then in
ufe, happened that year.
XLI. He filled up the vacancies in the Senate, advan-
ced feverai commoners to the dignity of patricians, en*
larged the number of Pr£etors,^,t]iles,Quaefi:ors, and infe-*
rior magiflirates likewife ; reftoring, at the fame time, fuch
as had been difgraced by the Cenfors, orconvi61:ed of briber
ry at eledlions. The choice of magiftrates he fo divided
with the people, that, excepting only the competitors for
the Confulfhip, they nominated one half of them, and he
the other. The method which he pracSiifed in thofe cafes .
was, to recommend fuch perfons as lie had pitched upon, by
bills difperfed through the feverai tribes to this effedl :
Caefar the Dictator to fuch a tribe (naming it). I recom-
mend to you — (naming iTkewife the perfons), that
by the faVor of your votes they may attain to the ho-
nors vvliich they refpe^tively fue for He likewife
admitted to offices the fons of fuch as had been proferibed;
He reftridted the trial of caufes to two orders of judges,
viz. the Equeftrian and Senatoria n ; excluding the commif-
lioners of the treafury who had before made a third clafs.
The furvey of the people he ordered to be taken neither
in the ufual manner, nor in the ufual place, but in the fe-
verai ftreets, by the principal inha.bitants ; and reduced
the number of thofe that received corn from the public^
* This is the firfi inllance We meet with in hiftory, of
having recourfe to the difiribution of hand-bills, for infiu-
encing the people at eledions. The inventive genius of
Cafar left no expedient untried that could ferve to promote
his purpofe*
D 2, from
3^
THE tiFE OF
from three hundred and twenty thoufand to a hundred and
fifty. To prevent any tumults on account of the furvey,
he ordered that the Praetor fhould every year fill up by
lot the vacancies occafioned by death, from thofe who
were not enrolled for the receipt of corn.
XLII. Eighty thoufand citizens having been diftribut-
ed into foreign colonies, he enadled, in order to compenfate
the deficiency, that no freeman of the city above twenty,
and under forty, who was not in the military fervice of
his country, fliould be abfent from Italy above three years at
a time : that no Senator’s fon fhould go abroad, unlefs in
the retinue of fome governor of a province ; and that thofe
who followed grazing, fliould have no lefs than a third
part of their fhepherds free-born. He likewife made all
fuch as pradlifed phyfic in Rome, and all teachers of
the liberal arts, free of the city, in order to fix them
in it, and invite others to the place. With refpedi to
debts, he difappointed the expe6tation which was enter-
tained, that they would be univerfally cancelled, a mea-
fure which had frequently been moved for; and ordered ,
that the debtors fhould fatisfy their creditors, according to
an eftimate of their eftates, by the rates at which they
w^ere purchafed before the commencement of the civil
war ; dedudfing from the debt fuch interefl: as had been
paid either in money or bills ; by virtue of which order
about a fourth part of the debt was lofl. He diflblved all
corporations of craftsmen, except fuch as wece of ancient
eflabliihment. He encreafed the punifhment of crimes
beyond what the laws had ordained; and becaufe the rich
were more eafily induced to tranfgrefs, from the circum-
flance of their being liable only to banifhment, without the
forfeiture of their efiates, he ftripped parricides, as Cicero
obferves, of their whole efiates, and otherl> of one half.
, XLIII.He
JULIUS C^SAR.
37
XLIII. He was extremely affiduous and in the
admlniflration of juftice. He expelled from the Senate
fuch members as were convi6led of bribery ; and he dif-
folved the marriage of a man of Praetorian rank, who had
married a lady two days after her divorce from a former
hufband, though there was no fufpicion that they had
been guilty of any unlawful commerce. He impofed duties
upon the importation of foreign goods. The ufe of lit-
ters for travelling, fcarlet cloaths, and jewels, he permit-
ted only to perfons of a certain age, and on particular
days. He enforced a rigid execution of the fumptuary
laws ; placing fpies about the fharables, to feize upon all
meats expofed to fale contrary to the ftatutes on that fub-
je6f, and bring them to him ; fometimes fending his fer-
jeants and foldiers to fetch off fuch victuals as had
efcaped the notice of his fpies, even when they were upon
the table.
XLIV. His thoughts were now daily employed on
a variety of great proje61:s, for the embellifhment and
convenience of the city, as well as for fecuring and ex-
tending the bounds of the empire. In the firfl place, he
meditated the conftru6Iion of a temple to the God Mars,
which Ihould exceed in grandeur every thing of that kind
in the world. For this purpofe, he intended to fill up
the lake on which he had entertained the people with a .
fea-fight. He alfo proje6led a moil; fpacious theatre
clofe by the Tarpeian mount: to reduce the- civil law
into reafonable compafs, and out of that immenfe and un-
digefled mafs of ftatutes, to extra^l: the beft and moft
neceffary parts into a few books: to make as large a
colle^Slion as poflible of literary produdlions, in the
two languages, Greek and Latin; having, afiigned to
Varro the province of providing and putting them
D 3 in
THE LIFE OF
33
in proper or^er. He intended likewife to drain the
Pomptine rnarfh, to empty the lake Fucinus, to make
a caufeway from the Upper Sea, through the ridge of
the Appennine, to the Tiber ; to make a cut through the
iflhmus of Corinth, to reduce the Dacians, who had
over-run Pontus and Thrace, within their proper limits,
•and then to make war upon the Parthia ns, through the
LefTer Armenia, but not to rifk a general engagement
with them, until he had made fome trial of their mili-
tary qualifications. But in the midfi: of all his projeds,
he was carried ofF by death ; before I fpeak of which,
it may not be improper to give a brief account of his
perfon, drefs, and manners, with his views and inclina-
tions, refpefting affairs both civil and military.
.XLV, He is faid to have been tall, of a fair com-
plexion, round limbed, rather full faced, with eyes black
and lively, very healthful, except that, towards the end
of his life, he would fuddenly fall into fainting-fits,
and be frighted in his fleep. He was likewife twice
feized wdth the falling ficknefs in the time of battle. He
was fo nice in the care of his perfon, that he had not
only the hair of his head cut, and his face fhaved with
great exa6tnefs, but likewife had the hair on other parts
of the body plucked out by the roots, a praiStice with
which fome perfons upbraidingly charged him. His
baldnefs gave him much uneafinefs, having often found
himfelf upon that account expofed to the ridicule of his
enemies. He therefore ufed to bring forward his hair
from the crown of his head ; and of all the honors con-
ferred upon him by the Senate and people, there was
none which he either accepted or ufed with greater plea-
fure, than the right of w'earing conftantly a laurel crown.
It is faid that he was particular in his drefs. For he
• ufed
JULIUS CiESAR.
39
iifed the Latus Clavus * with fringes about the wrifls,
and always had it girded about him but loofely. This
circumftance gave origin to the exprellion of Syila, who
often advifed the nobility to beware of “ the loofe-
coated boy.’*
. XLVI. He firft lived in Suburra in a fmall houfe;
but after his advancement to the Pontificate, in a houfe
belonging to the State in the Sacred Way. Many writers
fay that he affedfed neatnefs in his perfon, and nice-
nefs in his entertainments : that he entirely took down
again a country-feat, near the grove of Aricia, which he
eredfed from the foundation, and finilhed at a vafi: ex-
pence, becaufe it had not exactly fuited his fancy, though
he was at that time poor and in debt ; and that he carried
about in his expeditions marble pavement for his tent.
XLVII. They likewife report that he invaded Bri-
tain in hopes of finding pearls, the bignefs of which he
would compare together, and examine the weight by
polfing them in his hand : that he would purchafe at
any cofl: gems, carved works, and pidlures, executed
by the eminent mafiers of antiquity ; and that he would
give for handfome young flaves a price fo extravagant,
that he w^as alhamed to have it entered in the diary of
his expences.
XLVIII. The fame authors inform us, that he con-
Aantly kept two tables in the provinces, one for the of-
* The Latus Clavus was a broad ftripc of purple, in the
form of a ribbon, fewed to the tunic on the fore part. There
were properly two fuch ; and it was broad, to diftinguifli it
from that of the Equites, who wore a nan'ow one.
D 4
ficers
40
. THE LIFE OF
ficers of the army, or the gentlemen of the provinces,
and the other for fuch of the Roman gentry as had no
^ommiffion in the troops, and provincials of the firft di-
{liiKflion. He was fo very exadl; in the management of
his domeflic affairs, both fmall and great, that he once
put a baker in fetters, for ferving him with a finer fort of
bread than his guefis; and put to death a freed«man,
and a particular favorite, for debauching the lady of a
Roman knight, though no complaint had been made tp
him qf the affair.
RLIX, The only flain upon his chaftlty was his bcr
haviour in the court of Nicomedes ; and that indeed fluck
jclofe to him all the days of his life, and expofed him to
ipnch bitter raillery. I pafs over thofe well known vcrfe?
of v^alyus Licinius ;
Bithynia quicquid
Et paedicator Caefaris unquam habuit.
Whatever Bithynia and her Lord pofTefs’d,
Her Lord who Caefar in his luft carefs’d.
As well as the fpeeches of Dolabella and Curio the fa^
iher, in which the former calls him the queen’s rival,
pnd the back-fide of the royal couch,” and the latter,
the brothel of Nicomedes, and the Bithynian flew.” I
would likewife fay nothing of the edidls of Bibulus, in
which he proclaimed his colleague under the name of
the queen of Bithynia;” adding that he had formerly
been in love with a king, but was now wjthout a kingV
dom.” At which time, as M. Brutus relates, one Qdfa-
yius, a man of a crazy brain, and therefore the more
free in his raillery, after he had in a great afiembly L-
Jilted Pompey by the title of king, addreffed Caefar by
fhat of queen. C, Memmius likewife upbraided him
with
JULIUS CJESAR.
4;
n.vith ferving the king at table, among the refi; of his ca»r
tamites, in the prefence of a large company, in which
were fome merchants from Rome, the names of whom
he mentions. But Cicero, not content with writing in
fome of his letters, that he was condu61ed by the guards
into the king’s bed-chamber, lay upon a bed of gold with
a covering of fcarlet, and that the bloom of this defcend-
ant of Venus had been tarnilhed in Bithynia ; upon Cse-
far’s pleading the caufe of Nyfa, Nicomedes’s daughter,
before the Senate, and recounting the king’s kindneffes
to him, replied, “ Pray, tell us no more of that ; for
it is well known what he gave you, and you gave him.”
To conclude, his foldiers in the Gallic triumph, amongll
other verfes, fuch as they jocularly fung, in their at-
tendance upon the general’s chariot, on thofe occahons,
recited thefe, hnee that time become extremely com-
#non : i ' » '
Gallias Caefar fubegit, Nicomedes Caefarem :
Ecce Caefar ilunc triumphat, qui fubegirGaliias : '
Nicomedes non triumphat, qui fubegit Caefarem.
Caefar, the Gauls who vanquifh’d in the field,
Was made to fhame by Nicomede to yield :
A glorious triumph Caefar now employs.
But the Bithynian vi£lor none enjoys^ '
L. It is admitted by all that he was much addidfed to
women, as well as very expenfive in his intrigues with
them, and that lie debauched many ladies of the higheft
quality ; among whom were Pofthumia the wife of Ser-
vius Sulpicius, Lollia the wife of Aulus Gabinius, Ter-
tulla the wife of M. CraiTus, and likewife Mucia the wife
of Cn. Pompey. For it is certain that the Curio’s, father
and fon, and many others, objet^ed to Pompey in re-
proach, “ Tiiat, to gratify his anibition, he married the
' daughter
42
THE LIFE OF
daughter of a man, upon whofe account he had divorced
his wife, after having had three children by her, and
whom he ufed, with a heavy figh, to call ^gifthus/’
But the miflrefs whom of all he moll loved, was Servilia,
the mother of M. Brutus ; for whom he purchafed in his
ConfuHhip next after the commencement of their in-
trigue, a pearl which coft him fix millions of feflerces ;
and in the civil war, befides other prefents, confgned to
her, for a trifling confideration, fome valuable ellatcs in
land, which were expofed to public auction. When
many perfons wondered at the lownefs of the price,
Cicero facetioufly obferved, “ To let you know how
much better a purchafe this is than ye imagine, Tertia
is dedu6ted for Servilia was fuppofe’d to have proflituted
her daughter Tertia to Cajfar,
LI. That he had intrigues likewdfe with married wo-
men in the provinces, appears from this diftich, which
w'as as much repeated in the Gallic triumph as the for-
mer :
Urbani, fervate uxores; moechum calvum adducimus :
Aurum in Gallia effutuifti, heic fumpfifti mutuum.
Watch well your wives, ye cits, we bring a blade,
A bald -pate mafter of the wenching trade.
Thy gold was fpent on many a Gallic w e ;
Exhaufted nosv, thou corn’ll to borrow more.
LIT. In the number of his miftreflTes, were alfo fome
queens, fuch as Eunoe, a moor, the wife of Bogudes, to
whom and her hufband he made, as Nafo reports, many
large prefents. But his greateft favorite was Cleopatra,
with whom he often reveled all night till day-break, and
would have gone with her through Egypt in a pleafure-
boat, as far as ^Ethiopia, had not the anny refufed to foU
low
JULIUS C-SiSAR,
43
low him. He afterwards invited her to Rome, whence
he fent her back loaded with honors and prefents, and
gave her permiffion to call by his name a fon, who,
according to the teflimony of fome Greek hiiborians, re-
fembled Csefar both in perfon and gait. M.^ Anthony
declared in die Senate, that Csfar had acknowledged the
child as his ovv^ii ; and that C. Mattius, C. Oppius, and
the reft of Casfai ’s friends knew it to be true. On which
occafion Oppius, as if it had been an imputation w^hich
he was called upon to refute, publiftied a book to ftiew,
** that the child which Cleopatra fathered upon Caefar,
was not his.” Helvius Cinna, Tribune of the com-
mons, told feveral perfons as a fa6l, that he had a bill
ready draw'n up, which Csefar had ordered him to get en-
adled in his abfence, that, with the view of procuring
iflue, he might contradf marriage with any one female,
or as many as he pleafed ; and to leave no roOm for doubt
of his paflTing under an infamous chara6ler for unnatural
levvdnefs and adultery, Curio, the father, fays, in one of
his fpeeches, ‘‘ He was the hulband of every woman, and
the wife of every man.”
LITI. It is acknowledged even by his enemies, that
in refpedl of wine he was abftemious. A remark is
afcribcd to M. Cato, “ that he w'as the only fober man
amongft all thofe who were engaged in a defign to Sub-
vert the government.” For, in regard to diet, C. Oppius
informs us, he was fo indifterent for his own part, that
when a perfon in whofc houfe he was entertained, had
ferved him, inftead of frefh oil, with oil which had fome
fort of feafoning in it, and which the reft of the company
would not touch, he alone ate very heartily of it, that
he might not feem to tax the mafter of the houfe with in-
elegance or want of attention.
LIV. He
44
THE LIFE OF
LIV. He never difcovered any great regard to m ode-
ration, either in his comnaand of the army, or civil offices;
for we have the teftimony of fome writers, that he re-
queued money of the Proconful his predeceffior in Spain,
and the Roman allies in that quarter, for the difcharge of
his debts ; and fome towns of the Lufitanians, notwith-
flanding they attempted no refi fiance to his arms, and
opened to him their gates, upon his arrival before them,
he plundered in a hoflile manner. In Gaul, he rifled the
chapels and temples of the gods, which were filled with
rich prefents ; and demoliflied cities oftener for the fake
of plunder, than for any offence they had given him. By
this means gold became fo plentiful with him, that he ex-
changed it through Italy and the provinces of the empire
for three thoufand fefterces the pound. In his firfl Con-
' fulffiip he flole out of the Capitol three thoufand pound
weight of gold, and placed in the room of it the fame
weight of gilt brafs. He bartered likewife to foreign na-
tions and princes, for gold, the titles of allies and kings ;
and fqueezed out of Ptolemy alone near fix thoufand ta-
lents, in the nam*e of himfelf and Pompey. He after-
wards fupported the expence of the civil w’ars, and of his
triumphs and public fliows, by the moft flagrant rapine
and facrilege.
LV. In point of eloquence and military atchieve-
ments, he equalled at leafi, if he did not furpafs the greatefi:
men. After his profecution of Dolabella, he was in-
difputably efiieemed among the mofi diftinguifiied plead-
ers. Cicero, in recounting to Brutus the famous orators,
declares, “ he does not fee that Caefar was inferior to any
one of them ; that he had an elegant, fplendid, noble,
and magnificent vein of eloquence.*’ And in a letter to
C. Nepos, he writes of him in the following terms:
what !
JULIUS CiESAlt.
“ what ! which of all the orators, who, during the
whole courfe of their lives, have done ' nothing elfe/ean
you prefer before him ? which of them is ever more point-
ed in expreffion, or more often commands your ap-
plaufe ?” In his youth, he feems to have chofen Strabo
Csfar as his model : out of whofe oration for the Sardi-
nians he has tranfcribed fome paffages literally into his
Divinatio. He is faid to have delivered himfelf with a
fhrill voice, and an animated adlion, which was grace-
ful. He has left behind him fome fpeeches, among
which are a few not genuine ; as that for Metellus.
Thefe Auguftus fuppofes, and with reafon, to be the pro-
dudlion of blundering writers of fhort hand, who were
not able to follow him in the delivery, rather than any-
thing publifhed by himfelf. For I find in fome copies
the title is not “ for Metellus,” but “ what he wrote to
Metellus whereas the fpeech is delivered in the name
of Csefar, vindicating Metellus and himfelf from the afper-
fions call upon them by their common defamers. The
fpeech addrefled “ to his foldiers in Spain,” Auguflus
confiders likewife as fpurious. Under this title we meet
with two ; one made, as is pretended, in the firfi: battle, and
the other in the laft ; at which time Afmius Pollio fays,
he had not leifure to addrefs the foldiers, on account of
the fudden affault of the enemy.
LVI. He has likewife left Commentaries of his own
tranfadllons both in the Cjallic and the civil war with Pom-
pey; for the author of the Alexandrian, African, and Spanlfii
v/ars is not known with any certainty. Some think they
are the production of Oppius, and fome of Hirtius; the
latter of whom compofed the laft book, but an imper-
fect one, of the Gallic war. Of thofe memoirs of C$far,
Cicero in his Brutus fpeaks thus “ He wrote his memoirs
in
THE LIFE OF
46
in a manner that greatly deferves approbation : they are
plain, precife, and elegant, without any afFedlation of
ornament. In having thus prepared materials for fuch
as might be inclined to compofe his hiftory, he may per-
haps have encouraged fome filly creatures to enter upon
fuch a work, who will needs be drefling up his a<51ions
in all the extravagance of bombafl ; but he has dif-
couraged wife men from ever attempting- the fubje6i:.’'
Hirtius delivers his opinion of the fame memoirs in the
following terms : “ So great is the approbation with which
they are univerfally perufed, that, inflead of exciting, he
feems to have precluded the efforts of any future hiflo-
rian. Yet with regard to this fubjedi, w^e have more
rcafon to admire him than others : for they only know
ho\V well and corredlly he has written, but we know
likewife how ealily and quickly he did it.” Pollio Afi-
nius thinks that they were not drawn up with much care,
or with a due regard to truth : for he inlinuates that
Casfar was too hafty of belief with refped^ to what was
performed by others under him ; and that, in refpedf of
what he tranfa£ted in perfon, he has not given a very
faithful account ; either with defign, or through a defe6t
of memory ; expreffing at the fame time an opinion that
Cajfar intended a new and more corredf produ61ion on
the fubje(5t. He has left behind him likewife two books
of Analogy, with the fame number under the title of Anti-
Cato, and a poem entitled The Journey. Qf thefe books
he compofed the firfl two, in his paffage over the Alps,^
as he was returning to his army from holding the af~
fizes in Hither Gaul ; the fecond work about the time of
the battle of Munda ; and the laft during the four and
twenty days he was upon his expedition from Rome
to Farther Spain. There are extant fome letters of his
to the Senate, written in a manner never pra^lifed by any.
before
' »
JULIUS CiESAK. 47
before him : for they are diftinguiihed into pages in the
form of a pocket-book; whereas the Confuls and Generals,
till then," ufed conflantly in their letters to continue the
line quite acrofs the (heet, without any folding or diftinc-
tion of pages. There are extant likewife fome letters
from him to Cicero, and ethers to his friends concerning
his domeftic affairs ; in which, if there was occafion for
fecrefy, he ufed the alphabet in fuch a manner, that not a
fingle word could be made out. The way to decipher
thofe epiftles was to fubftitute d for and fo of the other
letters refpedfively. Some things likewife pafs under
his name, faid to have been written by him when a
boy, or a very young man ; as the Encomium of Her-
cules, a tragedy entitled CEdipus, and a colle^ion of
Apophthegms ; all which Auguftus forbid to be pub-
liihed, in a fhort and plain letter to Pompeius Macer, '
whom he had appointed to direct the arrangement of
his libraries,
LVII. He was a perfedl mafler of his weapons, a com-
plete horfeman, and able to endure fatigue beyond ail be-
lief. Upon a march, he ufed to go at the head of his
troops, fometimes on horfeback, but oftener on foot,
with his head bare in all kinds of weather. He would
travel in a poft-chaife at the rate of a hundred miles a day,
and pafs rivers in his way by fwimming, or fupported
with leathern bags filled with wind, fo that he often
prevented all intelligence of his approach.
LVin. In his expeditions, it is difficult to fay whe-
ther his caution or boldnefs was mofl confpicuous. He ne-
ver marched his army by a rout which was liable to any
ambuih of the enemy, without having previoufly examined
the htuation of the places by his fcouts. Nor did he pafs
over
•THE tIFE OF
48
over into Britain, before he had made due enquiry re-^
fpedbing the navigation, the harbours, and the moft con-
venient accefs to the ifland. But when advice was brought
to him of the fiege of a camp of his in Germany, he
made his way to his men, through the enemy’s guards,
in a Gallic habit. He croffed the fea from Brundifium
and Dyrrachium, in the winter, through the midft of the
enemy’s fleets ; and the troops which he had ordered to
follow him not making that hafte which he expecSled,
after he had feveral times fent meflTengers to expedite them,
in vain, he at lafk went privately, and alone, aboard a
a fmall veflel in the night time, with his head muffled up :
nor did he difeover who he was, or fuffer the mafter to
defifl: from profecuting the voyage, though the wind blew
ftrong againfl; them, until they were ready to fink.
LTX. He was never difeouraged from any enterprife,
nor letarded in the profecution of it, by any ill omens.
When a vidlim which he was about to offer in facriflee,
had made its efcape, he did not therefore defer his ex-
pedition againfl; Scipio and Juba. And happening to fall,
upon {lepping out of the fhip, he gave a lucky turn to the
omen, by exclaiming, “ I hold thee fall:, Africa.” In ri-
dicule of the prophecies which were fpread abroad, as if
the name of the Scipio’s was, by the decrees of fate, for-
tunate and invincible in that province, he retained in the
camp a profligate wretch, of the family of the Cornelii,
who, on account of his fcandalous iife^ was furnained
Salutio.
LX. He engaged in battle not only upon previous de-
liberation, but upon the fudden Avhen an oecafion pre-
fented itfelf ; often Immediately after a march, and fome-
times during the moft difmal weather, when nobody could
imagine
Julius c^sar*
49
Imagine he would flir. Nor was he ever backward in
fighting, until towards the end of his life, He then was
of opinion, that the oftener he had come oiF with fuccefs,
tlie lefs he ought to expofe himfelf to new hazards ; and
that he could never acquire fo much by any vi6lorv, as
he might lofe by a mifcarriage. He never defeated an
enemy whom he did not at the fame time drive out of
their camp ; fo warmly did he purfue his advantage, that
he gave them no time to rally their force. When the
ifTue of a battle was doubtful, he fent away all the of-
ficers’ horfes, and in the firft place his own, that being de-
pfived of that convenience for flight, they might be under'
the greater neceffity of {landing their ground.
LXI. He rode a very remarkable horfe, with feet aU
moft like thofe of a man, his hoofs being divided in fuch a
manner as to have fome refemblance to toes. This horfe
he had bred himfelf, and took particular care of, becaufe
the foothfayers interpreted thofe circumflances into au
omen, that the poiTefTor of him would be mafter of the
world. He backed him too himfelf, for the horfe would
fufFer no other rider ; and he afterw^ards erected a flatue
of him before the temple of Venus Genitrix,
LXIT. He often alone, by his courage and a61;ivity, re^
jflored the fortune of a battle ; oppofing and ftopping fuch
of his troops as fled, and turning them by the jaws upon
the enemy ; though many of ihem were fo terrified, that
a flandard-^bearer, upon his ftopping him, made a pafs at
him ; and another, upon a fimilar occafion, left his ftand-
ard in his hand.
LXIII. The following inftances of his refolution arc
equally, and even more remarkable. After the battle ot
E Pharfalia;
THE LIFE OF
5^
Pharfalia, having fent his troops before him into Afia, as
he v^^as pafTing the Hellefpont in a ferry-boat, he met with
L. Caflius, one of the oppofite party, with ten (hips of
war; whom he was fo far from avoiding, that he advan-
ced clofe up to him ; when, advifing him to furrender, and
the other complying, he took him into the boat.
LXIV. At Alexandria, in the attack of a bridge, being
forced by a hidden fally of the enemy into a boat, and fe-
veral hurrying in with him, he leaped into the fea, and
faved himfelf by fwimming to the next fhip, which lay
at the diftance of two hundred paces ; holding up his left
hand out of the water, for fear of wetting fome papers
which he held in it ; and pulling his general’s cloak after
him with his teeth, left it ftiould fall into the hands of the
enemy.
LXV. He never eftimated a foldicr by his manners
or fortune, but by his ftrength alone ; and treated them
with eq^ual feverity and indulgence ; for he did not always
keep a ftridl hand over them, except when an enemy was
near. Then indeed he was fo rigorous an exadlor of dif-
cipline, that he would give no notice of march or battle,
until the moment he was to enter upon them ; that the
troops might hold themfelves in readiiiefs for any hidden
movement ; and he would frequently draw them out of
the camp, without any neceftity for it, efpecially in rainy
weather, and upon holy-days. Sometimes, giving them
warning to w'atch him, he would fuddenly withdraw
himfelf by day or night, and would oblige tliem to long
marches, on purpofe to tire them, if they were tardy.
LXyi. When at any time his foldiei s weredifeouraged
by reports of tr.e great force of the enemy, he recovered.
them,
jtJLIUS CiESAR. 51
them, not by denying the truth of what was faid, of by
diminifhing the facSl, but oil the contrary, by exaggerat-
ing every particular. Accordingly, when his troops were
linder great apprehenlions of the arrival of king Juba, he
called them together, and faid, “ I have to inform you
that in a very few days the king will be here, with ten le-
• gions, thirty thoufand horfe, a hundred thoufand light-
armed foot, and three hundred elephants. Let none there-
fore prefume to make any farther enquiry, or to give their
opinion upon the fubje6t, but take my word for what I
tell you, which I have from undoubted intelligence; other-
wife I lhall put them aboard a crazy old veffel, and leave
them expofed to the mercy of the winds.
LXVIL He neither took notice of all their faults,
nor proportioned his punishments to the nature of
them. But after deferters and mutineers he made the
moH diligent enquiry, and punilhed them feverely :
other delinquents he would connive ,at. Sometimes,
after a fuccefsful battle, he would grant them a relaxa-
tion from all kinds of duty, and leave them to revel at
' pleafure ; being ufed to boaft, that his foldiers fought
nothing the worfe for being perfumed.” In his fpeeches,
he never addreffed them by the title of ‘‘ Soldiers,” but
by the fofter appellation of “ Fello w-foldiers and kept
them in fuch fine condition, that their arms were orna-
mented with Silver and gold, not only for the purpofe of
making the better appearance, but to render the foldiers
more tenacious of them in battle, from their value. He
loved his troops to fuch a degree, tl’iat when he heard of
the difafier of thofe under Titurius, he neither cut his
hair not lliaved his beard, until he had revenged it upon
the enemy ; by which means he engaged extremely their
afFedlion, and rendered t!iem to the lull; degree brave.
E 2 LXVIII. Upon
THE LIFE OF
5^
LXVIII. Upon his entering into the civil war, th^
centurions of every legion olFered, each of them to main-
tain a horfeman at his own expence, and the whole ar-
my agreed to ferve gratis, without either corn or pay ;
thofe amongft them who were rich charging themfelves
with the maintenance of the poor. No one of them, dur-
ing the whole courfe of the war, went over to the
enemy ; and moft of thofe who were made prifoners,
though they were offered their lives, upon the condition
of bearing arms againft him, refufed to accept the terms.
They endured want, and other hardfhips, not only when
themfelves were befieged, but when they belieged others,
to fuch a degree, that Pompey, when blocked up in the
neighbourhood of Dyrrachium, upon feeing a fort of
bread made of’an herb, which they lived upon, faid,
‘‘ I have to do wdth wild beafts,” and ordered it immedi-
ately to be taken away ; becaufe, if his troops fliould fee
it, they might be imprefled with a dangerous apprehen-
fion of the hardinefs and defperate refolution of the ene-
my. With what bravery they fought, one inflance af-
fords fufficient proof ; w^hich is, that after an unfuccefs-
ful engagement at Dyrrachium, they defired him to pu-
ni ih them ; infomuch that their general found it more
neceffary to comfort than puniiTi them. In othe rbat-
tles, in different parts, they defeated with cafe immenfc
armies of the enemy, though they were much inferior to
them in number. To conclude, one battalion of the
fixth legion held out a fort againft four legions belong-
ing to Pompey, during feveral hours ; being almoft every
one of them wounded, by the vaft number of arrows dif-
charged againH: them, and of which there w^ere found
within the ramparts a hundred and thirty thoufand. This
is no w^ay furprifmg, w^hen we confider the behaviour
of fomc individuals amongft them; fuch as that ofCaf-
fius
JULIUS CJESAR.
53
filis Scasva, or C. Acilius a common foldier. Scseva, af-
ter lie had an eye ftruck out, was run through the thigh
and the flioulder, and had his lliield pierced in a hun-
dred and twenty places, maintained obftinately tlie guard
of a gate in a fort, with the command of which he was
entrufted. Acilius, in the fea-hght at Marfeilles, having
feized a fltip of the enemy with his right hand, and that
being cut off, in imitation of that memorable inftance of
refolution in Cynaegirus amongO; the Greeks, leaped in-
to the lliip, bearing down all before him with the bofs of
his Ihield.
LXTX. They never once mutinied during all the ten
years of the Gallic war, but were fometimes a little refrac-
tory in the courfe of the civil war. They always how-
ever returned quickly to their duty, and that not through
the compliance, but the authority of their general : for
he never gave ground, but conftantly oppofed them on
fuch occafions. The whole ninth legion he difmilTed
with ignominy at Placentia, though Pompey was at that
time in arms ; and would not receive them again into
his fervice, until not only they had made the moft hum-
ble fubmiffion and entreaty, but that the ringleaders in the
mutiny were puniihed.
LXX. When the foldiers of the tenth legion at Rome
demanded their difeharge, and rewards for their fervice,
with great threats, and no fmall danger to the city, though
at that time the war was warmly carried on againft him
in Africa, he immediately, notwithftanding all the elForts
ot his friends, who endeavored to prevent him from
taking fuch a meaiure, came up to the legion, and dif»
banded it. ‘But addreffing them by the title of'^ Quiri-
tes,’^ inflead of “ Soldiqrs,” he by this fingle word fo
E 3 thoroughly
THE LIFE OF
f4
thoroughly regained their afFe^lions, that they immediate-
ly cried out, they were his “ foldiers,” and followed him
into Africa, though he had refuted their fervice. He
neverthelefs puniflied the moft feditious amongft them,
with the lofs of a third of their lhare in the plunder, and
the land which had beerj intended for them.
' \ ^
LXXI. In the fervice of his clients, while yet a young
man, he evinced great zeal and fidelity. 'He defended
the caufe of a noble youth, Mafintha, againfi; king Hi-
empfal, fo ftrenuoufly, that in a wrangle which happened
upon the occafion, he feized by the beard the fon of king
Juba ; and upon Mafintha being declared tributary to
Hiempfal, while the friends of the adverfe party were
violently carrying him oiF, he immediately refcued him
by force, kept him concealed in his houfe a long time,
and when, at the expiration of his Praetorfhip, he went
to Spain, he carried him with him in his litter, amidft
his ferjeants, and others who had come to attend and take
leave of him,
LXXII. He always treated his friends with that good
nature and kindnefs, that when C. Oppius, in travelling
with him through a forefi, was fuddenly taken ill, he
refigned to him the only place there was to lodge in at
night, and lay himfelf upon the ground, and in the open
air. When he had come to have in his own hands the
whole power of the commonwealth, he advanced fome
of his faithful adherents, though of mean extradlion, to
the highefi: pofts in the government. And when he was
cenfured for this partiality, he openly faid, “ Had I been
alfifted by robbers and cut-throats in the defence of my
honor, I fhould have made them the fame recom-
penfe.”
LXXIIL He
JULIUS C.LISAR,
ss
LXXIIL He never in any quarrel conceived fo im-
placable a refentment, as not very willingly to renounce
k when an opportunity occurred. Though C. Memmiiis
had publifhed fome extremely- virulent fpeeches againib
him, and he had anfwered him with equal acrimony, yet
he afterwards affifted him with his vote and intereft, when
he flood candidate for the Confulfhip. When C. Cal-
vus, after publifliing fome fcandalous epigrams againft
him, endeavored to eiFe61: a reconciliation by the inter-
ceflion of friends, he wrote of his own accord the flrfl
letter. And when Valerius Catullus, who had, as he
himfelf obferved, in his verfes upon Mamurra, put fuch
a flain upon his character as never could be obliterated,
begged his pardon, he invited him to flipper the fame
day; and continued to take up his lodging with his fa-*
ther occafionally, as he had been accuflomed to do,
LXXIV. His difpofltion was naturally averfe to feve-
rity in retaliation. After he had made the pirates, by
. whom he had been taken, prifoners, becaufe he had fworn
he would crucify them, he did fo indeed ; but previoully
to the execution of that fentence, ordered their throats
to be cut. He could never bear the thought of doing any
harm to Cornelius Phagitas, who had trepanned him in
tlie night, with the defjgn of carrying him to Sylla ; and
from w'hofe cuftody, not without much difficulty and a
larae bribe likewife, he had been aide to extricate hinn-
felf. Philemon, his fecrelary, who had made a promife
to his enemies to poifon him, he put to death only, with-
out torture. When he was fummoned as a witnefs
againfl P. Clodius, his wife Pompeia’s gallant, who was
profecuted for a pollution of religious ceremonies, he de-
declared he knew nothing of the affair, though his mo-
ther Aurelia, and his fifler Julia, gave the court an cxa6b
E 4 an4
THE LIFE OF
5^
and full account of the tranfa61;ion. And being allied,
why then he had divorced his wife ? “ Becaufe, faid he,
I would have thofe of my family untainted, not only wddi
guilt, but with the fufpicion of it Ijkewife. ”
LXXV, Both in the adminiftratlon of government,
and his behaviour towards the vanquifhed party in the
civil war, he /hewed a wonderful moderation and cle^
mency. And whilft Pompey declared that he would con-
iider all thofe as enemies, w^ho did not take arms in de-
fence of the republic, he defired it to be underBood, that
he /hould regard all thofe who remained neuter as his
friends. Jn refpedl of all thofe to whom he had, on Pom-
pey*s recommendation, given any command in the army,
he left them at perfedf liberty to go over to him, if they
pleafed. When fome propofals were made at Ilerda for
a furrender, which gave rife to a free communication be-^
tween the tw'o camps, and Afranius and Petreius, upon a
fudden change of refolution, had put to the fword all
Csfar’s men that were found in the camp, he fcorned
to imitate the bafe treachery which they had pradlifed
againfl himfelf. In the field of Pharfalia, he called out
to the foldiers to fpare their fellow-citizens,” and after-
wards gave liberty to every man in his army to fave an
enemy. None of them, fo far as appears, loft their lives
but in battle, excepting only Afranius, Faufttis, and young
Lucius C^far ; and it is thought that even they were put
to death without his confent. Afranius and Fauftus had
borne arms againft him, after their pardpu had been
granted them ; and L. Csefar had not only in the moft
cruel manner deftroyed with fire and fword his freedmen
and flaves, but cut to pieces the wild beafts which he liad
prepared for the entertainment of the people. And finally,
a little before his death, he granted liberty to all whom
he
JULIUS C.^SAR.
57
hc had not before pardoned, to return into Italy, and admit-
ted them to a capacity of bearing offices both civii and
military. He even erected again the flatues of Sylia and
Pompey, which had been thrown down by the populace.
And any machinations againft him, or refledtions upon
him, he chofe rather to put a flop to, than punifh. Ac-
cordingly, with regard to any confpiracies againft him
v/hich were difeovered, or nightly cabals, he went no
farther than to intimate by a proclamation that he knew
of them ; and as to thofe who indulged themfelves in
the liberty of refledling feyerely upon him, he only warn-
ed them in a public fpeecli not to perfift in their oblo-
quy. He bore wdth great moderation a virulent libel
written againft him by Aulus Caecinna, and the abufive
lampoons of Pitholaiis, molt highly refledting on his re-r
putation.
LXXVI. His other adtlons and declarations, however,
with regard to the public, fo far outweigh ail his good
qualities, that it is thought he abufed his power, and
was juftiy cut off. For he not only accepted of excef-
five honors, as the Confulfhip every year fucceffively,
the Didtatoriliip for life, and the Superintendency of the
public manners, but likewife the title of Imperator, and
the Father of his country, behdes a ftatue amongfi: the
kings, and a throne in the place allotted to the Senators
in the theatre. He even fuffered fome things to be de-
creed for him, that were unfuitable to the greatefl; of hu-
man kind ; fuch as a golden chair in the Senate-houfe,
and upon the bench when Ire fat for the trial of cauies,
a ftately chariot in the Circenfian proceffion, temples, al-
tars, images near the Gods, a bed of Hate in the temples,
a peculiar prieft, and a college of priefts, like thofe ap-
pointed in honor of Pan, and that one of the months
8 fnould
THE LIFE OF
58
fhould be called by his name. He ijideed both affumed
to himfelf, and granted to others, every kind of diftinc-.
tion at pleafure. In his third and fourth Confulfliip, he
had only the title of the office, being content with the
power of Didlator, wdiich was conferred upon him at
the fame time ; and in both years he fubftituted other
Confuls in his room, during the three laft months; fo that
in the intervals he held no affemblies of the people, for
the eledlion of magiflrates, excepting only Tribunes and
-^diles of the commons ; and appointed officers, under
the name of Przefedls, inftead of the Prastors, to admi-
niher the affairs of the city during his abfence. The
honor of the Confulffiip, which had juft become vacant
by the fudden death of one of the, Confuls, he inftantly
conferred, the day before the firft of January, upon a per-
fon who requefted it of him, for a few hours. With
the' fame unwarrantable freedom, regardlefs of the con-
ftant iifage of his country, he nominated the magiftrates
for feveral years to come. He granted the infignia of
the Confular dignity to ten perfons of Praetorian rank.
He called up into the Senate fome who had been made
free of the city, and even natives of Gaul, who were
little better than barbarians. He likewife appointed to
the management of the mint, and the public revenue of
the ftate, fome of his own fervants ; and entrufted the
command of three legions, which he left at Alexandria,
to an old catamite of his, the fon of his freed-man Ru^
finus.
LXXVII. He gave way to the fame extravagance In
his public convei fation, as T. Ampius informs us ; ac-
cording to whpm he faid, “ The commonwealth is no-
thing blit a name, without fubftance, or fo much as the
appearance of any. Sylla was an illiterate fellow to lay
down
JULIUS CiESAR.
59
(?own the Did^ator/hip. Men ought to be more cauti-
ous 'in their converfe with me, and look upon what I
fay as a law.” To fuch a pitch of arrogance did he
proceed, that when a footh-fayer brought him word,
that the entrails of a vidlim opened for facrihce were
without a heart ; he faid, ‘‘ The entrails will be more
favorable when I pleafe ; and it ought not to be regard-
ed as any ill omen if a beaft lliould be deftitute of a
Jieart/'
LXXVIll. But what brought upon him the greateft and
moft invincible odium, was his receiving the whole body
of the Senate fitting, when they came to wait upon him
before the temple of Venus Genitrix, with many honors
able decrees in his favor. Some fay, as he attempted to
rife, he w^as held down by Corn. Balbus. Others fay,
he did not attempt it at all, but looked fomewhat dif-
pleafed at C. Trebatius, who put him in mind of {landing
up. This behaviour appeared the more intolerable in
him, becaufe, when one of the Tribunes of the commons,
Pontius Aquila, would not rife up to him, as in his tri-
umph he paffed by the place where they fat, he was fo
much offended, that he cried out, “ Well then, mailer
Tribune, take the government out of my hands.” And
for fome days after, he never promifed a favor to any
perfon, without this provifo, “ if Pontius Aquila will
j^llpw of it.”
LXXIX. To this extraordinary affront upon the Se-
nate, he added an adlion yet more outrageous. For
when, after the facrifice of the Latin feflival, he w^as re-
turning home, amidfl the Inceffant and unufual accla-
mations of the people, one of the crowd put upon a»
flatue of him a laurel crown, with a white ribbon tied
round
6o
THE LIFE OF
round it, and the Tribunes of the commons, Epidlus
Maruilus, and Csefetius Fiavus, ordered the ribbon to be
taken away, and the man to be carried to prifon ; being
much concerned either that the mention of his advance-
ment to regal power had been fo unluckily made, or, as
he pretended, that the glory of refufing it had been thus
taken from him, he reprimanded the Tribunes very fe-
verely, and difmifTed them both from their office. From
that day forward, he was never able to wipe off the fcan-
dal of affe£ling the name of king ; though he replied to
the people, when they fainted him by that title, “ My
name is C^far, not King.” And at the feafi: of the Luper-
calia when the Coniul Anthony in the Roftra put a
crown upon his head feveral times, he as often put it
away, and fent it into the Capitol to Jupiter. A report
w^as extremely current, that he had a defigii of removing
to Alexandria or Ilium, wldther he propofed to transfer
the ftrength of the empire, to drain Italy by new levies,
and to leave the government of the city to be adminif-
tered by his friends. To this report it was added, that
in the next meeting of the Senate, L. Cotta, one of the
fifteen commiffioners entrufled with the care of the f Si-
byl’s
^ The Lupercalia was a fefiival, celebrated in a place
called Lupercal^ in the month of February, in honor of Pan.
Puring the folemnity, the Luperci^ or priefls of that God,
ran up and down the city naked, with only a girdle of goat’s
ikin round their waiff, and thongs of the fame in their
hands j with which they ffriick thofe they met, particularly
married women, who were thence iuppofed to be rendered
prolific.
f The origin of thefe celebrated books is faid to have
been as follows. A certain woman, named Amalth.sea, came
fiom a foreign country to Tarquinius Superbus, wiffiing to
fell
JUtlUS C^SAR.
6t
byl^s books, would make a motion In the houfe, that as
there was in thofe books -a prophecy, that the Parthiaiis
fell nine books of Sibylline or prophetic oracles. Upon
Tarquin’s refufal to give her the price which die alked, die
went away and burnt three of them ; returning foon 'after,
and demanding the fame price for the remaining fix. • Being
now ridiculed by the king, as a fenfeiefs old woman, die
went, and burnt other three; and coming back, demanded^
as before, the fame price for the three which remained.
Tarqurn, furprifed at the ftrange conduft of the woman,
confulted the Augurs what he diould do. They, regretting
the lofs of the books which had been dedroyed, advifed the
king to give the price required. The woman therefore de--
livered the books, and having defired them to be carefully
kept, difappeared. Tarquin committed the care of thofe
books to two men of illullrious birth, 'one of whom, prov-
ing unfaithful to his truft, he is faid to have punidied, by
ordering him to be fewed up alive in a fack, and thrown into
the fea ; the mode of punifliment afterwards infli6led upon
parricides. The number of perfons appointed to the care of
thofe oracles was iiicreafed, at different times, to ten, fif-
teen, and by Julius Caefar to fixteen. The Sibylline books
were fuppofed to contain the fate of the Roman govern-
ment, and therefore, upon occafions of public ganger or
calamity, the keepers were frequently ordered by the Senate
to confult thofe oracular produdlions. They were depofit-
ed in a done chefl, under ground, in the temple of Jupiter -
Capitolinus ; but the Capitol being burnt in the time of the
Marfic war, the Sibylline books perifhed with it. To fup-
ply this lofs, w^e are informed by Tacitus that am-baffadors
were fent every where to'colledt the oracles of the Sibyls ;
for there were other 'women of this denomination befides
Amalthaea who came to Tarquin. One of them, the Ery-
thrsean Sibyl, Cicero tells us, ufed to utter her oracles with
fuch ambiguity, that whatever happened, die might feem to
have predicted it.
fliould
THE LIFE OF
fKould never be fubdued but by a king, Ctefar ihould have
that title conferred upon him.
LXXX. ThivS was the reafon why the confpirators
againft his life precipitated the execution of their dehgn,
left they fhould be obliged to comply with the propofal.
Inftead therefore of caballing any longer feparately, in
fmall parties, they now united their .counfels ; the people
themfelves being diflatisfied with the prefent ftate of af-
fairs, both privately and publicly condemning the ty-
ranny under which they labored, and calling out for
fome patriots to aftert their caufe againft the ufurper.
Upon the admiflion of foreigners into the Senate, ' a
billet was pofted up in thefe words : “ A good deed :
that no one fhould fhew a new Senator the way to the
houfe.’^ Thefe verfes were likewife currently repeated ;
Gallos Csefar in triumphum ducit ; iidem in curia
■ Galli braccas depofuerunt, latum clavum fumpferunt.
The vanquilh’d Gauls, triumphant from diftrefs,
Flave chang’d their braces for Patrician drefs.
When (T Maximus, who had been deputed by him
for the laft three months of his Confulfliip, entered the
theatre, and his ofticer, according to cuftom, bid the
people take notice who was coming, they all cried out,
“ He is no Conful.” After the removal of Caefetius and
Marullus from their office, they were found to have
a great many votes at the next eledlion of Confuls.
Some wrote under the ftatue of L. Brutus, “ Would
you were alive 1” and under the ftatue of Casfar him-
i’elf thefe lines :
Brutus, quia reges ejecit, Conful primus fadlus eft:
Hie, quia Confules ejecit, rex poftremo faitus eft.
Brutu?,
Julius C^SAR*
^3
iBrutus, becaufe he drove the royal race
From Rome, was firft made Conful in their place, ^
This man, becaufe he put the Confuls down,
Has been rewarded with a regal crown.
Above fixty perfons were engaged in the confpiracy
againft him, the chief of whom were C. Caflius, M. and
Decimus Brutus. It was at firft debated amongft them,
whether they Ihould attack him in the Field of Mars,
as he was fummoning the tribes to vote, and fome of them
fhould throw him off the bridge, whilft others fhould be
ready to ftab him upon his fall ; or elfe in the Sacred '
Way, or in the entrance of the theatre. But after pub-
lic notice was given by proclamation for the Senate to
aflemble upon the Ides of March, in the Senate-houfe
built by Pompey, they approved both of the time and
place, as mofl proper for their purpofe.
LXXXL Caefar had warning given him of his fate
by feveral plain prodigies. A few months before, when
fome of the colony fettled, by virtue of a law propofed
by himfelf, at Capua, were demolifhing fome old fepui-
clires, for the building of country-houfes, and were the
more eager in that work, becaufe they difeovered fome
vefTels of antique workmanfhip; a table of brafs was
found in a tomb, in which Capys the founder of Capua
was faid to be buried, with an infeription in the Greek
language to this efFedt : “ Whenever the bones of Capys
come to be difeovered, a defeendent of Julus will be flain
by the hands of his relations, and his death revenged by
dreadful devaftatlons throughout Italy. Left any per-
fon fhould regard this anecdote as a fabulous ftory, it
was circulated upon the authority of C. Balbus, an inti-
mate friend of Csfar’s. A few days likewife before his
death, fome horfes, which, upon his paiTing the Rubi-
' con.
THE ilFE Of
H
con, he had confecrated, and Ipt loofe to graze wlfhotit
any keeper, he was informed, abhained entirely from
eating, and wept Gopioiiily. The footh-fayer Spurinna^
upon the credit of fome ominous appearances in a facri-
fice which he was offering, advifed him to beware of
danger ; othefwife that fome mifchief wocld befall him
before the Ides of March were over. The day immedi-
ately preceding the Ides, birds of various kinds from a
neighbouring grove, purfuing a wren which flew into
Pompey’s Senate-houie, with a fprig of laurel in its bili,
tore it there all in pieces. 7'he night too before the day
of his being flain, he dreamed that he had got above the
clouds, and had fhaken hands with Jupiter. His wife
Calpurnia fancied in her fleep that the roof of the houfe
was tumblino; down, and her hufband flabbed in her bo-
fom ; immediately upon which the chamber-doors flew
open. On account not only of thefe omens, biU his
bad flale of health, he was in fome doubt whether he
ihould not keep at home, and delay to fome other time
the bufinefs which he intended to propofe to the Senate ;
but Decimus Brutus advifmg him not to difappoint the
Senators who were met in a full houfe, and waited his
coming, he was prevailed upon to go, and accordingly
fet forward about five o’clock. In his way, there was
put into his hands a paper, containing an account of the
plot, which he mixed with fome other papers he held in
his left hand, as if he would read it by and by. Not-
withftanding vidlim after vidfim was flain, without any
favorable appearances in the entrails, he, difregarding.
all tliofe admonitions, entered the houfe, laughing at Spu-
rinna as a falfe prophet, becaufe the Ides of March were
come, tvithout any ’mifchief having befallen him. To
which the footh-fayer replied, They are come, indeed,
but not part,”
LXXXIL When
JULIUS CiESAR.
6S
LXXXIT. When he had fat down, the confpirators
gathered about him under color of paying their com-
pliments 5 and immediately Cimber T ullius, who had en-
gaged to begin the onfct, advancing nearer than the rehj
as if he had fome favor to requefl; of him, Csefar made
figns to him to defer it to fome other time. The former
immediately feized him by the toga, upon both fboulders ;
at which the latter crying out, “ This is plain violence,’^
one of the CafTius’s wounded him a little below the throat.
Cffifar laid hold of him by the arm, and ran it through
with his ftyle ; and endeavoring to rufh forward, was
hopped by another wound. Finding himfelf now attacked
on all hands with drawn fwords, he wrapped up his head
In his toga, and at the fame time drew the lap of it over
his legs, that he might fall the more decently, with the
lower part of his body covered. He was ftabbed with three
and twenty wounds, fetching a groan only upon the firft
wound ; though fome authors relate, that when M. Bru-
tus came upon him, he faid, “ MHiat * art thou one of
them too, thou, my fon f ?’’ The confpirators difperfing
themfelves
* The Jtylus or graphium Was an iron pencil, broad at one
end, with a fliarp point at the other, ufed for writing upon
waxen tables, the leaves or bark of trees, plates of brafs, or
lead, &c. For writing upon paper or parchment, the Ro-
mans employed a reed, fliarpened and fpiit in the point like
our pens, called calafmis, arundo^ or canna. This they dip-
ped in a black liquor emitted by the cuttle hfli, and which
ferved them as ink.
f This paftage is tranflated as it hands in moft of the edi-
tions of Suetonius: but thefe words are not in the Salmafian
copy, and I am hrongly inclined to rejeft their authority.
It is extremely improbable that Csefar, ^who had never before
avowed Brutus to be his fon, ilmuld make fo unnecefTaiy
F an
66
THE LIFE OF
themfelves upon the perpetration of the ad:, he lay fof
fome time after he was dead, until three of his flaves put
the body into a chair, and carried it home, with one of
the chair-poles hanging lower than the refl, for want of
a fourth man to bear it. Amongfl: fo many wounds, there
was none mortal, in the opinion of the furgeon Antiftius,
but the fecond, which he received in the breafl. The con-
fpirators once intended to drag his body, after they had
killed him, into the Tiber, to confifeate his eflate, and
cancel all the ads of his adminiftration ; but from fear of
M. Antony, and Lepidus, Mafler of the horfe to Caefar
as Didator, they relinquifhed the defign.
LXXXIII. At the inflance of L. Pifo his father-in-
law, his will was opened and read in M. Antony’s houfe,
which he had made on the Tdes of the preceding Septem-
ber, at a country-feat of his near Lavicum, and had com-
mitted to the cuftody of the cldefl of the Veflal Virgins.
Tubero informs us, that in all his wills, made from
the time of his firfl: Confuifliip to the breaking out of the
civil war, Cn. Pompey was his heir, and the fame was
notified in a public manner to the army. , But in his lafl,
he named three heirs, thegrandfons of his fiftersj C. Oc-
an acknowledgement to that purpofe, at the moment of his
death. Exclufive of this objection, the apoflrophe feems
too verbofe, both for the fuddennefs and celerity of the oc-
cafion. But this is not all. Can we fuppofe that Caefar,
though a perfed mafler of the Greek, would at fuch a time
have exprefled liimfelf in that language, rather than the
Latin, his familiar tongue, and in which he fpoke with pe-
culiar elegance ? Upon the whole, the probability is, that
the words uttered by Caefar were, Et tu Brute ! which, while
equally expreflive of aftonifliment with the other, and even
of tendernefs, are both more natural, and more emphatic.
tavius
JULIUS C^SAR. 67'
tavius for three fourths of his eftate, and L. Pinarius
and Pedius for the fourth between them : the other
heirs in remainder were fpecified towards the conclufion
of the will. He likewife adopted C. 06lavius into his fa-
mily, with an intention that he fhould affume his name*
Moft of thofe who were concerned in his death he had
named amongft the guardians of his fon, if he fhould have
any ; and D. Brutus amongft the fecond heirs. He left as a
legacy to the people his gardens near the Tiber, and three
hundred fefterces each man.
LXXXIV. The time for his funeral being fixed by
proclamation, a pile was eredted in the Field of Mars,
near the tomb of his daughter Julia ; and before the Rof*
tra a gilt tabernacle, in the form of the temple of Venus
Genitrix ; within which was an ivory bed, covered with
fcarlet and cloth of gold. At the head was a trophy,
with the garment in which he was flain. Becaufe it was
thought that the whole day would not be fulficient for
carrying in folemn proceflion before the corpfe the fune-
ral oblations, dire£lions were given for every one, with-
out regard to order, to carry them into the field by
what way they pleafed. In the plays adfed at the fu-
neral, feveral paflages, to raife pity and indignation at
his death, were fung from Pacuvius’s tragedy, entitled,
“ The Trial for Arms.’^
Men’ me fervafle, ut effent qui me perderent ?
That ever I, unhappy man, fliould fave
Wretches, that thus have brought me to the grave !
And fome paftages likewife out of Attilius’s tragedy, call-
ed Eledra, to the fame efFedl. Inftead of a funeral pane-
gyric, the Conful Antony ordered a crier to read aloud
Fa to
68
THE LIFE OF
to the company, the decree of the Senate, in which they had
beftowed upon him ^11 honors divine and human, with the
oath by which they had engaged themfelves for the defence
of his perfon ; and to thefe he added only a few words of
his ov/n. The magiftrates, and others who had former-
ly been in the fame capacity, carried the bed from the
Roftra into the Forum. While fome propofed that the
body fhould be burnt in the moft facred apartment of the
temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and others in Pompey’s Se-
nate-hoiife ; on a fudden two men, with fwords by their
fides, and each a couple of lances in their hands, fet fire
to the bed with lighted torches. Immediately the whole
company prefent threw in dry faggots, the defks and
benches of the adjoining courts, and whatever came to
hand. Then the muficians and players ftripped off the
cloaths they had from the furniture of his triumphs for
the prefent occafion, tore them, and threw them into the
flames. His veteran foldiers iikewife call: in the armour,
which they had put on to attend his funeral. Mofl: of the
ladies did the fame by tlieir ornaments, with the bullas ^
and coats of their children. In this public mourning there
joined a multitude of foreigners, exprefling their forrow
according to the fafhion of their refpedfive countries ; but
efpecially the Jews, who for feveral nights .together fre-
quented the place where the body was burnt.
LXXXV. Immediately after the funeral, the populace
ran with torches to the houfes of Brutus and Caflius, and
were with difficulty obliged to retire. Going in quefl; of
The Bulla^ generally made of gold, was a hollow globe
which boys wore upon, their breafl:, pendent from a firing or
ribbon put round the neck. The foiis of freedinen and poorer
citizens ufed only globes of leather.
Cornelius
JULIUS C^SAR.
Cornelius Cinna, who had the day before in a fpeech re-
fledled feverely upon Csefar, and miftaking for him Hel-
vius Cinna, w’ho happened to fall into their hands, they
murdered the latter, and carried his head about the city on
the point of a fpear. They afterwards eredled a column
of Numidian' marble, coniifting of one ftone near tw'en-
ty feet high, and infcribed upon it thefe words, “ To the
Father of his Country T At this column they continued
for a long time to offer facrifices, make vows, and decide
Gontroverfics, ufing for that purpofe an oath by the name
of Csefar.
LXXXVT. Some of Caefar’s friends entertained a con-
jeddure, that he neither defired nor cared to live any long-
er, on account of his bad hate of health ; and for that rea-
fon flighted all the prognoftics of death, and the informa-
tion of his friends. Others are of opinion, that thinking
himfelf fecure In the late decree of the Senate, and their
oath, he difmiflTed his Spanifh guards that attended him
with their fwords. Others again fuppofe, that he chofe
. rather to encounter the dangers which threatened him on
all hands, than to be conflantly on his guard againfl;
them. Some tell us, he nfed to fay, that the public was
more interefled in the fafety of his perfon than himfelf :
for that he had for fome time been fatiated with power
and glory; but that the commonwealth, if any thing
fhould befall him, would not be quiet, and would involve
itfelf in another civil war upon worfe terms than before.
LXXXVII. This how’ever was generally admitted, that
his death was almoll; fuch a one as he defired might be his
fate. For upon reading the account delivered by Xenophon,
how Cyrus in his lafl; illncfs gave inftrudlions about his
funeral, not liking fo lingering a death, he wiflied that he
F 3 might
THE LIFE OF
70
might have a fadden and quick one. And the day before
he died, the converfation at table, in the houfe of M. Le-
pidus, turning upon what was the mofl eligible way of
dying, he gave his opinion in favor of a death that is fud-
den and unexpe6led,
LXXXVIII. He died in the hfty-fixth year of his age,
and was ranked amongfl: the Gods, not only by a formal
decree, but in the real perfuafion of the vulgar. For dur-
ing the games which his heir Auguftus gave in honor of
liis memory, a comet blazed for feven days togQther, rif-
ing always about eleven o’clock ; and it was fuppofed to
be the foul of Casfar, now received into heaven: for
which reafon likewife a ftar is reprefented upon the crown
of his flatue. The Senate-houfe in which he was flain,
was ordered to be kept clofe fhut, and a decree made that
the Ides of March fliould be called “ The Parricide,” and
the Senate fhould never more affemble upon that day.
LXXXIX. Scarcely any of thofe who were accelTary
to his murder, furvived him more than three years, or
expired by a natural death. They were all condemned by
the Senate : fome were taken off by one accident, fome by
another. Part of them perifhed at fea, others fell in bat-
tle : and fome flew themfelves with the fame poniard with
which they had flabbed Caefan
THE termination of the civil war between Caefar and
Pompey forms a new epoch in the Roman Hiflory, at
which a Republic, which had fubfifted with unrivalled
glory during a period of about four hundred and flxty
years.
JULIUS CMSAR,
71
years, relapfed into a ftate of defpotifm, whence it never
more could emerge. So fudden a tranfitioii from profpe-
rity to the ruin of public freedom, without the interven-
tion of any foreign enemy, excites a reafonablc conjec-
ture, that the conftitution in which it could take place,
however vigorous in appearance, muft have loft that
foundnefs of political health which had enabled it to en-
dure through fo many ages. A (hort view of its pre-
ceding ftate, and of that in which it was at the time of
the revolution now mentioned, will beft afcertain the
foundation of fuch a conjedbure.
Though the Romans, upon the expulfion of Tarquin,
made an eflential change in the political form of the ftate,
they did not carry their deteftation of regal authority fo
far as to abolilh the religious inftitutions of Numa Pom-
pilius the fecond of their kings, according to which,
the priefthood, with all the influence annexed to that or-
der, was placed in the hands of the ariftocracy. By this
wife policy a reftraint was put upon the flcklenefs and
violence of the people in matters of government, and a
decided fuperiority given to the Senate both in the delibe-
rative and executive parts of adminiftration. This ad-
vantage was afterwards indeed diminifhed by the creation
of Tribunes of the people ; a fet of men whofe ambition
often embroiled the Rej^ublic in civil diftentions, and who
at laft abufed their authority to fuch a degree, that they
became iiiftruments of aggrandifement to any leading men
in the ftate, who could purchafe their friendftiip. In
general, however, the majority of the Tribunes being
adluated by views which comprehended the interefts of
the multitude rather than thofe of individuals, they did
not fo much endanger the liberty as they interrupted the
tranquillity of the public ; and when the occafional com-
F 4 motions
THE LIFE OF
motions fubfided, there remained no permanent ground
for the eftablilliment of per-fonal ufurpation.
In every government, an objedl of the lafl; importance
to the peace and welfare of fociety is the morals of the
people ; and in proportion as a community is enlarged by
propagation or the acceffion of a multitude of new mem-
bers, a more ftri6l attention is requifite to guard againft
that difTolution of manners to which a crowded and^ex-
tenfive capital has a natural tendency. Of this the Ro-
mans became fenfible in the growing flate of the Republic,
In the year of the City 312, two magiflrates were firfl cre-
ated for taking an account of the number of the people,
and the value of their eflates ; and foon after they were In-
vefted with the authority not only of infpe6ling the mo-
rals of individuals, but of inflldling public cenfure for any
licentioufnefs of condu6t, or violation of decency. Thus
both the civil and religious inflitutions concurred to reflrain
the people within the bounds of good order and obedience
to the laws ; at the fame time that the frugal life of the
ancient Romans proved a ftrong fecurity againfl: thofe
vices which operate moft effectually towards gapping the
foundations of a ftate.
But in the time of Julius C^far the barriers of public
liberty were become too weak to reflrain the audacious
efforts of cfmbitious and defperate men. The veneration
for the conflitutlon, ufually a powerful check to treafon-
able deiigns, had been lately violated by the* ufurpations
of Marius and Sylla. The falutary terrors of religion
no longer predominated over the confciences of men. The
fha'me of public cenfure was extlnguilhed in general de-
pravity. An eminent hiflorian who lived in that time,
informs us, that venality univerfaliy prevailed amongft
the
JULIUS CiESAK.
*7 ■>
Jo
the Romans ; and a writer who flourlfhed foon after
obferves, that luxury and diffipation had encumbered aU
mod: all fo much with debt, that they beheld with a dc-
gree of complacency the profpedt of civil war and con-
fulion.
The extreme degree of profligacy at which the Romans
were now arrived, is in nothing more evident, than that
this age gave birth to the mod; horrible confpiracy w^’hich
occurs in the annals of human kind, viz. that of Cati-
line. This was not the projedl; of a few defperate and
abandoned individuals, but of a number of men of the
mod iiludrious rank in the date ; and it appears beyond
doubt, that Julius Csefar was acceflfary to the defign,
which was no lefs than to extirpate the Senate, divide
atnongd themfeives both the public and private treafures,
and fet Rome on £re. The caufes wdiich prompted to
this tremendous projeci', it is generally admitted, w^erc
luxury, prodigality, irreligion, a total corruption of man-
ners, and above all, as the immediate caufe, the prefiing
neceflity in which the confpirators were involved by their
extreme diffipation.
The enormous debt in which Csfar himfelf was early
involved, countenances an opinion that his anxiety to pro-
cure the province of Gaul proceeded chiefly from this
caufe. But during nine years in w^hich he held that pro-
vince, he acquired fuch riches as mud have rendered him,
without competition, the mod opulent perfon in the date.
If nothing more, therefore, than a fplendid edablifhment
had been the objedl of his purfuit, he had attained to the
fummit of his w’ifhes. But when we find him perfever-
ing in a plan of aggrandifement beyond this period of his
fortunes, we can alcribe his conduct to no other mo-
8
tiVC
74
THE LIFE OF
tive than that of outrageous ambition. He proje6led the
building of a new Forum at Rome, for the ground only
of which he was to pay 800,000 pounds : he raifed le-
gions in Gaul at his own charges : he promifed fuch en-
tertainments to the people as had never been known at
Rome from the foundation of the city. All thefe circuin-
flances evince forae latent defign of procuring fuch a por
pularity as might give him an uncontroied influence in
the management of public affairs. Pompey, we are told,
was wont to fay, that Caefar not being able, with all his
riches, to fulfil the promifes which he had made, wiflied
to throw every thing into confufion. There may have
been fome foundation for this remark ; but the opinion
of Cicero is more probable, that Caefar’s mind was fe-
duced with the temptations of chimerical glory. It is
obfervable that neither Cicero nor Pompey intimates any
fufpicion that Csfar was apprehenfivc of being impeach-
ed for his condudl, had he returned to Rome in a private
ffation. Yet, that there was reafon for fuch an appre-
henlion, the pofitive declaration of L. Domitius leaves
little room to doubt ; efpecially w^hen we confider the
number of enemies that Caefar had in the Senate, and the
coolnefs of his former friend Pompey ever after the death
of Julia. The propofed impeachment was founded upon
a notorious charge of profecuting meafures deftrudtive
to the interefts of the commonwealth, and tending ulti-
mately to an objedb incompatible with public freedom. In-
deed, confidering the extreme corruption which prevailed
amongfl: the Romans at this time, it is more than pro-
bable that Caefar would have been acquitted of the charge,
but at fuch an expence as mufl have Ibripped him of all
his riches, and placed him again in a fituation ready to
attempt a difturbance of the public tranquillity. For it is
laid, that he purchafsd the fricndfl:ilp of Curio, at the
co.mmencement
JULIUS C.I-SAR.
commencement of the civil war, with a bribe little fhort
of half a million flerling.
Whatever Csefar’s private motive may have been for tak-
ing arms againrt: his country, he embarked in an enterprife
of a nature the moft dangerous : and had Pompey condu6l-
cd himfelf in any degree fultable to the reputation which he
had formerly acquired, the contefl: would in all probability
have terminated in favor of public freedom. But by dila-
tory meafures in the beginning, by imprudently withdraw-
ing his army from Italy into a difiant province, and by net
purfuing the advantage he had gained by the vigorous re-
pulfe of Caefar’s troops in their attack upon his camp,
this commander loft every opportunity of extinguiftiing
a war which was to determine the fate, and even the
exiftence of the Republic. It was accordingly determin-
ed on the plains of Pharfalia, where Csfar obtained a
vieftory which was not more decifive than nnexpedled.
He was now no longer amenable either to the tribunal of
the Senate or the power of the laws, but triumphed at
once over his enemies and the conftitution of his country.
It is to the honor of Caefar, diat when he had ob-
tained the fiipreme power, he exercifed it with a degree
of moderation beyond what was generally expedled by
thofe who had fought on the fide of the Republic.
Of his private life either before or after this period, little
is tranfmitted in hlftory. Henceforth, however, he feems
to have lived chiefly at Rome, near which he had a
fmall villa, upon an eminence commanding a beautiful
profpecl. His time was almoft entirely occupied with
public affairs, in the management of which, tliough he
employed many agents, he appears to have had none in
the charadler of adual minifter. He was in general eafy
of
THE LIFE OF
of accefs : but Cicero, in a letter to a friend, complains
of having been treated with the indignity of waiting a con-
fiderable time amongfl a crowd in an anti-chamber, be-
fore he could have an audience. The elevation of Csfar
placed him not above difcharging reciprocally the foclal
duties in the intercourfe of life. He returned the vifits
of thofe who waited upon him, and would fup at their
houfcs. At table, and in the ufe of wine,* he was habi-
tually temperate. Upon the whole, he added nothing to
his own happinefs by all the dangers, the fatigues, and
the perpetual anxiety which he had incurred in the pro-
fecution of unlimited power. His health was greatly im-
paired : his former chearfulnefs of temper, but never his
magnanimity, appears to have forfaken him ; and we
behold in his fate a memorable example of illuftrious
talents rendered, by inordinate ambition, deftrudtive to
himfelfj and irretrievably pernicious to his country.
From beholding the ruin of the Roman Republic, after
inteftine divihons, and the diftra^lions of civil war, it
will afford foine relief to take a view of the progrefs of
literature, which flourifhed even during thofe calamities.
The commencement of literature in Rome is to be
dated from the redudllon of the Grecian States, when the
conquerors imported into their own country the valuable
prcdu6iions of the Greek language ; and the firH effay of
Li-i/ius Andro- Roman genius was in dramatic corapoli-
tion. Livius Andronicus, who flourifhed
about 240 years before the Chiiflian sra, formed the
Felcennine verfcs into a kind of regular drama, upon
the model of the Greeks. He was fol-
lowed fome time after by Ennius, who, be-
fides dramatic and other compofitions, wrote the annals
of
Ennius.
JULIUS CiESAR. 77
of the Roman Republic in heroic verfe. His flyle, like
that of Andronicus, was rough and unpolilhed, in con-
.formity to the language of thofe times ; but for grandeur
of fentiment and energy of cxprefTion, he was admired
by the greateft poets in the fubfequent ages. Other
writers of diftinguilhed reputation in the dramatic de-
partment were Nsevius, Pacuvius, Plautus, Afranius,
Caecilius, Terence, Accius, &c. Accius and Pacuvius
ar'e mentioned by Quintilian as writers of extraordinary^
merit. Of twenty-five comedies written ^ ,
by Plautus, the number tranfmitted to
poflerity is nineteen ; and of a hundred and eight which
Terence is faid to have tranllated from
Menander, there now remain only fix. •
Excepting a few inconfiderable fragments, the WTitings
of all the other authors have periflied. The early pe-
riod of Roman literature was diftinguifhed for the in-
troduclion of fatire by Lucilius, an author celebrated for
writing v/ith remarkable eafe, but whofe coinpofitions,
in the opinion of Horace, though Quintilian thinks
otherwife, w^ere debafed with a mixture of feculency.
Whatever may have been their merit, they alfo have
periihed, with the works of a number of orators, w'ho
adorned the advancing flate of letters in the Roman Re-
public. It is obfervable, that during this whole period,
of near two centuries and a half, there appeared not one
hiflorlan, of eminence fufficient to prcferve his name
from oblivion.
Julius Caifar himfelf is one of the mofl eminent writers
of the age in which he lived. His Commentaries on
tlie Gallic and Civil Wars are v/ritten with a purity, pre-
cifion, and perfpicuitv, that command appisobation. They
are elegant without affedtation, and beautiful without
ornament.
THE LIFE OF
78
ornament. Of the two books which he compofed on
Analogy, and thofe under the title of Anti-Cato, fcarcely
any fragment is preferved ; but we may be affured of the
juftnefs of the obfervations on language, wliich were
made by an author fo much diftinguifhed by the excel-
lence of his own compofitions. His poem entitled the
Journey, which was probably an entertaining narrative,
is likewife totally loft.
The moft illuftrious profe writer of this or any other
age is M. Tullius Cicero ; and as his life is copioufly
M. I’ulUus recited in biographical works, it will be
Cicero. fufficient to mention his writings. From
his earlieft years, he applied himfelf with unremitting
affiduity to the cultivation of literature, and, whilft he
was yet a boy, wrote a poem, called Glaucus Pontius,
which was extant in Plutarch’s time. Amongft his
juvenile productions was a tranflation into Latin verfe,
of Aratus on the Phaenomena of the Heavens ; of
which many fragments are ftill extant. He alfo pub-
lifticd a poem of the heroic kind, in honor of his coun-
tryman C. Marius, who was born at Arpinum, the
birth-place of Cicero. This production was greatly ad-
mired by Atticus ; and old Scsvola was fo much pleafed
wdth it, that in an epigram written on the fubject, he
declares that it would live as long as the Roman name
and learning fubfifted. From a little fpecimen which re-
mains of it, deferibing a memorable omen given to
Marius from an oak of Arpinum, there is reafon to
believe that his poetical genius was fcarcely inferior to
his oratoriai, had it been cultivated with equal induftry*
He pubiifhed another poem called Limon, of which
Donatus has preferved four lines in the Life of Terence,
in praife of the elegause and purity of that poet’s ftyle.
He
JULIUS cjesa:r.
79
He compofecl, in the Greek language, and in the ftyle
and manner of Ifocrates, a Commentary or Memoirs of
the Tranfadions of his Confulfhip. This he fent to
Atticus, with a defire, if he approved it, to’ publlfh it in
Athens and the cities of Greece. He fent a copy of it like-
wife to Pofidonius of Rhodes, and requefled of him to
undertake the fame fubje61; in amore elegant and maflerly
manner. But the latter returned for anfwer, that, inflead
of being encouraged to write by the perufal of his traiSt,
he was quite deterred from attempting it.
Upon the plan of thofe Memoirs, he afterwards com-
pofed a Latin poem in three books, in which he carried
down the hiftory to the end of his exile, but did not pub-
lifh it for feveral years from motives of delicacy. The
three books w^ere feverally infcribed to three of the Mufes ;
but of this work there now remain only a few frag-
ments, fcattered in different parts of his other writings.
He publiflied, about the fame time, a coUcdlioii of the
principal fpeeches which he had made in his Confulfliip,
under the title of his Confular Orations. They confifted
originally of twelve ; but four are entirely loft, and fome
of the reft are imperfedl. He now publiflied alfo iii
Latin verfe a tranflation of the Prognoft ics of Aratus, of
which work no more than two or three fmall fragments
now’ remain. A few years after, he put the laft hand to
his Dialogues upon the Charadler and Idea of the perfedl
Orator. This admirable work remains entire ; a monu-
ment both of the aftonilhing induftry and tranfcendent
abilities of its author. At his Cuman villa, he next
began a Treatife on Politics, or on the heft State of a
City, and the Duties of a Citizen. He calls it a great
and laborious work, yet worthy of his pains, if he could
fucceed in it. Tiiis iikewife was written in the form of
' a dialogue.
• THE LIFE OF
So
a dialogue, in which the fpeakers were Scipio, Laelius,
Pliilus, Manilius, and other great perfons in the former
times of the Republic. It was comprifed in fix books,
and furvived him for feveral ages, though now unfor-
tunately loll. From the fragments which remain, it ap-
pears to have been a mafterly produdlion, in which all
the important queflions in politics and morality were dif-
cufied with elegance and accuracy. .
AmidR all the anxiety for the interefls of the Republic,
which occupied the thoughts of this celebrated perfonage,
he yet found leifure to write feveral philofophical trails,
which ftili fubfifl to the gratification of the literary world.
He compofed a treatife on the Nature of the Gods, in
three books, containing a comprehenfive view of re-
ligion, faith, oaths, ceremonies, &cc. In elucidating this
important fubjedl, he not only delivers the opinions of
all the philofophers wlio had written any thing concerning
it, but weighs and compares attentively all the arguments
with each other ; forming upon the whole fuch a rational
and perfect fyfieni of natural religion, as never before
was prefented to the confideration of mankind, and ap-
proaching nearly to revelation. He now likewife com-
pofed, in two books, a difeourfe on Divination, in which
Ite difculTes at large all the arguments that may be ad-
vanced for and againfl: the adlual exiflience of fuch a
fpecies of knowledge. Like the preceding works, it is
Vvritten in the form of dialogue, and called Cato from
the principal fpeaker. The fame period gave birth to his
treatife on Old Age, called Cato IMajor ; and to that on
Frlendfiiip, written alfo in dialogue, and in which the
chief fpeaker is Lselius. This book, conlidered merely
as an eilay, is one of the mofi: entertaining produdlions
of ancient times ; but, beheld as a picture drawn from life,
exhibiting
JULIUS CiESAR.
it
exhibiting the real chara61ers and fentirrients of men of
the firh; diftin£l:ion for virtue and wifdom in the Romafl
Republic, it becomes doubly interefling to every reader
of obfervation and tafte. Cicero now alfo wrote hie
Difeourfe on Fate, which was the fubje£t of a conver-
fatidn with. Hirtius, in liis villa near Puteoli; and he
executed about the fame time a tranflation of Plato’s cele-=
brated dialogue, called Timseus, on the nature and origin
of the univerfe. He was employing himfelf alfo on a
hiftory of his own times, or rather of his own condudt ;
flill of free and fevere refle6lions on tbofe who had
abufed their power to the oppreihon of the Republic/
Dion Caflius fays, that he delivered this book fealed up
to his foil, with ftridl orders not to read or publifh it till
after his death ; but from this time he never faw his fon^
and it is probable that he left the work unfinhhedi
Afterwards, however; fome copies of it were circulated *
from which hiS commentator Afeonius haS (][uoted feveral
particulars;
During a voyage which he undertook to Sicily, he
wrote his treatife on Topics; or the Art of finding Argu-
ments on any Queftion. This was an a])fl:ra61: front
Ariftotle’s treatife on the fame fubje6l: ; and though he
had neither Ariftotle, nor any other book to aflift him,
he drew it up from his memory, and hnifhed it as he
failed along the coaft of Calabria. The laft work com-
pofed by Cicero appears to have been his Offices, written
for the ufe of his fon, to whom it is addreffed. This
treatife contains a fyflem of moral condu6l, founded upon
the nobieft principles of human adlion, and recommended
by arguments drawn from the pureft fources of philo-
G
Such
THE LIFE OF
8z
Such are the literary produdlions of this extraordinary
man, whofe comprehenfive underftanding enabled him to
condudl with fuperior ability the moft abftrufe difquifi-
tions into moral and metaphyrical fcience. Born in an
age pofterior to Socrates and Plato, he could not antici-
pate the principles inculcated by thofe divine philofophers,
but he is juftly entitled to the praife, not only of having
profecuted with unerring judgment the fteps which they
trod before him, but of carrying his fefearches to greater
extent into the moll difficult regions of philofophy. This
too he had the merit to perform, neither in the ftation of
a private citizen, nor in the leifure of academic retire-
ment, but in the buftle of public life, amidfi: the almoll
conflant exertions of the bar, the employm.ent of the ma-
giflrate, the duties of the Senator, and the inceffant cares
of the ftatefman ; through a period likewife checquered
with domeflic affli6tions and fatal commotions in the
Republic. As a philofopher, his mind appears to have
been clear, capacious, penetrating, and infatiable of know-
ledge. As a writer, he was endowed with every talent
that could captivate either the judgment or tafte. His
refearches were continually employed on fubjedls of the
greateft utility to mankind, and thofe often fuch as ex-
tended beyond the narrow bounds of temporal exiftence.
The being of a God, the* immortality of the foul, a
future ftate of rewards and punifhments, and the eternal
diftindlion of good and ill ; thefe were in general the
great objefls of his philofophical enquiries, and he has
placed them in a more convincing point of view, than
they ever were before exhibited to the pagan world. The
variety and force of the, arguments which he advances,
the fplendor of his di(9;ion, and the zeal with which he
endeavors to excite the love and admiration of ^virtue ;
all confpire to place his character, as a philofophical
writer,
JULIUS CiESAR. 83
writer, including likewife his incomparable eloquence, on
the fummit of human celebrity.
The form of dialogue, fo much ufed by Cicero, he
doubtlefs adopted in imitation of Plato, who probably
took the hint of it from the colloquial method of inflruc-'
tion pradifed by Socrates. In the early ftage of phllo-
fophical enquiry, this mode of compofition 'was well ad-
apted, if not to the difcovery, at lead: to the confirma-’
tion of moral truth ; efpecially as the pradfice was then
not uncommon, for fpeculative men to converfe together
. on important fubje6Is, for mutual information. In treat-
ing of any fubjecl refpedfing which the different feds of
philofophers differed from each other in point of fenti-
ment, no kind of compofition could be more happily
fuited than dialogue, as it gave alternately full fcope
to the arguments of the various difputants. It required,
however, that the writer fhould exert his underftanding
with equal impartiality and acutenefs on the different
fides of the queftion ; as otherwife he might betray a
caufe under the appearance of defending it. In all the
dialogues of Cicero, he manages the arguments of the
feveral difputants, in a manner not only the mofi: fair and
interefting, but alfo fuch as leads to the mofi: probable
and rational conclufion.
After enumerating the various trads compofed and
publifiied by Cicero, we have now to mention his Letters,
which, though not written for publication, deferve to be
ranked among the mofi; interefting remains of Roman
literature. The number of fucli as are addreffed to differ-
ent correfpondents is confiderable, but thofe to Atticus
alone, his confidential friend, amount to upwards of four
hundred; among which are many of great length. They
are all written in the genuine fpirit of the moft approved
G a epiftolary
THE LIFE OF
84
epiftolary compofitioii ; uniting familiarity \vith eleva*
tion, and eafe with elegance. They difplay in a beauti*
ful light the author’s chara6ler in the focial relations of
life; as a warm friend, a zealous patron, a tender huf-
band, an affedlionate brother, an indulgent father, and a
kind mafter. Beholding them in a more cxtenfive view,
they exhibit an ardent love of liberty and the conftitution
of his country : they difcover a mind ftrongly actuated
with the principles of virtue and reafon ; and while they
abound in fentiments the lii oft judicious and philofophical,
they are occafionally blended with the charms of wit*
and agreeable efFufions of pleafantry. What is likewife
no fmall addition to their merit, they contain much in*
terefting defcription of private life, with a variety of in-
formation relative to public tranfa61;ions and chara£lers
of that age. It appears from Cicero’s correfpondence,
that there was at that time fuch a number of illuftrious
Romans, as never before exifled in any one period of the
Republic. If ever, therefore, the authority of men the
mod refpe6lable for virtue, rank, and abilities, could have
availed to overawe the firft attempts at a violation of
public liberty, it mud have been at this period ; for the
dignity of the Roman Senate was now in the zenith of
its fplendor«
Cicero has been accufed of excedive vanity, and of
arrogating to himfelf an invidious fuperiority from his
extraordinary talents i but whoever perufes his letters to
Atticus, mud readily acknowledge^ that this imputation
appears to be deditute of truth. In thofe excellent pro*
dudlions, though he adduces the dronged arguments for
and againd any objedf of confideration, that the mod pene-
trating underdanding can fugged, weighs them with each
other, and draws from them the mod rational conelu-
fions, he yet difcovers fueh a diffidence in his own opi-
nio%
JULIUS CJESAt^. 85
nioii, that he refigns himfelf implicitly to the judgment
and direction of his friend; a modefly not very compati-
ble with the dlfpofition of the arrogant, who are com-
monly tenacious of their own opinion, particularly in
"Vvhat relates to any decifion of the underftanding.
It is difficult to fay, whether Cicero appears in his
letters more great or amiable : but that he was regarded
by his contemporaries in both thefe lights, and that too
in the highefl degree, is fufficiently evident. We may
thence infer, that the great poets in the fubfequent age
mufl; have done violence to their own liberality and dif-
cernment, when, in compliment to Auguftus, whofe fenh-
bility would have been wounded by the praifesof Cicero,
and even by the mention of his name, they have fo in-
du ftrioufly avoided the fubjedl:, as not to afford the moft
diftant intimation that this immortal orator and phllofo-
pher had ever exifted. Livy, however, there is reafoii
to think, did fome juftice to his memory : but it was not
until the race of the Caifars had become extincl:, that he
received the free tind unanimous applaufe of impartial
pofterity. Such was the admiration which Quintilian
entertained of his writings, that he confidered the clrcum-
Ifance of being delighted with them, as an indubitable
proof of judgiuent and taide in literature. Ille fe prof ecijje
Jclaty cm Cicero valde placebit.
In this period Is likewife to be placed M. -Terentius
Varro, the celebrated Roman gramm.arlan, and the Neftor
of ancient learning. The hrfl; mention
made of him is that he was lieutenant to
Pompey in his piratical wars, and ob-
tained in that fervice a naval crown. In the civil wars
he joined the fide of the Republic, and was taken by
G 3 Caefar ;
M. Tnentius
F' 'zrro.
86
THE LIFE OF
C^far; by whom he was likewife profcribed, but ob-*
tained a remiffion of the fentence. Of all the ancients,
he has acquired the greateft fame for his extenfive erudi-
tion ; and we may add, that he difplayed the fame jn-
duflry in communicating, as he had done in colledbing
jt. His works originally amounted to no lefs than five
hundred volumes, which have all perifhed, except a
treatife De Lingua Latina^ and one De Re Rnjiica. Of
the former of thefe, which is addrelTcd to Cicero, three
books at the beginning are alfo loft. It appears from the
introdu6lion of the fourth book, that they ail related to
etymology. The firfl contained fuch obfervations as
might be made againfl: it j the fecond, fuch as might be
made in its favor ; and the third, obfervations upon it.
He next proceeds to inveftigate the origin of Latin words.
In the fourth book, he traces thofe which relate to place ;
in the fifth, thofe conne6led with the idea of time ; and
in the fixth, the origin of both thefe clafles, as they ap-
pear in the writings of the poets. The feventh book is
employed on declenfion ; in which the author enters upon
a minute and extenfive enquiry, comprehending a variety
of acute and profound obfervations on the formation of
Latin nouns, and their refpedlive natural declinations
from the nominative cafe. In the eighth, he examines
the nature and limits of ufage and analogy in language ;
and in the ninth and laft book on the fubjedl, takes a
general viev^ of what is the reverfe of analogy, viz.
anomaly. The precifion and perfpicuity which Varro
(lifplays in this work merit the highefl encomiums, and
juflify the charadler given him in his own time, of being
the moft learned of the Latin grammarians. To the
lofs of the hrft three books, are to be added feveral
chafms in the others ; but fortunately they happen in fuch
places as not to afledl the coherency of the author's
dodrine,
JULIUS C^SAR.
87
<3o6liine, thougli they interrupt the illuftration of it. It
is obfervable that this great grammarian makes ufe of ,
quom for quuniy heh for his^ and generally queis for quibus.
This pra6iice having become rather obfolete at the time
in which he wrote, we muft impute his continuance of it
to his opinion of its propriety, upon eftablifhed principles
of grammar, and not to any prejudice of education,
or an alFe61:ation of fingularity. As Varro makes no
mention of Csefar’s treatife on Analogy, and had com-
menced author long before him, it is probable that Caefar’s
production was of a much later date ; and thence we may
infer, that thofe two writers differed from -each other, at
leaf: with refpect to fome particulars on that fubjedt.
This author’s treatife De Re Rujiica was undertaken
at the defire of a friend, who, having purchafed fome
lands, requefted of Varro the favor of his inftruCtions
relative to farming, and the economy of a country-life,
in its various departments. Though Varro was at this
time in his eightieth year, he writes with all the vivacity,
though without the levity of youth, and fets out wdth in-
voking, not the Mufes, like Homer and Ennius, as he ob-
ferves, but the twelve deities fuppofed to be chiefly con-
cerned in the operations of agriculture. It appears from
the account which he gives, that upwards of fifty Gi'eek
. authors had treated of this fubjcCl in profe, befides Heiiod
and Menecrates the^Ephefian, who both wTote in verfe ;
exclufive likewife of many Roman'writers, and of Mago
the Carthaginian, who wrote in the Punic language.
Varro’s work is divided into three books, the firfl: of
which treats of agriculture ; the fecond, of rearing of
cattle ; and the third, of feeding animals for the ufe of the
table. In the laft of thefe, we meet with a remarkable
inflance of the prevalence of habit and fafhion over hu-
G 4 man
88
THE LIFE OF
jnan fentiment, where the author delivers Inflrudlions
relative to the heft method of fattening rats.
We find from Quintilian, that Varro likewife com-?
pofed fatires in various kinds of verfe. It is impofiible to
behold the numerous fragments of this venerable author
without feeling the ftrongefl regret for the lofs of that
vafl collection of information which he had compiled,
and of judicious obfervations which he had made on a
variety of fubjeCts, during a life of eighty-eight years,
almoft entirely devoted to literature. The remark of St.
Augufiin is well founded, That it is aftonilhing hovy
Varro, who read fuch a number of books, could find
time to compofe fo many volumes ; and how he who
compofed fo many volumes, could be at leifure to perufc
fuch a variety of books, and to gain fo much literary
information.
Catullus is fald to hav^i been born at Verona, of re-
fpeClable parents ; his father and himfelf being in the
habit of intimacy with Julius Casfar. He
was brought to Rome by Mallius, to
whom feveral of his epigrams are ad-
dreffed. The gentlenefs of his ifianners, and his appli-
cation to ftudy, we are told, recommended him to gene-
ral efieem ; and he had the good fortune to obtain the
patronage of Cicero. When he came to be known as a
poet, all thefe circum fiances would naturally contribute
to increafe his reputation for ingenuity ; and accordingly
we find his genius applauded by feveral of his contem-
poraries. It appears that his works are not tranfmitted
entire to pofierity ; but there remain fufficient fpecimens
by which we may be enabled to appreciate his poetical
talents,
Quintilian,
JULIUS CJESAR.
89
Quintilian, and Diomed the grammarian, have ranked
Catullus amongft the iambic writers, while others have
placed him ainongft the lyric. He has properly a claim
to each of thefe ftations ; but his verfification being
chiefly iambic, the former of the arrangements feems to
be 'the mofl; fuitable. The principal merit of Catullus’s
lambics confifts in a fimplicity of thought and expref-
fion. The thoughts, however, are often frivolous, and
what is yet more reprehenfible, the author gives way to
grofs obfeenity : in vindication of which he produces the
following couplet, declaring that a good poet ought to be
chafte in his own perfon, but that his verfes need not
be fo.
Nam caftum effe decet pium poetam
Jpfum : verflculos nihil necefle eft.
This fentiment has been frequently cited by thofe wdio
were inclined to follow the example of Catullus ; but if
fuch a pradtice be in any cafe admiflTible, it is only where
thf. poet perfonates a profligate charadler ; and the in-
fiances in which it is adopted by Catullus are not of that
deferiptioa. It had perhaps been a better apology, to
have pleaded the manners of the times ; for even Horace,
w'ho wTote only a few years after, has fuffered his com-
pofitions to be occafionally debafed by the fame kind of
biemifli. ^
Much has been faid of this poet’s invedlive againfl:
Csefar, which produced no other efliedl than an invitation
to fup at the Didtator’s houfe. It was indeed fcarcely
entitled to the honor of the fmallefl; refentment. If any
could be Ihewn, it mud have been for the freedom ufed
bv the author, and not for any novelty in his lampoon.
There are two poems on this fubjedt, viz. the 29th, and
S7th,
THE LIFE OF
50
,57th, in each of which C^sfar is joined with Mamurra,
a Roman knight, who had accjuired great riches in the
Gallic war. For the honor of Catullus’s gratitude, we
iliould fuppofe that the latter is the one to which hif-
torians allude : but, as poetical compofitions, they are
equally unworthy of regard. The 57th is nothing more
than a broad repetition of the raillery, w^hether w'ell or
ill founded, with which Caefar was attacked on various
occalions, and even in the Senate, after his return from
Bithynia. Caefar had been taunted with this fubjed: for
upwards of thirty yea'rs ; and after fo long a familiarity
with reproach, his fenfibility to the fcandalous imputation
rnufl: now have been much dimini filed, if not eiitirelv
extinguifhed. . The other poem is partly in the fame
flrain, but extended to greater length, by a mixture of
the common jocular ribaldry of the Roman foldiers, ex-
prefTed nearly in the fame terms which Caefar’s legions,
though flrongly attached to his perfon, fcrupled not to
fport publicly in the ftreets of Rome, againft their ge-
neral, during the celebration of his triumph. In a w^ord,
it deferves to be regarded as an effufion of Saturnalian
licentioufnefs, rather than of poetry. With refped to
the lambics of Catullus, we may obferve in general, that
the farcafrn is indebted for its force, not fo much to in-
genuity of fen riment, as to the indelicate nature ofLthe
fubjed, or coarfenefs of expreflion.
• %
The defcriptlve poems of Catullus are fuperior to the
others, and difcover a lively imagination. Amongfl the
bcft of his produdions, is a tranflation of the celebrated
ode of Sappho :
Hie mi par elfe Deo videtur,
Hie, &c.
This
JlTLIUS C^:SAR.
9«
This ode is executed both with fplrlt and elegance:
it is however imperfedt ; and the laft hanza feems to he
fpurious, Catullus’s epigrams are entitled to little praife,
with regard either to fentiment or point ; and on the
whole, his merit, as a poet, appears to have been mag-
nified beyond its real extent. He is faid to have died
about the thirtieth year of his age.
Lucretius is the author of a celebrated poem, in lix
books, De Rtrum Natura ; a fubje£t which had been
treated many ages before by Empedocles, »
a philofopher and poet of Agrigentum. Carus,
Lucretius was a zealous partizan of Democritus, and the
fe6t of Epicurus, whofe principles concerning the eter-
nity of matter, the materiality of the foul, and the jion-
exlfience of a future fiate of rewards and punilhments,
he affects to maintain with a certainty equal to that of
mathematical demonftration. Strongly prepofTeffed with
the hypothetical do61:rines of his mafler, and ignorant of
the phyfical fyflem of the univerfe, he endeavors to de-
duce from the phenomena of the material world conclu-
fions not only unfupported by legitimate theory, but re-
pugnant to principles of the higheft authority in metaphy-
ficai' difqulfition. But while we condemn his fpeculative
notions as degrading to human nature, and fubverfive of
the moft Important interefts of mankind, we mull: admit
that he has profecuted his vlfionary hypothefis wdth un-
common ingenuity. Abll:ra61ing from the rhapfodical
nature of this produiSlion, and its obfeurity in fome
parts, it has great merit as a poem. The ftyle is ele-
vated, and the verfification in general harmonious. By
the mixture of obfolete words, it pofTeffes an air of fo-
lemnity well adapted to abfirufe refearches ; at the fame
time that by the frequent refolution of diphthongs, it iri-
flills
THE lllFE OF
92
ft ills into the Latin the fonorous and melodious powers
of the Greek language.
While Lucretius was engaged in this work, he fell
into a ftate of infanity, occafioned, as is fuppofed, by ^
philtre, or love-potion, given him by his v^ife Lucilia.
The complaint however having lucid intervals, he em-»
ployed them in the execution of his plan, and, foon after
it was finifhed, laid violent hands upon himfelf, in the
forty-third year of his age. This fatal termination of his
life, wdiich perhaps proceeded from infanity, was afcrib-
ed by his friends and admirers to his concern for the ba-
nifhment of one Memmius, with whom he was inti-
mately connedled, and for the diflradled ftate of the Re-
public. It was however a cataftrophe which the princi-
ples of Epicurus, equally erroneous and irreconcileable
to refignation and fortitude, authorized in particular cir-
cumftances. Even Atticus, the celebrated correfpondent
of Cicero, a few years after this period, had recourfe to
the fame defperate expedient, by refufing all fuftenance,
while he labored under a lingering dlfeafe.
It is faid that Cicero revifed the poem of Lucretius af-
ter the' death of the author, and this circutnftance is.
urged by the . abettors of atheifm, as a proof that the
principles contained in the work had the fandlion of Ills
authority. But no inference in favor of Lucretius’s
dodlrine can juftly be drawn from this circumftance;
Cicero, though already fufficiently acquainted with the
principles of the Epicurean fedi, might not be aveife' to
the» reading of a produdlion, wdiich colledted and enforc-
ed them In a nervous ftrain of poetry ; efpecially as the
wmrk was likely to prove interefting to his friend Atticus,
and would perhaps afford fubjedl for foine letters c«r
c Oliver-
JULIUS.
93
converfatlon between them. It can have beeil dnJy with
rcfpe^l to compofition that the poem was fubmitted to
Cicero’s revifal : for had he been to have exercifed his
judgment upon the principles of it, he mufl: undoubtedly
have fo much mutilated the work, as to deftroy the cohe-
, rency of the fyftem. He might be gratified with the fhew
of elaborate refearch, and confident declamation, which it
exhibited, but he mufl; have utterly difapproved of the
conclufions which the author endeavored to eftablilli*
According to the befl: information, Lucretius died in the
year from the building of Rome 701, when Pompey.
was the third time Confiil. Cicero lived feveral years
beyond this period, and in the two lafl; years of his life^
he compofed thofe valuable works which contain fend-
ments diametrically repugnant to the vifionary fyftem of
Epicurus. The afgument, therefore, drawm from Ci-
cero’s revifal, fo far from confirming the principles of
Lucretius, affords the ftrongeft tacit declaration againft
their validity ; becaufe a penod fufficientfor mature con-
fideration, had elapfed before Cicero publiflied his own
admirable fyftem of philofophy. The poem of Lucre-
tius, neverthelefs, has been regarded as the bulwark of
atheifm — of atheifm, which, while it impioufly arrogates
the fupport of reafon, both reafon and nature difclaim-
Many more writers flouriflied in this period, but their
works have totally perifhed. Salluft was now engaged in
hiftorical produdlions ; but as they were not yet complet-
ed} they will be noticed in the next divifion of the review.
( 94 )
D. OCTAVIUS C.'ESAR AUGUSTUS.
I. THAT the family of the O^lavii was of the
firif diftin£lion in V elitr^, is rendered evident by many
circumflances. For in the moft frequented part of the
town, there was, not long fince, a ftreet named Odlavius ;
and an altar was to be feen, confecrated to one Odlavius,
who being chofen general in a war with fome neighbour-
ing people, the enemy making a fudden attack, w’hile he
was facrificing to the God Mars, he immediately fnatched
the entrails of the vidlim from off the fire, and offered them
half raw upon the altar ; after which, marching out to
battle, he returned vidforious. This incident gave rife to
a law, by which it was enadted, that in all future times
the entrails fhould be offered to Mars in the fame manner,
and the reft of the facrifice be carried to the Odlavii,
IT. This, amongft feveral other Roman families, was
taken into the Senate by Tarquinius Prifcus, and foon
after advanced by Servius Tullius into the body of Patri-
cians ; but in procefs of time returned to the commons,
and was again railed by Julius Casfar to the Patrician dig-
nity. The firft perfon of the family advanced by the fuf-
frages of the people to any poft in the government, was
C. Rufus. He obtained the Quaefforfhip, and had two
foils, Cneius and Caius ; from whom are defcended the
two branches of that family, very different in their cir-
cumffances. For Cneius and his defcendents in an unin^
terrupted
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
95
terrupted fucceffion held all the great offices of flate ;
whilft Caius and his poflerity, whether from fortune or
choice, remained in the Equeflrian order until the father
of Augullus. The great grandfather of Auguftus ferved
in the capacity of a Tribune in the fecond Punic war in
Sicily, under the command of ^milius Pappus. His
grandfather contented himfelf with bearing the public of-
fices of his borough, and grew old in the quiet enjoyment
of a plentiful eflate. Such is the account given by differ-
ent authors. Auguflus himfelf, however, fays no more
than that he was defcended of an Equeflrian family, both
ancient and rich, and in which his father was the firft
that obtained the rank of a Senator. Mark Antony up-
braidingly tells him that his great grandfather \xas a freed-
man of the territory of Thurii, and a rope-maker, and
his grandfather a banker. This is all the information I
have any where met with, refpe6ling the anceflors of Au-
guflus by the father’s fide.
III. His father C. Odlavius was, from his firfl fetting
out in the world, a perfon both of opulence and diflinc-
tion : for which reafon I am furprifed at thofe who fay
that he was a banker, and was employed to diflribute mo-
ney amongfl the citizens for the candidates at eledlions,
and other fimilar occafions, in the Field of Mars. For
being bred up in all the affluence of a great eflate, he at-
tained with eafe to honorable pofls, and difcharged the du-
ties of them with approbation. After his Prjstorfhip, he
got by lot the province of Macedonia ; in his way to which
he cut off fome banditti, the relics of the armies of Spar-
tacus and Catiline, who had poffeffed themfelves of the
territory of Thin ii ; having received from the Senate an
extraordinary commiffion for that purpofe. In his go-
vernment
^6 THE ilFE OF
vernment of the province, he condiiiled himfelf with
equal juftice and refolution: for he defeated the Beilians
and Thracians in a great battle, and treated the Republic
jn fuch a manner, that there are extant'fome letters from
M. Tullius Ciceroj iii which he advifes and exhorts his
brother Quintus, who then held the ProconfuKliip of Aha
with no great character, to imitate the example of his
neighbour Octavius, in gaining the affeifions of the allies
of Rome,
IV. After quitting Macedonia, before he could dec lard
himfelf a candidate for the Confulfhlp, he died fuddenlyj
leaving behind him one daughter, by Ancliaria, and a
younger daughter, with Auguhus, whom he had by Ada ;
who was the daughter of M. Atius Balbus, and Julia
fifter to C. Julius Csefar. Balbus was originally, by the
father’s fide, of Aricia,- of a family many ef which had
been ip the Senate. By the mother’s fide he was nearly
related to Pompey the Great ; and after he had borne the
office of Praetor, was one of the twenty commiffioners
appointed by the Julian law to divide the land in Campa-
nia amongft the people. But Mark Antony, in con-
tempt of Auguftus’s defcent by the mother’s fide, fays
that his great grandfathef was an African, who at one
time kept a perfumer’s fhop, and at another a bake-houfe
in Aricia. And Caffius of Patma, in a letter, reproaches
him with being the fon not only of a baker, but a banker,'
in thefe words : “ Thou art a lump of thy mother’s meal,-
v/hich a money-changer of Nerulum taking from a late
bakehoufe of Aricia, kneaded up into fome ffiape, with
his hands ail difcolored by the fingering of money.”
V. Auguflus was born in the Confulffiip of Tuk^
« 8 Bui?
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. 97
lius Cicero and Antony, upon the ninth of the kalends
of October, a little before fun-rife, in the ward of theTa-
latiurn, at the fign of the Ox-Heads, where now flands
a chapel dedicated to him, and built a little after his death.
For, as it is recorded in the tranfadlions of the Senate,
when C. Le6lorius, a young man of a Patrician fami-»
ly, in deprecating the judgment of the Senators, upon his
being convicted of adultery, all edged, befides his youth and
quality, that he was the poffeiTor, and as it were the war-
den of the ground that Auguflus firfl; touched upon his
coming into the world ; and entreated that he might find
favor, for the fake of that God, who was in a peculiar
manner his ; ' an a6l of the Senate was pafied, for the
confecration of that part of his houfe in which Auguflus
was born.
VI. His nurfery is to this day fliewn, in a feat belong-
ing to the family near Velitrs ; being a very fmall place,
and much like a pantry. An opinion prevails in the neigh-
bourhood, that he was born there too. Into this place
no perfon prefumes to enter, unlefs upon necefiity, and.
w'ith great devotion, from a belief, for a long time pre-
valent, that fuch as rafhly enter it are feized with great
horror and confiernation, which a fhort while fince was
confirmed by a remarkable incident. For when a perfon,
upon his firfl coming to live in the houfe, had^ either by
mere chance, or to try the truth of the report, taken up
his lodging in that apartment, he was a few hours after
throwni out by a fudden violence, he knew not how, and
was found in a ilate of flupefadlion, with his bed, before
the door of the chamber.
VII. While he was yet an infant, the furname of Thu-
nnus w’as given him, in memory of the origin of his
H family j
THE LIFE OF
98
family ; or becaufe, foon after his birth, his father Octa-
vius had been fuccefsful againft the fugitive flaves, in the
country near Thurii. That he w^s furnamed Thurinus^
I can afiirm upon good foundation, I inyfelf, whilft a
boy, having had a little old brazen image of him, with
that name upon it, in iron letters, but almofl: effaced ;
which I prefented to the emperor, by whom it is now wor-
Ihipped amongfl; his other tutelar deities. He is often like-
wife, by way of reproach, called Thurinus, by Mark An-
tony, in his letters ; to which he makes only this reply :
“ I am furprifed that I fhoiild be upbraided with my former
name as a fcandal.’^ He afterwards aflumed the name
of C. Casfar, and then of Auguftus ; the former in com-
pliance with the will of his great-uncle, and the latter
upon a motion of Munatius Plancus in the Senate : when
fome propofing to confer upon him the name of Romu-
lus, being as it were a fecond founder of the city, it was
carried that he fliould rather be called Auguflus, a name
not only new, but of more dignity ; becaufe places devot-
ed to religion, and thofe in which any thing is confecrat-
ed by Augury, are denominated Augufl, either from the
word au^usy fignifying augmentation, or ah avium geftu,
gujtuve, from the motion and feeding of birds j as appears
from this line of Ennius :
Augufto augurio poflquam inclyta condita Roma eft.
When Rome by auguft augury was built.
VIII. He loft his father when he w'as only four years
of age ; and, in his twelfth year, pronounced a funeral
oration in praifs of his grand-mother Julia. Four years
after, having aflumed the manly habit, he w^as honored
with feveral military prefents from Caefar in his African
triump]], though then too young for luch fervice. Upon
C^^:SAR AUGUSTUS.
99
his uncle’s going to Spain againfl: the fons of Pompey,
though fcarcely recovered from a dangerous ficknefs^
lie followed him ; and after being (hipwrecked at fea^
and travelling with few attendants, through roads that
were befet by the enemy, he at laft came up with him.
This inftance of adtiviry gave great fatisfadtion to his
uncle, who foon conceived an cncreafing atfedlion for
him, on account of the indications of genius. After the
redudlion of Spain, while Casfar was meditating an ex-
pedition againfl: the Dacians and Parthians, he w^as fenC
before liim to Apollonia, where he applied himfelf to
his ftudies, until receiving intelligence that his uncle was
murdered, and himfelf left his heir, he was for fome time
in doubt w'hether he fliould requefl: the afliftance of the
legions which were neareft that place ; but at lafl aban-
doned the defign as ralli and unfeafonable. He returned
however to Rome, and entered upon the eftate, though his
mother was apprehenhve that fuch a meafure might be-
attended with danger, and his flep -father, M. Philippus,
a man of Confular rank, very earneftly difluaded him from
it. From this time, colledling together a flrong military
force, be firfl held the government in conjundlion with
M. Antony and M. Lepidus, then with Antony alone for
almofl: twelve years, and at lafl; by himfelf during a period
of four and forty*
IX. Having thus exhibited a very fhort fummary of
his life, I iliall profecute the feveral parts of it, not ia
order of time, but arranging them into diflin(£l clafTes,
for the fake of perfpiculty* He was engaged in five civil
Xvars, viz. that of Modena, Philippi, Peiufia, Sicily, and
Adlium ; the firfl: and laft of which were againfl Antony,
and the fecond againfl Brutus and Cafiius : the third
againfl L. Antony, brother to the Triumvir, and the
FI 2 fourth
lOO
THE LIFE OF
fourth againft Sextus Pompey, the fon of Cneius Pom*^
pey.
X. The motive which gave rife to all thefe wars was
an opinion, that both his honor and intereft were concern-
ed in revenging the murder of his uncle, and maintaining his
eflabhfhments. Immediately upon his return from Apol-
lonia, he formed the defign of making an attack upon
Brutus and CafTius by furprife ; but they having forefeen
and avoided the danger, he refolyed to proceed againft
them by an appeal to the laws, and profecute them for
murder in their abfence. In the mean time, thofe whofe
province it was to prepare the public diverfions, intended
for the celebration of Csefar’s fuccefs in the civil war, not
daring to exert themfelves upon the occafion, he took the
charge of the whole upon himfclf. And that he might
execute his other purpofes with greater vigor, he de-
clared himfelf a candidate in the room of a Tribune of the
commons who died at that time, though he was of a Pa-
trician family, and had not yet been in the Senate. But
the Conful M. Antony, from whom he had expected the
greateft afliftance, oppofing him in his fuit, and even re-
fufing to do him fo much as common judice, unlefs gra-
tified with a large bribe, he went over to the party of the
nobility, to whom he perceived him to be odious, chiefly
for endeavoring to drive D. Brutus, whom he befieged
in the town of Modena, out of the province, which' had
been given him by Caefar, and confirmed to him by the
Senate. At the inftigation of perfons about him, he engag-
ed fome ruffians to murder his antagonifl. But the plot be-
ing difeovered, and dreading a fimilar attempt upon him-
feif, he, by didributing money among Csfar's veteran
foldiers, perfuaded them to take the part of him and the
Senate, againft Antony. Being now commiffioned by
C.5:SAR AUGUSTUS*
lOI
the Senate to command the army which he had collected,
in the quality of a Prastor, and to carry affiflance, in
conjunction with Hirtius and Panfa, who had accepted the.
Confulfliip, to Brutus, he put an end to the war in three
months, and by two battles. Antony writes, that in the
former of thefe he ran away, without even his generars
cloak and horfe, and for two days after was not feen. In
the latter, however, it is certain that he performed the
part not only of a general, but a foldier ; and in the heat
of the battle, when the flaudard-bearer of his legion was
wounded, took the eagle upon his own fhoulders, and
carried it a long time.
XI. In this war, Hirtius being flain in battle, and Pan-
fa dying a Ihort time after of a wound, a report was cir-
culated that they both were killed by his means ; that,
upon the defeat of Antony, the Republic being dehitute
of Confuls, he might have the victorious armies entirely
to himfelf. The death of Panfa was fo much fufpcCted
to have been caufed by undue means, that Glyco his fur-
geon was under confinement for fome time, upon a pre-
fiimption that he had put poifon into his wound. And to
this Aquilius Niger adds, that he killed Hirtius the other
Conful, in the hurry of the battle, with his own hi^uds,
Xn. But upon intelligence that Antony, after h‘s de-
feat, had been received by M. Lepidus, and that the refl
of the generals and armies had all declared for the Senate,
he, without any hefitation, deferted the caufe of the noble
party ; alledging as an excufe for his conduCI, the aClions
and layings of feveral amongfi; them ; as that feme laid,
“ he was merely a boy,” and others, “ that he ought to
be promoted to honors, and cut off to avoid the mak-
ing any fuitable acknowledgement either to him or the
H 3 legions»
102
THE LIFE OF
legions. And the more to teftify his regret for his former at-
tachment, he fined the Nurfini in a large fum of money,
•^hich they were unable to pay, and then expelled them
out of the city, for having infcribed upon a monument,
erefled at the public charge to their countrymen who w^ere
flain in the battle at Modena, That they died for the li-
berty of Rome,’*
Xm. Having entered into a confederacy with Anto-
ny and Lepidus, he finifhed the war of Philippi in two
engagements, though he was at that time infirm and fick-
Jy. In the .firfi; battle he wa's driven out of his camp, and
■with fome difficulty made his efcape to the wing of the
army commanded by Antony. Intoxicated with fuccefs,
he fent the head of Brutus to be thrown at the pedeftal of
Caefar’s flatue, and treated the moft illufirious of the pri-
foners not only with cruelty, but abufive language : info-
much that he is faid to have anfwered one of them who
re^uefted the favor of burial, “ That will be in the pow-
er of the birds,’* Two others, father and fon, who beg-
ged for their lives, he ordered to call lots which of them
fhould live, or determine it betwixt them by the fword, and
looked on to fee them both die : for the father offering
his life to fave his fon, and being accordingly flain, the
fon killed himfelf likewife upon the fpot. On this account,
the reft of the prifoners, and amongfl: them M. Favonius,
the imitator of Cato, being brought in his chains, after
they had paid their refpeifts in a handfome manner to the
commander Antony, reviled Octavius in the foulefl: lan-
guage. After this victory, dividing between them the
public fervice, Antony undertook to compofe the Eafl:,
and Caefar to conducf the veteran foldiers back to Italy,
and fettle them, as was intended, in the lands belonging to
feveral great towns in Italy, But he had the misfortune
to
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
103
to pleafe neither the foldiers nor the owners of the lands ;
one party complaining of the injuftice done them, in be-
ing violently forced from their poffeflions, and the other,
that they were not rewarded according to their merit.
XIV. At this time he obliged L. Antony, who, pre-
fuming upon his own authority as Conful, and his bro-
ther’s power, was raifing a new war, to fly to Perufia,
and forced him at lafl by famine to a furrender ; though
not without great hazards to himfelf, both before the war
and during its continuance. For a common foldier hav-
ing got Into the feats of the Equeftrlan order in the theatre,
to fee the public diverfions, Caefar ordered him to be re-
moved by an officer who attended him ; and a rumor be-
ing thence fpread by his enemies, that he had put the man
to death by torture, fuch an uproar was excited amongft
the foldiers, that he narrowly efcaped with his life. The
only thing that faved him, was the appearance of the man
fafe and found, no violence having been offered him. And
whilfl: he was facrificing about the walls of Perufia, he
had nearly been made prifoner by a body of gladiators,
who fallied out of the town.
XV. After the taking of Perufia, he put many of the pri-
foners to death, anfwering all that begged pardon, and
endeavored to excufe themfelves, with telling them only,
“ You mufl: die.” Some authors write, that three hundred
gentlemen of the Equeftrian and Senatorian order, feledl-
ed from the reft, were flaughtered, like vidfims, before an
altar raifed to Julius Caefar, upon the Ides of March.
Nay there are fome who relate, that he entered upon this
war with no other view, than that his fecret enemies, and
thofe whom fear more than affedlion kept quiet, might be
detedled, by declaring themfelves, now when they had an
H 4 opportunity.
THE LIFE OF
104
opportunity, with L. Antony at their head ; and that
by the defeat of them, and the confifcation of their eflatcs,
he might be enabled to difcharge his promifes to the vete^^
ran foldiers,
XVI. '.He engaged in the war of Sicily at an early pe-
riod, but, by various intermiffions, protraded it during a
long time : one while upon account of repairing his fleets,
W'hich he loft twice by ftorm, and that in the fummer ;
another while by patching up a peace, to which he was
forced by the clamor of the people, on account of a famine
occafioned by Pompey’s interrupting a fupply of provifions
from foreign parts. But at laft having built a new fleet,
and obtained twenty thoufand manumifed flaves, who
wei e given him for the oar, he formed the Julian harbour
at Baiae, by letting the fea into the Lucrine and^vernian
lakes ; in which after he had exercifed his forces all win-
ter, he defeated Pompey betwixt Mylae and Naulochus;
having, juft before the battle, been fuddenly feized with fo
found a fleep, that his friends were obliged to wake him
to give the flgnal. This, I fuppofe, gave occafion to
Antony to upbraid him afterwards in the following
terms : “You were not able to look upon the fleet, when
drawn up ready for battle ; but lay ftupid upon your back,
gazing at the heavens, and did not rife, nor come in fight
of your men, until the enemies’ fhips were forced by M,
Agrippa to fheer off.” Others charge him with a faying
and a fuhfequent adtion, both indefenfible ; as that, upon
the lofs of his fleets by ftorm, he exclaimed, “ I fliall ob-
tain the vidlory in fpite of Neptune and that at the next
Circenfian games, he would not fuffer the ftatuc of that
God to be carried in procejfflon, as ufual upon that occa-
fion. Indeed he fcarcely ever ran more or greater rifques
in any of his wars than in this. Having tranfported part
of
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
los
of his army to Sicily, and being on his return for the reH,
he was unexpedledly attacked by Demochares and Apollo-
phanes, Porapey’s admirals, from whom he efcaped with
great difficulty, and with one fliip only. Likewife as he
was travelling on foot by Locri to Rhegium, feeing two
of Pompey’s veflels paffing by that coafl:, and fuppohng
them to be his own, he went down to the fhore, and had
very near been made prifoner. On this occafion, as he
was making his efcape by fome bye-ways, a Have belong-
ing to yLmilius Paulus, who accompanied him, owing
him a grudge for the profcription of his father, and tliink-
ing he had now an opportunity to revenge it, attempted
to kill him.. After the defeat of Pompey, one of his coL
leagues, M. Lepidus, whom he had fent for out of Afri-
ca to his affiftance, afFe(Sling great fuperiority, becaufe he
was at the head of twenty legions, and claiming for him-
felf, in a threatening manner, the principal management
of affairs, he diveHed him of his army, and, upon his
fubmiffion, granted him his life, but ' baniflied him for
ever to Circeii.
XV IT. The alliance between him and Anton}^ which
had always been precarious, often interrupted, and by
various reconciliations badly cemented, he at laff en-
tirely diffolved. And to make it known to the world
how far Antony had departed from the ufages of his
country, he caufed a will of his, which had been left at
Rome, and in which he had noininated Cleopatra’s chil-
dren, with others, as his heirs, to be opened and read in
an affembly of the people. Yet upon his being declared
an enemy, he fent him all his relations and friends ;
among wffiom were C. Sofius and T. Domitius, at that
time Confuls. He likewife excufed the Bononlans, be-
caufe they had been In former times under the protcdion
of
I06 THE LIFE OF \
of the family of the Antonii, from entering into the aflo^
ciation with the reft of Italy in his favor. And not long
after he conquered him in a fea-fight near Adlium ; which
was protradted to fo late an hour, that, after the vidlory,
he was obliged to ly on board all night. From Adtium
he went to the ifle of Samos to winter ; but being alarm-
ed with the accounts of a mutiny amongft the foldiers he
had fent toBrundifium after the vidlory, who infilled upon
their being rewarded for their fervice and difcharged, he
returned to Italy. In his paffage thither, he met with
two violent ftorms, the firft between the promontories of
Peloponnefus and ^tolia, and the other about the Cer^tu-
nian mountains ; in both which a part of his Liburnian
fhips were funk, the rigging of his own fhip torn away,'
and the helm broken. He remained at Brundifium only
twenty-feven days, until he had fettled affairs refpedling
the demands of the foldiers, and then went by the way of
Afia and Syria, for Egypt, where laying liege to Alex-
andria, whither Antony had fled with Cleopatra, he
made himfelf mafler of it in a fhort time. He forced
Antony, who ufed every effort to obtain conditions of
peace, to kill himfelf, and took a view of him after he
was dead. Cleopatra he anxioufly wifhed to fave for
his triumph ; and becaufe flie was fuppofed to have been
bit by an afp, he ordered the Pfylli * to fuck out the poi-
fon.
The Pfylli were a people of Africa, who praeflifed the
employment of fucking the poifon from wounds inflicted by
ferpents, with which that country anciently abounded. They
pretended to be endowed with an antidote, which rendered
their bodies infenfible to the virulence of that fpecies of poi-
fon ; and the ignorance of thofe times gave credit to the
phyfical immunity which they arrogated. But Celfus, who
flouriflied about fifty years after the period we fpeak of, has
, exploded
c;esar augustus.
V
107
foil. He allowed them the favor of being buried together,
and ordered a maufoleiim, begun b)r themfelves, 10 be
completed. The elder of his two fons by Fulvia he com-
manded to be taken by force from the flatue of Julius
Casfar, to which, after many fupplications for his life,
but all m vain, he had fled, and put to the fword. He
likewife put to death Ca^fario, whom Cleopatra pretended
fhe had by C^far, who had fled for his life, but was re-
taken. The children that were born to Antony by Cleo-
patra he faved, and maintained in a manner fuitable to
their rank, as much as if they had been his own re-
lations.
XVIIL About this time he had the curlofity to view
the coffin and body of Alexander the Great, which, for
that purpofe, w^ere taken out of the vault where they were
depofited ; and after looking at them for fome time, he
paid his refpeds to the memory of that prince, by the
prefect of a golden crown, and fcattering flowers upon
the body. Being afked if he defired to fee that of Ptolemy
likewife, he replied, “ I defire to fee a king, not dead
men.” He reduced Egypt into the form of a province ;
and to render it more fertile, and more capable of fupply-
jng Rome with corn, he employed his army to fcour the
ditches, into which the Nile, upon its rife, difeharges it-
felf, which during a long feries of years were almofl: quite
choaked up with mud. To render his violory at Adlium
exploded the vulgar prejudice which prevailed in their favor.
He juflly obferves, that the venom of ferpents, like fome
other kinds of poifon, proves noxious only when applied to
the naked fibre; and that, provided there is no ulcer in the
gunrs or palate, the poifon may be received into the mouth
ivith perfect fafety.
the
io3
THE LIFE OF
the more famous with pofterity, he built the city Nico-
polis near that part of the coalf, and ordained that games
fliould be celebrated there every five years ; enlarging
likewife an old temple of Apollo, he drefied up with na-
val fpoils the place upon which he had encamped, and
confecrated it to Neptune and Mars.
XIX. He afterwards quafhed feveral tumults and in-
furredlions ; as alfo feveral confpiracies againfi; his life,
which were providentially difcovered before they w^re
ripe for execution ; but thefe incidents happened at differ-
ent times. Such were the confpiracies of young Lepi-
dus, of VaiTo Mursna, and Fannius C^pio ; then that
of Egnatius, afterwards that of Plautius Rufus, and of
L. Paulus, his grand-daughter’s hufband ; and belides
thefe, another of L. Audafius, an old crazy man, and
who was under a profecution for forgery ; as alfo of
Afinius Epicadus, a Parthynian mongrel, and at lafi that
of Telephus, a lady’s nomenclator^' : for he was in
danger of his life from the plots and confpiracies of fome
* As the people of Rome had a vote in the choice of their
magifirates, it was ufual, before the time of election, for the
candidates to endeavor to gain their favor by every popular
art. They would therefore go to the houfes of the citizens,
Ihake hands with thofe they met, and addrefs them in a
kindly manner. It being of great confequence, upon thofe
occfions, to know the names of perfons, they were common-
ly attended by a nomenclator, who whifpered into their ears
that information wherever it was wanted. Though this
kind of officer was generally an attendant upon men, we
meet with inftances of their having been likewife employed
in the fervice of ladies; either with the view of ferving can-
didates to whom they Vere allied, or of gaining the rffeg-
tions of the people.
of
C.^SAR AUGUSTUS.
109
of the lowefl: of the people againfh him. Audafius and
Eplcadus had formed the defign of bringing to the armies
his daughter Julia, and his grand-fon Agrippa, from the
illands in which they were confined. Telephus, from a
wild imagination that the government was defiined to
him by the fates, propofed to fall both upon Odlaviiis
and the Senate. Nay once a foldier’s fervant belonging
to the army in Illyricum, having palTed the porters unob-
ferved, was found in the night-time Handing before his
chamber-door, provided with a hunting-dagger. Whe-
ther the perfon was really difordered in the head, or only
counterfeited madnefs, is uncertain : for he would make
no confeflion by the rack.
XX. He conducted in perfon only two foreign wars ;
the Dalmatian, whilft he^ was yet but a youth, and, after
the final defeat of Antony, the Cantabrian. In the for-
mer of thefe wars he received fome wounds, as in one
battle a contufion in the right knee, from a Hone ; and
in another, he was much hurt in one leg and both arms,
by the fall of a bridge. His other wars he carried on
by his lieutenants ; but now and then vifited the army,
in fome of the wars of Pannonia and Germany, or was
not at a great diftance from it, advancing from, the
feat of government as far as Ravenna, Milan, or Aqui-
leia.
XXL He conquered, however, partly in perfon, and
partly by his lieutenants, Cantabria, Aquitania and Pan-
nonia, Dalmatia, with ail Illyricum, and Rhstia, befides
the two nations of the Vindelici and the Salaflii, inha-
biting the Alps. He alfo put a Hop to the inroads of the
Dacians, by cutting off three of their generals with vaH
armies, and drove the Germans beyond the river Elbe ;
of
lio
THE LIFE OF
of whom he removed the Ubii and Sicambri, upon their
fubmiflion, into Gaul, and fettled them in a country up-
on the banks of the Rhine. Other nations llkewife, that
annoyed the borders of his empire, he obliged to acknow-
ledge the Roman power. He never made war upon any
nation without a juft and irreftftible caufe ; and was fo
far from entertaining a defire either to extend the empire,
or advance his own military glory, that he obliged the
chiefs of fome barbarous people to fwear in the temple
of Mars the Avenger, that they would faithfully ob-
ferve their engagements, and not violate the peace which
they had folicited. Of fome he demanded a new fort of
hoftages, which was their women, becaufe he found
from experience that they did not much regard their
male hoftages ; but he always left them at liberty to re-
cover their hoftages when they pleafed. Even thofe
who were the moft frequent and perfidious in their re-
bellion, he never puniftied wdtli any greater feverlty, than
to fell their prifoners, upon condition that they ftiould
not ferve In any neighbouring country, nor be releafed
from their flavery before the expiration of thirty years.
By the renown, which he thence acquired, of virtue and
moderation, he induced the Indians and Scythians like-
wdfe, until that time known to the Romans only by re-
port, to folicit Ills frlendftiip, and that of the Roman
people, by ambafladors. The Parthians readily allowed
his pretentions to i\rmenia ; reftoring, at his demand,
the ftandards which they had taken from M. CrafTus,
and IVI. Antony, and offering him hoftages befides.
Afterwards, upon the occafton of a conteft befwixt fe-
veral pretenders to the crown of this kingdom, they
would admit only the claim of the perfon to whom he
fhould think proper to award it.
8
xxn. The
CJESAR AUGUSTUS. Ill
XXII . The temple of Janus Quirinus, which had
been fhut only twice, from the building, of the city to
his own time, he (hut three times, in a much fhorter pe-
riod, having eftablilhed an univerfal tranquillity both by
fea and land. He twice entered the city in the leffer tri-
umph^, viz. after the war of Philippi, and again after that
of Sicily. He had likewife three grand triumphs f for his
viclorics
* The inferior kind of triumph, called Ovatio, was
granted in cafes where the vi(5lory was not of great import-
ance, or had been obtained without difficulty. The general
entered the city on foot or on horfeback, crowned with myr-
tle, not with laurel ; and inftead of bullocks, the facrifice
was performed with a flieep, whence this proceflion acquir-
ed its name.
•f The grand triumph, in which the viftorious general
and his army advanced in folemn proceflion through the
city to the Capitol, was the higheff: military honor which
could be obtained in the Roman ftate. Foremoft in the pro-
ceffion, went muficians of various kinds, finging and play-
ing triumphal fongs. Next were led the oxen to be facri-
ficed, having their horns gilt, and their heads adorned with
fillets and garlands. Then in carriages were brought the
fpoils taken from the enemy, ftatues, pictures, plate, ar-
mour, gold and filver, and brafs ; with golden crowns, and
other gifts, fent by the allied and tributary flates. The cap-
tive leaders followed in chains, with their children and at-
tendants. After them came the Licflors, having their fafces
wreathed with laurel, followed by a great company of mu-
ficians and dancers dreffed like Satyrs, and wearing crowns
of gold : in the midft of whom was a pantomime, clothed
in the garb of a female, whole buflnefs it w’as, with his
looks and geftures, to infult the vanquiflied. Next follow-
ed a long train of perfons carrying perfumes. Then came
the victorious general, dreffed in purple embroidered with
gold,
II2
THE LIFE OF
vidories In Dalmatia, at Adium, and Alexandria ; each
of which lafled three days.
XXIIL In all his wars, he never received any fignal
or ignominious defeat, except twice in Germany, in the
perfon of his lieutenants Lollius and Varus. The for-
mer indeed had in it more of infamy than lofs : but that
of Varus threatened the fecurity of the empire itfelf ;
gold, with a crown of laurel on his head, a branch of lau-
rel in his right hand, and in his left an ivory fceptre, with
an eagle on the top ; having his face painted with vermilion,
in the fame manner as the ftatue of Jupiter on feflival days,
and a golden Bulla hanging on his bread, and containing
fome amulet, or magical prefervative againft envy. He
flood in a gilded chariot, adorned with ivory, and drawn
' by four white horfes, fometimes by elephants, attended by
his relations, and a great crowd of citizens, all in white.
His children ufed to ride in the chariot with him ; and that
he might not be too much elated, a (lave, carrying a golden
crown fparkling with gems, flood behind him, and frequently
whifpered in his ear, “ Remember that thou art a man !’*
After the general, followed the Confiils and Senators on
foot, at lead according to the appointment of Auguflus ;
for they formerly ufed to go before him. His Legati and
•military Tribunes commonly rode J^y his fide. The vi£lo-
rioiis army, horfe and foot, came laft, crowned with laurel,
and decorated with the gifts which they had received for
their valor ; finging their own and their general’s praifes,
'but fometimes throwing out railleries againft him ; and often
exclaiming, “ lo Triumphe !” in which they were joined
by all the citizens, as they pafied along. The oxen having
been facrificed, the general gave a magnificent entertain-
ment in the Capitol to his friends and the chief men of the
city; after which he-^vas conduced home by the people,
with mufic and a great number of lamps and torches.
three
CiESAR ‘AUGUSTUS.
three legions, with the general^ lieutenant-generals, and
all the auxiliary forces, being cut olF. Upon receiving
advice of this difafter, he gave orders for keeping a ftrict
watch over the city, to prevent any public difturbance,
and continued the government of the provinces in the
fame hands, the better to keep the allies quiet* by the
means of perfons well acquainted with, and ufed to them.
He made a vow to celebrate the great games in honor
of Jupiter, If he would Be pleafed to recover the ftate
from its prefent fituation.” This expedient had formerly
been pradtifcd In the Cimbric and IMarfic wars. For
we are informed that he was under fo great confterna-
tion* upon this event, that he let the hair of his head
and beard grow for feveral months, and fometlmes knock-
ed his head againO: the dpor, crying out, “ Quintilius
Varus, give me my legions again.” And ever after, he ob-
ferved the anniverfary of this calamity as a day of forrow
and mourning.
XXIV. Tn military affairs he made many alterations,
introducing forae pra^Iices entirely new, and reviving
others, which had become obfolete. He maintained
among the troops the flriftefl: difcipline ; and would not
allow even the lieutenant-generals the liberty to vifit their
wives, but with great reludlance, and in the winter fea-
fon only* A Roman knight having cut off the thumbs
of two young fons of his, to render them incapable of
ferving in the wars, he expofed both him and his eflate
to public fale. But upon obfervlng the farmers of the
culloms very bufy about the purchafe, he configned him
over to a freedman of Ins own, that he might fend him
into the country, and fuffer him to enjoy his freedom.
The tenth legion becoming mutinous, he broke it wdth dif-
grace ; and did the fame by fome others that in a petu-
I lant
THE LIFE OF
II4
lant manner demaniled their difcharge ; with-holding from
them the rewards ufually beftowed on thole who had
ferved their ftated time in the wars. Such battalions
as had quitted their ground in time of adion, he deci-
mated, and fed with barley. Captains, as well as com-
mon fentinels upon the guard, who deferted their polls,
he punilhed with death. For other mifdemeanors he in-
flided upon them various kinds of difgrace ; fuch as ob-
liging them to {land all day before the general’s tent,
fometimes in their tunics, and without their belts, fome-
times with poles ten foot long, or rods in their hands.
XXV. After the conclufion of the civil wars, he ne-
ver, in any of his military harangues, or proclamations,
addrefled them by the title of “ Fellow-foldiers,” but
“ Soldiers” only. Nor would he fufFer them to be other-
wife called by his fons or flep-fons, when they were in
command : judging the former epithet to convey the
idea of a degree of condefcenfion not Very conliflent
W'ith military difcipline, and what neither the tranquillity
of the times, nor the grandeur of himfelf and family, ren-
dered needful. Unlefs at Rome, upon account of acci-
dental fires, or under the apprehenfion of a public difiurb-
ance during a fcarcity of provifions, he never fufFered
manumifed flaves to bear arms in his troops, except on
two occafions ; one for the fccurity of the colonies bor-
dering upon Illyricum, and again to guard the banks of
the river Rhine. With thefe he obliged perfons of
fortune, both male and female, to furnifli him ; and
though after fome time he granted them their freedom,
yet he kept them in a body by themfelves, unmixed with
liis other foidiers of better birth, and armed likewife in a
dilFerent manner. Military prefents, fuch as trappings
for horfes, chains, or any others of gold or filver, he be-
llowed
CJESAR AUGCrSTUS.
II5
flowed more readily than the crowns which were ufually
conferred for any fignal a6!: of bravery in the fiege of
camps or towns, which were reckoned more honorable
than the former. Thefe crowns he gave fparingly,
without partiality, and often even to common foldi-
ers. He prefented M. Agrippa, after the naval engage-
ment in the w’ar of Sicily, wdth a green banner. Per-
fons who had obtained the honor of a triumph, though
they attended him in his expeditions, and had a fhare in
his fuccefles, he judged it improper to diflinguifh by the
ufual military prefents, becaufe themfelves had a right to
grant them to whom they pleafed. He thought nothing
more derogatory to the chara6ler of an accomplifhed ge-
neral than hafte and raflmefs : on which account he
had frequently In his mouth,
and
EcrV ajuBivuv, n crlpaJn^.iXTYiSi
Haflen flo\vIy. — And
The cautious captain’s better than the bold.
And “ What is done enough, is done well enough.” He
was -svont likewlfe to fay, that “ a battle or a war ought
never to be undertaken, unlefs the hope of advantage over-
balanced the fear of lofs.” For, faid he, “ thofe who pur-
fue fmall advantages with no fmall hazard, refemble fuch
as fifh with a golden hook, the lofs of which, if the line
fliould break afunder, could never be compenfated by all
the fifh they might take.”
XXVI. He was advanced to public offices, before he
was legally qualified for them in point of age, and to
fome of a new kind, and for life. He feized the Con-
fulfliip in the twentieth year of his age, advancing with
I 2 his
THE LIFE OP
1 16
his legions in a hoflile manner towards the city, and fend-'
ing deputies to demand it for him in the name of the
army. When the Senate demurred upon the fubjedt, a
Centurion, named Cornelius, the chief deputy, throwing
back his cloak, and ihev/ing the hilt of his fword, had
the prefumption to fay in the houfe, “ This will make
him Conful, if ye will not.” His fecond Confulfliip he
bore nine years after, his third, upon the intermiffion of
only one year, and held the fame office every year fuc-
ceffively until the eleventh. From this period, though
the Confulfhip was frequently offered him, he always de-
clined it, till, after a long interval, not lefs than feven-
teen years, he voluntarily flood for the twelfth, and two
years after for a thirteenth ; tliat he might, whilfl in-
vefled with that office, introduce into the Forum, accord-
ing to cuhom, his twp fons, Caius and Lucius. In his
five Confulfhips from the fixth to the eleventh, he conti-
nued in office throughout the year ; but in the red, dur-
ing only nine, fix, four, or three months, and in his fe-
cond no more than a few hours. For having fat for a
fhort time in the morning, upon the firft of January,»on
his ivory chair *, before the temple of Jupiter Capitoli-
nus, he quitted the office, and fubftituted another in his
room. Nor did he enter upon them all at Rome, but
* The Sella Curulis was a flool or chair on which the
principal magiflrates fat in the tribunal upon folemn occa-
fions. It had no back, but had four crooked feet, fixed to the
extremities of crofs pieces of wood, joined by a common
axis, fomewhat in the form of the letter X ; was covered
with leather, and adorned with ivory. From its conflruc-
tion, it might be occalioflally folded together for the con-
venience of carriage^ and fet down where the niagiltrate
chofe to life it.
upon
8
ejESAR AUGUSTUS.- II7
upon the fourth in Afia, the fifth in the Ifle of Samos,
and the eighth and ninth at Tarracon.
XXVII. During ten years, he adled as one of the
Triumvirate for fettling the commonwealth, in which of-
fice he for fome time oppofed his colleagues in their clefigii
of a profcripti.on ; but after it was begun, he profecuted
it with more determined rigor than either of them. For
whilft they were often prevailed upon, by the intereft and
interceifion of friends, to fhew mercy, he alone infifted
vehemently, that no quarter Ihould be given ; and he
proferibed likewife C. Toranius. his guardian, who had
been formerly his father Odlavlus’s colleague in the
./Fidilefiiip. Junius Saturninus adds this farther account
of him : that when, after the profeription was over, M.
Lepidus made an apology in the Senate for their pad:
proceedings, and gave them hopes of a more mild admi-
nlftratlon for the future, becaufe they had now had fuffi-
clent revenge upon their enemies ; he on the other hand
declared, that he had fet no other bounds to the profeription
than his own pleafure, and fo was entirely at liberty.
Afterwards, however, repenting of his fe verity, he ad-
vanced T. Vinius Philopoemen to the Equeftrian rank,
for having concealed his patron, and faved him from the
fury of the profeription. In this fame office, he incur-
red great odium upon many accounts. For as he was
one day haranguing the foldiers, obferving Pinarius a Ro-
man knight let In Ibme company, and fubferibe fome-
thing or other, he ordered him to be ftabbed before his
eyes, as a bufy-body and a fpy upon him. He fo terri-
fied with his menaces Tedius Afer, Conful-eledl, for
. having reflected upon fome adllon of his, that he threw
himfelf from the top of a houfe and died. And when
Q^Gallius the Praetor came to wait upon him, with a
I 3 double
THE LIFE OF
ii3
Rouble tablet unJer his coat, fufpe6ling it to be a TwotcI,
and yet not venturing to make a fcarch, left it ftiould be
found to be fomething elfe, he ordered him to be carried
off by feme captains and foldiers, and to be put to tor-
ture, as if he had been a flave : and though he would
tnake no confeffion of any ill deflgn, commanded him
to be killed, after he had, with his own hands, pluck-
ed out his eyes. His own account of the tranfadlion
however is, that this perfon deftred a private conference
wdth him, for the purpofe of murdering him : that he
therefore put him in prifon, but 'afterwards releafed him,
and banifhed him the city, when he periihed either in a
ftorm at fea, or by the hands of robbers. He accepted
of the Tribimitian power for life, but, for two lujira *
fucceflively, took another perfon into commiffion with
him. The infpedlion of the public rnanners and laws
was likewife conferred upon him for life; in virtue of.
which commiffion, though he had not the title of Cen-
for, yet he thrice took a furvey of the people, the firft
and third time w’ith an aftiftant, but the fecond by him-'
feff.
\
XXVIII. He twice entertained thoughts of reftoring
the commonwealth ; firft immediately after the redudlion
of Antony, remembering what he had often charged him
with,' that it was owing to him alone that the common-
wealth was not reftored. The fecond time was upon oc-
* The Lujinm was a period of five years, at the end of '
which a Cenfus or Review was made of the people, firft by
the'Roman kings, then by the Cor.fuls, but after the year
310 from the building of the city, by the Cenfors, who
were magiftrates created for that purpofe. It appears how-
ever, that the Cenfus was not always held at ftated periods,
^nd fometimes after long intervals.
caftoii ^
CiTSAR AUGUSTUS.
1 19
cafion of a long illnefs, when he fent for the magifl rates
and the Senate to his ow*n houfe, and delivered them a'
particular account of the ftate of the empire. But re-
fledling at the fame time, that he could not without hazard
return to the conditipn of a private perfon, and that it
might be of dangerous confequence to the public, to
have the government left again to the management of the
people, he refolved to keep it in his own hands, whe-
ther v/ith the better event or intention, is hard to fay. His
intention of good to the public, he often afErmed in pri-
vate difeourfe, and likewife declared by proclamation in
the following terms : “ So let me have the happinefs to
ellablilh the commonwealth fecure upon its proper bahs,
and enjoy the reward of which I am ambitious, that of
being celebrated for introducing the beft kind of govern-
ment amongft you : that at my leaving the world, I may
carry with me the hope, that the foundations 'which I
ihail lay for a future fettlement, will remain unmoved
for ever.’*
XXIX. The city, which was not built in a manner ^
fuitable to the grandeur of the empire, and was liable
to inundations of the^ Tiber, and to fires, he fo much
improved, as to boafl, not without reafon, that he re-
ceived it a city of brick, but left it one of mai'ble. He
likewife rendered it fecure for the time to come, as far as
could be efFedfed by human forefight. He ralfed a great
many public buildings, the mold confiderable of which
were a Forum, with the temple of Mars the Avenger,
the temple of Apollo in the Palatium, and the temple of
Thundering Jove in the Capitol. The reafon of his
building the Forum, was the vafl number of people and
caufes, for which the two former Forums not being fuf-
ficient, it was tho'ught necefutry fo have a third. It was*
I 4 there-
120
THE LIFE OF
therefore opened for public ufe before the temple of Mars
was entirely finidied ; and a lav/ pafTed, that caufes
fhould be tried, and judges chofen by lot, in that place.
The temple of Mars he had made a vow to build, in the
war of -Philippi, which was undertaken by him for the
revenge of his father’s murder. He ordained that the Se-
nate (hould always meet there to deliberate about wars
and triumphs ; that thence fliould be difpatched all fuch
as w'ere fent into the provinces to command armies ; and
that in it thofe who returned viddorious from the wars,
fhould lodge the ornaments of their triumphs. He erecl*
ed the temple of Apollo in that part of the Palatine
houfe which had been ftruck with thunder, and which,
on that account, the foothfayers declared the God to have
chofen. He added to it pia7//.as, with a library of Latin
and Greek authors ; and when advanced in years, ufed
frequently there to hold the Senate, and examine the lifts
of the judges. He confecrated the temple to Thunder-
ing Jove, upon account of a deliverance he had from a
great danger in his Cantabrian expedition»; when, as he
\vas travelling in the night, his litter was fcorched, and
a flave who carried a torch before him, killed by the
lightning. He likewife conftruded forae public build-
ings in the name of others, as his grandfons, his wife,
and After. Thus he built a piazza and a> court, iii tlie
name of Lucius and Cains, and piazzas in the name of
Livia and Odlavia, with a theatre in that of Marcellus. ^
He alfo recommended to other perfons of diftiadlion to
beautify the city by new buildings, or repairing the old,
each according to their refpedlive abilities. In confe-
quence of this recommendation, many were raifed ; fuch
as the temple of Hercules prefident of the Mufes, by
Mercius Philippus ; a temple of Diana by L. Corni-
ficius ; the Court of Liberty by Afinius Pollio ; a temple
of
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
I2I
of Saturn by Munatius Plancus ; a theatre by Cornelius
iBalbus; an amphitheatre by Statilius Taurus ; and feve-
ral other noble edifices by M. Agrippa.
XXX. He divided the city into wards, and other infe-
rior departments ; ordajning that the annual magiftrates
/hould by lot take the charge of the former ; and that
the latter Ihould be governed by mailers chofen out of the
neigbouring commonalty. He appointed a nightly watch
to be kept againfi: accidents from fire ; and, to prevent
the frequent inundations of .the Tiber, widened and
cleanfed its channel, which had in length of time been
almofl dammed up with rubbiili, and much reduced by
the falling in of houfes. To render the avenues to tlie
city more commodious, he took upon himfelf the charge
of improving the Flaminian caufeway as far as Arimi-
num ; and diftributed the repairs of the other roads, to
be defrayed out of the money arifing from the fpoils
of war, amongil feveral perfons who had obtained the
honor of a triumph. Temples decayed by time, or de-
frroyed by fire, he either repaired or rebuilt ; and enrich-
ed them, as well as many others, with noble donations.
He, upon one occafion, depofited in the facred apart-
ment of Jupiter Capitolinus, fixteen thoufand pounds
of gold, v-'ith jewels and pearls, to the amount of fifty
millions of fefterces.
XXXI. The office of High-priefl, of which he could
not decently deprive Lepidus, he afTumed upon his death.-
He then ifiued an order for all the books of prophecy,
both Latin and Greek, the authors of which were either
unknown, or of no great authority, to be brought in ;
and the whole colIe61ion, amounting to upwards of two
thouland, he committed to -the flames ; faving only fuch
as
f
122
THE LIFE OF
as had been left by the Sibyls ; but not even thofe with^
out'a examination, to afcertain what was genuine.
This being done, he depofited them upon two gilt Ihelves/
under the bafe of the ftatue of Apollo Palatinus. Pie
reduced the Calendar, which had been corvedled by Ju-
lius C^far, but through carekiTnefs w’as again fallen in-
to confufion, to its former regularity ; and upon that
occalion, called the month Sextilis (Auguft) by his own
name, rather than September, in which he was born ;
becaufe in it he had obtained his hrft ConfuUhip, and all
his mofd confiderable victories. He encreafed the num-
ber, dignity, and revenue of the priefts, but efpcciaily
of the Veflal Virgins. And when upon the death of one
of them, a new one was to be chofen, and many per-
fons folicited that they might not be obliged to give In
their daughters* names, for the purpofe of eledlion, he
anfwered them with an oath : If any of my grand-
daughters was old enough for it, I would have offered
her to nil up the vacancy.’* He likewife revived fome
old leligious cuftoms, which had become obfolete ; as
the Augury of ^Health, the office of Fiamen Dialis, or
the peculiar pried of Jupiter, the religious folemnity of
the Lupercalia, the Secular, and Compitalitian games.
He prohibited young boys from running in the Luper-
calia : and in refpect of the Secular games, he iffbed an
order, that young perfons, of either fex, Ihould not appear
at any public diverdons in the night, unlefs in the com-
pany of fome elderly perfon of their relations. Pie or-
dered’the houfehold Gods to be decked twice a year with
fpring and funimer flowers, in the Compitalitian feflivah
Next to the immortal Gods, he paid the highefl: honor to
the memory of thofe generals, who, from the original
poor condition of the Roman date, had raifed it to the
pinnacle of grandeur. He accordingly repaired or rebuilt
the
CJESAR AUGUSTUS.
123
the public edifices ere61;ed by them ; preferving the for-
mer iiifcriptions, and placing ftatucs' of them all, in a
triumphal drefs, in both the piazzas of his Forum ; and
declaring in the terms of the follovving proclamation :
** My defign in fo doing is, that the Roman people may
require from me, and all fucceeding princes, a confor-
mity to thofe iiluftrious examples.^’ He iikewife removed
the ftatue of Pompcy from the Senate-houfe, in which
C. Caefar had been killed, and placed It under a marble
arch, ' fronting the magnificent houfe adjoining to his
theatre.
XXXII. He ftipprefTed many prailiccs injurious to
the morals of the public, which'had arifen either from ii-
centloufnefs during the late civil wars, or the corruption
produced by the long peace which enfued. Great num-
bers of higliwaymen appeared openly, armed with
fwords, under color of felf-defence ; and in different parts
of the country, travellers, freemen and flaves without
diflindlion, were carried off by violence, and kept con-
cealed in work-houfes. Several parties of men, under
the fpecious title of new companies, caballed togetlier
for the perpetration of all kinds of villainy. Thefe ban-
ditti he quelled, by guards of foldiers polled in different
places for tlie purpofe ; took a il;ri£l account of the
work-houfes, and diffolved all companies, thofe only
excepted which were of ancient handing, and ehablifh-
ed by law. He burned all the notes of thofe who had
been a long time in arrear with the treafury, as the prin-
cipal fource'of vexatious fuits and profecutions. Places
in the city that were claimed by the public, where the
property was doubtful, he adjudged to tlie poffeffors. He
' ffruck out of the lift of criminals, the names of fuch as
had remained long under the terror of a profecution»
V* here
124
THE LIFE OF
where nothing further was propofed by the informers,
than to gratify their own ill nature, by feeing the wretch-
ed appearance which they made upon the occafion. At
the'fame time, he laid it down as a rule^ that thofe who
perhhed in maintaining a profecution, fhould, if they
failed in their objedl, be liable to the fame punilhment
which the laws inflidled upon fuch as were convidled of
the charge. And that crimes might not efcape punifli-
ment, nor bufinefs be negledtcd by delay, he ordered the
courts to fit during the thirty days that were fpent in ce-
lebrating the games, which the magiftrates ufuaily pre-
fented to the people, in gratitude for their advancement.
To the three claffes then exilling of judges, he added a
fourth, confining of perfons of inferior rank, who were
called Ducenariiy and decided all litigations about trifling
fums. He chofe judges from the age of thirty years,
which is hve years fooner than had been ufual before.
And a great many declining the office, he was with much
difficulty prevailed upon, to allow each clafs of judges a
twelve -month’s vacation in its turn ; and that the courts
might be exempted from attendance during the months of
November and December.
XXXIII. He was himfelf affiduous in his application
to the trial of caufes, and would fometimes protradl his
fitting to a late hour, if he was indifpofed, upon a
couch placed upon the bench, or lying in bed at home ;
difplaying on all thofe occaflons not only the greatefl: atten-
tion, but mildnefs. To fave a culprit, wdto evidently appear-
ed guilty of murdering his father, from being hitched up
in a fack, becaufe none were puniffied in that manner
but fuch as confelTed the facf, he is faid to have inter-
rogated him thus : “ Surely you did not kill your father,
did you ?” And when, in the trial of a caiile about a
forged
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
125
forged will, all thofe who had figned it were liable to
the penalty of the Cornelian law, he ordered that all thofe
who fat with him upon the trial fhould not only be fur-
ni died with the two ufual tablets for condemnation or
acquittal, but a third likewife, for the pardon of fuch as
fliould appear to have fubferibed their names through
any deception or midake. All appeals in caufes betwixt
inhabitants of the city, he afligned every year to the
Prstor ; and where the provincials were concerned, to
men of Confular rank, who had each his province for
that purpofe.
XXXIV. Some laws he amended, and fome, originally
framed by himfelf, he introduced into the code ; fuch as
the fumptuary law, that relating to adultery and the viola-
tion of chaftity, the law againft bribery in ele6lions, and
likewife that for the encouragement of marriage. Having
been more fevere in his reform of this law than the reft, he
found the people utterly averfe to adopt it, without taking
off or mitigating the penalties; befides allowing a refpite of
three years after the death pf a wife, and encreafing the
advantages of a married ftate. Notwithftanding all
thefe modifications of this obnoxious ftatute, the Equef-
trian Order, at a public entertainment in the theatre, w^ere
importunate for the repeal of it ; infomuch that he fent
for the children of Germanicus, and fhewed them partly
fitting upon his own lap, and partly on their father’s ;
intimating by his looks and geftures a requeft, that they
would not be difpleafed to imitate the example of that
young man. But finding that the force of the law was
eluded, by the marrying of girls much under the age
proper for matrimony, and the frequent change of wives,
he limited the time for confummation after the marriage
conti'act,
126
THE LIFE OF
c'cntra£^:, and retrained the great licence whicli had been
admitted in the piadtice of divorce.
XXXV. He reduced, by two diflin£l nominations, to
their former number and fplendor, the Senate, \vhich had
been filled up and over-charged with a rabble of people,
degrading to the dignity of that houfe (for they w^ere now
above a thoiifand, and foine of them very mean perfons,
that after the 'death of Caefar had been chofen by the
dint of intereft and bribery, and were commonly called
by the people Orcini). The former of thefe- eledlions
was left to their own determination ; each man as he
was named naming another. But the latter was manag-
ed exclufivcly by himfelf and Agrippa : at which time,
it is believed, he prefided at the eledlion, wdtli a coat of
mail, and a fword under his garment, and with ten of
the moil able-bodied Senators his friends attending about
him. Cordus Cremutius relates, that no Senator w^as
fuffered to approach him but alone, and after having
been fearched wdiether he carried about him any
fword. Some he obliged to the relu6lant modefty of
excufing themfelves from the acceptance of that honor ;
and to fucli he allowed the privilege of ufing the Senato-
rial! tunic, of fitting at public diverfons in the feats af-
figned to that Order, and of feafling publicly amongfl
them. That fuch as were chofen and approved of
might difeharge their duty the more religioufly, and with
lefs trouble, he ordered that every member, before he
took his feat in the houfe, fliould pay his devotions, witli
an offering of frankincenfe and wine, at the altar- of that
God, in w'hofe temple the Senate fhould affemble, and
that their fated meetings fhould be only twdee in the
month, viz. upon the Calends and Ides ; and that in the
month-Sr
C.^SAR AUGUSTUS.
months of September and O6lober, a certain number
only, chofen by lot, fuch as the law required to give a re-
folution of the houfe the force of a decree, (hould be ob-
liged to give their attendance. He refolved upon the
choice of a new privy-council every fix months, to con-
fult with them previoully upon fuch alFairs as he judged
proper at any time to lay before the houfe. He likcwifc
bilked the opinion of the Senators upon a fubjedi of ‘im-
portance, not according to cuftom, nor in order, but as
he pleafed ; that every one might give the fame attention
to the bulinefs before them, as if he was to deliver his
fentiments at large upon it, to influence the refl, rather
than alTent to what had been advanced by others.
XXXVI. He likewife introduced feverai other altera-
tions in the management of public affairs ; as that the a^s
of the Senate Ihould not'be publiflied, nor the magiferates
fent into the provinces immediately after the expiration of
their office : that the Proconfuls fhould have a certain
fum affigned them out of the treafury for mules and tents,
which ufed before to be contradled for by the government
with private perfons : that the management of the trea-
fury fhould be transferred from the City-Qiisftors to
the Prsetors, or thofe who had already ferved in the
latter office : and that ten commiffioners fhould call
together the Centumviral court, which had formerly
been ufed to affemble at the fummons of perfons who
bad borne the office of Quseftors.
XXXVIII. That a greater number ,of perfons might
be employed in the admihiftration of the State, he de-
Vifed feverai new offices ; as for the fuperintendency of the
public buildings, roads, waters, the channel of the Tiber;
for the diHribution of corn to the people ; the Prefecture
of
123
THE LIFE OF
€)f the City ; a Triumvirate for the eledion of the Sena-
tors ; and another for taking an account of the feveral
troops of the Equeftrian Order, as often as their duty in
war rendered fuch an infpe6tion necefTary, He revived
the office of Cenfors'*^, which had been a long time dif-
nfed, and encreafed the number of Praetors. He likewife
dehred, that as often as the Confulihip was conferred
upon him, he Ihould have two colleagues inftead of one ;
but in refpedl of this point, they did not comply with
his requeft ; all unanimoudy crying out upon the occa-
lion, that he {looped below his grandeur fufficiently, in
holding the office not alone, but in conjundlion with an-
other.
XXXVIIL He was no lefs attentive to the reward of
military merit, upon all occafions. He granted to above
thirty generals the honor of the great triumph ; and took
care to have triumphal ornaments voted by the Senate for
more than that number. That the fons of Senators
might become fooner acquainted with affairs of (late, he
permitted them, at the time when they took upon them
the manly habit f , to alTume the Senatorian tunic like-
wife,
In the year 312, from the building of the city, two
inagiltrates were created, under the name of Cenfors, whofe
office, at fril, was to take an account of the number of the
people, and the value of their fortunes. A power was af-
'herwards granted them to infped the morals of the people ;
and from this period the office became of great importance
in the (late. After Sylla, the ele<d:ion of Cenfors was inter-
mitted for about feventeen years. Under the emperors the
office of Cenfor was abolifhed ; but the chief parts of it
were exercifed by the emperors themfelves, and frequently
both_ with great caprice and feverity.
• f Young men until they were feventeen years of age, and
• young
CJESAR AUGUSTUS.
129
wife, and to be prefent at the debates of the houfe. When
they entered the fervice of their country in the wars, he in-
vefted them not only with the commilTion of Tribune, but
likewife the command of the auxiliary horfe of a legion.
And that none might want an opportunity of acquiring
fufficient experience in military affairs, he commonly
joined two Tons of Senators in comraiffion for the latter
appointment* He frequently reviewed the troops of
horfe belonging to the State, reviving the ancient cuftom ^
of Tranfvedlion which had been long laid afide* But he
young women until they were married, wore a goWii bor-
dered with pm'ple, called Toga Prcetexta, The former,
when they had completed this period, laid alide the drefs of
minority, and alTumed the Toga Virilisy or Manly Habit.
The ceremony of changing the Toga was performed with
great folemnity before the images of the Laresy to whom the
Bulla was confecrated. On this occafion, they went either
to the Capitol, or to fome temple, to pay their devotions to
the Gods.
* The TranfveSllo was a proceflion of the Equeflrian Or-
der, which they made with great fplendor through the city,
every year, on the fifteenth day of July. They rode on
horfeback from the Temple of Honor, or of Mars, without
the city, to the Capitol,'with wreaths of olive on their heads,
dreffed in robes of fcarlet, and bearing in their hands the
military ornaments which they had received from their ge-
neral, as a reward of their valor. The Knights rode up to
the Cenfor, feated on his curule chair in the front of the
Capitol, and difmounting led along their horfes in their
hands befbre him. If any of the knights was corrupt in his
morals, had diminiflied his fortune below the legal fiandard,
or even had not taken proper care of his horfe, the Cenfor
ordered him to fell his horfe, by which he was confidered
as degraded from the Equeflrian Order.
‘ K
did
THE LIFE OF
150
did not fudFer any one to be obliged by his accufer to dif-
mount, wbilft he palTed in review, as had formerly been
the pradlice. And for fuch as w’-ere infirm with age, or
any way deformed, he allowed them to fend theif horfes
before them, and when called upon, only to anfwer to
their names ; permitting, foon after, thofe who had at-
tained the age of thirty-five years, and defired not to
keep their horfe any longer, to have the privilege of re-
figning him* ►
XXXIX. Having obtained ten aflifiants from the Se-
nate, he obliged every one of the horfemen to give an ac-
count of his life : in regard to thofe of whom he difap-
proved, upon fomehe fet a mark of infamy, and others he
punifhed in different ways. The mofi: part he only re-
primanded, but not in the fame terms. The moft gentle
mode of reproof was by delivering them wax tablets^f,
which they were obliged to read to ihemfelves upon the
fpot. Some he difgraced for borrowing money at low
intereft, and letting it out again upon ufurious profit,
XL. In the eledlion of T ribunes, if there was not a
fufficient number of Senatorian candidates, he nominated
others from the Equefirian rank ; granting them the li-
berty, after the expiration of their office, to continue in
whichfoever of the two Orders they pleafed. BeCaufe
moft of the knights had been much reduced in their
eftates by the late civil wars, and therefore durft not fit
to fee the public diverfions in the theatre, in the feats al-
f Pugillares, or Pugillaria, were a kind of pocket-book,
ufed for the purpofe of taking down memorandiin}s. They'
appear to have been of very ancient origin ; for we read of
them in the Iliad under the name of Tliva?££i>
lotted
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
131
Ibtted to tHeir Order, for fear of the punifhment provided
by the law in that cafe ; he publicly declared, that none
•Were liable to the penalty of that law, who had, either
themfelves, or their parents, ever had a knight’s eftate.
He took the furvcy of the Roman people flreet by ftreet^
and that the commonalty might! not be too often taken:
from (heir bufmefs, to attend the diflribution of coriii
he intended to deliver out tickets for four months, that
they might receive a greater quantity at once ; but at tlielr
rcquelf, he continued the former regulation.. He* reviv-«
ed the ancient ufage in eledlions, and endeavored, by
various penalties, to fupprefs the practice of bribery.
Upon the day of eledlion, he diftributed to the freemen
of the Fabian andScaptian tribes; in which he himfelf was
enrolled, a thoufand fellerces each, that they might en-
tertain no expe£l;ations from any of the candidates. E>t-
tremely defirous of preferving the Roman people pure;
and liritainted with a mixture of foreign or fervile blood,
he not only bellowed the freedom of the city with a fpar-
ing hand, but laid fome reflri6lIon upon the pradlicc of
manumlfing flaves. When Tiberius interceded with him
for the freedom of Rome in behalf of a Greek client of his^
he wrote to him for anfwer, “ I (hall not grant it, un-
lefs he come himfelf, and give me a fatisfa6lory reafon
why he makes that requeft.’’ He gave a denial likewife
to Livia, upon her defirihg the fame privilege for a tri-
butary Gaul, -but olFered him an immunity from taxes
adding a declaration in thefe words: “ I fhall fooner
fuffer the revenue of my exchequer to be dimlniflied,
than the honor of the freedom of Rome to be rendered
too common.” Not content with debarring- flaves from
the benefit of complete emancipation, by 'various legal
difficulties, relative to the number, condition, and dL
ilinvflion of fuch as fliould be manumifed, he likewife
K 2 enadied
132
THE LIFE OF
enabled that none who had been bound in chains, or put
to the rack, fliould in any degree obtain the freedom of
the city. He endeavored alfo to, reftore the old habit
and drefs of the Romans ; and upon feeing once an af-
fembly of the people in black togas he exclaimed with
indignation, “ See there !
Romanos rerum dominos, gentemque togatam.
Rome’s fons whofe laws the fubjeft world reprefs :
Of whom the toga is the civic drefs.
I
He gave order to the u^diles not to permit, in future,
any Roman to fland in the Forum or Circus with
cloaks on.
XLI. He difplayed his generofity to all ranks of peo-
ple upon various occafions. For upon bringing the trea-
fure belonging to the kings of Egypt into the city, in
his Alexandrian triumph, he made money fo plentiful, that
intereft fell, and the price of land rofe confiderably., And
afterwards, as often as large fumsof money came into his
poiTeffion by means of confifeations, he w'ould lend it
gratis to fuch as could give fecurity for the double of what
' was borrowed. The eflate neceflary to qualify a perfon
for being ele6ted into the Senate, inflead of eight hundred
thoufand fefterces, the former Randard, he ordered, for
the future, to be twelve hundred thoufand ; and to thofe
in the houfe who had not fo much, he made good the defi-
ciency. He often made donations to the people, but gene-
rally of different fums; fometimes four hundred, fome-
tiines three hundred, or two hundred and fifty fefterces ;
upon w’hich oceafions, he extended his bounty even to
little boys ; who before were not ufed to receive any
thing, until they arrived at eleven years of age. In a
fcarcity of corn, he would frequently let them have it at
8 a very
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. I33
a very low price, or none at all ; and doubled the number
of the money-tickets.
XLIf . But to fliew that he was a prince who regarded
more the good of his people than their favor, he repri-
manded them, upon their complaining of the fcarcity and
dearnefs of wine, very feverely, in the following terms :
My fon-in-law, Agrippa, has fufficiently provided for
the quenching of your thirft, by the great plenty, of water
with which he has fupplied the town.” Upon their de-
manding a gift which he had promifed them, he faid, “ I
am a man of my word,” But upon their importuning
him for one which he had not promifed, he ifiued a pro-
clamation upbraiding them with their fcandalous impu-
dence ; at the fame time telling them, “ I fhould give
you nothing, though I had before intended it.” With the
like hrmnefs of authority, when, upon a promife he had
made them of a donative, he found many flaves had been
manumifed, and enrolled amongfl: the citizens, he declared
that none fhould receive any thing' to whom the promife
liad not been made, and he gave the reft lefs than he had
promifed them, that the fum he defigned them might hold
out. Once, in a feafon of fcarcity, and when it was ex-
tremely difficult to fupply the public exigence, he ordered
out of the city all the companies of flaves brought thither
for fale, the gladiators belonging to the mafters of def ence,
and all foreigners, excepting phyficians, and the teachers
of the liberal fciences. A part of the flaves in every
family were likewife ordered to be difmifled. When, at
lafl, plenty was reflored, he writes thus : “ I was much
inclined to abolifh for ever the practice of allowing the
people corn at the public expence, becaufe they trull: fo
much to it, that they really negled their tillage ; but I did
not perfevere in fuch a delign ; becaufe I was pretty cer-
K 3 tain
234
THE LIFE OF
tain that the pra6^ice would foine time or other be revived
fo gratify the people.’- He fo mauaged that affair evqr
after, that he was no lefs attentive to the interefts of the
hufbandinen and traders abroad, than to thof$ of the
(citizens.
XLIII. In the number, variety, and magnificence of his
public diverfions, he furpaffed all former example. Four
and twenty times, he fays, heprefented the people with games
upon his own account ; and three and twenty times fo,r
fuch magiffrates as were either ahfent, or not ab’e to affor^l
the expence : and this he did fometimes in the ffreets qf
the city, and upon feveral flages, by players in all languages.
The fame he did not only in the Forum, and Amphir
theatre, but in the Circus likewife, and in the Septa* ; and
fometimes he prefented only a hunting of wild beads. He
entertained the people with wreftlers in the Field of Mars,
where wooden feats were eredled for the purpofe ; as
alfo -with a naval fight ; for accommodation to which he
lowered the ground about the Tiber, where now lies the
grove of the Caefars. During thefe two entertainment^
he placed guards in the city, leil robbers, by reafon of the
fmall number of people that was left in it, might feize the
opportunity of committing depredations. In the Circus
he brought into a6iion charioteers, foot-racers, and killer^
of wild beads, and thofc often youths of the fird quality.
He frequently exhibited the Trojan game, with a feledt
number of boys different in dature ; thinking it both
graceful in itfeif, and conformable to the pradlice of the
ancients, that the genius of the young nobility fhpuld be
* Septa were inclofiires made with boards, commonly for
the purpofe of didributing the people into didind claffes,
and ereded occafioually.
difplaycd
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
13s
difplayed in fueh exercifes. G, Nonius Afprenas, who
was lamed in this diverfion, he prefented with a golden
chain, and allowed him and his poflerlty to bear the fur-
name of Torquatus. But foon after, he ceafed to en-
courage fuch fports, upon occalion of a fevere fpcech
made in the Senate by Afinius Pollio the orator, in which
he complained bitterly of the misfortune of ^ferninus
his grandfon, who likcwife broke his leg in the fame
diverfion. He fometimes made ufe of Roman knights to
atSl upon the flage, or to fight as gladiators : but only be-
fore the pra6hoe was^prohibited by a decree of the Senate.
After that period he went no farther than to prefent to the
view of the people a young man named Tuciqs, of a good
family, wdio was not quite two foot in height, and
v/eighed only feventeen pounds, but had a prodigious
voice. :In one of his public entertainments, he brought
the hoftages of the Parthians, the firft.ever fent to Rome
from that nation, through the middle of the theatre, and
placed them in the fecond gallery above him. Pie ufed
likewife, at times when no public entertainments Wvte in
agitation, if any thing was brought to town uncommon,
and which might gratify curiofity, to expofe it to public
view, in any place whatever ; as he did a rhinoceros in the
Septa, a tiger upon a fiage, and a fnake fifty cubits long
in the Comitium. It happened in the Circenfian games,
which he performed in confcquence of a vow, that he
was taken ill, and obliged to attend the Thenfae lying
upon a couch. Another time, in the games celebrated
for
* The Thtnfa was a fplendid carriage with four wheels,
and four horfes, adorned with ivory and filver, in which the
images of the Gods were drawn in folemn procellion from
their fhrines, at the Circenfian games, to a place in the Circus,
called Pulvinar, where couches were prepared for their recep-
K 4 tioa.
THE LIFE OF
136
for the opening of Marcelhis’s theatre, the joints of his
ivory feat happening to give way, he fell upon his back.
And in the public diverfion exhibited by his grandfons,
when the people were fo terrified with the apprehenfioa
of the theatre’s falling, that he could not, by repeated en-
treaties not to run away, overcome their trepidation, he
moved from his place, and fat down in the part which
was mod fufpecled. _ ‘
XLIV. The confufed diforderly manner of fitting at
public diverfions, he rectified, upon occafion of an affront
put upon a Senator at Puteoli, whom, in a full affembly
at the public games, no perfon would make room for.
He therefore procured a decree of the Senate, that in all
public diverfions, in any place whatever, the firfl row of
feats fliould be left empty for the accommodation of Se-
nators. He would not permit even the ainbafTadors
of free nations, and fuch as were allies of Rome, to
fit in that part of the theatre affigned to the Senators ;
having difeovered that fome manumifed flaves had been
fent under -that character. He feparated the foldiery from
the reft of the people, and affigned to married men among ft
the commonalty their proper feats. To the bpys he
affigned his own Cuneus *, and to their mafters the feats
tion. It received its name from thongs {lor a tenfa) ftretched
before it ; and was attended in the proceffion by pe^fons of
the firft rank, in their moft magnificent apparel. The at-
tendants took delight in touching the thongs by which the
chariot was drawn : and if a boy happened to let go the
thong which he held, it was an indifpenfable rule that the
proceflion fliould be renewed.
* The Cuneus was a bench in the theatre, or other places
of public entertainment. One rofe above another from the
front of the ftage backwards, and they were diflributed re-
fpeftively to the different Orders of fpedators,
- ' which
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
^37
which were nearefl: it; ordering that none cloathed in
black ihould lit in the middle part of the Cavea Nor
w’onkl he allow the women to look at the combats of the
gladiators, except from the upper part of the theatre,
though they formerly ufed to take their places promif-
cuouily with the reH: of the company on that occafion.
To the Veftal Virgins he granted a place in the theatre by
themfelves, oppofite to the Praetor’s bench. He excluded,
how^ever, the whole female fex from feeing the wreftlers
perform their parts : fo that in the games which he ex-
hibited upon his acceffion to the office of Higli-prieft, lie
deferred producing a pair of combatants which the people
called for, until the next morning ; and intimated by pro-
clamation, It was his pleafure that no 'woman fhould
appear in the theatre before five o’clock.”
XLV. He generally viewed the Circenfian games from
the apartments of his friends or freedmen, fometlmcs
from the place appointed for the ftatues of the Gods, and
fitting in company with his wife and children. He would,
upon occafions, abfent himfelf from thofe fpedlacles for
feveral hours, and fometimes whole days ; but not without
firfi: making an apology, and recommending fome to prc-
fide at them in his room. When he 'was prefent, however,
he never attended to any other objedf ; either to avoid the
refledlion which he ufed to fay wascommonly made upon
his father Caefar, for perufing letters and memoirs, and
anfvvering them in writing, whilft he was prefent at the
public diverfions ; or from a real pleafure he took in the
* The Ca'iea was the name of the whole of that part of
the theatre where the fpeclators fat. The foremofl rows
were called cavea pt lma^ or i»:a ; the lafi, cavea ultima or
Jumma ; and the middle, cavea mecUa^
fight
THE LIFE OF
I3S
fight of thofe exhibitions, which he was fo far from con-f
cealing, that he often ingenuoufly owned it. On this
account, he ufed frequently to make confiderable prefents
to the beft performers, in the diverfions exhibited by
others ; and never was prefent at any performance of the
Greeks, without rewarding the moft defervlng, accord-
ing to their merit. He took particular pleafure in feeing
the conteds of the boxers, efpecially thofe of the country,
not only fuch as had been trained up to it by rules of art,
whom he ufed often to match with the Greek champions ;
but even the people of the city, who would hght in the
ilreets without any knowledge of the art. In fact, he
honored with his protection all fuch as performed any
part in thofe public entertainments of the people. He
not only maintained, but enlarged, the privileges of the
wreftlers. He would not permit the gladiators to fight,
without the allowance of life to the party that was
worded. He deprived the magidrates of the power of
corredling the dage-players, which by an ancient law
was allowed them at all times, and in all places ; rcdridl-
ing their authority entirely to the time of performance,
and to the dage He would however admit of no abatement
in the fervice of the wredlers, or gladiators, but exadled
from both the mod'drldl attention to difeipline. He went
fo far in redraining the licentioufnefs of dage-players,
that upon difeovering that Stephanio, an ador of . Latin
plays, kept a married woman with her hair cut fhort, and
dreded in boy’s cloaths, to wait upon him at table, he or-
dered him to be whipped through all the three theatres,
and banifhed him. Hylas, an adlor of pantomimes, upon
a complaint againd him by the Praetor, he commanded
to be fcourged with a whip, in the court of his own
houfe, and admitted all who were dedrous of feeing the
punilhment infiidled. And Pylades he not only baniihed
from
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. I39
from the city, but Italy llkewife, for pointing with his
finger at, and turning the eyes of the company upon, a
fpe6lator by whom he was liIiTed.
XLVI. Having thus regiilatcd the affairs of the city,
fie replenifhed Italy by planting in it twenty-eight colo-
nies, and greatly improved it’ by public works, and a
beneficial diilribution of taxes. In refpe£i of privileges
and dignity, he rendered it in fome meafure equal to the
city Itfelf; by inventing a new kind of fufiVagis, which
tlie members of the governing council fhould give at
home, in the eledlion of the raagiftrates in Rome, an4
fend under feal to the city, about the time of the ele61.ion.
To encreafe the number of perfons of condition, and
encourage propagation amongfi; the inferior people, he
granted the petitions of all thqfe wl)o requefted the honor
of fervlng in the wars on horfeback, provided they were
feconded by tfie reconimendation of the town in which
they lived ; and to fuch of the commonalty as, upon his
viewing the fevcral quarters of Italy, prefented him with
fons or daughters lawfully begotten, he difiributed a
thoufand fefierces a head.
XLVIL The more powerful provinces, and fuch as
COUI4 not with eafe or fafety be entrufied to the govern-
ment of annual magifirates, he referved to his own ad-
minifiration : the reft he difiributed by lot amongfi the
Proconfuls ; but fometimes he made an exchange, and
frequently vifited mofi of both kinds in perfoji. Some
cities that were in alliance with Rome, but bv their great
licentioufnefs hafiening to defirudlion, he deprived of their
liberty. Others, wdiich were much in debt, he relieved,
and rebuilt fuch as had been defiroyed bv earthquakes..
To thqfe that could produce any infiance of their having
deferved
140
THE LIFE OF
deferved well of the Roman people, he prefented the
freedom of Latium, or even that of the city. There is
not, I believe, a province, except Africa and Sardinia,
which he did not vifit. After he had driven Sextus Pom-
peius into thofe provinces, he was indeed preparing to
pafs over from Sicily, but was prevented by violent ftorms,
which continued without intermiffion, until the occafion
for fuch a voyage no longer remained.
XLVIII. Kingdoms, of which he had made himfelf
mafter by the right of conquefr, excepting a few, he
either reftored to their former polTefTors, or conferred
upon ftrangers. Kings, his allies, he cemented together
in bonds of the moft intimate union ; being always ready
to promote or favor any propofal of marriage or friend-
fhip amongft them ; and indeed treated them all with the
fame confideration, as if they were members and parts of
the empire. To fuch amongft them as were minors or
lunatics he appointed guardians, until they arrived at age,
or recovered their fenfes ; and the fons of many he main-
tained and educated with his own,
XLIX. With refpedl to the military forces, he dif.
pofed of the legions and auxiliary troops throughout the "
feveral provinces. He ftationed a fleet at Mifene, and
another at Ravenna, for the fecurlty of the upper and
lower fea. A certain number of the forces he feledfed,
partly for the guard of the city, and partly of his own
perfon ; and difmifled the body of the Calaguritanlans,
which he retained about him until the overthrow of An-
tony. He did the fame by the Germans, w^hom he had
amongft his guards, until the difafter of Varus. Yet he
never permitted a greater force than three battalions in
the city, and that without any camp. The reft he ufed
to
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
I4X
to diftribute In the neighbouring towns about the city, in
winter and fummer quarters. All the troops throughout
the empire he reduced to one fixed model, with regard to
their pay, and the rewards to be conferred upon them at
the expiration of their fervice ; determining, according to
every one’s ftation in the troops, both the lime he was to
fervc, and the advantages he was to enjoy upon an ho-
*norable difmiflion ; that they might not be tempted by
their age and neceffities to excite any public commo-
tion. For the purpofe of eftablifliing a perpetual and
ready fund towards the accomplifiiment of thefe objects,
he infiituted a military exchequer, with new taxes for the
fupply of it. To have the fpeedier intelligence of what
pafied in the provinces, he at firft polled young men at
moderate diftances, along the military roads, and after-
wards vehicles, which appeared to him the more com-
modious,’ becaufe the perfons who brought him the letters,
might be queftioned about the bufinefs, if there was any
occafion.
L. In the feallng of patents, Infl:ru6lions, or letters, he
at firfi: ufed the figure of a Sphinx, afterwards the head
of Alexander the Great, and at laft his own, engraven by
the hand of Diofcorides, which the fucceeding princes
likewife continued to make ufe of. He was extremely
precife in the dating of his letters, putting down exadly
the time of the day or night, at which they were di-
fpatchedi
LI. Of his clemency and moderation there are abun-
dant and fignal inftances. For not to enumerate how
many and what perfons of the oppofite party he pardoned,
and fuifered to rife to the highefi: eminence in the city ;
he thought it fufficient to punifit Junius Novatus, and
Caflius
THE LIFE OF
Caffius Patavinus, both commoners ; one of them with a
fine, and the other with an eafy banifhment ; though the
former had pubiiflied, In the name of young Agrippa, a very
fcurrilous letter againh: him, and the other declared openly^
at an entertainment where there was a great deal of com-
pany, “ that he neither wanted inclination nor courage to
flab him.’^ In the trial of ^milius ^lianus of Corduba,
when, amongfl other charges exhibited againft him, it
was particularly inhlled upon^ that he ufed to refledl upon
Caefar, the latter turning about to,thc accufer, faid to him
with an air and tone of paffion, “ I whir you could make
that appear, 1 fliall let ^lianus know that I have a
tongue too, and return him more abufivc language than
he ever ufed againfl me.’’ Nor did he either then or
afterwards make any farther enquiry into the affair. And
when Tiberius, in a letter, complained of the offence with
great earneflnefs, he returned him an anfwer in the fol-
lowing terms : ‘‘ Do not, my dear Tiberius, give way to
the ardor of youth in this affair ; nor be fo much enraged>
that any perfon fhould fpeak ill of me. It is fufficient^
that we have it in our power to prevent any one from
doing us a mifehief.”
LIL Though he knew it had been cuflo’mary to
decree temples for the Proconfuls, yet he would not,
in the provinces^ permit any to be eredted, unlefs to-
the honor of himfelf and the city Rome in conjunc-
tion. But within the limits of the city, he pofitively re^
fufed any honor of that kind. He melted down all the
filver hatues that had been eredled to him, and con-
verted the whole into tripods, which he confecrated to
Apollo Palatinus. And when the populace importune<l
him to accept of the Didlatorfhip, he bent himfelf
down upon one knee, with his' toga thrown over hift
ihoulders,-
C;E5AR AUGUSTUS. 143
fl^oulders, his breafl expofed to view, and begged to be
excufed.
LIII. He always abhorred the title of Lord^ as a fcan-
dalous affront. And when, in a mimic piece, performed
on the theatre, at which he was prefent, thefe words were
expreffed, “ O juft and gracious lord,” and the w^hole '
company, with joyful acclamations, teftified their appro-
bation of them, as being applied to him ; he both imme-
diately put a flop to thei^j indecent flattery, by the waving
of his hand, and the feverity of his looks, and next day
publicly declared his difpleafure, by a proclamation. He
never afterwards would fuffer himfelf to be addreffed in that
manner^ even by his own children or grandchildren, either
in jefl: or earneft, and forbid them the ufe of all fuch com-
pllinentary expreflions to one another. He fcarcely ever
entered any city or great town, or departed from it, but
in the evening or the night, to avoid giving any perfon
the trouble of attending him. During his Confulfliips,
he commonly walked the ftrects on' foot ; but at other
times was carried in a covered chair. He admitted the
commonalty, promlfcuoufly with people of fuperior rank,
to pay their refpecSls to him ; receiving the petitions of
fuch as came to wait upon him with fo much affability,
that he once jocofely rebuked a man, by telling him,
“ You prefent your memoir with as much hefitatlon as If
you were offering money to an elephant.” Upon the
days that the Senate affembled, he ufed to pay his refpe(3s
only in the houfe, and as they fat, addrefling them imgly
by name, without any prompter ; and at his leaving the
houfe, he in the fame manner bid each of them farewell.
He maintained with many a conflant intercourfe of civi-
lities, giving them his company upon any particular oc-
caflon of joy in their families ; until he became advanced
144
THE LIFE OF
in years, and was incommoded by the crowd at a wedding.
Being informed that Gallu's Terrinius, a Senator, with
whom he had only a flight acquaintance, was fuddenly
taken blind, and for that reafon had refolved to fl:arve
himfelf to death, he paid him a vifit, and by the confola-
toiy admonitions he fuggefted, diverted him from his
purpofe.
LIV. Upon his fpeaklng in the Senate, he has been
told by one of the members, “ I did not underftand you,**
and by anotlier, “ I would contradict you, could I do it
w'ith fafety.*’ And fometimes, upon his being fo fliuch
oiTended at the heat with which the debates w'ere con-
ducted in the Senate, as to quit the houfe in anger, fome
of the members have repeatedly exclaimed : “ Surely, the
Senators ought to have the liberty of fpeech with refpeCb
to matters of government.** Antiftius Labeo, in the
election of a new Senate, when every one, as he was
named, chofe another, nominated M. Lepidus, who had
formerly been Auguftus’s enemy, and was then in baniih-
ment ; and being alked by the latter, “ Is there no other
perfon more deferving ?** he replied, Every man has his
fancy.’* Nor was any perfon ever molefled for oppoflng
cither his fentiments, or inclination.
LV. When fome infamous libels againfi: him were
fcattered in the Senate, he was neither diflurbed at the
incident, nor gave himfelf much trouble to refute them.
He would not fo much as order an enquiry to be made
after the authors’; only gave it as his opinion to the
houfe, that, for the future, thofe flhould be called to an
account, who publiflbed libels or lampoons, in a borrov/ed
name, againft any perfon.
LVL Being
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
H5
LVL Being provoked by fome petulant jefls, which
were defigned to render him odious, he anfwered them
by a proclamation : and yet he prevented the Senate from
pafling an a6l, to reftrain the licentious freedom that was
taken in wills. Whenever he attended at the eleddion of
raagiflratcs, lie went round the tribes, with the candidates
of his nomination, and requeued the votes of the people
in the ufual manner. He likewife gave his vote in his
tribe, as one of the people. He fuifered himfelf to be
fummoned as a wdtnefs upon trials, and not only to be
queflioned, but to have the accuracy of his evidence ex-
amined. In building his Forum, he made it lefs than he'
wiflied, not prefuming to force the owners of the neigh-«^
bouring houfes to a furrender of their property. He ne-
ver recommended his fons to the people, without adding
thefe words, If they deferve it.’’ And upon the com-
pany ’s rifing up to them at the theatre, while yet under-
age, and clapping them handing, he made a moll heavy
complaint. He was defirous that his friends hiould be
great and powerful in the city, but equally fubjedl to the
laws with any other perfon. When Afprenas Nonius, an
intimate friend of his, was tried upon a charge of ad-
miniilerlng poifon at the inhance of Caffius Severus, he
confiilted the Senate for their opinion what was his duty
upon that occafion : “ For, faid he, I am afraid, left, if I
hiouid hand by him in the caufe, I might be thought to
fereen him in denance of the laws ; and if I do not, to
defert him, and prejudge him by an unfavorable opinion.”
By the unanimous confent of the houfe, he fat amongft
his advocates for fevcral hours, but without faying fo
much^as one word in, his commendation, according to
ciiftom, upon thofe occafions. He likewife appeared for
his clients ; as for Scutarius an old foldier of his, in an
adlion of flandcr. He never delivered any from profecu-
lion but one, by whom he had been informed of the con-
L fpiracy
146
THE LIFE OF
fpiracy of Mursna ; and that he did only by prevailing
upon the accufer, in open court, to drop his profecution,
LVIL How much he was beloved for his meritorious
behaviour in all thefe refpecls, it is eafy to imagine. I
fay nothing of the decrees of the Senate in his favor,
which may feem to have been the efFecls of neceflity or
modefly. The Roman knights voluntarily, and with one
accord, always celebrated the anniverfary of his birth for
two days together ; and all ranks of the people, every
year, in confequcnce of a vow which they had made for
that purpofe, threw a piece of money into the Curtian
lake, as a facrilice for his health. They llkewife, upon
the firll of January, prefented ,for his acceptance new-
year’s gifts in the Capitol, though he was notprefent : with
which donations he puichafed fome coftly images of the
Gods, which he ere61;ed in feveral ftreets of the city ; as
that of Apollo Sandaliarius, Jupiter Tragoedus, and
others. When his houfe in the Palatium was accidentally
deftroyed by hre, the veteran foldiers, the judges, and all
the people, jointly and feparately contributed, each man
according to his ability, for rebuilding it; though he
would accept only of fome fmall portion out of the feve-
ral films colledfed, and would take no more from any
fingle heap, than one denarius Upon his return home
from any of the provinces, they attended him not only
with joyful acclamations, but fongs ; and w’hen he en-
tered the city, they conflantiy fufpended during that day
the punifliment of malefaclors.
LVIIT. The whole body of the people, upon a fudden
motion, and with unanimous confent, offered him the
* A coin, in value about eight pence half-penny farthing
of our money,
8 title
CyESAR AUGUSTUS.
147
title of Father of his Country, It was fent to him firft at
Antium, by a deputation from the commonalty ; and upoiiE
his declining the honor, they repeated their offer in a full
theatre, with laurel cro\^ns on their heads. The Senate
foon after adopted the piopofal, not in the way of accla-
mation or decree, but by commiffion to M. Meffala, who
was ordered to compliment him with it, as he accordingly*
did in the following terms : “ With hearty wifhes for the
happinefs of yourfelf and your family, Casfar Auguftus,
(for fo we think we moft effedlually pray for the public
welfare) the Senate, in conjun6lion with the people, fa»
lute you by the title of Father of your Country^ To this
compliment Auguflus, with tears in his eyes, replied in
thefe wmrds (for I put them down exadlly, as I have done
thofe of Meffala) : Having now obtained the utmoft of
my wifhes, O Confeript Fathers what elfe have I to
, beg
^ The Senate was inftituted by Romulus, to be the per-
petual council of the Republic. It confifted at firft of a
hundred members, who were called Patres, i. e. Fathers,
either upon account of their age, or their paternal care of
the Rate. The number received fome augmentation under
Tullus Heftilius ; and Tarquinius Prifeus, the fifth king of
Rome, added a hundred more, who w*ere called Patres mi-
liorum gentium ; thofe created by Romulus being diftinguiflied
by the name of Patres majorum gentium. Such as w^Cre chofen
into the Senate by Brutus, after the expulfion of Tarquin
the Proud, to fupply the place of thofe whom that king had
llain, were called Conferipti, i. e. perfons written or en-
rolled with the old Senators, who alone were properly ffyled
Patres, Hence arofe the cuRom of fummoning to the Senate
thofe who were Paires, and thofe who were Conferipii ; and
hence alfo was applied to the Senators in general the defigna-
tion of Patres Conferipti, the particle <?/, and, being under-
Rood to connect the two claffes of Senators. In the time of
L Julius
THE LIFE OF -
148
beg of the immortal Gods, but the continuance of this
your affe(fl;ion tor me to the lail: moments of my life ?”
LTX. To the phyfician Antonius Mufa, who had
cured him of a dangerous iilnefs, they, by common con-
tribution, creded a hatue near that of jEfculapius. Some
perfons ordered in their wills, that their heirs fhould carry
vi61;ims into the Capitol, with a fcroll before them, ex-
preffing that they were to be offered for the completion
of a vow, made by the tellators, “ Becaufe they had left
Auguftus behind them in the world.’’ Some cities of
Italy appointed the day upon which he firft came to
them, to be for ever after the firft day of their year. And
moft of the provinces, befides temples and altars eredled
to his honor, inflituted games, to be celebrated, in almoft
every town, for the fame purpofe, every five years.
LX. The kings his friends and allies, each of them in
their refpedlive kingdoms, built cities under the name of
Ca^farea ; and all by confent refolvcd to finifh, at their
common charge, a temple of Jupiter Olympius, w’hich
had been begrun at Athens a long time before, and confe-
crate it to his Genius. They would often likewife leave
their kingdoms, and laying afide the badges of their royal
dignity, in a Roman drefs, attend and pay their refpedfs
to him daily, in the maimer of clients to their patrons, not
only when he was at Rome, but as he w^as travelling
through their provinces.
Julius Caefar, the number of Senators was encreafed to nine
hundred, and after his death to a thoufand ; many worthlefs
perfons having been admitted into the Senate during the
civil wars. Augufius afterwards reduced the number to fix
hundred.
LXT. Having
C7ESAR AUGUSTUS.
149
LXI. Having thus given an account of his bejiaviour
in his offices both civil and military, and his conduci in
the government of the empire, both in peace and war ; I
lhall now delineate his private and domeftic life, his be-
haviour at home amongft his friends and dependents, and
the fortune attending him in thofe feenes of retirement,
from his youth to the day of his death. He loft his mo-
ther in his ftrft Confulftiip, and his fifter Odfavia when
he was in the fifty-fourth year of his age. He behaved
towards them both with the utmoft kindnefs whlift living,
and after their deceafe paid the higheft honors to their
memory.
LXII. He was contra61:ed when very young to the
daughter of Publius Servilius Ifauricus ; but upon his re-
conciliation with Antony after their iirft- rupture, the
armies on both fides infifting upon a clofer alliance by
marriage betwixt them, he efpoufed Antonyms ftep-
daughter Claudia, the daughter of Fulvia by Publius
Claudius, though at that time fcarcely marriageable; and
upon a difference arifing with his mother-indaw Fulvia,
he divorced her untouched, and a pure virgin. Soon after
he took to wife Scribonia, who had before been twice
married to men of Confular rank, and was a mother by
one of them. With her likewife he parted, being quite
tired out, as he hlmfelf writes, with the perverfenefs of
her temper ; and immediately took Li via Druftlla, though
then pregnant, from her hufband Tiberius Nero ; for
whom he ever after maintained the moft tender aifedlion.
LXIIL He had his daughter Julia by Scribonia, but no
children by Livia, though extremely defirous of iffue.
She indeed conceived once, but mifearried. He difpofed
of his daughter Julia ftrft to Marcellus his fifter's fon,
L 3 who
THE LIFE OF
150
who had juft completed his minority ; and, after his death,
to M. Agrippa, having prevailed with his fifter to refign
her fon-in-law to him ; for at that time Agrippa wa?
married to one of the Marcellas, and had likewife had
children by her. His new fon-in-law being alfo dead, he
for a long time thought of feveral matches for Julia in
the Equeftrian Order, and at laft refolved upon choofuig
for her Tiberius his ftep-fon, whom he therefore obliged
to part with his wife, at that time pregnant, and who had
already brought him a child. M. Antony wu'ites.
That he firft contradled Julia to his fon, afterwards to
Cotifo king of the Getae, demanding at the fame time the
king’s daughter in marriage for himfelf.’-
LXIV. He had three grandfons by Agrippa and Julia,
Caius, Lucius, and Agrippa ; and two grand-daughters,
Julia apd Agrippina. Julia he married to Lucius Paullus,
the Cenfor’s fon, and Agrippina to Gerrnanicus his fifter’s
grandfon. Caius and Lucius he adopted at home, by
the ceremony of purchafe from their father ; advanced
them, \yhilft yet but very young, to pofts in the govern-
jnent ; and after he had procured them to be chofen
'Confuls, fent them upon a tour through the provinces of
the empire, and the feveral armies. In the breeding of
his daughter and grand-daughters, he accuftomed them to
domeilic employments, and obliged them to fpeak and
adl every thing openly before the family, that it might
be put down in the diary. He fo ftri<ftly prohibited them
from all converfe with ftrangers, that he once wrote a
letter to Lucius Vinicius, a handfome young man of a
good family, in which he told him, “ You have not be-
haved very modeftly, in making a vifit to my daughter at
Baiae.” He ufually inftrudfed his grandfons himfelf in
reading, fwimming, and other rudiments of knowledge ;
and
C/ESAR AUGUSTUS.
I5I
and he labored notliing more than to perfe6l them in the
imitation of his hand-writing. He never fupped but he
had them fitting at the foot of his bed ; nor ever travelled
but with them in a chariot before him, or riding bef de
him.
LXV. But in the midft of all his joy and expe£l:ations
of happinefs in his children, from the care he took in
their education, his fortune failed him. The two Julias,
his daughter and grand-daughter, proceeded to fuch a
height of lewdnefs and debauchery, that he banifiied them
both. Caius and Lucius he loft within the fpace of
eighteen months; the former dying in Lycia, and the
latter at Marfeilles. His third grandfon Agrippa, with
his ftep-fon Tiberius, he adopted in the Forum, by a law
pafed for the purpofe by the Curise * ; but he foon after
renounced Agrippa for his rude and infolent temper, and
confined him at Surrentum. He bore the, death of his
relations with more patience than their fcandalous be-
haviour : for he was not much concerned at the lofs of
Caius and Lucius ; but his misfortune with refpedb to his
daughter, he fet forth before the Senate in a narrative
read to them by the Quaef or ; and was fo much afhamed
of her infamous behaviour, that he for a long time de-
clined all company, and had thoughts of putting her to
death. It is certain, that when one Phoebe, a freed-
woman and confident of hers, hanged herfelf about the
fame time, he faid upon it, “I wifh I had been the father
* The Curice were public aflemblies of the people. Ro-
mulus divided the people of Rome into three tribes ; and each
tribe into ten Curia, The number of tribes was afterwards
encreafed by degrees to thirty-five ; but that of the Curia al-
ways remained the fame.
L4
of
THE LIFE OF
of Phcsbe rather than of Julia.” In her bariifhrnent, he
would not allow her the ufe of wine nor any thing of
finery ; nor would he fuffer her to be waited upon by
any male fervant, either freeman or Have, without his
permiffion, and a particular information in refpedl of his
age, flature, completion, and what marks or fears he had
about him. At the end of five years he removed her from
the ifiand of her confinement to the continent, and per-
mitted her a little better treatment, but could never be pre-
vailed with to recall her. Upon the Roman people’s
interpofing with him in her behalf feveral times, and
ufing much importunity, hefaid to them in a fpeech upon
the occafion, “ I wdfh ye had all fuch daughters and
wives as fhe is.” He likewife forbid a child, of which
his grand-daughter Julia was delivered after fentence had
pafled againft her, to be either owned as a relation, or
brought up. Agrippa, who v/as equally intractable, and
became more diforderly every day, he tranfported into an
ifland, and^ placed a guard of foldiers upon him ; pro-
curing at the fame time an aCt of the Senate for his con-
finement there during life. Upon any mention of him
ai;d the two Julias, he would fay with a heavy figh,
Ai9’ o(pz'hev (xyaixo^ r ayovq^ rj aTTo^zBai !
Would I without a wife or child had died *
nor did he ufually call them by any other name than that
of his “ three impofihumes or cancers.” '
LXVI. He was flow in forming friendfliips, but w’hen
once they were contraCled, he maintained them with
great conflancy ; not only rewarding very handfomely
the virtues and good fervices of his friends, but bearing
likewife with their faults and vices, provided that they
CiESAR AUGUSTUS. I53
were of a venial kind. For araongrl: all his friends, we
fcarcely find any who fell into difgrace with him, except
Salvidienus R.ufus, whom he raifed to the Confullhip,
and Cornelius Gallus whom he made governor of Egypt,
both of them men of the lowed extra6lion. One of
thefe, being engaged in a defign to excite a rebellion,
he delivered up to the Senate, that he might be con-
demned ; and the other, on account of his ungrateful and
malicious temper, he difmiffed from his family and the
provinces under his government. But when Gallus, by
the threats of his accufers, and the votes of the Senate
againfl him, was driven to the defperate extremity of
laying violent hands upon himfelf ; he commended in-
deed the attachment of the Senate, that had expreiTecl fo
much refentment on his account, but he died tears, and
lamented his unhappy condition, “ That I alone, faid he,
cannot be permitted to be angry with my friends to fuch
ti degree as I think proper.” The refl; of his friends con-,
tinned during their whole lives to make a diftinguifhed
figure in their feveral orders, both' in power and eftate,
notwitliflanding fome occafional incidents of a difagree-
able nature. For, to fay nothing of others, he would
fometimes complain of impatience in Agrippa, and of
loquacity in, Mecsenas : the former, from a fufpicion
of a coolnefs in Auguflus towards him, and becaufc
Marcellus received greater marks of favor, having
withdrawn himfelf from all concern in the government,
and retired to Mitylene ; and the latter having confi-
dentially imparted to his wife Terentia the difeovery of
Mursna’s confpiracy. He likewife expedfed from his
friends, both living and dying, a mutual proof of their
benevolence. For though he was far from coveting their
eftates (as he never would accept of any legacy left him
by a ftranger), yet he examined their laft fentinients of
him,
THE LIFE OF
M4
him, exprefled in their wills, with an anxious attention :
not being able to conceal his chagrin, if they made but a
flight, or no very honorable mention of him, nor his
joy on the other hand, if they exprefled a grateful fenfe
of his favors, and a hearty afFedion for him. And what
was left him by fuch as had children, he ufed to reffore
*^o the latter, either immediately, or if they were under
age, upon the day of their afluming the manly habit, or of
their marriage, with interefl:,
LXVIL As a patron and mafler, his behaviour iu
general was mild and, conciliating ; but when occaflon
required it, he could be fevere. He employed many of
his freedmen in confiderable pofls about him, as Licinius,
Enceladus, and others. And when his flave Cofmus had
refleded bitterly upon him, he refented the injury no far-
ther than by putting him in fetters. When his fteward
Diomedes, as they were walking together, left him ex-
pofed to a wild boar, which came fuddenly upon them,
he chofe rather to charge him with cowardice than any
ill deflgn, and turned an incident of no fmall hazard to
his perfon into a jefl, becaufe it had proceeded from no
treachery. Proculus, who was one of his greatefl: fa-
vorites amongfl; all his freedmen, he put to death, for
maintaining a criminal commerce with other meiPs
wives. He broke the legs of his fecretary Thallus, for
taking a bribe of five hundred denarii to difcover the con-
tents of a letter of his. And his fon Caius’s tutor, and
other attendants, upon the occafion of his ficknefs and
death, behaving with great infolence, and committing ads
of rapacloufnefs, he tied great weights about their necks,
and threw them into a river.
LXVIIL In his youth he lay under the infamy of
various
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
155
various afperfions. Sextus Pompey reproached him as an
effeminate fellow ; and M. Antony, that he had earned
his adoption from his uncle by proftitution. L, An-
tony likewdfe upbraids him with the fame ; and that
he had, for a gratification of three hundred thoufand
fefterces, fubmitted to A. Hirtius in the fame way, in
Spain ; adding, that he ufed to finge his legs with the
flame of nut-fhells, to make the hair become fofter. Nay,
the body of the people, at fome public diverfioiis in the
theatre, when the following fentence was recited, alluding
to a priefl of the Mother of the Gods beating a drum, ,
Videfne ut cinsedus orbem digito temperet ?
See how the catamite his orb commands I
confidercd it as intended to refle61: upon him, and fignlfied
their approbation of it by great applaufe.
LXIX. That he was guilty of various acfs of adul-
tery, is not denied even by his friends ; but they alledgc
in excufe for it, that he engaged in thofe intrigues not
from lewdnefs but policy, to difcover more eaTily the de-
figns of his enemies by their wdves. M. Antony, be-
fides the precipitate marriage of Livia, charges him with
taking from the table the wife of a man of Confular rank,
ill the prefence of her hufband, into a bed-chamber, and
bringing her again to the entertainment, with her ears
very red, and her hair in great diforder: that he had
divorced Scribonia, for refenting with fome freedom the
exceffive fway which a miftrefs of his had over him :
that his friends were employed to pimp for him, and ac-
cordingly obliged both matrons and virgins to ftrip, for a
complete examination of their perfons, in the fame man-
ner as if Thoranius the dealer in flaves had them under
lale. And before they came to an open rupture, he
v;ritcs
THE LIFE OF
15^
writes to him in a familiar manner thus : ‘‘ What has
altered you ? that I ly with a queen ? fhe is my wife.
Is this a new thing with me, or have I not done fo for
thefe nine years ? And do you take a freedom with Dru-
filla only ? May health and happinefs fo attend you, as
when you read this letter, you are not in dalliance with
Tertulla, Terentilla, Ruhlia, or Salvia Titifcenia> or all
of them. What matters it to you where, or upon whom
you employ your vigor
LXX.' A fupper which he gave, commonly called the
Supper of the Twelve Gods, and at which the guefls
were all dreffed in the habit of Gods and Goddeffes, and
himfelf in that of Apollo, afforded fubje£l; of much
converfation, and was imputed to him not only by An-
tony in his letters, who likewife names all the parties
concerned, but in the following well-known and anony-
mous verfes.
Cum primum iftorum conduxit menfa choragum,
Sexque deos vidit Mallia, fexque deas :
Impia dum Phoebi Csefar mendacia ludit.
Dum nova divorum coenat adulteria :
Omnia fe a terris tunc numina declinarunt :
Fugit et auratos Jupiter ipfe thronos.
When Mallia late beheld, in motley train,
Twelve mortals ape twelve deities in vain ;
When Caefar feiz’d what was Apollo’s due,
And impious robb’ry rag’d throughout the crew ;
Ac the foul fight the Gods avert their eyes,
And from his throne great Jove indignant flies.
What rendered this fupper more obnoxious to public
cenfure, was, that it happened at a time when there was
a great fcarcity, and almofl; a famine in the city. Tiie
day after, a complaint was current amongft the people,
“ that
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
that the.Gods had eaten up all the corn ; and that C^far
was indeed Apollo, but Apollo the Tormentor;” under
which title that God was worjfhipped in the city. He was
likewife charged with being exceffively fond of fine furni-
ture, and Corinthian veffels, as jwell as with being ad-
clldled to gaming. For during the time of the pro crip-
don, the following line was written upon his flatue :
Pater argentarius, ego Corinthiarius. ^
Silver my father ferv’d ; no other mafs
Delights my fancy, but Corinthian brafs.
becaufe it was believed, that he had put fome upon the
lift of the profcrlbed, only to obtain the Corinthian
veffels in their poffeffion. And afterwards in the war of
Sicily, the following epigram was publiftied ;
Poftquam bis claffe viftus naves perdidit,
Aliquando ut vincat, ludit airidiie aleam.
Twice having loft a fleet in lucklefs fight.
To beat at laft, he games both day and night.
LXXL With refpedi to the charge of proftitution
abovementioned, he very eafily refuted it by the chaftity
of his life, at the very time when the imputation was
made, as well as ever after. His condudb likewife gave
the lie to that of a luxurious extravagance in his furni-
ture, when, upon the taking of Alexandria, he referved
for himfelf nothing of all the furniture of the palace, but
a cup of porcelain ; and foon after melted dowm all the
golden veffels, even fiich as were intended for common
ufe. But he never could difcountenance the imputation
of lewdnefs with women ; being, as they fay, in the lat-
ter part of his life, much addidled to the deflowering of
vir ins, who were procured for him, from all parts,
even by his own wife. To the remarks concerning his
gaming,
THE LIFE OF
I5S
gaming, he paid not the fmaiieft regard ; but played
frankly and openly for his diverfion, even when he was
advanced in years ; and not only in the month of Decem-
ber, but at other times, and upon all days, whether
feftivals or not. This evidently appears from a letter
under his own hand, in which he fays, “ 1 fupped, my
dear Tiberius, with the fame company. We had befides
Vinicius, and Silvius the father. We gamed like old
fellows at fupper, both yeflerday and to-day. And as
any one threw upon the tall ^ aces or fixes, he put
down for every talus a denarius ; all which w'as gained
by him who threw a Venus.’’ In another letter he fays :
“ We had, my dear Tiberius, a pleafant time of it
during the fehival of Minerva : for we played every day,
and kept the gaming board warm. Your brother uttered
many exclamations at a defperate run of ill fortune ; but
recovering by degrees, and unexpedlediy, he in the end
loft not much. [ loft tw^enty thoufand fefterces for my
part ; but then I was profufely generous in my play, as I
commonly am ; for had I inftfted upon the ftakes which
I declined, or kept what I gave aw^ay, I fliould have
won above fifty thoufand. But this I like better : for
my generofity will raife me to celeftial glory.” In a
letter to his daughter, he writes thus ; “ I have fent you
two hundred and fifty denarii, which I gave to every one
of my guefts ; in cafe they were inclined at fupper to
The Romans, at their feafts, during the intervals of
drinking, often played at dice, of which there were two
kinds, the tej/er^e and tali. The former had fix fides, like
the modern dice; the latter, four oblong fides, for the two
ends were not regarded. In playing, they ufed three tejfera
and four tali^ which were all put into a box wider below
than above, and being fiiaken, were thrown out upon the
gaming board or table.
divert
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. 159
divert themfelves with the tali^ or at the game of even or
odd.
LXXIl. In other parts of his life, it is certain that he
conducted himfelf with great difcretion, and was free
from all fufpicion of any vice. He lived at firfl; near the
Roman Forum, above the Kingmaker’s Stairs, in a houfe
which had once been occupied by Calvus the orator.
He afterwards moved to the Palatium, where he refided
in a fmall houfe belonging to Hortenfius, no way remark-
able either in refpe£t of accommodation or ornament ; the
piazzas being but fmall, the pillars of Alban ftone, and the
rooms without any thing of marble, or fine paving. He
continued to ufe the fame bed-chamber, both winter and
fummer, during forty years : for though he was fenfible
that the city did not agree well with his health, he never-
theiefs refided conftantly in it through ' the winter. If at
any time he wiflied to be perfedlly retired, and fecure from
interruption, he fhut himfelf up in an apartment in the
top of his houfe, which he called Syracufe, or 'V£x^o(pwoy
or he went to fome feat belonging to his freedmen near
the city. But when he was indifpofed, he commonly
took up his refidence in Mecaenas’s houfe. Of all the
places of retirement from the city, he chiefly frequented
thofe upon the fea-coafl, and the iflands of Campania,
or the towns near the city, as Lanuvium, Prseneffe, and
Tibur, where he often ufed to lit for the adminiflration
of juftice, in the porticos of Hercules’s temple. He had a
particular averfion to large and fumptuous palaces ; and
fome that had been raifed at a vail expence by his grand-
* This word may be interpreted the Clofet of Arts. It was
common, in thehoufes of the great, amongll the Romans, to
have an apartment called the Study : but perhaps Augultus
tlroiight fuch a name too formal for the place of his retirement.
daughter
THE LIFE OF
i6o
daughter Julia, he levelled with the ground. Thofe of
his own, which were far from being fpacious, he adorn-
ed not fo much with flatues and pictures, as with
walks and groves, and things which w^ere curious either
for their antiquity or rarity ; fuch as at Caprea, tlie huge
limbs of fea-monhers and wild beafts, which fome aiFedt
to call the bones of giants, and the arms of old heroes.
LXXIIL His frugality in the furniture of liis houfe
appears even at this' day, from fome beds and tables ftill
extant ; moft of w'hich are fcarcely fit for any genteel
private family. It is reported that he never lay upon a
bed, but fuch as was low, and meanly furnifhed. He
feldom wore any garment but what was made by the
hands of his wnfe, filler, daughter, and grand-daugh-
ters. His togas ^ were neither fcanty nor full ; nor the
clavus of his tunic either remarkably broad or narrow.
His flioes were a little higher than common, to make him
* The T oga was a loofe woollen robe, which covered the
whole body, clofe at the bottom, but open at the top down
to the girdle, and without lleeves. The right arm was thus
at liberty, and the left fupported a flap of the ioga^ which
was drawn up, and thrown back over the left flioiilder;
forming what was called Sinus, a fold or cavity upon the
breafl-, in which things might be carried, and with which
the face or head might be occafionally covered.
When a perfon did any work, he tucked up his foga^ and
girded it round him. The tega of the rich and noble was
finer and larger than that of others; and a new toga was
called Pexa, None but Roman citizens were permitted to
wear the toga ; and baniflied perfons were prohibited the ufe
of it. The color of the to^a was white. Maajftrates and
certain priefts had it bordered with purple; as had aifo pri-
vate perfons when they exhibited games.
appear
I
CiESAR AUGUSTUS. l6f
appear taller than he was. He had always deaths and
ftioes, proper to go abroad in, ready by him in his bed*
chamber, for any fudden occafion.
LXXIVi At his table, which was always plentiful
and elegant, he conftantly entertained company ; but was
very fcrupulous in tlie choice of them. Valerius Mef-
fala informs us, that he never admitted any freedman tef
his table, except Menas, after he }iad betrayed to him
Pompey^s fleet, but not until he had promoted him to the
flate of the free-born. He writes himfelf that he invited
to his table a perfon in whofe country -houfe he lodged^
that had formerly been a fpy to him. He often would
come late to table, and withdraw foon, fo that the company
began fupper before his coming in, and Continued at table
after his departure^ His entertainments confifled of three
difhes, or at mod; only fix* But if the expence w^as mo-
derate,: the complaifance with which he treated his com-
pany was extraordinary. For fuch as were filent, or talk-
ed low, he excited to bear a pare in the common conver-
fation ; and ordered in mufic and ftage-players and dan-
cers from the Circus, and very often itinerant declaimersj
to enliven the company.
LXXV. Feflivals and folemn days of joy he ufually
celebrated in a very expenlive manner, but fometimes
only in a jocular manner, In the Saturnalia, or at
any other time when, the fancy took him, he would
diftribute to his company deaths, gold, and filver : fome-
times coins of all forts, even of the ancient kings of Rome
and of other nations : fometimes nothing but hair-cloth,
fponges, peels and pincers, and other things of that kind,
with obfeure and ambiguous inferiptions upon them. He
ufed like wife to fell tickets of things of very unequal value?
M and
THE LIFE OF
i6z
and pictures with the back fides turned towards the com-*
pany at table ; and fo, by the unknow'n quality of the lot,
difappoint or gratify the expecflation of the purchafers.
This fort of traffic went round the whole company, every
one being obliged to buy foinething, and to run the chance
oflofs or gain with the reft,
LXXVL He was a man of a little ftomach (for I muft
not omit even this article), and commonly ufed a plain
diet. He was particularly fond of coarfe bread, fmall
fifties, cheefe made of cow’s milk, and green figs of that
kind that comes twice a year. He would eat before fup-
per, at any time, and in any place, when he had an ap-
petite. The following paflages relative to this fubje^, I
have tranfcribed from his letters. “ I ate a little bread
and fome fmall dates in my chaife.” Again. In re-
turning home from the palace in my chair, I ate an ounce
of bread, and a few raifins.” Again. “ No Jew, my
dear Tiberius, ever keeps a faft fo ftridlly upon the Sab-
bath, as I have kept one to-day ; who in the bath, and
after the firft hour of the night, ate two mouthfuls of
bread, before I began to be anointed.” From this great in-
difference about his diet, he fometimes fupped by himfelf,
before his company began, or after they had done ; and
would not touch a morfel at table with his guefts,
LXXVII. He w^as naturally extremely fparing in the
ufe of wine. Cornelius Nepos fays, that he ufed to drink'
only three times at fupper in the camp at Modena ; and
when he indulged himfelf the moft, he never exceeded a
pint ; or if he did, he threw it up again. Of all wines, he
gave the preference to theRhaetic, but fcarcely ever drank
any in the day-time. Inftead of drinking, he ufed to take
a piece of bread dipped in cold water, or a llice of cu-
cumber,
CJE3AR AUGUSTUS. 163
cumber, or forne leaves of lettuce, or a green Iharp juicy
apple.
LXXVIIL After a little food at noon, he ufed to take
a nap with his cloaths and fhoes on, his feet covered, and
his hand held before his eyes. After fupper he common-
ly withdrew to a couch in his ftudy, where he continue*
ed late, until he had put down in his Diary all or mod
of the remaining tranfadlions of the day, which he had
not before regiftered. He would then go to bed, but ne-*-
ver flept above feven hours at mod, and that not wdthoug
interruption : for he would wake three or four times in
that fpace. If he could not again fall afleep, as fome-
times happened, he would call for fome perfon to read
or tell dories to him, until deep. fu per vened, which was
ufually protradled till after day-break. He never would
ly awake in the dark, without fomebody to fit by him.
Very early riling was apt to difagree with him. On
which account, if religious or focial duty obliged him to
get up early, that he might guard as much as poflible
againd the inconvenience refulting from it, he ufed to
lodge in fome apartment belonging to any of his domedics,
that was neared the place at which he was to give his at-
tendance. If at any time a fit of drowfinefs feized hirn
in pading along the dreets, he would order the chair to
be fet down, until he had taken a little deep.
LXXlX. In perfon he was handfome and graceful,
through all the dages of his life. But he was carelefs of
drefs ; and fo little attentive to the adjudment of his hair,
that he ufually- had it done in great hade, by feveral bar-
bers at a time. He would fometimes clip, and fometimes
fhave his beard ; and during the operation, would be ei-
ther reading or writing. His countenance, either when
M a he
THE LIFE OF
164
he fpok’e or held his tongue, was fo calm and ferene^ that
a Gaul of the firft rank declared amongft his friends, that ,
he was fo much mollified by it, as to be reftrained from
throwing him down a precipice, in his paflage over the
Alps, upon being admitted to approach him, under the
pretext of fpeaking with him. His eyes were clear and
bright ; and he was willing it fhould be thought that there
was fomething of a divine vigor in them. He was like-
wife not a little pleafed to fee people, upon his looking
ftedfaftly at them, lower their countenances, as if the fun
fhone in their eyes. But in his old age, he faw very
imperfe6lly with his left eye. His teeth were thin fet,
fmall and rough, his hair a little curled, and inclining to
a yellow color. His eye-brows met; his ears were fmall,
and he had an aquiline nofc. His complexion was be-
twixt brown and fair ; his ftature but. low ; though Julius
Marathus his freedman fays, he was five foot and nine
inches in height. This however was fo much concealed
by the jufb proportion of his limbs, that it was only per-
ceivable upon comparifon with fome taller perfon Hand-
ing by him.
LXXX. He is faid to have been born with many fpots
Upon his breaft and belly, anfwering to the figure, order,
and number of Hars in the celeflial Bear. He had befides
feveral callofities refembling tetters, occaHoned by an itch-
ing in his l)ody, and the conflant and violent ufe of the flri-
gil in being rubbed. He had a weaknefs in his left hip,
thigh, and leg, infomuch that he often halted on that fide.
But he received much benefit from the ufe of fand and reeds.
He likewife found the fore-finger of his right hand fo weak
fometimes, that when it was benumbed and contravSled
with cold, to ufe it in writing, he was obliged to have re-
courfe to a circular piece of horn^ He had occafionally
, a complaint
CiSSAR AUGUSTUS, 165
a complaint in the bladder ; but upon voiding fome
ftones by urine, he was relieved from that, pain.
LXXXI. In all the ftages of his life, he experienced
Xome dangerous fits of ficknefs,efpecially after theconqueft
of Cantabria, when his liver being injured by a defluxion
of rheum upon it, he was reduced to fuch a condition,
that he was obliged to undergo a defperate and doubtful
methodof cure: for warm applications having no eiFedt,
Antonius Mufa diredled the ufe of thofe which were cold#
He was likewife fubjedl to fits of ficknefs at ftated times
every year ; for about his birth-day he was commonly a
little indifpofed. In the beginning of fpring, he was at-
tacked with an inflation of the midriff; and when the wind
was foutherly, with a cold in his head. By all thefe com-
plaints, his conftitutlon was fo fhattered, that he could
not eafily bear either heat or cold.
LXXXII. In winter, he was fortified againlf the in-
clemency of the weather by a thick toga, four tunics, a
ihirt, a flannel flomacher, and wrappers upon his legs and
thighs. In fummer, he lay with the doors of his bed-
chamber open, and frequently in a piazza, with water flow-
ing along the place, and a perfon Handing by to fan him.
He could not bear even the winter’s fun ; and at home, ne-
ver walked in the open air without a broad-brimmed hat on
his head. He ufually travelled in a chair, and in the night;
and with fo flow a pace, that he would be two days in
going to Praenefle or Tibur. And if he could go tO' any
place by fea, he preferred that mode of conveyance to tra-
velling by land. He fupported however his crazy conflitu-
tion with great care, and chiefly by being fparing in the
ufe of the bath. He was often rubbed with oil, and ufed
$0 fweat by a fire ; after which he was wafhed witli wa-
M 3 ter,
166 THE MFE OP
ter, warmc-d cither over a fire, or by being cxpofed to
the heat of the fun. When, upon account of his nerves,
he was obliged to have recourfe to fea-water, or the
waters of Albula, he always placed himfelf upon a wooden
feat, which he called by a Spanifh name Dureta, and tolT-
ed about his hands and feet in the water by turns,
LXXXIII. Immediately after the conclufion of the
civil wars, he laid afide the ufual exercifes of arms, and
riding in the Field of Mars ; inftead of which he betook
himfelf at firfl: to the larger ball ; but foon after, ufed no
other exercife than that of going abroad in his chair, or
walking. Towards the end of his walk, he would run
leaping, wrapped up in linen or flannel. For amufe-
inent he would fometiraes angle, or play with the tali,
checquers, or nuts, with pretty prattling little boys, whom
he ufed to procure from various parts, particularly Mau-
ritania and Syria. But dwarfs, and fuch as were in any
way deformed, he held in abhorrence, as lufus nature^
(the fport of nature) and ominous creatures.
LXXXIV. From early youth he devoted himfelf with
great diligence and application to the fiudy of eloquence,
and the -other liberal arts. In the war of Modena, not-
withftanding the weighty affairs in which he was engaged,
he is faid to have read, written, and declaimed every day.
He never addreffed the Senate, people, or foldiery, but in
a premeditated fpeech, though he was not deftilute of the
talent of fpeaking extempore. And left his memory
fhould fail him, as well as to prevent the lofs of time in
getting his fpeeches by heart, he refolved to read them ail.
In his intercourfe with individuals, and even with his wife
Livia, upon a fubjedi of importance, he had all he would
fay down in writing, left, if hp (poke extempore, he fhould
fay
C/ESAR AUGUSTUS. 167
fay more or Icfs than was proper. He delivered himfelf
in a fweet and peculiar tone, in which he was diligently
inftrudkd by a mafter. But when he had a cold, he fome-
times made ufe of a crier for the delivery of his fpeeches
to the people,
LXXXV. He compofed a great many pieces, and
upon various fubjedts, in profe, fome of which he read
occafionally at a meeting of friends as to an auditory ^ as
his “ Anfwers to Brutus in regard to Cato.’’ Thofe
volumes he read almoil quite through himfelf ; but being
then advanced in years, and fatigued with the exercife,
he gave the reft to Tiberius to read for him. He like-
wife read over to his friends his “ Exhortations to Philo-
fophy,” and “ The Hiftory of his own Life,” which he
continued in thirteen books, as far as the war of Cantabria,
but no farther. He likewife made fome attempts at poe-
try. There is extant one book written by him in hexa-
meter verfe, of which both the fubjedt and title is Sicily.
There is another book of Epigrams likewife, as fmail as
.the preceding, which he compofed almoft entirely in the
time of bathing. Thefe are all his compolitions in the
poetical department: for though he had begun with great
eagerncfs a Tragedy, yet the ftyle of it not pleafing him,
he cancelled tlie whole ; and his friends faying to him,
“ What is your Ajax a doing ?”,he anfwered, “ My Ajax
has fallen upon a fpunge.”
LXXXVI. He had a neat chafte ftyle, untainted with
any frivolous or impertinent fentiments, and free from the
otFenftvenefs, as he calls it, of obfolete words. His chief
objedt was to deliver his thoughts with all poftlble per-
fpicuity. To obtain this end, and that he might no where
perplex, or retard the reader or hearer, he made no
M 4 fcrnple
i68
THE LIFE OF
fcruple to add prepofitlons to his verbs, or to repeat the
fame conjundlion feveral times; which, when omitted, oc-
cafion fome little obfcupty, but give a grace to the ftyle.
The aukward imitators of others, and fuch as afFedled ob-
folete words, he equally defpifed, as faulty in a different
manner. He Ipmetimes indulged himf^f in jefting, par-
ticularly with his friend Mecaenas, whom he rallied upon
all occafions for his “ perfumed locks,** and bantered by
imitating the manner of his expreffion. Nor did he fpare
Tiberius, who was fond of obfolete and antiquated words.
He attacks M. Antony as a madman, writing rather to
make men ft are, than to be underftood ; and by way of
farcafm upon his depraved and hckle tafle in the choice
of words, he writes to him thus ; “ And arc you yet in
doubt, whether Cimber Annius or Veranius Flaccus be
more proper for your imitation ? fo as to make ufe of
words which Salluftius Crifpus has borrowed from the
♦ Origines* of Cato ? or do you think that the verbofe
empty bombafl of Afiatic orators is ht to be transfufed
into our language ?** And in a letter where he commends
the ingenuity pf his grand-daughter Agrippina, he fays,
** But you rnuft be particularly careful, bqth in writing
and fpeaking, to avoid affe6lation.**
LXXXVII. In ordinary converfation, he made ufe of
expreflions peculiar to himfelf, as appears from feveral
letters in his own hand-writing: in which, now and
then, when he means to intimate that fome perfons would
never pay their debts, he fays, “ They will pay at the
Greek Calends.** And when he advifes to patience un-
der the fituatioh of ^ffairs, fuch as it then was, he would
fay, “ Let us be content with this Cato,** To exprefs
the expedition with which any thing was done, he faid,
‘f It was fooner done than fparrowgrafs was boiled.’*
He
C-SiSAR AUGUSTUS. 169
He conllantly puts haceolus for Jiultus, pullejaceus for pul- .
lus, vacerrofus for cerltus, vapide fe habere for male, and
hetijfare for languere, which is commonly called lachanlf-
fare, Likewife Jimus for fumus, domos for domus in the
genitive fingular. With refped to the laft two peculi-
arities, left any perfon fhould imagine that they were only
flips of his pen, and not cuftomary with him, he never
varies. I have likewife remarked this Angularity in his
hand- writing : he never divides his words, fo as to carry
the letters which cannot be inferted at the end of a line to
the next, but puts them below the other, enclofed with a
femicircle.
LXXXVni. He did not adhere ftri6lly to orthography
as laid down by the grammarians, but feems to have been
of the opinion of thofe, who think that we ought to write
as we fpeak ; for aS to his changing and omitting not only
letters but whole fyllables, it is a vulgar miftake. Nor
fhould I have taken notice of it, but that it appears ftrangc
to me, any perfon fhould have told us, that he fent a
fucceftbr to a Confular lieutenant of a province, as an ig-
norant illiterate fellow, upon his obferving that he had
written ix'i for ipf. When he had a mind to write in
the way of cypher, he' put b for a, c for h, and fo forth ;
and inftead of %, aa.
LXXXIX. He vras no lefs fond of Grecian literature,
in which he made confiderable proficiency ; having for
this purpofe had the affiftance of Apollodorus of Perga-
mus, as his mafter in rhetoric, whom, though much ad-
vanced in years, he took with him, when he was very
young, from the city to Apollonia. Afterwards, being
inftrucfted in philology by Sphieriis, he took into his fa-
mily Arcus the philofoplier, and his Tons Dionyfius and
Nicanor;
THE LIFE OF
170
Nicanor; but he never could fpeak the Greek tonguo
readily, nor ever ventured to compofe in it. For if there
■was occafion for him to deliver his fentiments in that
language, he always expreffed what he had to fay in
Latin, and gave it another to tranflatc. He was evident- ’
ly not unacquainted with the poetry of the Greeks, and
had a great tade for ancient comedy, which he often
brought upon the ftage, in his public entertainments of
the people. Jn reading the Greek and Latin authors, he
paid particular attention to precepts and examples, which
might be ufeful in public or private life. Thofe he ufed
to tranferibe verbatim, and fend either to his domeflics,
or to fuch as had the command of his armies, or the go-
vernment of his provinces, or to the magidrates of the
city ; as any of them feemed to Hand in need of admoni-
tion. He likewife read whole books to the Senate, and
made them known to the people by proclamation ; as the
orations of Metellus “ for the Encouragement of Ma-
trimony,” and thofe of Rutilius about “ a Method of
Building to fhew the people that he was not the fird;
■who had profecuted thofe obje6}:s, but that the ancients
likewife had thought them w^orthy their attention. He
w^as a great encourager of men of parts and learning. He
would hear them read their works with a great deal of
patience and good nature; and not only pieces of poetry
and hidory, but fpeeches and dialogues likewife. He
was difpleafed however that any thing fhould be written
upon himfelf, except in a grave manner, and by men of
the mod eminent abilities : and he enjoined the Prstors
not to fufFer his name to be made too common in the con-
teds amongd orators and poets for vidlory.
XC. With refpedl to his obfervation of omens or the
like, we have the following account of him. He had fo
great
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
I71
great a dread of thunder and lightning, that he always
carried about him a feal’s Ikin, by way of prefervation.
And upon any apprehenlion of a florm, he would retire
to fome vault under ground ; having formerly been ter-
rified by a flafh of lightning, as he was travelling in the
pight, which we have already taken notice of,
XCI. He neither flighted his own dreams, nor thofe
of other people relating to himfelf. At the battle of Phi-
lippi, though he had refolved not to ftir out of his tent, on
account of being indifpofed, yet, upon the occafion of a
dream which a friend of his had, he altered his refolu-
tion ; and it was fortunate for him that he did fo ; for the
camp was taken, and his couch, upon a fuppofition of
his being in it, was pierced in feveral parts, and cut to
pieces. He had many frivolous filly dreams during the
fpring ; but in the other parts of the year, his dreams were
lefs frequent, and more lignificative. Upon his frequently
vifiting a temple in the Capitol, which ho had dedicated
to Thundering Jove, he dreamt that Jupiter Capitolinus
complained that his worfhippers were taken from him,
and that upon this he replied, he had only given him the
Thunderer for his porter. He therefore immediately
Jiung the ceiling of the temple round with little bells ; be-
caufe fuch commonly hung at the gates of great houfes.
Upon occafion of a dream too, he always, on a certain
• day of the year, begged an alms of the people, reaching
out his hand to receive the dole with which they prefent-
cd him.
XCIL Some figns and omens he regarded as infallible.
If in the morning his flioe was put on wrong, or the left
jnflead of the right, that was with him a difmal prefage,
Jff upon his fetting out on a long journey b^'fea or land,
there
THE LIFE OF
172
there happened to fall a milling rain he held it to be a
good fign, of a fpeedy and happy return. . He was much
affected likewife with any thing out of the common
courfe of nature. A palm-tree, which chanced to grow
up betwixt fome flones in the pavement before his houfe,
he tranfplanted into a court where the houfehold Gods
were placed, and took all pollible care to make it thrive.
When, in Capreae, fome decayed branches of an old oak,
which hung drooping to the ground, recovered themfelves.
upon his arrival in that illand, he was fo rejoiced at it,
that he made an exchange with the government of Naples,
of the illand of Unaria, for that of Capreae. He likewife
obferved certain days ; as never to go from home the day
after the Nundinae nor to begin any thing of ferious
bulinefs upon the Nonps f ; avoiding nothing elfe in it,
as he writes to Tiberius, than the unluckinefs of the
name.
* The 'Nundina were every ninth day, when a market was
held at Rome, and the people came to it from the country. The
pra6lice was not then introduced amongft the Romans, of di^-
viding their time into weeks, as we do in imitation of the
Jewst Dion, who flourillied under Severus, fays that it firft
took place a little before his time, and was derived from the
Egyptians.
d-The Romans divided their months into Calends, Nones,
and Ides. The firll day of the month was the Calends of
that month ; whence they reckoned backwards, diftinguilh-
ing the time by the day before the Calends, the fecond day
before the Calends, and fo on, to the Ides of the preceding
month. In eight mpnths of the year, the Nones were the fifth
day, and the Ides the thirteenth ; but in March, May, July,
and October, the Nones fell on the feventh, and the Ides on
the fifteenth. From the Nones, they reckoned backwards
to the Calends, as they alfo did from the Ides to the Nones*
XCIIL With
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
175
XCIII. with regard to the religious ceremonies of
foreign nations, he was a ftridl obferver of fuch as had
been eftabliifhed by ancient cuftom ; but others he held in
no efteem. For having been initiated at Athens, and be*
ing afterwards to hear a caufe at Rome, relative to the
privileges of the priefts of the Attic Ceres, when fome of
the myfteries of that worfhip were to be Introduced in the
pleadings, he difmifled thofe who fat upon the bench as
judges with him, as well as the bye-ftanders, and heard
the debate upon thofe points himfelf. But on the other
hand, he not only declined, in his progrefs through Egypt,
calling to vibt Apis, but he likewife commended his
grandfon Caius for not paying his devotions at Jerufalem
in his paffage by Judea. '
XCIV. Since we are upon this fubje61:, it may not be
improper to fubjoin an account of the omens, before and
at his birth, as well as afterwards, that gave hopes of his
future grandeur, and the good fortune that conftantly at-
tended him. A part of the town-wall at Velitrse having
in former times been ftruck with thunder, the foothfayers
gave their opinion upon it, that a native of that place
would fome time or other be mafter of the Roman ftate:
in confidence of which predidlion, the Velitrini, both im-
mediately, and at feverai times after, made war with the
Roman people, until they brought themfelves upon the
brink of deftrudtion. At laft it appeared by the event,
that that omen had portended the rife of Augufiius. Ju-
lius Marathus informs us, that a few months before his
birth, there happened at Rome a prodigy, by which was
fignlfied that Nature was in travail with a king for the
Roman people ; and that the Senate being alarmed came
to a refolution that no cldld born that year fhould be
brought up ; but that thofe amongO; them, whofe wives
were
The life of
*74 '
were pregnant, to fecure to themfelves a profpe6l of tfiat
dignity, took care that the refolution of the Senate {houl4
not be regiftered in the treafury. I find in the theologi-
cal books of Afclepiades the Mendefian, that Atia, upon
attending at midnight a religious foleinnity in honor of
Apollo, when the reft of the matrons retired home, took
a nap in her chair in the temple, and that a ferpent im-
mediately crept to her, and foon after withdrew. She
awaking upon it, purified herfelf, as ufual after the em-
braces of her hufband ; and inftantly there appeared upon
her body a mark in the form of a ferpent, which fhe
never after could efface, and which obliged her, during
the fubfequent part of her life, to decline the ufe of the
public baths. Auguftus, it is added, was born in the
tenth month after, and for that reafon was thought to be
the fon of Apollo. The fame Atia, before her delivery,
dreamt that her bowels ftretched to the ftars, and ex-
panded through the whole circuit of heaven and earth.
His father Octavius likewife dreamt that a fun-beam
iffued from his wife’s womb. Upon the day he was
born, the Senate being employed upon the confideratlon
of Catiline’s confpiracy, and Octavius, upon account of
his wife’s condition, coming late into the houfe, it is a
well known fa6t, that Publius Nigidius, upon hearing
the occafion of his coming fo late, and the hour of his
wife’s delivery, declared that the world had got a mafter.
Afterwards, when 06tavius, upon marching with his ar-
my through the wilds of Thrace, according to the ufage
of the country, confulted the oracle of father Bacchus
about his fon, he received from the priefts an anfwer to
the fame purpofe ; becaufe when tliey poured wine upon
the altar, there burft out fo prodigious a flame, that it
afeended above the roof of the temple, and reached up ta
the heavens, a circumftance which had never happened
to
CiESAR AUGUSTUS. 1'^ ^
to any one but Alexander the Great, upon his facriflcing
at the fame altars. And next night he dreamt he faw
his fon under a more than human appearance, with thun-
der and a fceptre, and the other habiliments of Jupiter,
having on his head a crown ornamented with rays, mount- .
ed upon a chariot decked with laurel, and drawn by hx
milk-white horfes. Whihl he was yet an infant, as C,
Drufus relates, being laid in his cradle by his nurfe, and
in a low place, the next day he was not to be found, and
after he had been fought for a long time, he was at laft
difcovered upon a very high tower, lying with his face
towards the eaft. When he firft began to fpeak, he or-
dered the frogs that happened to make a troublefome
noife, upon an eftate belonging to the family near the
town, to be filent ; and there goes a jeport that frogs
never croaked there fmee that time. As he v/as dining
in a grove about four miles from Rome on the road to
Campania, an eagle fuddenly fnatched a piece of bread
out of his hand, and flying to a prodigious height with
it, came unexpedledly down again by an eafy motion,
and returned it to him. Catulus, for two nights fiic-
ceflively after his dedication of the Capitol, had a dream.
The firft night he dreamt that Jupiter, out of feveral boys
that were playing about his altar, fele6led one into whofe
bofom he put the public feal of the commonwealth,
which he had in his hand; but in his vifion the next
night, he faw in the bofom of Jupiter Capitolinus, the
fame1)oy, whom he ordered to be taken down, but v/as
forbid by the God, on account of his being educated
for the prefervation of the commonwealth. And the
next day, meeting with Auguftus, whom till that
hour he had not the leaft knowledge of, looking at
him with admiration, he faid he was extremely like
the boy that he had dreamt of. Some give a dif-
ferent
/
iy6 THE LIFE 01^
ferent account of Catulus’s firfl: dream, as if Jupiter, tipofl
feveral boys requefting of him that they might have a
guardian, had pointed to one amongft them, ^ to whom
they were to prefer their requefts ; and putting his fmgers
to the boy’s mouth to kifs, he afterwards applied them to
his own* • M. Cicero, as he was attending C. Caefar to
the Capitol, happened to be telling fome of his friends a
dream which he had had the preceding night, of a comely
youth let down from heaven by a golden chain, who
flood at the door of the Capitol, and had a whip delivered
him by Jupiter. And immediately upon fight of Au-
guflus, who had been fent for by his uncle Csefar to the
faciifice, and was as yet perfedlly unknown to the reft of
the company, he affirmed that was the very boy he had
feen in his dream* When he aflumed the manly habit,
his Senatori an tunic becoming loofe in the feam on each
fide, fell at his feet. Some would have this to forebode,
that the Order, of which that was a mark of diftin6lion,
would fome time or other be fubjedl to him. Julius
Caefar, in cutting down a wood to make room for his
camp near Munda, happened to fight upon a palm-tree,
and ordered it to be preferved as an omen of viiflory.
From the root of this tree there put out immediately s
fucker, which in a few days grew to fuch a height as not
only to equal, but overfhade it, and afford room for many
nefts of wild pigeons which built in it, though that fpecies
of bird particularly avoids a hard and rough leaf* It is like*-
wife reported, that Caefar was chiefly influenced by this
prodigy, to prefer his fifter’s grandfon before all others
for his fucceffor. In his retirement at Apollonia, he went
with his friend Agrippa, to vvait upon The'Ogencs the
aftrologer. And Agrippa, who flrft defired to know his
fortune, being affured that it would be almoft incredibly
great , he did not chufe to difcover his nativity, and per-
8 ^ hfted
CiESAR AUGUSTUS. I77
fifted fome time in the refufal, from a mixture of ihame
and fear, left the prcdi61:ion in refpe61; of him fhould be
inferior to that which had been announced to Agrippa.
Being perfuaded however,* after much importunity, to de-
clare it, Theogenes ftarted up from his feat, and paid him
adoration. Not long after, Auguftus was fo confident of
the greatnefs of his deftiny, that he publifhed his nati-
vity, and ftruck a filver coin, bearing upon it the fign
of Capricorn, under the influence of which he was
born.
XCV. After the death of CsefaiV'upon his return from
Apollonia, as he was entering the city, on a fudden, in a
clear and bright fky, a circle refembling the rainbow fur-
rounded the body of the fun ; and immediately after, the
tomb of Julia, Caefar^s daughter, was ftruck by light-
ning. In his firft Confulfhip, whilft he was fitting for
the obfervation of omens, twelve vultures prefented them-
felves, as they had done to Romulus. And when he of-
fered facrifice, the livers of all the vidlims w'ere folded in-
ward in the lower part ; a circumftance which w’as re-
garded by all prefent, who had fkill in things of that na-
ture, as an indubitable prognoftic of great and wonderful
fortune.
XCVI. He certainly had a pre-fentiment of the iffue
of all his wars. When the troops of the Triumviri were
colledted about Bononia, an eagle, which fat upon his
lent, and was attacked by tw’o crows, beat them both,
and knocked them down to the ground, in the view of
the whole army ; who thence inferred that a difference
would arife amongft the three colleagues, which would
be attended with the like event : and it accordingly hap-
pened. At Philippi, he was aflured of fuccefs by a Thef-
falian, upon the authority, as he pretended, of Casi'ar
N himfclf,
THE LIFE OF
17S
hlmfelf, who had appeared to him wliile he was travels
ling in a bye-road. At Perufia, the facritice not pre-
renting any favorable intimations, but the contrary, he
ordered an additional number of vieSlims to be cut up ;
but the enemy by a fudden Tally carrying ail away, it was
agreed among 11: the augurs as an infallible event, that all
the danger and misfortune which appeared in the entrails,
vyould fail upon the heads of thofe who had got pofTef-
fion of them. And accordingly it happened fo. The day
before the fea-fight near Sicily, as he was walking upon
the fhore, a filli leaped out of the fea, and laid itfelf at <
his foot. At Adlium, while he. was going down to his
fleet to engage the enemy, he was met by an afs with a
fellow driving it. The name of the man was Eutychus,
and that of the animal, Nicon*. After the vidlory, he
erefted a brazen ftatue to each, in a temple built upon the
ground where he had encamped.
XCVII. His death, of vvhich I fliall now fpeak, and
his fubfequent deification, were intimated by divers ma-*
nifefi: prodigies. As he was finifliing the Cenfus amidil
a great crowd of people in the Field of Mars, an eagle
flew about him feveral times, and then dire6l:ed its courfe
to a neighbouring temple, where it fat down upon the
name of Agrippa, and at the firfi: letter. Upon obferving
this, he ordered Tiberius to put up the vows, which it is
ufual to make on fuch occafions, for the fucceeding Luf-
trum. For he declared he would not meddle wjth what it
was probable he lliould never accompli fh, though the tables
were ready drawn for it. About the fame time, the firfi
* The good omen, in this inflance, was founded upon the
etymology of the names of the afs and its driver; the former
of which, in Greek, fignifies 'vldorious^ and the latter, for-
tunatCt
8
letter
CJESAR AUGUSTUS.
179
letter of liis name, in an infcription upon a flatue of him,
was ftruck out by lightning ; which was interpreted as a
prefage that he would live only a hundred days longer f
which number the letter C {lands for, and that he would
be placed amongft the Gods ; as i^lfar, which is the re-
maining part of the word Caefar, fignifies, in the Tuf-
can language^ a God. Being therefore about difpatching
Tiberius to Illyricum, and defigning to go with him as
far as Beneventum, but being detained by' ieveral' per-
fons who applied to him upon account of caufes they
had depending^ he cried out, which was afterwards re-
garded as an omen of his death, Not ail the bufmefs
that can occur, fhali detain me at Rome one moment
longer and fetting out upon his journey, he went as
far as Aftura ; wrhence, contrary to his cuflom, he put
to fea in the night-time, upon the occafion of a favorable-
wind.
XCVIIT. His ficknefs was occafioned by diarrhoea ?
notwithftandino which, he went round the coafc of Cam-
pania, and the adjacent iflands, and fpent four days in
that of Caprese ; where he gave himfelf up entirely to his
eafe ; behaving, at the fame time^ to thofe about him with
the utmofl; good nature and complaifance. As he hap-
pened to fail by the bay of Puteoli, the paiTengers and
mariners aboard a Ihip of Alexandria juft then arrived,
clad ail in white, with crowns upon their heads, loaded
him with praifes and joyful acclamations, crying out,
By you we live, by you we fail, by you enjoy our li-
berty'and our fortunes;” At which being greatly pleafed,
he diftributed to each of his friends that attended him,
forty gold pieces, requiring from them an afturance by
oath, not to employ the fum given them any other v/ay,
than in the purchafe of Alexandrian goods. A^id dui ing,
N 2 feverai
THE LIFE OF
tSo
feveral days after, he diflributed Togas and Pallia*, upon
condition that the Romans Oiould ufe the Grecian, and
the Grecians the Roman drefs and language. He like-
wife conftantly attended to fee the boys perform their
exercifes, according to an ancient cuflom ftill continued
at Capreae. He gave them likewife an entertainment in
his prefence, and not only permitted, hut required from
them the utmoft freedom in jefting, and fcrambling for
fruit, vi£luals, and other things which he threw amongfi:
them. In a word, he indulged himfelf in all the ways of
amufement he could contrive. He called an ifland near
Capres ATu^aFoTroT^igf “ the city of the Do-littles^^^ from
the indolent life which feveral of his company led there.
A favorite of his, one Mafgabas, he had ufed to call
K.Ti<T%if as if he had been the planter of the ifland. And
obferving from his parlour the tomb of this Mafgabas,
who died a year before, frequented by a great company
of people with torches, he pronounced upon it this verfe
extempore,
KtictIou h rifpL^ov itcropco TTJpoufxgvov.
I fee the founder’s tomb difplay’d with lights.
Then turning to Thrafylliis, a companion of Tiberius’s,
that lay oppofite, he alked him what poet he thought
was the author of that verfe : who demurring upon it,
he brought out another :
*Opa^ (pccscrai Maa-faCav TiptMifxivov*
Honor’d with flambeaux Mafgabas you fee.
* The Tog^ have been already defcribed in a note upon
Chapter LXXIIL The Pallium was a cloak, or upper gar-
ment, worn by the Greeks, men and w’omen, freemen and
fervants, but almoft always by philofophers, and commonly
by both fexes at table.
and
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
i8i
and put the fame queftion to him concerning that like-
wife. 'T’he latter replying, that, whoever was the author,
the verfes were good, he fet up a great laugh, and .fell
into an extraordinary vein of jefting upon it. Soon after,
palling over to Naples, though at that time greatly dif-
ordeied in his bowels, by the frequent returns of his dif-'
cafe, he continued a fpe(ftator to the end of fome folemn
games which were performed every five years -in honor
of him, and came with Tiberius to the place intended.
But in his return, his diforder encreafing, he flopped at
Nola, fent for Tiberius back again, and had a long dif-
courfe with him in private ; after which he gave no
farther attention to bufinefs of any importance,
XCIX. Upon the day of his death, he now and then
enquired, if there was any difturbance in the town about
him ; and calling for a mirror, he ordered his hair to be
combed, and his falling cheeks to be adjufted. Then alk-
ing his friends that were admitted into the room, <‘Do
ye think that I have adted my part in life w^ell he im-
mediately fubjoined,
Ei Ka>,u^, ra Traiyvi^
Aols Ktorov, KOLi Travre^ vf/,£tg xa^aq xtvttvjctxts^
If all be right, with joy your voices raife
In loud applaufes to the a6tor’s praife.
after which, having difmiffed them all, whilfl he was en-
quiring of fome that were juft come from Rome, con-
cerning Drufus’s daughter, who was in a bad flate -of
health, he expired amidft the kifles of Livia, and with
thefe words : “ Livia, live mindful of our marriage, and
farewell !” dying a very eafy death, and fuch as he him-
feif had always wiflied for. For as often as he heard
that any perfon had died quickly and without pain, he
N 3 wiflied
THE LIFE OF
wilhed for himfelf and his friends the like 2v&ava(rioiy (ar^
cafy death), for that was the w’ord he made ufc of. He
difcovered but one fymptom before his death of his being
delirious, which waathis : he was all on a fudden much
frightened, and complained that he was carried away by
forty men. But this was rather a prefage, than any de-
lirium : for precifely that number of foldiers carried out
his corpfe.
C. He expired in the fame room in which his father
Odlavius had died, when the two Sextuses, Pompey and
Apuleius, were Confuls, upon the fourteenth of the calends
of September, at the ninth hour of the day, wanting only
five and thirty days of feventy-fix years of age. His re-
mains were carried by the magiftrates of the municipia *
and colonies, from Noia to Bovillae, and in the night-
time, becaufe of the feafon of the year. During the in-
tervals, the body lay in fome court, or great temple, of
each town. At Bovillae it was met by the Equeflrian
Order, who carried it to the city, and depofited it in the
porch of his own houfe. The Senate proceeded with fo
much zeal in the arrangement of his funeral, and paying
honor to his memory, that, amongft feveral other propo-
fals, fome were for having the funeral procefiion made
through the triumphal gate, preceded by the image of
Victory, which js in the Senate-houfe, and the children
* Municipia were foreign towns which obtained the right
of Roman citizens, and were of different kinds. Some en-
joyed all the rights of Roman citizens, except fuch as could
not be held without refiding at Rome. Others were invefled
with the right of ferving in the Roman legions, but not that
of voting, nor of holding civil offices. The 7nunicipia ufed
their own laws and cuftoms ; nor were they obliged to re-
ceive the Roman laws unlefs they chofe it.
of
C.^:SAR AUGUSTUS.
183
of the iirft quality, of both fexea, finging the funeral
ditty. , Others moved, that on the day of the funeral, they
fliould lay alide their gold rings, and wear rings of iron ;
and others, that his bones fliould be colledfed by the
pricfls of the fuperior orders. One likewife propofed to
transfer the name of Auguflus to September, becaufe he
was born in the latter, but died in the former. Another
moved, that the whole period of time, from his birth to
his death, fhould be called the Auguftan age, and be in-
ferted in the calendar under that title. But at laft it was
judged proper to be moderate in the honors to be paid to
his memory. Two funeral orations wfere pronounced in
his praife, one before the temple of Julius, by Tiberius ;
and the other before the Roftra, under the old fhops, by
Drufiis, Tiberius’s fon. The body was then carried upon
the flioulders of Senators into the Field of Mars, and
there burnt. A man of Praetorian rank affirmed upon
oath, that he faw his fplrit afcend into heaven. The mofi;
diftinguifhed perfons of the Equeftrian Order, bare-footed,
and with their tunics loofe, gathered up his relics, and '
flepofited them in the maufokum, which had been built
in his fixth Confulfhip, betwixt the Flaminian way and
the bank of the Tiber, at which lime likewife he gave
the woods and walks about it for the ufe of the
people.
■ ■
Cl. He had made a will a year and four months be-
fore his death; upon the third of die Nones, of April, in
the Confulfliip of Lucius Plancus, and C. Silius. Jt
confifted of two lldns of parchment, wiitten partly in his-
hand, and partly by his freedmen. Polybius and Hilarion.
It had been committed to the cuftody of the V eftal Virgins,
t>y whom it was now produced, with three other volumes,
THE LIFE OF
184
all fealed tip as well as the will, which were one
read in the Senate. He appointed for his firll heirs,
Tiberius for two thirds of his eftate, and Livia for the
other third, whom he likewife defired to afTume his name.
The heirs fubftituted in their room, in cafe of death?
were Drufiis, Tiberius’s fon, for a third part, and Ger-
manicus with his three fons for the refl. Next to them
were his relations, and feveral of his friends. He left in
legacies to the Roman people forty millions of feflerces ;
to the tribes three millions five hundred thoufand ; to the
guards, a thoufand each man ; to the city-battalions five
hundred ; and to the foldiers in the legioias three hundred
each ; w^hich feveral fums he ordered to be paid imme-
diately after his death. For he had taken care that the,
money Ihould be ready in his exchequer. For the reft
he ordered different times of payment. In fome of his be-
quefts he went as far as twenty thoufand fefterces, for
the payment of which he allowed a twelvemonth; al-
Jedging for this procraftination the fcantinefs of his eftate ;
and declaring that not more than a hundred and fifty
millions of fefterces would come to his heirs : notwith-
ftanding that during the twenty preceding years, he had
received, in legacies from his friends, the fum of fourteen
hundred millions ; almoft the whole of which, with his
two paternal eftates, and others that had been left him, he '
expended upon the public. He left order that the two
Julias, his daughter and grand-daughter, ftiould not be
buried in his fepulchre. With regard to the three vo-
lumes before mentioned, in one of them he gave orders
about his funeral ; another contained a narrative of his
adlions, which he intended ftiould be inferibed on brafs-
platcs, and placed before his maufoleum ; in the third he
had drawn up a concife account of the ftate of the em-
pire ;
CJKSAR AUGUSTUS^
i8s
pire ; as the number of foldiers in pay, what money
there was in the treafury, exchequer, and arrears of
taxes ; to which ‘were added the names of the freedmen
and (laves, from whom the feveral accounts might be
taken.
OCTAVIUS Csefar, afterwards Auguftus, had now
attained to the fame fituation in the (late which had for-
merly been occupied by Julius Ctefar ; and though he'
entered upon it by violence, he continued to enjoy it
through life with almoft uninterrupted tranquillity. By
the long duration of the late civil War, with its concomi-
^ tant train of public calamities, the minds of men were
become lefs averfe to the profpedl: of an abfolute govern-
ment; at the fame time that the new emperor, naturally
prudent and politic, had learned from the fate of Julius
the art of preferving fuprerne power without arrogating
to himfelf any invidious mark of dihindlion. He affedled
to decline public honors, difclaimed every idea of per-
(bnal fuperiority, and in all his behaviour difplayed a de-
gree of moderation which prognodicated the mod happy
eftecls, in redoring peace and profperity to the haraded
empire. The tenor of his future condudl was iuitable
to this aufpicious commencement. While he endea-
vored to conciliate the affedlions of the people by lend-
ing money to thofe who dood in need of it, at low in-
tered, or without any at all, and by the exhibition of
public (liews, of which the Romans were remarkably
fond ; he was attentive to the prefervatlon of a becoming
dignity in the government, and to the correclion of
riiorais. The Senate, which, in the time of Sylla, had
encreafed
i86
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encreafed to upwards of four hundred, and, during the
civil war, to a thoufand members, by the admiffion of
improper perfons, he reduced to fix hundred ; and being
inveiled with the ancient ofEce of Cenfor, which had for
fome time been difufed, he exercifed an arbitrary but legal
authority over the condu6t of every rank in the ftate ; by
which he could degrade Senators and Knights, and inflidt
upon all citizens an ignominious fentence for any im-
moral or indecent behaviour. But nothing contributed
more to render the new form of government acceptable
to the people, than the frequent diftribution of corn, and
fometimes largelTes, amongft the commonalty : for an
occafional fcarcity of provifions had always been the chief
caufe of difcontents and tumults in the capital. To the
interefts of the army he llkewife paid particular attention.
It was by the afliflance of the legions that he had rifen
to power ; and they were the men v/ho, in the laft refort,
if fuch an emergency fhould ever occur, could alone en^
able him to preferve it.
HIdory relates, that after the overthrow of Antony,^
Augufbus held a confultation with Agrippa and Mecaenas
about reftoi ing the republican form of government, when
Agrippa gave his opinion in favor of that meafure, and
Mecsenas oppofed it. The objedl of this confultation,
in refpedi of its future confequences on fociety, is perhaps
the moft important ever agitated in any cabinet,, and re--
quired, for the mature difcuflion of it, the whole col-
ledlive wifdom of the ablefl; men in the empire. Bu
this was a refource which could fcarcely be adopted,
either with fecurity to the public quiet, or w’ith unbiaffed
judgment in the determination of the queftion. The bare
agitation of fuch a point would have excited an imme-
diate and ftrong anxiety for its final refult ; while the
friend^
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
187
friends of a republican government, who were ftili far
more numerous than thofe of the other party, would have
Arained every nerve to procure a determination in their
own favor ; and the Praetorian guards, the fureft protec-
tion of Auguftus, finding their fituation rendered pre-
carious by fuch an unexpedled occurrence, would have
readily llfiened to the fecret propofitions and intrigues of
the Republicans for fecuring their acquiefcence to the de-
cifion on the popular fide. ' If, when the fubjedf came
into debate, Auguftus Ihould be fincere in the declara-
tion to abide by the refolution of the council, it is be-
yond all doubt, that the refioration of a republican go-
vernment would have been voted by a great majority of
the aflembly. If, on the contrary, he fliould not be fin-
cere, which is the more probable fuppofition, and ihould
incur the fufpicion of pradlifing fecretly with members
for a decifion according to his wifii, he would have
rendered himieif obnoxious to the public odium, and
given rife to difeontents which might have endangered
fiis future fecurity.
But to fubmit this important quefiion to the free and
nnbiafied decifion of a numerous aflembly, it is probable,
neither fuited the inclination of Auguftus, nor perhaps,
in his opinion, correfponded with his- pcrfonal fafety.
With a view to the attainment of unconflitutional powder,
he had formerly deferted the caufe of the Republic when
its affairs were in a profperous fltuation ; and now when
his end was accomplilhed, there could be little ground to
expedl, that he fliould voliintarily reiinquifli the prize for
which he had fpilt the beft blood of Rome, and contended
for fo many years. Ever flnee the final defeat of An-
tony in the battle of A6tium, he had governed the Roman
flate with uncontroled authority; and though there is in
the
x8S
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the nature of unlimited power an intoxicating quality,
injurious both to public and private virtue, vet all hiftory
contradicts the fuppofition of its being endued with any
which is unpalatable to the general tafle of mankind.'
There were two chief motives by which Auguftus
would naturally be influenced in a deliberation on this
important fubjeCt ; namely, the love of power, and the
perfonal danger whicli he might incur from reiinquifliing
it. Either of thefe motives might have been a fufficient
inducement for retaining his authority ; but when they
both concurred, as they feem to have done upon this oc-
cafion, their united force was irrefiftible. The argu-
ment, fo far as relates to the love of power, refts upon a
ground, concerning the folidity of which, little doubt can
be entertained : but it may be proper to enquire, in a few
words, into the foundation of that perfonal danger which
he dreaded to incur, on returning to the flation of a pri-
vate citizen.
Augiiftus, as has been already obferved, had formerly
fided with the party which attempted to reftore public
liberty after the death of Julius Caefar : but he afterwards
abandoned the popular caufe, and joined in the ambitious
views of Antony and Lepidus to ufurp amongfl: them-
felves the entire dominion of the flate. By this change
of conduCl, he turned his arms againfl the fupporters of
a form of government which he had virtually recognized
as the legal conflitution of Rome ; and, what involved a
direCl implication of treafon, againfl the facred reprefen-
tatives of that government, the Confuls, formally and
duly cleCled. Upon fuch a charge he might be amenable
to the capita} laws of his country. This, however, was
^ danger which might be fully obviated, by procuring
from
f
CJESAR AUGUSTtrS. I89
from the Senate and people an a£l: of oblivion, previoufly
to his abdication of the fu preme power ; and this was a
preliminary which doubtlefs they would have admitted
and ratified with unanimous approbation. It therefore
appears that he could be expofed to no inevitable danger
on this account : but there was another quarter where
his perfon w'as vulnerable, and where even the laws
might not be fufficient to protegi him againfl; the efforts
of private refentment. The bloody profcription of the
Triumvirate no adi of amnefly could ever erafe from the
minds of thofe w'ho had been deprived by it of their
neareft and deareft relations ; and amidft the numerous
€onne6hons of the illuflrious men facrificed on that horri-
ble occafion, there might arife fome defperate avenger,
whole indelible refentment nothing lefs would fatisfy
than the blood of the furviving delinquent. Though Au-
guflus, therefore, might not, like his great predeceffor,
be ftabbed in the Senate-houfe, he might receive into his
vitals the fvvord or poniard in a lefs confpicuous fitua-
tion. After all, there feems to have been little danger
from this quarter likewife : for Sylla, who in the pre-
ceding age had been guilty of equal enormities, was per-
mitted, on relinquifhing the place of perpetual Didfator,
to end his days in quiet retirement ; and the undifturbed
fecurity which Auguftus ever afterwards enjoyed, affords
fufficient proof, that all apprehenfion of danger to his
perfon was merely chimerical.
We have hitherto confidered this grand confultation as
it might be influenced by the paflions or prejudices of the
emperor : we fhall now take a fhort view of the fubjedf
in the light in which it is connecfded with arguments of a
political nature, and with public utility. The arguments
handed
THE LIFE OF
190
handed down by hiftory refpeding this confultatlon are
few, and imperfecSlly delivered ; but they may be ex-
tended upon the general principles maintained on each
fide of the queftion.
For the rcftoration of the republican government, it
mig’ht be contended, that from the expulhon of the kings
to the Didlatorfhip of Julius Csefar, through a period of
upwards of four hundred and fixly years, the Roman
Hate, abating a (hort intermiilion only, liad flouriftied
and encreafed widi a degree of profperity unexampled in
the annals of human kind: That the republican form of
government was not only beft adapted to the improve-
ment of national grandeur, but to the fecurity of general
freedom, the great objedf of all political aiTociation : That
public virtue, by which alone nations could fubhii in
vigor, was cherilhed and prote6led by no mode of ad-
miniflration fo much as by that which conne6led, in the
flrongefl: bonds of union, the private interehs of indi-
viduals with thofe of the community: 7'hat the habits
and prejudices of the Roman people were unalterably at-
tached to the form of government eftablilhed by fo long
a prefcription, and would never fubmit, for any length of
time, to the rule of one perfon, without making every
pofiible effort to recover their liberty : That though de-
fpotifm, under a mild and wdfe prince, might in fome re-
fpedls be regarded as prefe,rable to a conftitution which
•was occafionally expofed to the inconvenience of fadtion
and popular tumults, yet it was a dangerous experiment
to abandon the government of the nation to the contin-
gency of fiich a variety of charadlers as ufually occurs in
the fucceffion of princes ; and upon the whole, that the
interehs of the people were more fafely entrufled- in the
hands
C^SAR AUGUSTtJS.
ipt
hands of annual magiftrates elected by themfelves, than
in thofe of any Individual whofe power was permanent,
and fubjedl to no legal control,
<.
In favor of defpotic government it might be urged, that
though Rome had fubfifted long and glorioufly under a
republican form of government, yet fhe had often ex-
perienced fuch violent Ihocks, from popular tumults or
the fadlions of the great, as had threatened her with im-
minent deftrudlion : That a republican government was
only accommodated to a people amongft whom the divi-
fion of property gave to no clafs of citizens fuch a degree
of pre-eminence as might prove dangerous to public free-
dom : That there was required in that form of political
conflitution, a fimpliclty of life and ftridfnefs of manners
which are never obferved to accompany a high degree of
public profperity : That in refpecl of all thefe confidera-
tions, fuch a form of government was utterly incompati-
ble with the prefent circumflances of the Romans : That
by the conquefl; of fo many foreign nations, by the lucra-
tive governments of provinces, the fpoils of the enemy in
war, and the rapine too often pradtifed in time of peace,
fo great had been the aggrandizement of particular fa-
milies in the preceding age, that though the form of the
ancient conflitution fliould flill remain inviolate, the peo-
ple would no longer live under a free Republic, but an
ariflocratlcal ufurpation, which was always productive
of tyranny : That nothing could preferve the common-
wealth from becoming a prey to feme daring confederacy,
but the firm and vigorous adminiflration of one perfon,
invefled with the whole executive power of the ftate, un-
limited and uncontroled : In fine, that as Rome had been
nurfed to maturity by the government of fix princes fuc-
cefllvely, fo it was only by a fimilar form of political
conflitution
igl THE LIFE OF
conflitution that ihe could now be faved from ariflocrati-
cal tyranny on one hand, or, on the other, from abfolute
anarchy.
On whlchei^er fide of the queflion the force of argu-
ment may be thought to preponderate, there is reafon to
believe that Auguftus was guided in his refolution more
by inclination and prejudice than by reafon. It is related,
however, that hefitating between the oppofite opinions of
his two counfellors, he had recourfe to that of Virgil,
who joined with Mecaerias in advihng him to retain the
imperial power, as being the form of government moll
fuitable to the circumftances of the times.
It is proper in this place to give fome account of the
two minifters abovementioned, Agrippa and Mecaenas,
who compofed the cabinet of Auguftus at the fettlement of
his government, andfeem to be the only psrfons employed
by him in a minifterial capacity during his whole reign.
M. Vipfanius Agrippa was of obfeure extracSlion, but
rendered himfelf confpiciious by his military talents. He
obtained a vidtory of Sextus, Pompey ; and
^‘Jgnppa^^ in. the battles of Philippi and Adlium,
where he difplayed great valor, he con-
tributed not a little to eftablifh the fubfequent power of
Auguftus. In his expeditions afterwards into Gaul and
Germany, he performed many fignal atchievements, and
for which he refufed the honors of a triumph. The ex-
pences which others would have lavidied on that frivo-
lous fpedlacle, he applied to the more laudable purpofe
of embellifhing Rome with magnificent buildings, one of
which, the Pantheon, ftill remains. In confeqiience of a
difpute with Marcellus, the nephew of Augufius, he re-
Cw^SAR augustus; 195
tire^ to Mitylene, whence, after an abfence of two years,
he was recalled by the emperor. He firft married Pom-
ponia, the daughter of the celebrated Atticiis, and after-
wards one of the Marcellas, the nieces of Auguftus.
While this lady, by whom he had children, was ftill
living, the emperor prevailed upon his fiffcer Odiavia to
refign to him her fon-in-law, and gave him in marriage
bis own daughter Julia ; fo ftrong was the defire of,Au-
guilius to be united with him in the clofefl: alliance. The
high degree of favor in which he flood with the emperor
was foon after evinced by a farther mark of efleem : for
during a vifit to the Roman provinces of Greece and
Afia, in which Auguflus was abfent two years, he left
the government of the empire to the care of Agrippa.
While this miniiler enjoyed, and indeed feems to have
merited, all the partiality of Auguflus, he was likewife a
favorite with the people. He died at Rome in the fifty-
firfl year of his age, univeifally lamented ; and his re-
mains were depofited in the tomb which Auguftus had
prepared for himfelf. Agrippa left by Julia three fons,
Caius, Lucius, and Poflhumus Agrippa, with two daugh-*
ters, Agrippina and Julia.
C. Cilnius
MeC£U7ias.
C. Cilnius Mecsenas was of Tufcan extradion, and
derived his defcent from the ancient kings of that country.
Though in the highefl degree of favor
with Auguflus, he never afpired beyond
the rank of the Equeflrian Order ; and
though he might have held the government of extenfive
provinces by deputies, he was content with enjoying the
Prsfedure of the city and Italy ; a fituation, however,
which mull have been attended with extenfive patronage.
He was of a gay and focial difpofition. In principle, he
O
THE LIFE OF
t94
is faid to have been of the Epicurean Seel:, and in hIS
drefs and manners, to have bordered on effeminacy.
With refped to his political talents, we can only fpeak
from conjedture: but from his being the confidential
minifter of a prince of fo much difeemment as Auguftus,
during the infancy of a new form of government in an
extenfive empire, we may prefume that he was endowed
with no common abilities for that important flation.
The liberal patronage which he difplayed towards men
of genius and talents, will render his name for ever cele-
brated in the annals of learning. It is to be regretted
that hiilory has tranfmitted no particulars of this extraor-
dinary perfonage, of whom all we know is derived
chiefly from the writings of Virgil and Horace : but
from the manner in which they addrefs him, amidft tlie '
familiarity of their intercourfe, there is the ftrongeft
reafon to fuppofe, that he was not lefs amiable and re-
fpe6lable in private life, than illuftrious in public fitua-
tion. “ O my Glory is the emphatic expreflion em-
ployed by them both.
O decus, O famse merito pars maxima noilr^. Vir. G. II.
O et prsefidium et dulce decus meum. Hor. Ode I.
One would be inclined to think, that there was a nicety
in the fenfe and application of the word decus^ amongfl
the Romans, with which we are unacquainted, and that,
in the paffages now adduced, it was undcrflood to refer
to the honor of the emperor’s patronage, obtained through
the means of Mecsenas ; otherwife, fuch language to the
minifter might have excited the jealoufy of Auguftus.
But whatever foundation there may be for this conjec-
ture, the compliment was compenfited by the fuperior
adulation which the poets appropriated to the emperor,
whole
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. lg§
•whofe deification is more than infinuated, in fublime
intimations, by Virgil.
Tuque adeo, quern mox quse fint habitura deorum
Concilia, incertum eft j urbifne invifere, Caefar,
Terrarumque velis cufam ; &: te maximus orbis
Auctorem frilgum, tempeftaturlique potentem
Accipiat, cingens materna tempora myrto :
An Deus immenft venias marisj ac tua nautae
Numina fola colant : tibi ferviat ultima Thule ;
Teque libi generUm Tethys emat omnibus undis.
Geor. 1,
Horaee has elegantly adopted the fame ftrain of com^^
pliment, >
Te multa prece, te profequitur mero
Defufo pateris ; & Laribus tuum
Mifcet numen, uti Graecia Caftoris
Et magni memor Herculis. Carm. IV. 5.
The panegyric beftowed upon Augufttis by the great
poets of that time, appears to have had a farther objeci
than the mere gratification of vanity. It was the am-
bition of this emperor to reign iii the hearts, as well as
over the perfons of his fubje6ts ; and with this view he
tvas defi roils of endearing bimfelf to their imagination;
Both he and Mecserias had a delicate fenfibility to the
beauties of poetical compofition ; and judging from their
own feelings, they attached a high degree of influence
to the charms of poetry. Impreflfed with thefe fenti-
ments, it became an objeft of importance, in their opi-
nion, to engage tlie Mufes in the fervice of the imperial
authority : on which account, we find Mecasnas tam-
pering with Propertius, and we may prefume likewife
with every other riling genius in poetry, to undertake a
heroic poem, of which Auguflus fiiould be the hero. As.
O 2 the
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196
the application to Propertius cannot have taken place
until after Auguftus had been amply celebrated by the
fuperior abilities of Virgil and Horace, there feems to be
fome reafon for afcribing Mecaenas’s requefl: to a political
motive. Cains and Lucius, the emperor’s grandfons by
his daughter Julia, were ftill living, and both young. As
one of them, doubtlefs, was intended to fucceed to the go-
vernment of the empire, prudence juftified the adoption
of every expedient that might tend to fecure a quiet fuc-
ceilion to the heir, upon the demife of Auguftus. As a
fubfidiary refource, therefore, the expedient above-men-
tioned was judged, highly plaufible ; and the Roman
cabinet indulged the idea of endeavoring to confirm im-
perial authority by the fupport of poetical renown.
Lampoons againft the government were not uncommon
even in the time of Auguftus ; and elegant panegyric on
the emperor ferved to countera(51: their influence upon the
minds of the people. The idea was perhaps novel in the
time of Auguftus ; but the hiftory of later ages affords
examples of its having been adopted, under different forms
of government, with fuccefs.
The Roman empire, in the time of Auguftus, had at-
tained to a prodigious magnitude ; and in his teftament he
recommended to his fucceffbrs never to exceed the limits
which he had preferibed to Its extent. On the Eaft it
ftretched to the Euphrates ; on the South to the cataradls
of the Nile, the deferts of Africa, and Mount Atlas ; on
the Weft to the Atlantic Ocean ; and on the North to the
Danube and the Rhine ; including the beft part of the
then known world. The Romans, therefore, were not
improperly called rerum dominl^y and Rome, pulcher-^
rima rerum f, maxima rerum J. Even the hiftorians
* Virgil, f Ibid. J; Ibid.
' Livy
CAESAR AUGUSTUS.
197
Livy and Tacitus, a^Sliiated likcwife with admiration’,
beftow magnificent epithets on the capital of their
country. The fucceeding emperors, in conformity to
the advice of Auguflus, made few additions to the em-
pire. Trajan however fubdued Mefopotamia and Ar-
menia, eafi; of the Euphrates, with Dacia, north of the
Danube ; and after this period the Roman dominion
was extended over Britain, as far as the Frith of Forth
and the Clyde,
It would be an object of curiofity to afcertain the
amount of the Roman revenue in the reign of Auguflus :
but fuch a problem, even with refpecfl to contemporary
nations, cannot be elucidated without accefs to the public
regiflers of their governments ; and in regard to an ancient,
monarchy, the invefligation is impradlicable. We can
only be affured that the revenue mufi; have been iramcnfe,
which arofe from the accumulated contribution of fuch a
number of nations, that had fupported their own civil
eflablifhments with great fplendor, and many of which
were celebrated for their extraordinary riches and com-»
merce. The tribute paid by the Romans themfelves, to-
w^ards the fupport of the government, was very confider-
able during the latter ages of the Republic, and it receiv-
ed an encreafe after the confulfhip of Hirtius and Panfa.
The eflablifliments, both civil and military, in the differ-
ent provinces, were fupported at their own expence : the
emperor required but a fmall naval force, which adds
much to the public expenditure of maritime nations in
modern times ; and the flate was burdened with no diplo-
matic charges. The vafl treafure accruing from the
various taxes centered in Rome, and the whole was at the
difpofal of the emperor, without any control. We may
tlicreforejuflly conclude, tliat, in the amount of taxes,
Q 3 cufloms,
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198
cufloms, and every kind of financial refources, Auguftus
exceeded all fovereigns 'who had hitherto ever fwayed the
fceptre of imperial dominion : a noble acquifition, had it
been judicioufly employed by his fuccelTors, in promoting
public happinefs, with half the profufion in which it wa^
lavifbed in difgracing human nature, and violating the
j'ights of ni^nkind.
The reign of Auguflus is diftinguifhed by the moil ex-
traordinary event recorded in hiftory either facred or pro-
fane, the nativity of the favioiir of mankind ; which has
fince introduced a new epoch into the Chronology of alf
Chriflian nations. The commencement of the new sera
being the mofl: flourifliing period of the Roman empire,
a general view of the flate of knowledge and tafte at this
period, may here not be improper.
Civilization was at this time extended farther over the
world than it had ever been in any preceding period :
but polytheifm rather encreafed than diminifhed with the
advancement of commercial intercourfe between the na-
tions of Europe, Afia and Africa ; and though philofophy
had been cultivated during feveral ages, at Athens, Cyrene,
Rome, and other feats of learning, yet the morals of
tnankind were little improved by the diffufion of fpecu-
lative knowledge. Socrates had laid an admirable foun-
dation for the improvement of human natuj e, by the exer-
tion of reafon through the whole economy of life : but
fucceeding enquirers, forfaking the true path of ethic in-
vefligation, deviated into fpecious difcuffions, rather in-
genious than ufeful ; and fome of them, by gratuitoufly
adopting principles, which, fo far from being fupported
by reafon, were repugnant to its di6tates, endeavored to
eredl upon the bafis of their refpedive do6trines afyllcm
peculiar
/
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. I99
peculiar to themfelves. The dodtrines of the Stoics and
Epicureans were In fa6l pernicious to fociety ; and thofe
of the different academies, though more intimately con-
nedled with reafon than the two former, were of a nature
too abftradf. to have any immediate or ufeful influence on
life and manners. General difcuffions of Truth and Pro-
bability, with magnificent declamations on the to naXovy
and the fummum honurriy conflltuted the chief objects of
attention amongfl: thofe who cultivated moral fcience In
the fhades of academical retirement. Cicero endeavored
to bring back philofophy from fpeculation to pradfice,
and clearly evinced the focial duties to be founded in the
unalterable didlates of virtue : but it was ealier to demon-
Hrate the truth of the principles which he maintained,
than to enforce their obfervance, while the morals of
mankind were little adfuated by the exercife of reafon
alone.
The fcience chiefly cultivated at this period was Rhe-
toric, which appears to have differed confiderably from
what now paffes under the fame name. The objedl of it
was not fo much juflnefs of fentiment and propriety of
expreflion, as the art of declaiming, or fpeaking copiouf-
ly upon any fubjedl:. It is mentioned by Varro as the
reverfe of logic ; and they are diflinguifhed from each
other by a fimile, that the former refembles the palm of
the hand expanded, and the latter, contradfed into the fift.
It is obfervable that logic, tliough a part of education in
modern times, feems not to have been cultivated amongfl;
the Romans. Perhaps they were apprehenfive, lefl: a fci-
ence which concentered the force of argument, might ob-
flrudf: the cultivation of that which was meant to dilate
it. Aftronomy was long before known in the eaftern
nations ; but there is reafon to believe, from a paflage in
O 4 Virgil,
3.00 THE LIFE OF
Virgil that it was little cultivated by the Romans ; and
it is certain, that in the reformation of the Calendar, Julius
Caefar was chiefly indebted to the fcientific knowledge of
Sofigenes, a mathematician of Alexandria. The laws of
the folar fyftem were flill but imperfedfly known : the
popular belief, that the fun moved round the earth, was
univeifally maintained, and continued until the fixteenth
century, when the contrary was proved by Copernicus.
There exifted many celebrated trails on mathematics ;
and feveral of the mechanical powers, particularly that of
the lever, were cultivated with fuccefs. The more ne-
ceflfary and ufeful rules of arithmetic were generally
known. The ufe of the load-fl:one not being as yet dif-
covered, navigation was condudfed in the day-time by
the fun, and in the night, by the obfervation of certain
flars. Geography was cultivated during the prefent pe-»
riod by Strabo and Mela. In natural- philofophy, little
progrefs was made ; but a flrong defire of its improve-
nient was entertained, particularly by Virgil. Human
anatomy bqing not yet introduced, phyfiology was im-
perfe61. 'Chemiftry, as a fcience, was utterly unknown.
In medicine, the writings of Hippocrates, and other Greek
phyficians, were in general the ftandard of pradbice : but
the Materia Medica contained few remedies of approved
quality, and abounded with ufelefs fubflances, as well as
with many which flood upon no other foundation than
the whimfical notions of thofe who firfl introduced them.
Architedlure flourifhed, through the elegant tafle of Vi-
truvius, and the patronage of the emperor. Painting,
Statuary, and Mufle, were cultivated, but not with that
degree of perfedlion which they had obtained in the Gre-
cian flates. The mufical inflruments of this period were
the
* Geor. II.
CJESAR AUGUSTUS.
201
the flute and the lyre, to which may be added the liflriim,
lately imported from Egypt. But the chief glory of this,
period is its literature, of which we proceed to give fome
account.
At the head of the writers of this age, flands the empe-
ror, himfelf, with his minifter Mecaenas ; but the works
of both have almofl; totally perifhed. It appears from the
hiflorian now tranflated, that Auguftus was the author
of feveral produdfions in profe, befides fome in verfe.
He wrote Anfwers to Brutus in relation to Cato, Exhor-
tations to Philofophy, and the Hiftory of his own Life,
which he continued, in thirteen books, down to the war
of Cantabria. A book of his, written in hexameter verfe,
under the title of Sicily, was extant in the time of Sue-
tonius, as was iikewife a book of Epigrams. He began
a Tragedy on the fubjecl of Ajax, but being difTatis-
fied with the compofition, deflroyed it. Whatever the.
merits of Auguftus may have been as an author, of which
no judgment can be formed, his attachment to learn-
ing and eminent writers affords a ftrong prefumption that
he was not deftitute of tafte. Mecsenas is faid to have
written two tragedies, Odlavia and Prometheus ; a Hif-
tory of Animals ; a treatife on Precious Stones; a Journal
of the Life of Auguftus ; and other produdfions. Curi-
ofity is flrongly, interefted to difeover the literary talents
of a man fo much dlftlnguiftred for the efteem and patron-
age of them in others ; but while we regret the impoftibility
of fuch a development, we fcarcely can fuppoie the pro-
ficiency to have been fmall, where the love and admira-
tion were fo great.
Hiftory was cultivated amongft the Romans during the
prefent
202
THE LIFE OF
prefent period, with uncommon fuccefs. This fpecies of
compofition is calculated both for informa^
^ entertainment ; but the chief de-
fign of it is to record all tranfadions rela-
tive to the public, for the purpofe of enabling mankind to
draw from paft events a probable conjedlure concerning
the future ; and, by knowing the fteps which have led
either to profperity or misfortune, to afcertain the beft
means of promoting the former, and avoiding the latter of
thofe objedls. This ufeful kind of narrative was introduced
about five hundred years before by Herodotus, who has
thence received the appellation of the Father of Hiflory.
His flyle, in conformity to the habits of thinking, and the
fimplicity of language in an uncultivated age, is plain and
unadorned ; yet, by the happy modulation' of the Ionic
dialedf, it gratified the ear, and afforded to the ftates of
Greece a pleafing mixture of entertainment, enriched not
only with various information, often indeed fabulous or
inauthentic, but the rudiments, indiredfly interfperfed, of
political wifdom. This writer, after a long interval, was
fuccceded by Thucydides and Xenophon, the former of
whom carried hiflorical narrative to the highefl degree of
improvement it ever attained in the Grecian climates.
The plan of Thucydides feems to have continued to be the
model of hiftorical narrative to the writers of Rome: but
the circumftances of the times, aided perhaps by the
fplendid exertion of genius in other departments of litera-
ture, fuggefled a new refource, which promifed not only
to animate, but embellifh the future produ61:ions of the
hiftoric Mufe. This innovation confifted in an attempt
to penetrate the human heart, and explore in its inner-
moft receffes the fentiments and fecret motives which ac-
tuate the conduit of men. By conneiting moral effeifs
\yitl>
I /■
C^SAR AUGUSTUS# « 20^
with their probable internal and external caufes, it tended
to eftablifh a fyftematic confillency in the concatenation
of tranfa6lions apparently anomalous, accidental, or to-
tally independent of each other. The author of this im-
provement in Hiftory was Salluft, who likewife introdu-
«ed the method of enlivening narrative compofition, with
the occafional aid of rhetorical declamation, particularly
in his account of the Catilinarian Confpiracy. The no-
torious characters and motives of the principal perfons
concerned In that horrible plot, afforded the moil; favor-
able opportunity for exemplifying the former ; while the
latter^ there is reafon to infer from the fa6ls which muft
have been at that time publicly known, were founded
upon documents of unqueflionable authority. Nay, it is
probable that Salluft was prefent In the Senate during the
debate refpedling the piinifhment of the Catilinarian con-
fpirators ; his detail of which is agreeable to the charac-
ters of the feveral fpeakeis : but in detra6ling, by invi-
jdious filence, or too faint reprefentation, from the me-
rits of Cicero ^n that important occafion, he exhibits a
glaring inftance of the partiality which too often debafes
the narratives of thofe who record the tranfadfions of
their own time. He bad married Terentia, the divorced
wife of Cicero ; and there fubfifted between the two huf-
bands a kind of rivalfhip from that caufe, to which was
probably added fome degree of animofity, on account of'
their difference in politics, during the late Di6taterfl)ip of
Julius Casfar, by whom Salluft was reftored to the Senate,
whence he had been expelled for licentioufnefs, and was
appointed governor of Numidia. Abftrafting from the
injuftice of Salluft in refpe61: of Cicero, he is entitled to
high commendation. In both his remaining produdfions,
of the Confpiracy of Catiline, and the War of Jugurtha,
8 ‘ there
THE LIFE OF
ao4
there is a peculiar air of philofophical fentiment, which,
joined to the elegant concifenefs of ftyle, and animated
defcriptlon of characl:ers, gives to his writings a degree of
intereft, fuperior to what is excited in any preceding work
of the hlftorical kind. In the occafional ufe of obfolete
words, and In labored exordiums to both his hiftories, he
is liable to the charge of afFe(!^ation ; but it is an afFedla-
tion of language which fupports folemnity without excit-
ing difgufl: ; and of fentiment which not only exalts hu-
man nature, but animates to virtuous exertions. It feems
to be the defire of Salluft to atone for th'e diffipatlon of
his youth by a total change of condudl ; and whoever per-
ufes his exordiums with the attention which they deferve,
mud: feel a ftrong perfuafion of the juftnefs of his re-
marks, if not the incentives of a refolution to be govern-
ed by his example. It feems to be certain, that from the
firft moment of his reformation, he inceflantly pradlifed
the induftry which he fo warmly recommends. Fie com-
pofed a Hidory of Rome, of which nothing remains but
a few fragments. Salluft, during his adAiinifttatlon of
Numidia, is faid to have exercifed great oppreffion; On
his return to Rome, he built a magnificent houfe, and
bought delightful gardens, the name of which, with his
own, is to this day perpetuated to the ground which they
formerly occupied. Sallufi: was born at Amiternum, in
the country of the Sabines, and received his education
at Rome. He incurred great fcandal by»^ an amour with
Faufta, the daughter of Sylla, and wife of Milo ; who
detefting the criminal intercourfe, is faid to have beat
him with flripes, and extorted from him a large fum of
money. He died, according to tradition, in the fifty-firfl
year of his age.
Cornelius
CiESAH AUGUSTUS.
Cornelius Nepos was born at Hoflilia, near the banks
of the Po. Of his parentage we meet with
no account ; but from his refpedable con-
ne6lions early in life, it is probable that he
was of good extradion. Among his moft intimate friends
were Cicero and Atticus. Some authors relate, that he
compofed three books of Chronicles, with a biographical
account of all the moft celebrated fovereigns, generals,
and writers of antiquity.
The language of Cornelius Nepos is pure, his ftylc
perfpicuous, and he holds a middle and agreeable courfe
between diffufenefs and brevity. He has not obferved
the fame rule with refpe£l; to the treatment of every fub-
je61: ; for the account of fome of the lives is fo ftiort, that
we might fufpedb them to be mutilated, did they not con-
tain evident marks of their being completed in miniature.
The great extent of his plan induced him, as he informs
us, to adopt this expedient : Sed plura perfequi, turn mag-
nitudo voluminis prohibet ^tum fejlinatio^ ut ea explicem^ quee
ex or Jus fum^
Of his numerous biographical works, twenty-two live^
only remain, which are all of Greeks, except two Car-
thaginians, Hamilcar and Hannibal ; and two Romans,
M. Porcius Cato and T. Pomponius Atticus.* Of his
own life, who had written the lives of fo many, no ac-
count is tranfmitted ; but from the multiplicity of his pro-
ductions, we may conclude that it was devoted to litera-
ture.
Titus Livius may be ranked among the moft celebrated
hiftorians that the w'orld has ever pro- .
duced. He compofed a hiftory of Rome
from the foundation of the city, the conclufion of the
German
2o6
tHE LIFE OF
German war conducted by Drufus, In the time of the
emperor Auguflus. This great work confitled origi-
nally of one hundred and forty books ; of which there
now remain only thirty-hve, viz. the firft Decade, and
the whole from book twxnty-one to book forty-five,
both inclufive. Of the other hundred' and five books,-
nothing more has furvived the ravages of time and bar-
barians than their general contents. In a perfpicuous
arrangement of his fubjedi, in a full and circumftantial
account of tranfadlions, in the expreffion of charadters
and other objedls of defeription, in juftnefs and aptitude
of fentiment, and in an air of majefly pervading the whole
compofition, this author may be regarded as one of the
beft models extant of hiftorical narrative. His ftyle is
fplendid without meretricious ornament, and copious
without being redundant ; a fluency to which Quintili-
an gives the expreffive appellation of ladlea ubertas,
Amongfl the beauties which we admire in his writings,
befides the animated fpeeches frequently interfperfed, are
thofe concife and peculiarly applicable eulogiums, wdtii
which he charadlerifes every eminent perfon mentioned,
at the clofe of their life. Of his indullry in collating,
and his judgment in deciding upon the preference due ta
diffentient authorities, in matters of teftimony, the work
affords numberlefs proofs. Of the freedom and impar-
tiality, with which lie treated even of the recent periods
* of hiftory, there cannot he more convincing evidence,
than that he was rallied by Auguflus as a favorer of
Pompey ; and that, under the fame emperor, he not only
bcflowed upon Cicero the tribute of w^arm approbation,
but dared to aferibe, in an age when their names were
obnoxious, even to Brutus and Caflius the virtues of con-
fiflency and patriotifm. If in any thing the coiiduft of
Livy violates our fentiments of hiftorical dignity, it is the
a]>paient complacency and reverence, w’ith which he
every
ATTGUSTUS.
every where mentions the popular belief in omens and
prodigies : but this was the general fuperilition of the
times; and totally to renounce the prejudices of fuperili-
tious education, is the lad heroic facritice to philofophicai
fcepticifm. In general, however, the credulity of Livy
appears to be rather afFedled than real ; and his account
of the exit of Romulus, in the following paffage, may be
adduced as an inftance in confirmation of this remark.
His immortalihus editis operibus, quum ad exercitum re*-
cenfendum concionem in campo ad Capree paludem haberet^
fubita coorta tempejiate cum magno fragore tonitrihufque
tam denfo regem operuit nimbo, ut confpe^lum ejus concioni
abfulerit : nec deinde in terris Romulus fuit, Romana pu-
bes, fedato tandem pavore, pofquam ex tam turbido die
ferena ^ tranquilla lux rediit, ubi vacuam fedem regiam
vidit ; etji fatis credebat Patribus, qui proximi feterant,
fublimem raptum procella ; tamen veluti orbitatis metu ida,
mcefum aliquamdiu flentium obtinuit. Deinde a paucis
initio fatto, Deum Deo natum, regem parentemque urbis
Romana falvere univerf Romulum jubent ; pacem precibus
expofeunt, uti volens^ propitius fuam femper fofpitet proge-
niem. Fuifje credo tum quoque aliquos, qui difeerptum
regem Patrum manibus taciti arguerent : manavit enim hac
quoque, iff pero bf cur a, fama. Illam alteram admiratio viri,
iff pavor pr a fens nobilitavit. Conf lio etiam unius hominis
addita rei dicitur fides : namque Proculus fuUus foUicita
civitate defiderio regis, iff infenfa Patribus, gravis, ut
traditur, quamvis magna rei aubior, in concionem prodit.
“ Romulus, inquit, Quirites, parens urbis hujus, prima ho-
dierna luce calo repente delapfus, fe mihi obvium dedit :
quum profujus horrore venerabundufque afiitijfem, petens
precibus, ut contra intueri fas ejjet ; Abi, nuncia, inquit, Ro-
manis,' Calefies ita velle, ut mea Roma caput orbis terra-
rum
THE LIFE OF
2oS
Yum Jit : proinde rem militarem colant : fetant q^ue^ it A
pojleris tradant^ nullas opes humanas armis Romanis refijiere
pojfe. Hac, inquit, locutus, fub limis abiit. Mirum, quan-
tum illi viro nuncianti hac fidet fuerit ; quamque defiderium
Romuli apud plebem exercitumque, fada fide immortalitatis^
lenitum ft..
Scarcely any incident in ancient hiHory favors more of
the marvellous than the account above delivered refpedl-
ing the firfh Roman king : and amidil all the folemnity
with which it is related, w^e may perceive that the hillo-
rian was not the dupe of credulity. There is more im-
plied, than the author thought proper to avow, in the
fentence, Fuijfe credo, &c. In whatever light this anecdote
be viewed, it is involved in perplexity. That Romulus
alFecIed a defpotic power, is not only highly probable,
from his afpiring difpofition, but feems to be confirmed
by his recent appointment of the Celeres, as a guard to
his perfon. He might therefore naturally incur the odium
of the Patricians, whofe importance was diminifhed, and
their inftitution rendered abortive, by the encreafe of his
power. But that they fliould choofe the opportunity of
a military review, for the purpofe of removing the tyrant
by a violent death, feems not very confifient with the
didlates even of common prudence ; and it is the more
incredible, as the circumftance which favored the execu-.
tion of the plot, is reprefented to have been entirely a
fortuitous occurrence. The tempefi: which is fa id to have
happened, is not eafily reconcilable with our knowledge
of that phenomenon.' Such a cloud, or mift, as could
have enveloped Romulus from the eyes of the affembly^
is not a natural concomitant of a thunder-dorm. There
is fome reafon to fufpedl, that botli tlie noife and cloud,,
if they adlually exifted, were artificial j the former intended
to
Cy^:SAR AUGUSTUS.
209
to divert the attention of the fpedtators, and the latter to
conceal the tranfadlion. The word fragor^ a noife or
crafh, appears to be an unneceflafy addition where thun-*
der is exprefTed, though fometimes fo iifed by the poets ;
and may therefore, perhaps, imply fuch a noife from fome
other caufe. If Romulus was killed by any pointed or fliarp-
edged weapon, his blood might have been difcovered on the
fpot ; or if by other means, ftill the body was equally an
objedt of public afcertainment. If the people fufpedled
the Patricians to be guilty of murder, why did they not
endeavor to trace the fadh by this evidence ? and if the Pa-
tricians were really innocent, why did they not urge the
examination ? But the body, without doubt, was fecreted
to favor the impoflure. The whole narrative is ftrongly
marked with circum fiances calculated to afFedf credu-
lity with ideas of national importance j and to counte-
nance the defign, there is evidently a chafm in the Roman
hillory immediately preceding this tranfa6lion, and inti-
mately connedded with it.
Livy was born at Patavium, and has been charged by
Afinius Pollio and others with the provincial dialedi: of
his country. The objedlions to his Patavinity, as it is
called, relate chiefly to the fpelling of fome words ; in
which, however, r.here feems to be nothing fo peculiar,
as either to occaflon any obfcurity or merit reprehenfion.
Livy and Sailufl: being the only two exifling rivals in
Pvoman hillory, it may not be improper to draw a Iliort
comparifon between them, in refpecl: of their principal
qualities, as writers. With regard to language, there is
lefs apparent afFedlation in Livy than in Salluft. The
narrative of both is diflingulfhed by an elevation of ftyle ;
the elevation of Sailufl feems to be often fuppcrted by the
P dignity
210
THE - LIFE 6^
dignity of affumed virtue j that of Livy by a majeliic air
of hiftorical, and fometimes of national importance. In
the drawing of charadlers, Salluft infufes more expreflion,
and Livy more fulnefs into the features. In the fpeeches
afcribed to particular perfons, thefe writers are equally
elegant and animated.
So great was the fame of Livy in his own life-time,
that people came from the extremity of Spain and Gaul,
for the purpofe only of beholding fo celebrated a hiflorian,
who was regarded, for his abilities, as a prodigy. This
affords a ftrong proof, not only of the literary tafle which
then prevailed over the moft extenfive of 'the Roman pro-
vinces, but of the extraordinary pains with which fo great a
work mufl: have been propagated, when the art of printing
was unknown. In the fifteenth century, upon the revival of
learning in Europe, the name of this great writer recovered
its ancient veneration ; and Alphonfus of Arragon, with
a fuperftition charadleriftic of that age, requelled of tho
people of Padua, where Livy was born, and is faid to
have been buried, to be favored by them with the hand
which had written fo admirable a work.
The celebrity of Virgil has proved the means of af-
certaining his birth with more exa6lnefs than is common
in the biographical memoirs of ancient
^ writers. He was born at Andes, a village
ill the neighbourhood of Mantua, on the
15th of Odfober, feventy years before the Chriftian aera.
His parents were of moderate condition ; but by their in-
duftry they acquired fome territorial pofTeffions, which
devolved to their fon. The firft feven years of his life
were fpent at Cremona, whence he went to Mediolanum,
now Milan, at that time the feat of the liberal arts, and
denominated,
C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
2li
ilenomlnated, as we learn from Pliny the younger,^ Novse
AthenaeJ From this place^ he afterwards moved- to Na-^
pies, where he applied himfelf with great alTiduity to Greek
and Roman literature, particularly to the phyfical and
mathematical fciences ; for which he expreffes a ftrong
predile6lion in the fecond book of his Georgies^
vero pi'imum dulcis ante omnia Mufa^y
^larum facra few ingenti percutfus amore.
Accipiant ; ccelique vias et Jider a monjirent ; ' " ’
DefeSius Solis varios. Lunaque labores :
Unde tremor terris : qua vi maria alta tumefcatit
Obicibus ruptis, rurjufque in feipfa rejidant :
^id tantum Oceano properent fe tingere foies
Hiberni : vel qua tardis mora noLiibus obfteti
When by a profeription of the Triumvirate, the lands
of Cremona and Mantua were diflributed amongft the
veteraii foldlers, Virgil had the good fortune’ to recover
his poiteffions, through the favor of Afinius Pollio, the
deputy of Auguftus in thofe parts ; to whom, as well as
to the emperor, he has teftified his gratitude in beautiful
ecloguesi
The firft produ6lion of Virgil was his Bucolics, con-
lifting of ten eclogues, written in imitation of the Idyllia
or paftoral poems of Theocritus. It may be qiieftioned,
whether any language which has its provincial dialects,
but is brought to perfedtiouj can ever be well adapted, in
that ftate, to the ufe .of paftoral poetry. There is fuch
an apparent incongruity between the fimple ideas of the
rural fwain and the p'oliftied language of the courtier,
that it feems impoffible to reconcile them together by the
utmoft art of eomp'ofition. The Doric dialed! of Theo-
critus, therefore, abftradledly from all conftderation of
fimplicrty of fentiment, muft ever give to the Sicilian
P bard
212
THE LIFE OF
bard a pre-eminence in this fpccies of poetry. The
greater part of the Bucolics of Virgil may be regarded as
poems of a peculiar nature, into ^vhich the author has
happily transfufed, in elegant verfihcation, the native
manners and ideas, without any mixture of the rufticity
of paftoral life. With refpe6t to tlie fourth eclogue, ad-
drefled to Pollio, it is avowedly of a nature fuperior to
that of palloral fubje6ls :
Sicelides Mufo'^ paullo majoYa canamus.
Virgil engaged in bucolic poetry at the requefl: of
Afinius Pollio, whom he highly efteemed, and for one of
whofe fons in particular, with Cornelius Gallus, a poet
likewife, he entertained the warmed; affeclion. He has
celebrated them all In thefe poems, which w’ere begun,
we are told, in the twenty-ninth year of his age, and com-
pleted in three years. They were held in fo great efteem
amongfl the Romans, immediately after their publica-
tion, that it is faid they were frequently recited upon the
flage, for the entertainment of the audience. Cicero,
'upon hearing fome lines of them, perceived that they
were written in no common ftrain of poetry, and defired
that the’ whole eclogue might be recited : which being
done, he exclaimed, “ Magna fpes altera Romad'* An-
other hope of great Rome * 1
Virgil’s
I
* Commentators feem to have given an erroneous and un-
becoming fenfe to Cicero’s exclamation, when they fuppofe
that the objeef iinderftood, as conne(d:ed with altera.^ related
to himfelf. Hope is never applied in this fighification, but
to a young perfon, of whom fomething good or great is ex- .
pefled ; and accordingly \^irgil, who adopted the expreffiori,
lias very properly applied it to Afeanius :
' E' juxta Apaniui^ magTKE fjes altera Roms. jEneid. ^1T.
Cicero, '
Cv55SAR AUGUSTUS.
213
Virgil’s next v/ork was the Georgies, the idea of which
is taken from the the Works and Daysj
of Hefiod, the poet of Afcra. But between the produc-
tions of the two poets, there is no other fimilarity than
that of their common fubjedl. The precepts of Hchod,
in refpedl of agriculture, are delivered with all the fiin-
plicity of an unlettered cultivator of the fields, intermixed
with plain moral reflexions, natural and appofite ; while
thofe of Virgil, equally precife and important, are embel-
liflied with ail the dignity of fublime verfification. The
wmrk is addreiTed .to Mecjenas, at whofe requefi: it appears
to have been undertaken. It is divided into four books.
The firfi; treats of ploughing ; the fecond, of planting ;
the third, of cattle, horfes, fheep, goats, dogs, and of
things that are hurtful to cattle ; the fourth is employed
on bees, their proper habitations, food, polity, the difeafes
to which they are liable, and the remedies of them, with
the method of making honey, and a variety of other con-
lideratlons conneTed wdth the fubjedd. The Georgies
were wnltten at Naples, and employed the author during
a period of feven years. It is fa id that Virgil had con-
cluded the Georgies with a labored eulogium on Ihs
poetical friend Gallus ; but the latter incurring about
this time the difpleafure of Augufius, he was induced to
Cicero, at the time when he could have heard a fpecirnen of
Virgil’s Eclogues, mufi; have been neat his grand clima6t;eric ;
befides that his virtues and talents had long been confpi-
cuous, and were pafl; the fiate of hope. It is probable,
therefore, that altera referred to fome third perfon, fpoken
of immediately before, as one who promifed to do honor to
his country. It might refer to Odlaviiis, of whom Cicero,
at this time, entertained a high opinion; or it may have
been fpoken in an abfoiute manner, without a reference to
any perfon.
P3
cancel
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|tl4
.cancel it, and fubftitute the beautiful epifode of Ariftsus
and Eurydice.
Thefe beautiful poems, confidered merely as dida6licj
have the jufleft claim to utility. In what relates to agri-
culture in particula]-, the precepts were judicioufly adapt-
ed to the climate of Italy, and muft have conveyed much
valuable information to thofe who were defircus of culti-
vating that important art, which was held in great honor
amongft the Romans. The fame remark may be made,
with greater latitude of application, in refpedl of the other
fubjedls. But when we examine the Georgies as poetical
compofitions, when we attend to the elevated fiyle in
which they arp written, the beauty of the fimiles, the em-
phatic fentiments interfperfed, the elegance of didlion, the
animated drain pf the w'hole, and the harmony of the
yerfification ; our admiration is excited, to behold fubjedls
fo common in their nature, embellilhed with the mod mag-
nificent decorations of poetry.
During Four days which Augudus pafled at Atella, to
refrefh himfelf from fatigue in his return to Rome, after
the battle of Adlium, the Georgies, jud then finifhed, were
read to him by the author, who was occafionally relieved
in the talk by his friend Mecsenas. We may eafily con-
ceive the fatisfaclion enjoyed by the emperor, to find that
while he himfelf had been gathering laurels in the at-
chievements of w'ar, another glorious wreath was pre-
pared by the Adufes to adorn his temples ; and that an in-
timation was given of his being afterwards celebrated in
a work more congenial to the fubjedl of heroic renowm.
It is generally fuppofed that the ^neid was written at
the particular defire of Augudus, who was aqibitious of
having
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. 2x5
having the Julian family reprefentecl as lineal defcendants
of the Trojan yEneas. In this celebrated poem, Virgil
has happily united the charadleriftics of the Iliad and
OdylTey, and blended them fo judicioiifly together, that
they mutually contribute to the general effedl of the whole.
By the efteem and fympathy excited for the filial piety
and misfortunes of ^neas at the catafirophe of Troy,
the reader is ftrongly interefted in his fubfequent adven-
tures ; and every obfiacle to the eftablifiiment of the Tro-
jans in the promifed land of Hefperia, produces frefii fen-
fations of encreafed admiration and attachment. The
epifodes, charadlers, and incidents, all concur to give
beauty or grandeur to the poem. The picture of Troy
in flames can never be fufiiciently admired. The incom-
parable portrait of Priam, in Homer, is admirably accom-
modated to a different fituation, with the addition of An-
chifes, in the AEneid. The prophetic rage of the Cumas-
an Sibyl difplays in the ftrongefl: colors the enthufiafin
of the poet. For fentiment, paflTion, and interefllng de-
fcripilon, the epifode of Dido is a mafler-piece in poetry.
But Virgil is not more confpicuous for flrength of de-
scription than propriety of fentiment ; and wherever he
takes a hint from the Grecian bard, he profecutes the
idea with a judgment peculiar to himfelf. It may be
fufficient to mention one inflancc. In the fixth book of
the Iliad? while the Greeks are making great flaughter
amongfl; the Trojans, Hedlor, by the advice of Helenus,
retires into the city, to defire that his mother would offer
up prayers to the Goddefs Pallas, and yow to her a noble
facrifice, if Ihe would drive Diomed from the wails of
Troy. Immediately before his return to the field ot battle,
he has his lafl interview with Andromache, wnom lie
meets with his infant fon Aftyanax, who is earned by i
purfe. There occurs, upon this occafion, one of hie
P 4 mef:
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j
zi6
nioft beautiful fcenes in the Iliad, where He£lor dandles
the boy in his arms, and pours forth a prayer, that he
may one day be fuperior in fame to his father. In the
fame manner ^neas, having armed himfelf for the decnV
five combat with Turnus, addrelTes his fon Afeanius in
a beautiful fpeech, which, while expreflive of the flrong-
eft paternal alFedlion, contains, inftead of a prayer, a
noble and emphatic admonition, fuitable to a youth who
had nearly attained the period of adult age. It is as
follows :
Difce, puen •virtutem ex me:, verumque laborem j
fortunam ex aliis : nunc te mea dextera bello
Defenfum dabit, rnagna inter preemia ducet.
*Tu facito, mox cum matura adoleverit aias.
Sis memor : zd te animo repetentem exempla tuorum,
fit pater JEneas^ csf avunculus excitet Heblor.
AIneid. XII.
Virgil, though born to ftiine by his own intrinfic powers,
certainly owed much of his excellence to the wonderful
merits of Homer. His fufceptible imagination, vivid and
corredb, was impregnated by the Odyfler", and warmed
with the fre of the Iliad. Rivalling, or rather on fome
pccaftons furpafling his glorious predeceftbr in the cha-
radlers of Heroes and of Gods, he fuftains their dignity
with fo uniform a luftfe, that they feem indeed more
than mortal.
Whether the Iliad or the Aineid be the more perfe6l
compofition, is a queftion which has often been agitated,
but perhaps will never be determined to general fatisfac-
tion. In comparing the genius of the two poets, however,
allowance ought to be made for the difference of circum-
Aances in which they compofed their refpe6cive works.
Homer
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
217
Homer wrote in an age when mankind had not as yet
made any great progrefs in the exertions either of intellei^r
or imagination, and he was therefore indebted for his rc-
fources to the vafl capacity of his own mind. To this
we niuO; add, that he executed both his poems in a fitua-
tion of life extremely unfavorable to the cultivation of po-
etry, Virgil, on the contrary, lived in a period when litera-
ture had attained to a higli hate of improvement. He had
likewife not only the advantage of finding a model in the
works of Homer, but of pcrufing the laws of epic poetry,
which had been digefied by Ariftotle, and the various ob-
fervations made on the writings of the Greek bard by
critics of acutenefs and tafie ; amongft the chief of whom
Vk-’as his friend Horace, who remarks that
qzuindcque boms dormitat Homerus.
De Arte Poet.
Virgil, befides, compofed his poem in a frate remote fronl
indigence ; where he was roufed to exertion by the exam-
ple of fevei'al contemporary poets ; and, what muR: have
animated him beyond every other confideration, he wrote
both at the defire, and under the patronage, of the empe-
ror and his minifter Mecaenas. In what time Homer
compofed either of his poems, we know not ; but the
.ZEneid, we are informed, was the employnnent of Virgil
during eleven years. For fome^years, the repeated en-
treaties of Auguftus could not extort from him the fmallefl:
fpecimen of the work ; but at length, when conhderably
advanced in it, he condefeended to recite three books, the
feccnd,the fourth, and the fixth, in the prefencs of the em-
peror and his fifterOdlavia; to gratify the latter of whom in
particular, the recital of the lad: book now mentioned was
intended. When the poet came to thiefe woj ds, Tu Mar-
cclhis
2i8
THE LIFE OF
cellus erls, alluding to Odavia’s fon, a youth of great
hopes, who had lately died, the mother fainted. After
ihe had recovered from this fit by the afiiduity of the at-
tendants, /he ordered ten feftertia to be given to Virgil
for every line relating to that fubjecl; a gratuity which
amounted to about two thoufand pounds fterling.
In the compofition of the ^neid, Virgil fcrupled not
to introduce whole lines of Homer, and of the Latin
poet Ennius, many of whofe fentences he admired. In a
lew inftances he has borrowed from Lucretius. He is
faid to have been at extraordinary pains in polifliing his
numbers ; and when he was doubtful of any paflage, he
would read it to fome of his friends that he might have
their opinion. On fuch occafions, it was ufual with him
to confult in particular his freedman and librarian Erotes,
an old domefiic, who, it is related, fupplied extempore a
deficiency in two lines, and was defired by his mafter to
write them in the manufcTrpt,
When this im.mortal work was completed, Virgil refolv-
ed on retiring into Greece and Afia for three years, that
he might devote himfelf entirely to the polifhing of it, and
have leifure afterwards to pafs the remainder of his life in
the cultivation of philofophy. But meeting at Athens
with Augufius, who was on his return from the Eaft, he
determined on accompanying the emperor back to Rome.
Upon a vifit to Megara, a town in the neighbourhood of
Athens, he was feized with a languor, which encreafed
during the enfuing voyage ; and in a few days after land-
ing at Brundifium he expired, on the 2 2d of September,
in the fifty-fecond year of his age. He defired that his
body might be carried to Naples, where he had pafied
many happy years ; and that the following diftich, wrrt-^
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. lig
ten in his laft ficknefs, ihould be infcribcd ppoti
toipb ;
Mantua me gemiit : Calabri rapuere ? tenet nunc
Parthenope : cecini pafcua, rura, duces.
He was accordingly interred, by the order of Augufliis,
with great funeral pomp, within two miles of Naples,
near the road to Puteoli, where his tomb ftill exifts. Of
his eftate, which was very confiderable by the liberality
pf his friends, he left the greater part to Valerius Pro-
culus and his brother, a fourth to Auguidus, a twelfth to
Mecaenas, befides legacies to L. Varius, and Plotius Tucca,
who, in confequence of his own requeft, and the com-
tnand of Auguftus, revifed and corrected the j$^neid after
his death, Their infl;ru6lions from the emperor were, to
expunge whatever they thought irqproper, but upon no
account to make any addition. This reftridlion is fup-
pofed to be the caufe that fo many lines in the ^neid
are imperfc(5ly
^ r
Virgil was of large ftature, had a dark complexion,
^nd his features are faid to have been fuch as exprefled
no uncommon abilities. He was fubje6l to complaints
of the ftomach and throat, as well as a head-ach, and had
frequent difeharges of blood upwards ; but from what
part, we are not informed. He was very temperate both
in food and wine. His modefty was fo great, that at
Naples they commonly gave him the name of Parthenias,
the modefl man.-- In refpedt of his modefty, the fol-
lowing anecdote is related.
Having written a diflich, in which he compared Au-
gullus to Jupiter, he placed it in the night-time over the
gate of the emperor’s palace. It was in thefe words :
NolIc
220
THE LIFE OF
}^o£ie pluit tvtd, redeimt JpeSlacula Tnane :
Di'vifum imperium cum Jo-ve Civfar habet.
By the order of Auguftus, an enquiry was made after
the author ; and Virgil not declaring himfelf, the verfes
were claimed by Bathyllus, a contemptible poet, but
who was liberally rewarded on this occahon. Virgil,
provoked at the falfehood of the impoftor, again wrote
the verfes on fome confpicuous part of the palace, and
under them the following line :
Hos ego ^erjiculos feci, tulit alter honores ;
with the beginning of another line in thefe w'ords :
Sic n:os non njobis,
’ repeated four times. Augultus expreffing a defire that
the lines fliould be fini/hed, and Bathyllus proving un-
equal to the talk, Virgil at lafl filled up the blanks in
tins manner :
Sic VOS non vobis nidificatis.^ aves.
Sic vos non vobis vellera fertisy oves.
Sic vos non vobis mellificatis^ apes.
Sic vos non vobis fertis aratra, boves.
The expedient immediately evinced him to be the author
of the diflich, and Bathyllus became the theme of public
ridicule.
When at any time Virgil came to Rome, if the peo-
ple, as was commonly the cafe, crowded to gaze upon
him, or pointed at him with the finger, in admiration,
he bluflied, and flole away from them ; frequently tak-
ing refuge in fome fliop. When he w^nt to the theatre,
the audience univerfally rofe up at his entrance, as they
did to Auguftus, and received him wdth the loudefl plau-
dits ;
CiESAIl AUGUSTUS.
22t
ilhs ; a compliment which, however highly honorable,
he would gladly have declined. When fuch was the juft
refpefft which they paid to the author of the Bucolics
and Georgies, how would they have exprefTed their
eftceni, had they beheld him in the effulgence of epic
renown ! In the beautiful epifode of the Elyfian fields,
in the ^neid, where he dextroufly introduced a glorious
difplay of their country, he had touched the moft elaftic
fprings of Roman enthufiafm. The palTion would have
rebounded upon himfelf, and they would, in the heat of
admiration, have idolized him.
Horace w'as born at Venufia, on the loth of Decem-
ber, in the Confulfliip of L. Cotta, and L. Torquatus.
According to his acknowledgment, liis fa-
ther was a freedman ; by fome it is faid, a
colledlor of the revenue, and by others, that
he was a fifhmonger, or dealt in falted meat. Whatever
he was, he paid' particular attention to the education of
his fon, whom, after receiving inftrudlion from the beft
mafters in Rome, he fent to Athens to ftudy philofophy.
From this place, Horace followed Brutus, in the quality
of a military Tribune, to the battle of Philippi, w'here,
by his own confeffion, being feized with timidity, he
abandoned the profeffion of a foldier, and returning to
Rome, applied himfelf to the cultivation of poetry In
a fhort time he procured thefriendftiip of Virgil and Va-
rius, whom he mentions in his Satires, in terms of the
moft tender affedlion.
Pojlcra lux oritur multo gratijjirna : namque
Plotius ^ Farius Siniiejf^^ Firgiliufque,
Occurrunt ; animat, quales neque catiduiiores
Terra tulit, neque queis me Jit de~jin£lior alter.
O qui complexus, gaudia quanta fuerimt /
Nil ego contulerim, jucundo Jatius conico. Sat, I. 5.
^ By
TJIE LIFE OF
Ey the two friends abovementioned, he was fecom^*
inended to the patronage not only of Mecaenas, but Au^
guftus, with whom he, as well as Virgil, lived on a foot-
ing of the greatefl intimacy. Satisfied with the luxury
which he enjoyed at the firfl: tables in Rome, he was fa
unambitious of any public employment, that when the
emperor offered him the place of his feeretary, he de-
clined it* But as he lived in an elegant manner, hav-
ing, befides his houfe in town, a cottage on his Sabine
farm, and a villa at Tibur, near the cataract of the
Anio, he enjoved, beyond all doubt, a handfome efia-
blifhment, from* the liberality of Auguffus. He indulg-
ed himfelf in indolence and focial pleafure, but was at
the fame time much devoted to reading. He enjoyed a
tolerable good fiate of health, but was often incommoded
with a fluxion of rheum upon the eyes*
Horace, in the ardor of youth, and when his bofom
beat high with the raptures of fancy, had, in the purfuk
of Grecian literature, drunk largely, at the fource, of
the delicious fprings of Caftalia ; and it feems to have
been ever after his chief ambition, to tranfplant into the
plains of Latium the palm of lyric poetry. Nor did he
fail of fuccefs :
Exegt monumentum are perennius. CarM. HI. 30.
In Greece, and other countries, the Ode appears to
have been the moil: ancient, as well as the moft popular
fpecies of literary production. Warm in expreffion,
and fliort in extent, it concentrates in narrow bounds the
fire of poetical tranfport : on which account, it has becii
generally employed to celebrate the fervors of piety, the
raptures of love, the enthufiafm of praife ;• and to ani-
mate warriors to glorious exertions of valor :
Mufc^
CiESAR AUGU$Ti;S
Mufa dedit fidibus Droos^ puerojque DeorutHf
Et pugilem ^iSiorem^ ^ equum certamine primumy
Et ju‘venum curas, libera ’vina referre,
Hor. De Arte Poet,
Mifenum JEoliden, quo non preefiantior alter
JEre ciere 'viros, Martemque accendere cantu
Virgil. AIneid. VL
^ed turn forte cava dum perfonat aquor a concha
Demens, cantu vocat in certamina Divos. Ibid.
There arofe In this deparment, amongft the Greeks, nine
eminent poets, viz. Alcseus, Aleman, Anacreon, Bac-
chylides, Ibicus, Sappho, Stefichorus, Simonides, and
Pindar. The greater part of this diftinguifhed clafs are
now, known only by name. They feem all to have dif-
fered from one another, no lefs in the kind of meafurc
which they chiefly or folely employed, than in the
ftrength or foftnefs, the beauty or grandeur, the ani-
mated rapidity or the graceful eafe of their various com-
pofitions. Of the amorous effufions of the lyre, we yet
have examples in the odes of Anacreon, and the incom-
parable ode of Sappho : the lyric drains which animated
to battle, have funk into oblivion ; but the victors in
the public games of Greece have their fame perpetuated
in the admirable productions of Pindar,
Horace, by adopting, In the multiplicity of his fub-
jedts, almoft all the various meafures of the different
Greek poets, and frequently combining different meafures
in the fame compofition, has compenfated the dialedts of
that tongue, fo happily fuited to poetry, and given to a
* The laft members of thefe two lines, from the commas
to the end, are what are faid to have been fupplied by Ero-
tes, Virgil’s librarian,
language
THE LIFE OF
224
language Icfs Jiflinguifhed for foft indcr-TTonSj a!! the ten-»
♦ler and delicate modulations of the Eaflern fong. While
he moves in the meafilrcs of the Greeks with an eafe and
gracefulnefs that rivals their own acknowledged excel-
lence, he has enriched the fund of lyric harmony with
a ftanza peculiar to hiinfelf. In the artificial conflruc-
tion of the Ode, he may jufely be regarded as the firfi: of
lyric poets. In beautiful imagery, he is inferior to none :
in variety of fentinient and felicity of exprefiion, fupe^
rior to every exlfting competitor in Greek or Romaa
poetry. He is elegant without affcdlation ; and, what is
more than all remarkable, in the inidil; of gaiety he is
moral. W^e feldom meet in bis Odes v.dtli the abrupt
apoflrophes of paffionate excurfion ^ but his tranfitions
are condudled with eafe, and every fubjedl introduced
with propriety.
The Carmen Peculare was written at the exprefs defire
of Auguflus, for the celebration of the Secular Games,
performed once in a hundred years, and which continued
during three days and three nights, whilll; all Rome re-
founded with the mingled eftufions of choral addrefTes
to Gods and GoddefTes, and of fefllve joy. An occafioii
which fo much interefted the ambition of the poet, called
into exertion the mofl: vigorous efforts of his genius.
More concife in mythological attributes than the hymns
aferibed to Homer, this beautiful production, in variety'
and grandeur of Invocation, and in pomp of numbers,
furpaiTes all that Greece, melodious but fimple in the
fervice of the altar, ever poured forth from her vocal ,
groves in folemn adoration. Ey the force of native ge-
nius, the ancients elevated their hei-oes to a pitch of fuh-
iimity that excites admiration, but to foar beyond wmich
they could derive no aid iroin mythology ; and it was re-
g ferved
CiE§AR AUGUSTtrS,
225
fervid for a bard, infpired with nobler fentiments than the
Mufes could fupply, to fing the praifes of that Being
whofe ineffable perfections tranfcend all human imagi*
nation. Of the praifes of Gods and Heroes, there is
not now extant a more beautiful compofition, than the
1 2th Ode of the firft book of Horace ;
^em n)irum aut heroa lyrd niel acri
, Tibia fumes celebrare^ Clio ?
^em Deum ? cv.jus recinet jocofa
Ihmen imago.,
Aut in umbrofis Heliconis oris,
The Satires of Horace are far from being remarkable
for poetical harmony, as he himfelf acknowledges. In-
deed, according to the plan upon which feveral of them
are written, it could fcarcely be otherwife.^ They are
frequently colloquial, fometimes interrogatory, the tranf-
itions quick, and the apoftrophes abrupt. It was not
his object in thofe compofitions, to footh the ear with
the melody of polifhed numbers, but to rally the frailties
of the heart, to convince the underftanding by argument,
and thence to put to fhame both the vices and follies of
mankind. Satire is a fpecies of compofition, of v/hich
the Greeks furnillied no model, and the preceding Ro-
man writers of this clafs, though they had much im-
proved it from its original rudenefs and licentioufncfs, had
hill not brought it to that degree of perfeClion which
might anfwer the purpofe of moral reform in a polilhed
Bate of fociety. It received the mod elTential improve-
ment from Horace, who has dextroufly combined wit
and argument, raillery and farcafm, on the fide of mora-
lity and virtue, of happinefs and truth.
The Epiflles of this author may be reckoned amongft
the mod valuable productions of antiquity. Except
' thofe
THE LIFE OF
216
thofe of the fecond book, and one or two in the firll, they
are in general of the familiar kind ; abounding in moral
fentiments, and judicious obfervations on life and manners.
The poem De Arte Poetica comprifes a fyftem of cri-
ticifm, in juftnefs of principle and extent of application,
correfpondent to the Various exertions of genius on fub-
jc6ls of invention and tafte. That in compofing this ex-
cellent production, he availed himfelf of the moft approved
works of Grecian original, we may conclude from the
advice which he there recommends ;
„ ygs exemplaria Graca
Noiiurnd ^erfate manu^ ’verjate diurnd.
In the writings of Horace there appears a fund of good
fenfe, enlivened with pleafantry, and refined by philofo-
phical reflexion. He* had cultivated his judgment with
great application, and his tafte was guided by an intui-
tive perception of moral beauty, aptitude, and propriety.
The few inftances of indelicacy which occur in his com-
pofitions, we may afcribe rather to the manners of the
times, than to any blam cable propenfity in the author.
Horace died in the flfty-feventli year of his age, furviving
his beloved Mecainas only three weeks ; a circumftancc
which, added to the declaration in an ode to that per-
fonage, fuppofed to have been written in Mecaenas’s lafl
illnefs, has given rife to a conjedlure, that Horace ended
his days by a violent death, to accompany his friend.
But it is more natural to conclude that he died of exceflfivo
grief, as, had he literally adhered to the affirmation con-
tained in the ode, he would have followed his patron
more clofely. This fecms to be confirmed by a facf im-
inediatelv precedmg his death ; for though he declared
^ Carm, I. 17.
' Auguiuis
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
^27
Augudus heir to his v/hole eftate, he was not able, on
account of Weaknefs, to put his fignature to the will ; a
failure^ which it is probable that he Would have taken
care to obviate, had his death been premeditated. He
was interred, at his own defife, near the tomb of
Mecainas.
P. OvidhiS
Nafo. .
Ovid vvas born of an Equeflrian family, at SulmO, a
town of the Peligni, on the 21ft of Marchj in the Con-
fulfhip of Hirtius and Panfa. His father
intended him for the bar; and after palling
through the ufual courfe of inftrudlion at
Rome, he was fent to Athens, the emporium of learnings
to complete his education. On his return to Rome, iii
obedience to the defire of his father, he entered upon the
olEces of public life in the Forum, and declaimed with
great applaufe. But this was the efFedf of paternal au-
thority, not of choice : for, from his earlieft years, he
dlfcovered an extreme attachment to poetry ; and no
fooner was his father dead, than, renouncing the bar, he
devoted himfelf entirely to the cultivation of that faR
cinating art, his propenfity to which was invincible. His
produdiions, all written either in heroic or pentametef
verfe, are numerous, and on various fubjedts. It will be
fufficienr to mention them briefly.
The Heroides confifl: of tvventy-onc Epiflles, all which,
except three, are v/ritten from celebrated women of an-
tiquity, to their hufbands or lovers : fuch as Penelope to
iJlyffes, Dido to ^neas, Sappho to Phaon, &c. Hiefe
compofitions are nervous, animated and elegant : they
difeover a high degree of poetic enthuriafm, but blend-
ed with that iafcivioirs turn of thought, which pei-
Q.2 vade»?
228
THE LIFE OF
vades all the amorous produdlions of this celebrated
author.
The elegies on fubjetSls of love, particularly the Jrs
Amandi, or Ars Amatoria, though not all uniform in ver-
iification, polTefs the fame general charadler, of warmth
of paffion, and lufeious defeription, with the Epiflles now
mentioned-
The Fajli were divided into twelve books, of which
only the firll fix now remain. The dehgn of them was
to deliver an account of the Roman feftivals in every
month of the year, with a defeription of the rites and
ceremonies,' as well as the facrifices on thofe occafions.
It is to be regretted, that, on a fubjedb fo interefting to cu-
riohty, this valuable work Ihould not have been tranf-
mitted entire, for the information' of fucceeding times :
but in the part which remains, we are furnilhed with a
beautiful defeription of the ceremonial tranfadbions in the
Roman Calendar, from the firft of January to the end of
June. The verfification, as in all the compofitions of
this author, is eafy and harmonious.
The mod popular produdlron of this poet is his Me^
tamorphofes, not lefs extraordinary for the nature of the
fubjecSl, than for the admirable art with which the whole
is condudled. The work is founded upon the traditions
and theogony of the ancients, which confided of various
detached fables. Thofe Ovid has not only fo happily
arranged,, that they form a coherent feries of narratives,
one rifing out of another ; but he deferibes the different
changes with fuch an impofing plaufibility, as to give
a natural appearance to the mod incredible fidlions.
This
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
229
This ingenious produ6i;ion, however perfe£l: it may. ap-
pear, we are told by himfelf, had not received his laft
corredlions when he was ordered into banifhment.
In the Ihis^ the author imitates a poem of the fame
name, written by Callimachus, It is an invecllve againft
fome perfon who publicly traduced his chara6ler at
Rome, after his banifhment. A ftrong fenfibillty, in-
dignation, and implacable refentment, are co'nfpicuous
through the whole.
The Trijiia were eompofcd in his exile, in which,
tirough his vivacity forfook him, he ftill retained a genius
prolific in verfification. In thefe poems, as well as in
many epiftles to different perfons, he bewails his unhappy
fituation, and deprecates in the ftrongeft terms the inex-
orable difpleafure of Augufbus.
Several other produiSlions written by Ovid are now
loft, and amongft them a tragedy called Medea, of which
Quintilian expreffes a high opinion. Ovidii Medea vide-
iur niihi ojiendere quantum vir ille prajiare potuerit^ fi in-
genio fuQ temperare quam indulgere maluiJJ'et. Lib. x. c. I.
It is a peculiarity in the produdlions of this author,
that, on whatever he employs his pen, he exhaufts the
fubje6l ; not with any prolixity that fatigues the attention,
but by a quick fucceflion of new ideas, equally brilliant
and appofite, often exprefled in antithcfes. Void of ob-
fcenity in expreflion, but lafcivious in fentlment, he may
be fald rather to ftimulate immorally the natural paftions,
_than to corrupt the imagination. No poet Is more guided
in verfification by the nature of his lubje61: than Ovid.
Jn common narrative, his ideas are exprefied with almoft
0^3 collo-juial
THE LIFE OF
^30
colloquial fimpilcity ; but when his fancy glows with
fentiment, or is animated by objedls of grandeur, his
flyle is proportionably elevated, and he rifes to a pitcl:^
of fublimity.
No point in ancient hiflory has excited fuch variety
pf conjedlures as the banjfhment of Ovid ; and after all
the efforts of different writers to elucidate the fubjedd, the
caufe of this extraordinary tranfadion remains hitherto
involved in obfcurlty. It may therefore not be improper,
in this place, to examine the foundation of the feveral
conjedlures which have been formed, and if they appear
to be utterly inadmiffible, to attempt a folution of the
quefiiion upon principles more conformable to probabi-
lity, and countenanced by hiffoncal evidence.
The oflenfible reafon affigned by Auguftus for banifh-
ing Ovid, was his corrupting the Roman youth by laf-
civious publications ; but it is evident, from various paf-
fages in the poet’s produdllons after this period, that there
was, befides, fome fccret reafon, which would not admit
of being diyulged. He fays in his Trijiia^ Lib. II. i.
Perdiderint cum me duo crimina.^ carmen ^ error.
It appears from another paffage in the fame work, that
this inviolable arcanum was fomething which Ovid had
feen, and, as he infinuates, through his own ignorance
and miftake.
Cur aliquid njidi ? cur confcia lumina feci ?
* . Cur imprudenti cognita culpa mihi eji ? Ibid.
%%%%%%
jnfeia quod crimen njiderunt lumina^ pleSior :
Peccatumque oculos eft habnijfe meum.
Pe Trist. hi. 5,
It
•CJESAR AUGUSTUS. '231
It feems therefore to be a fa6l fufficiently eflabllflied,
tliat Ovid had feen fomething of a very indecent nature,
in which Auguftus was concerned. What this was, is
the quefiion. Some authors, conceiving it to have been
of a kind extremely atrocious, have gone fo far as to
fuppofe, that it mufl: have been an adl: of criminality
between Auguflus and his own daughter Julia, who, not-
withftanding the hridl attention paid to her education by
her father, became a woman of the mofl; infamous cha-
radler; fufpedled of incontinence during her marriage
with Agrippa, but openly profligate after her union with
her next hufband Tiberius. This fuppofition, however,
refls entirely upon conjedlure, and is not only difcredited
by its own improbability, but by a yet more forcible argu-
ment. It is certain that Julia was at this time in banifh-
ment for her fcandalous life. She was about the fame
age with Tiberius, who was now forty-feven, and they
had not cohabited for many years. We know not exadlly
the year in which Auguftus fcnt her into exile, but we
may conclude with confidence, that it happened foon after
her feparation from Tiberius ; whofe own interefl; with
the emperor, as well as that of his mother Livia, could
not fail of being exerted, if any fuch application was
neceflTary, towards removing from the capital a woman,
•yvlio by the notoriety of her proftltution refledled dlf-
grace upon all with whom Hie was connedled, either by'
blood or alliance. But no application from Tiberius or
his mother could be neceffary, when we are aflfured that
Auguflus even prefented to the Senate a narrative re-
fpedling the infamous behaviour of his daughter, which
was read by the Qusflor. He was fo much afliamed of
her profligacy, that he for a long time declined all com-
pany, and had thoughts of putting her to death. She was
baniflied to an illand on the coafb of Campania for five
0.4 5
THE LIFE OF
^3?
years; at the expiration of which period, /he was re-*
moved to the continent, and the feverity of her treatment
a little mitigated ; but though frequent applications were
made in her behalf by the people, Auguftus never could
be prevailed upon to permit her return.
Other writers have conjedured, that, inftead of Juli^
the daughter of Auguftus, the perfon feen with him by
Ovid may have been Julia his grand-daughter, who in-
herited the vicious difpofition of her mother, and was or^
that account likewife baniflied by Auguftus, The epoch
of this lady’s banifhment it is impoflible to afcertain ; and
therefore no argument can be drawn from that fource to
invalidate the prefent conje61;ure. But Auguftus had
fhewn the fame folicitude for her being trained up iri
virtuous habits, as he had done in refpefl of her mother,
though in both cafes unufccefsfully ; and this confidera-
■tion, joined to the enormity of the fuppofed crime, and
the great fenfibility which Auguflus had difcoyered with
regard to the infamy of his daughter, feems fufheient to
exonerate his memory from fo odious a charge. Befides,
is it poffible that he could have fent her into banidiment
for the infamy of her proftitution, while (upon the fup-
pofition of inceft) (lie was miftrefs of fo important a
fecrct, as that he himfelf had been more criminal with
her than any other man in the empire I
Some writers, giving a wider fcope to conjedlure, have
fuppofed the tranfa^lion to be of a nature ftill more de-
teflable, ^ndhave even dragged Mecaenas the minifter into
a participation of the crime. Fortunately, however, for
the reputation of this llluftrious patron of polite learning,
a? well as for that of the emperor, this crude conjedlure
n?ay bp refuted upon the evidence of chronology. The
commence--
CJESAR AUGUSTUS."
m
commencement of Ovid’s exjle happened in the ninth
year of the Chriftian aera, and the death of Mecsenas^^
eight years before that period. Betw^een this and other
calculations, we find a difference of three or four years ;
but allowing the utmoft latitude of variation, there in-
tervened, from the death of Mecaenas to the banifhment
of Ovid, a period of eleven years ; an obfervation which
fully invalidates the conjedure abovementioned.
Having now refuted, as it is prefumed, the opinions of
different commentators on this fubjec^, we fhall proceed
to offer a new conjedlure, which feems to have a greater
claim to probability, than any that has hitherto been fug-
gelled.
Suetonius Informs us, that Auguftus, in the latter part
of his life, contra61ed a vicious inclination for the enjoy-
ment of young virgins, who were procured for him
from all parts, not only with the connivance, but by tho
clandefline management of his confort Livia. It has
therefore probably been with-one of thofe vidlims that he
was difeovered by Ovid. Auguflus had for many years
affe6led a decency of behaviour, and he would therefore
naturally be not a little difcopcerted at the unfeafonablc
intrufion of the poet. That Ovid knew not of Au-
guflus’s being in the place, is beyond all doubt : and
iVugufius’s confeioufnefs of this circumfiance, together
with the charadler of Ovid, would fuggefl an unfavor-
able fufpicion of the motive which had brought the latter
thither. Abftradling from the immorality of the emperor’s
own condudl, the incident might be regarded as ludicrous,
and certainly was more fit to excite the fhame than the
indignation of the emperor. But the purpofe of Ovid’s
vifit appears, from his own acknowledgement, to haye
been
234 the life of
»
been not entirely free from blame, though of what na^
ture we know not :
I
Non equidem totam pojfum defendere culpam f
$ed partem noftri criminis error habet.
De Trist. Ljb. III. Eleg. 5.
Ovid was at this time turned of fifty, and though by 3
\ much younger man he would not have been regarded a^
any obje61: of jealoufy in love, yet by Auguflus, now in
his fixty-ninth year, he might be deemed a formidable
rival. This paffion therefore concurring with that which
arofe from the interruption or difappointment of gratifi^
cation, inflamed the emperor’s refentment, and he refolved
on banifhing to a diftant country a man whom he con-
lidered as his rival, and whofe prefence, from what hac^
happened, he never more could endure.
Auguflus having determined on the' banifhment of
Ovid, could find little difficulty in accommodating the
oflenfible to the fecret and real caufe of this refolution.
No argument to eftablifli the date of publication, can be
drawn from the order in which the various produdlions
of Ovid are placed in the colledlion of his works : but
reafoning from probability, we fhould fuppofe that the
Ars Amandi was written during the period of his youtLj
and this feems to be confirmed by the following paflage
in the fecond book of the Fajii :
Certe ego "VOS habui faciles in amore minijiros ;
Cum lujit numeris prima juventa fuis.
That many years mull: have elapfed fince its original
publication, is evident from the fubfequent lines in the fe-
cond book of the Triftia :
Nos
C^SAR AUGUSTUS,
235
qmque jam pridem Jcripto peccavimus uno.
Supplicium patitur non nova culpa novum.
Carminaque edideram^ cum te delidia notantem
Prater a toties jure quietus eques.
jErgo, qua juveni mihi non nocitura putavi
Scripta parum prudens^ nunc iiocuere Jeni ?
With what fhow then of juhice, it may be afked,
could Auguftus now punilh a fault, which, in his folemu
capacity of Cenfor, he had fo long and repeatedly over-
looked ? The anfwer is obvious : in a produ6lion fo
popular as we may be affured the Jrs Amandi was
amongft the Roman youth, it mufi Ifave paflTed through
feveral editions in the courfe of fome years ; and one of
thofe coinciding with the fatal 'difcovery, afforded the
emperor a fpecious pretext for the execution of his pur-
pofe. The feverity exercifed on this occafion, however,
when the poet was fuddenly driven into exile, unaccom-
panied even by the partner of his bed, who had been his
companion for many years, was an a6l fo inconfillent
with the ufual moderation of Auguflus, that we cannot
juftly afcribe it to any other motive than perfonal refcnt'
ment ; efpecially as this arbitrary punilhment of the au-
thor could anfwer no end of public utility, while the
obnoxious produ6lion remained to afFcdf, if it really ever
did elTentially affedf, the morals of fociety. If the fenh-
bility of Auguflus could not thenceforth admit of any
perfonal intercourfe with Ovid, or even of his living
within the limits of Italy, there w^ould have been little
clanger from the example, in fending into honorable exile,
W'ith every indulgence which could alleviate fo diflrefsful
a neceffity, a man of refpe6lable rank in the flate, w'ho
was charged ^wlth no a6lual offence againft the laws,
and whofe genius, wdth all its indifcretion, did immortal
honor to his country. It may perhaps be urged, that,
8 coafidering
THE LIFE OF
236
conlidering the predicament in which Auguflus flood, he
difeovered a forbearance greater than might have been
expedled from an abfolute prince, in fparing the life of
Ovid. It will readily be granted, that Ovid, in the fame
circumflances, under any one of the four fubfequent
emperors, would have expiated the incident with his
blood. Auguflus, upon a latp occalion, had fhown him-
felf equally fanguinary : for he pul to death, by the hand
of Varus, a poet of Parma, named Cafliiis, on account
of having written fome fatirical verfes againft him. By
that recent example, therefore, and the power of pardon-
ing, which the emperor flill retained, there v/as fuSi cient
hold of the poet’s fecrefy refpedling the fatal tranfadlion,
which, if divulged to the world, Auguflus would repro-
bate as a falfe and infamous libel, and punifh the author
accordingly. Ovid, on his part, was fenfible, that, fhpuld
he dare to violate the important but tacit injundlion, the
imperial vengeance would reach him even on the fliores
of the Euxine. It appears, however, from a pafTage in
the IhiSf which can apply to no other than Auguflus,
that Ovid was not fent into banifhment deflitute of pe-
cuniary provifion :
Di melius ! quorum longe mihi maximus illCy
^i nojiras inopes noluit ejfe 'vias.
Huic igitur meritas grateSy 'ubicumque licebity
Pro tam manfueto pePiore femper agam,
What fum the emperor bellowed, for the fupport of a
banifhment which he was refolved fhould be perpetual,
it is impoffible to afeertain : but he had formerly been
liberal to Ovid, as well as to other poets.
If we might hazard a conjedlure, refpedling the feene
of the intrigue which occafioned tlie banifhment of
Ovid, we fliould place it in fpme recefs in the emperor’s
gardens.
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. 137
gardens. His houfe, though called Palatiunty the palace,
as being built on the Palatine-hill, and inhabited by the
foverelgn, was only a fmall manfion, which had formerly
belonged to Hortenlius, the orator. Adjoining to this
place, Auguflus had built the temple of Apollo, wl)ich
he endowed with a public library, and allotted for the
ufe of poets, to recite their compofitions to each other.
Ovid was particularly intimate with Hyginus, one of
Auguftus’s freedmen, who was librarian of the temple.
He might therefore have been in the library, and fpying
from the window a young female fecreting herfeif in the
gardens* he had the curiofity to follow her.
The place of Ovid’s banifhment was Tomis, now faid
to be Babba, a town of Bulgaria, towards the mouth of
the liler, where is a lake ftill called by the natives*
Ouvtdouve Jcfe7'o^ the lake of Ovid. In this retirement,
and the Euxine Pontus, he pafTed the remainder of his
life, a melancholy period of fcven years. Notwith-
(landing the lafcivious writings of Ovid, it does not ap-
pear that he was in his conducl: a libertine. He was three
times married : his firft wife, who was of mean extrac-
tion, and wdiom he had married wlien he was very
young, he divorced ; the fecond he difmiffed on account
of her immodefl: behaviour; and the third appears to have
furvived him. He had a number of refpeiStable friends,
and feems to have been much beloved by them.
Tibullus was defcended of an Equeftrian family, and
is faid, but erroneoufly* as will afterwards appear, to have
been born on the fame day with Ovid.
His amiable accomplifhments procured
him the friendfhip of Meffala Cor.vinus, whom he accom-
panied in a military expedition to the ifland of Corcyra.
But
THE LIFE bP
238
But an indlfpofitlon with which he was feized, and d
natural averfion to the toils of war, induced him to re-
tura to Rome, where he feems to have reiigned himfelf*
to a life of indolence and pleafure, amidft which he de-
voted a part of his. time to the compofition of elegies.
Elegiac poetr^r had been cultivated by feveral Greek
writers, particularly Callimachus, Mimnermus, and Phi-
letas ; but, fo far as we can find, had, until the prefent
age, been unknown to the Romans in their own tongue.
It conlifted of a heroic and pentameter line alternately,
and was notj like the Elegy of the moderns, ufually ap-»
propriated to the lamentation of the deceafed, but em-
ployed chiefly in compofitions relative to love or friend-
fhip, and might indeed be ufed upon almoft any fubjecSi; ;
though, from the limp in the pentameter line, it is not
fuitable to fublime fubjecis, which require a fulnefs of
cxpreflion, and an expanfion of found. To this fpecies
of poetry Tibullus reftricled liis application ; by which
he cultivated that fimplicity and tendernefs and agreeable
eafe of fentiment, which confdtute the charadleriftic per-
fe61:ions of the elegiac Mufe.
In the defeription of rural feenes, the peaceful oceu-
pations of the field, the charms of domeftic happinefs,
and the joys of reciprocal love, fcarcely any poet fur-
paffes Tibullus in his claims to our applaufe. His luxu-
riant ima ruination colie6ls the mofl: beautiful flowers of
o
nature, and he difplays them wu’th all the delicate attrac-
tion of foft and harmonious numbers. With a dexterity
peculiar to himfelf, in whatever fubjedl he engages, he
leads his readers imperceptibly through devious paths of
pleafure, of which, at the cutfet of the poem, they
could form no conception. He feems to have often
. written without any previous meditation or defign. Sc;
verai
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
^39
•veral of his elegies may be fald to have neither middle
nor end : yet the tranfuions are fo natural, and the gra-
dations fo eafy, that though we wander through Ely Gan
feenes of fancy, the mofl: heterogeneous in their nature,
we are fenfible of no defe£l: in the concatenation which
has joined them together. It is however to be regretted,
that, in fome infiances, Tibullus 'betrays that licentiouf-
nefs of manners which formed too general a charadle-
rihic even of this rehned age. His elegies addrefled to
Meflala contain a beautiful amplihcation of fentiments
founded in friendfliip and efteem ; in which it is difficult
to fay, whether the virtues of the patron or the genius
of the poet be more confpiciious.
Valerius MefTala Corvinus, whom he celebrates, was
defeended of a very ancient family. In the civil wars
which followed the death of Julius Caefar, he joined the
republican party, and made himfelf mafter of the camp
of Oclavius at Philippi ; but he was afterwards recon-
ciled to his opponent, and lived to an advanced age in
favor and efteem with Auguftus. He was diftinguiftied
not only by his military talents, -but by his eloquence,
integrity and patriotifm.
From the following paftiige in the writings of Tibul-
lus, commentators have conjedlured that he was deprived
of his lands, by the fame proferiptioa in which tliofe of
Virgil had been involved :
Cui fuerant fla^i ditantes ordine fulci
Horrea, fee eundas ad deficientia niejfes.
Cuique pecus detifo pafcebant agmine colles-.
Et domino fatis, c£f nhnium furique hipoque :
Nunc defitderium fuperejl : nam cura nonsatur.
Cum memor anteaSios femper dolor admo^oet annos.
Ljb. IV. El. X.
But
24b
THE Ll^E OF
But this feems not very probable, when we confi^er that
Horace, feveral years after that period, reprefents him
;is opulent,
D'i tibi divitias dederant, artemque fruekdi,
Efist. Lib. I. 4. *
We know not the age of Tibullus at the time of his
death ; but in an elegy written by Ovid upon that occa-
fion, he is fpoken of as a young man. Were it true,
as is faid by biographers, that he was born the fame day
with Ovid, we mull indeed allign the event to' an early
period. For Ovid cannot have written the elegy after
the forty-third year of his own life, and how long be-
fore, is incertain. In the tenth degy of the fourth book
De Trlftibus, he obferves, that the fates had allowed lit-
tle time for the cultivatiop of his friendlhip with Ti-
bullus.
Virgilium vidi tayitum : nec avara Tibullo
' Tempus amicitiec fata dedere me ce»
Succejfor fuit hic tibi, Galle \ Propertius illi ;
fartus ab his fer i e temporis ipfefui.
Utque ego majores, fic me coluere minores^
As both Ovid and Tibullus lived at Rome, were both'
of the Equeftrian Order, and of congenial difpofitions,
it is natural to fuppofe that their acquaintance commen-
ced at an early period ; and if, after all, it was of fliort
duration, there would be no improbability in concluding,
that Tibullus died at the age of foine years under thirty.
It is evident, however, that biographers have committed
a miftake with regard to the birth of this poet : for in
the paflage above cited of the Trijlia, Ovid mentions
Tibullus as a writer, who, though his contemporary,
was much older than himfelf. From this palTage, we
ihould be juftified in placing the deatli of Tibullus be-
tween the fortieth and fiftieth year of his age, and ra-
thy
241
, ' C^SAR AUGUSTUS.
ther nearer to the latter , period : for otherwife, Horace
would fcarcely have mentioned him in the manner he
does in one of his Epiftles.
Albij nojirorum fermonum candide judeXy
^id nunc te dicam facere in regione 'Pedana T
^ Scribere quod Cafsi Parmenjis opufcula ^oincat ;
Ayi taciturn Jilvas inter reptare falubres,
Curantem quicquid dignum fapiente bonoque ejl ?
Epist. I. 4.
This fuppohtion is In no degree inconfiftent with the
authority of Ovid, where he mentions him as a young
man ; for the Romans/extended the period of youth to
the fiftieth year.
Propertius was born at Mevania, a town of Umbria,
feated at the confluence of the Tina and
Clitumnus. This place was famous for its ^ %tpertius
herds of white cattle, brought up there for
facrifice, and fuppofed to be impregnated with that color
by the waters of the river laft mentioned.
Mine albiy CUtumney greges, ^ maxima taurus
FiPtima, Jape tuo perfuji fium'ine facro,
Romanos ad templa Deiim duxere triumphos. G. II.
His father is faid by fome to have been a Roman knight,
and they add, that he was one of thofe who, when L.
Antony was fiarved out of Perufia, were, by the order of
Oiflavius, led to the altar of Julius Cjefar,- and there
flain. Nothing more is known with certainty, than that
Propertius loll: his father at an early age, and being de-
prived of a great part of his patrimony, betook himfelf
to Rome, where his genius foon recommended him to
public notice, and he obtained the patronage of Me-
caenas. From his frequent introduction of hiflorical
R and
24i
THE LIEE op
and mythological fubjedts into bis poems, he rcceivctj
the appellation of “ the Learned/’
Of all the Latin elegiac poets, Propertius has the juft-
efi: claim to purity of thought and expreffion. He of-
ten draws his imagery from reading, more than from
the imagination, and abounds lefs in defeription than
fentiment. For warmth of paffion he is not confpicu-
ous, and his tendernefs is feldom marked with a great
degree of fenfibility ; but, without rapture, he is animat-
ed, and, like Horace, in the midfl; of gaiety, he is mo-
ral. The ftores with 'which learning fupplies him, diver-
fify as w^ell as illuftrate his fubjedl, while delicacy every
where difeovers a tafl;e refined by the habit of reflexion.
His verfification, in general, is elegant, but not uni-
formly harmonious^
Tibullus and Propertius have each written four books
of Elegies ; and it has been difputed which of them is
fuperior in this department of poetry. Quintilian has
given his fufFrage in favor of Tibullus, who, fo far as
poetical merit alone is the ohjedt of confideration, feems
entitled to the preference.
Gallus was a Roman knight, diftinguilhed not only
for poetical but military talents. Of his poetry we have
only fix Elegies, written, in the perfon
GaUuu^^ of an old man, on the fubjedl of old
age, but which, there is reafon to think,
were compofed in an earlier part of the author’s life.
Except the fifth Elegy, which is tainted with immodefly,
the others, particularly the firfl, are highly beautiful,
and may be placed in competition with any other pro-
ilu6tions of the elegiac kind. Gallus was, for fomc
time,
CiESAR AUGUSTUS.
243
time/ in great favor with Auguftus, who ap|)ointed hiiii
governor of Egypt. It is faicl, however, that he not
only opprefled the province by extortion, but entered
into a confpiracy againft his benefadfor^ for which he
was banifliedi Unable to fuftain fuch a reterfe of for-
tune, he fell into defpair, and laid violent hands on him-
felf. This is the Gallus in honor of whom Virgil com-
pofed his tenth Eclogue.
Such are the celebrated produdions of the Augiihan
age, which have been happily preferved, for the delight
and admiration of mankind, and wdll furvive to the latefl
poherity. Many more once exifted, of various merits
and of different authorsj which have left few or no me-
morials behind them, but have periflied promifcuoufly
amidft the indifcriminate ravages of time, of accidents,
and of barbarians^ Amongft the principal authors whofe
works are loft^ are Varius aiid Valgius ; the former of
whom, befides a panegyric upon Augtiftus, compofed
fome tragedies. According to Quintilian, his Thyeftes
■tvas equal to any compofition of the Greek tragic poets.
The great number of eminent writers, poets in parti-
cular, that adorned this age, has excited general admira-
tion, and the phenomenon is ufually aferibed to a fortu-
itous occurrence, w^hich baffles all enquiry : but we fliall
endeavor to develop the various caufes which feem to
have produced this effedl ; and fhould the explanation
appear fatisfadlory,' it may favor an opinion, that under
fimilar circumftances, if ever they fhould again be com-
bined, a period of equal glo'ry might arife in other ages
and nations.
The Romans, whether from the influence of climate,
R a
or
244
THE LIFE OF
or their mode of living, which in general was temperate,
were endowed with a lively imagination, and, as we be-
fore obferved, a fpirit of enterprife. Upon the final ter-
mination of the Punic war, and the conquefl of Greece,
their ardor, which had hitherto been exercifed in military
atchlevements, was diverted into the channel of literature ;
and the civil commotions which followed, having now
ceafed, a frefh impulfe was given to a6livity in the am-
bitious purfuit of the laurel, which was now only to be
obtained by glorious exertions of intelledl:. The beauti-
ful productions of Greece operating flrongly upon their
minds, excited them to imitation ; imitation, when roufed
amongfl a number, produced emulation ; and emulation
cherifhed an extraordinary thirft of fame, which, in ?very
exertion of the human mind, is the parent of excellence.
This liberal contention was not a little promoted by the
fafhion introduced at Rome, for poets to recite their com-
pofitions in public ; a praClice which feems to have been
carried even to a ridiculous excefs. — Such was now the
rage for poetical compofition in the Roman capital, that
Horace defcribes it in the following terms :
Mutanjit mentem populus levis^ calet uno
Scribendi Jludio : pueri patrefciue fe^eri
Fronde comas •vindti coenant^ carmina diBant.
Efist. II. I.
* * vf- *
Scribimus indoBi doBique poemata pajfim. Ibid.
The third of fame abovementioned was a powerful in-
centive, and is avowed both by Virgil and Horace. The
former, in the fecond book of his Georgies, announces a
refolution of rendering himfelf celebrated, if poflible.
. teyiianda n/ia ejl qua me qtioque pojjim
Toll ere humo^ ^’iBoroue 'vinim •volitare per ora.
And
C^SAR AUGUSTUS. 24^
And Horace, in the conclufion of his firft Ode, exprefies
himfelf in terms which indicate a fimilar purpofe.
^od Ji me lyricis natibus inferes^
Sublimi feriam fidera vertice.
Even Salluft a hiftorian, in his introdudlion to Catiline’s
Confpiracy, fcruples not to infinuate the fame kind of
ambition. Quo mihi realms videtur ingenii quam virium
opibus gloriam quarere \ tsf quoniam vita ipfa^ qua f ruimur ^
brevis eji^ memoriam nojiri quam maxume longam efficere,
- Another circumftance of great importance, towards the
produdlion of fuch poetry as might live through every
age, was the extreme attention which the great poets of
this period difplayed, both in the compofition, and the po-
lilhing of their works. Virgil, when employed upon the
Georgies, ufually wrote in the morning, and applied
much of the fubfequent part of the day to corre<5i:ion and
improvement. He compared himfelf to a bear, that licks
her cub into form. If this was his regular 'pra6lice in the
Georgies, we may juftly fuppofe that it was the fame in
the ^heid. Yet, after all this labor, he intended to devote
three years entirely to its farther amendment. Horace
has gone fo far in recommending careful corre6lion, that
he figuratively mentions nine years as an adequate period
for that purpofe. But whatever may be the time, there
is no precept which he urges either oftener or more for-
cibly, than a due attention to this important objedt.
Scope Jlylum vertas^ iterum quee digna legi Jint
Scripturus. Sat. I. 10.
********
Fos,0
Pompilius fanguis^ carmen reprehendite^ quod non
Multa dies ^ multa litura coercuit^ atque
R 3
Terfcblum
THE LIFE, &C.
S^erjeHum decies non cajligavit ad unguem,
De Art. Poet.
To the feveral caufes above enumerated, as concurring
to the great fuperiority of the Auguftaii age, with refpedf
to the productions of literature, one more is to be fubjoin-
cd, of a nature the moft eflential ; the liberal and unpar-
alleled encouragement given to diftinguidied talents by
the emperor and his minifter. This was a principle of
the mod powerful energy : it fanned the flame of genius,
invigorated every exertion ; and the poets who bafl-Led in
’the rays of imperial favor, and the animating patronage
of Mecaenas, experienced a poetic enthufiafin which ap-
proached to real infpiration.
Haying now finifhed the proppfed explanation, relative
to the celebrity of the Auguftan age, we lliali conclude
with recapitulating in a fevy words the caufes of this ex-
traordinary occurrence.
The models, then, which the Romans derived frorri
Grecian poetry, were the fined productions of human ge-
nius ; their incentives to emulation were the flrongefl: that
could actuate the heart. With ardor, therefore, and in-
duftry in compofing, and with unwearied patience in po-
li filing their compofitions, they attained to that glorious
^iftinCtion in literature, which no fucceeding age has ever
TIBERIUS
{ 247 )
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
L THE Patrician family of the Claudii (for there
was a Plebeian family of the fame name, no way inferior
to the other either in power or dignity), came originally
from Regilli, ^ town of the Sabines. They removed
thence to Rome foon after the building of the city, with
a great body of their dependants, under Titus Tatius,
who was partner with Romulus in the kingdom, or per-
haps, what is related upon better authority, under Atta
Claudius, head of the family, fix years after the expulhon
of the Tarquins ; at which time they were by the Senate
chofen into the body of the nobility ; receiving llkewife
from the government lands beyond the Anio, for their
dependants, and a burying-place for themfelves near the
Capitol. After this period, in procefs of time, the family
had the honor of eight and twenty Confulfhips, five .
Di6latorfhips, feven Cenforfiiips, feven triumphs, and
two ovations. Their defcendants were diftinguifhed by
various praenomina and cognomina but reje61:ed by
confent
* The Romans were divided into various clans {Gentes),
and each Gens into feveral families, {in Familias vel Stirpes),
Thofe of the fame Gens were called Gentiles, and thofe of the
fame family. Agnati, Relations by the father’s fide were
alfo called Agnati, to diftinguifii them from Cognati, relations
% R 4 onJy
THE LIFE OF
24B
confent the praenomen of Lucius, after two of them with
that name were convidled, one of robbery and the other
of murder. Amongft other cognomina, they affumed that
of Nero, which in the Sabine language fignifies ftrong
and valiant.
II. It appears from record, that many of the Claudii
have performed fignal fervices to the (late, as well as
committed adls of delinquency. To mention the moH:
only by the mother’s fide. An Agnatus might alfo be called
Cognatus^ but not the contrary.
To mark the different gentes and familia;^ and to dillin-
gnifii the individuals of the fame family, the Romans had
commonly three names, the Prienomen^ ISlomen^ and Cognomen,
The Prsnomen was put firfi, and marked the individual.
It was ufually written with one letter; as A. for Aulus ; C.
Caius ; D. Decimus : fometimes with turn letters / as A^. for
Appius ; Cn, Cneius : and fometimes with three ; as Mam, for
Mamercus,
The Nomen was put after the Franomen^ and marked the
gens. It commonly ended in ius ; as Julius^ Tullius^ Cornelius.
The Cognomen ,was put laft, and marked familia ; as CicerOy
Ceefar^ &C.
Some gentes feem to have had no furname ; as the Ma-
rian ; and gens and familia feem fometimes to be put one
for the other ; as the Fabia gens, or Fabia fa?nilia.
Sometimes there was a fourth name, properly called the
Agnomen^ but fometimes likewife Cog7iQmen, which was added
upon account of fome illiifirious adion or remarkable event.
Thus Scipio was named Publius Cornelius Scipio Afrkanusy
from the conqiieft of Carthage in Africa. For the like
reafon, his brother was called Lucius Cornelius Scipio Afa-
ticus. In the fame manner, Fabius Maximus received
the Agnomen of CunSiator., from his checking the impetuofity
of Hannibal by declining battle.
rcmarkabl#
TIBERIUS ISIERO CiESAR. !I49
remarkable only, Appius C^ECUS difluadeJ the Senate
from agreeing to an alliance with Pyrrhus, as prejudicial
to the public. Claudius firfl: pafTed the ftrait of Sicily
with a fleet, and drove the Carthaginians out of the
ifland. Claudius Nero cut oiF Afdrubal with a vaft army
Tupon his arrival in Italy from Spain, before he could join
his brother Annibal. On the other hand, Claudius Ap-
pius Regillanus, one of the Decemvirs, attempted in a
violent manner, from a criminal paflion, to have a young
woman, who was free-born, declared by judicial fen-
tence a flave ; a tranfadlion which occafioned a fecond
reparation of the commons from the Senate. Claudius
Drufus erected a flatue of himfelf covered with a crown’
in the Forum of Appius, and endeavored by^ the meaiis
of his dependants to make himfelf mafler of Italy. Clau-
dius Fulcher, near the coaft of Sicily, when tile pullets,
upon his uflng them in the way of augury, would not
■eat, in contempt of the ominous prefage, funk tliem in
the fea, as if he was refolved they fliould drink at leafl,
if they would not eat ; and immediately engaging the
enemy, was defeated. Being ordered by the Senate to
name a Di£lator, as if he w'as refolved to make a jefl of
the public danger, he named his purfuivant Glycias. Of the
women of this family, llkewife, the annals of the Repub-
lic afford examples equally repugnant to each other. For
both the Ciaudias were of this family : flie, who, when
the Blip with the holy things appertaining to the Idaean
mother of the Gods fluek faff upon the fands of the
Tiber, brought it off, after fne had with a loud voice
prayed to the Goddefs, “ Follow me if I am chafte
and fhe alfo, that, contrary to the cuftom of the Romans,
who were not uftd to proceed In that manner againfl:
women, was tried by the people for treafon ; becaufe,
when her chariot met with an accidental obflruiSlion
from
THE LIFE OF
250
from a great crowd in the ftreets, Ihe openly exclaimed,
“ I with my brother Pulcher was alive again, to lofe an^
other fleet, that there might be lefs throng at Rome,” Be-
lides, it is notorious from the records of paft times, that
all the Claudii, excepting only P. Claudius, who, to ac-
complilh the banifhment of Cicero, procured a commoner,^
and one likewife younger than himfelf, to adopt him,
were always of the Patrician party, as well as great
fticklers for the honor and power of that Order ; and fo.
violent and obftinate in their oppofition to the commons,
that not one of them, even in the cafe of a trial for life by
the people, would ever condefcend to put on mourning,
according to cuftom, or make any fupplication to them
for favor ; and fome of them, in their contefts with the
commons, have even proceeded to lay hands on their
Tribunes. A Veflal virgin likewife of the family, when
her brother was refolved to have the honor of a triumph
in fpite of the authority of the people to the contrary,
mounted the chariot with him, and attended- him into
the Capitol, to prevent the Tribunes from interpofing to
forbid it.
III. From this family Tiberius Caefar is defcended, an4
indeed both by the father and mother’s fide ; by the for-
mer from Tiberius Nero, and by the latter from Ap-
pius Pulcher, who were both fons of Appius Cacus. He
likewife belonged to the family of the Livii, by the adop-?
lion of his mother’s grand-father into it : w'hich family,
though plebeian, made a difinguifhed figure, having had
the honor of eight Confulfhips, two Cenforfliips, three
triumphs, one DirSlatorfhip, and the office of Mafler of
tile Horfe ; and was famous for eminent men, particularly
Salinator and the Drufi. Salinator, in his Cenforlhip,
put a mark of infamy upon all the tribes, for their incon-
ftar^cy
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR. 251
ftancy in making him Conful a fecond time, and Genfor,
though they had condemned and fined him after his firfi:
Confulfhip. Drufus procured for himfelf and his pofieri-
ty a new furname, by killing in clofe fight Draufus, a
general of the enemy. He is likewife faid to have re-
covered, when Pro-prstor in the province of Gaul, the
gold which had been formerly given to the Senones, in
the fiege of the Capitol, and had not, as is reported, been
forced from them by Camillus. His great-great-grand-
fon, who for his extraordinary fervices againfi: the Gracchi,
was flyled the patron of the Senate, left a fon, who, pro-
jedling a variety of fchemes, during a fimilar diflenfion,
was murdered in a treacherous manner by the oppolite
party.
IV, But the father of Tiberius C^far, being Qusefior
to C. Caefar, and commander of the fleet in the war of
Alexandria, contributed greatly to the fuccefs of it. He
was therefore made one of the high-priefis in the room of
P. Scipio ^ and was fent to fettle fome colonies in Gaul, and
amongfl; the reft thofe of Narbonne and Arles. After the
death of Casfar, however, wlien th^ reft of the Senators,
for fear of public difturbances, were for having the tranf-
adlion buried in oblivion, he even moved exprefsly the
boufe for rewarding thofe who had killed the tyrant.
When his Praetorflrip was expired, upon occafion of a
difturbance breaking out amongft the Triumviri, in the'
end of the year, he kept the badges of his office beyond
the legal time ; and following L. Antonius the Conful,
brother to the Triumvir, to Perufia, though the reft fub-
mitted, yet he by himfelf continued firm to the party, and
got off firft to Praenefte, and then to Naples ; whence,
having in vain invited the flaves to liberty, he fled over to
Sicily. But conceiving refentment ai not being imme-
g diatcly
THE LIFE OF
252
diately admitted into the prefence of Sextus Poinpey, and
being befidcs forbid the ufe of the Fafces, he went over
into Achaia to M. Antony ; with whom, upon a recon-
ciliation foon after brought about amongft the feveral
contending parties, he returned to Rome ; and, at the re-
queft of Auguftus, gave up to him hi's wife Livia Dru-
filla, though Ihe was then big with child, and had before
borne him a fon. He died not long after ; leaving Ire-
hind him two foils, Tiberius and Dfufus Nero.
V. Some have imagined that Tiberius was born at
Fundi, but upon a trifling foundation for the conjedlure,
becaufe his mother’s grandmother was of Fundi, and that
the image of Good Fortune was by a decree of the Senate
ere61:ed in a public place in that town. But according
to the greatefl number of writers, and thofe too of the
beft authority, he was born at Rome, in the Palatium,
upon the fixteenth of the Calends of December, when M.
^milius Lepidus was fecond time Conful, with L. Mu-
natius Plancus, after the battle of Philippi ; for fo it is
regiflered in the calendar, and the public adfs. Accord-
ing to fome, however, he was born the preceding year,
in the Confulfhip of Hirtius and Panfa ; and others fay,
in the year following, during the Confulfhip of Servilius
Ifauricus and Antony.
VI. His infancy and childhood were pafTed amidft a
great deal of danger and trouble. He accompanied his
parents every where in their flight, and had like to have
betrayed them by his crying at Naples, as they were pri-
• vately making towards their fhip, upon the enemy’s
breaking into the town : once, when he was taken from
his nurfe’s breaft, and again, from his mother’s bofom,
by fome of the company, who on that fudden emergency
wiflied
TIBERIUS NERO CJESAR. 255
w'lfhed to eafe thb women of their burden. Being car-
ried through Sicily and Achaia, and entruhed fome time
to the care of the Lacedemonians, who were under the
protection of the Claudian family, upon his departure
thence by night, he ran the hazard of his life, by a fire
fuddenly burfting out of a wood on all hands, wLich fur-
rounded the whole company fo clofely, that part of Li-
via’s cloaths and hair were burnt. The prefents which
were made him by Pompeia, fifter to Sextus Pompey, in
Sicily, viz. a cloak, a clafp, and golden bullae, are ftiil ex-
tant, and fhewn at Baise to this day. After his return to
the city, being adopted by M. Gallius, a Senator, in his
will, he entered upon the eftate ; but foon after declined
the ufe of his name, becaufe Gallius had been of the party
againft Auguilus. When only nine years of age, he
pronounced a funeral oration in praife of his father upon
the Roftra ; and afterwards, when he had nearly attained
the age of manhood, he attended the chariot of Auguftus,
in his triumph for the vidlory at A6lium, riding upon the
outfide horfe of his chariot on the left hand, whilll Mar-
cellus, Odfavia’s fon, rode upon the right. He likewife
prefided at the games celebrated upon account of that
vidtory ; and in the Trojan games intermixed with the
Circenfian, he commanded a troop of the tallell boys.
VII. After afluming the manly habit, he fpent his
youth, and the reft of his life until he came to the go-
vernment, in the following manner. He gave the people
an entertainment of gladiators, in memory of his father,
and another for his grandfather Drufus, at different times
and in different places : the firft in the Forum, the fe-
cond in the amphitheatre ; fome gladiators who had been
honorably difcharged, being induced to engage again, by
a reward of a hundred thoufand fefterces. ‘Tde likewife
prefented
^254 LIFE CfP
|)refentcd the public with plays, but was not prefent himfelf.
All thefe he did in a fplendid in>nner, at the charge ofhis
mother and father-in law. He married Agrippina, the
daughter of M. Agrippa, and grand-daughter of Cseci-
iius Atticus, a Roman knight, the fame perfon to whorrf
Cicero has addreffcd fo many epiftles. After he had by her
his fon Drufus, he was obliged to part with her, though
file retained his afteclion, and was again pregnant, to marry
Auguftus^s daughter Julia. But this he did with extreme
reluctance ; for, hefides having the warmeft attachment
to Agrippina, he was difgufted with the behaviour of
Julia, who had made indecent advances to him during
the life-time of her former hufband ; and that fhe was a
woman of fuch a character, was the general opinion of
her. After the divorce of Agrippina he felt the deepeli
regret ; and upon meeting her afterwards, he looked af-
ter her with eyes fo palfionately expreflive of afFeClion,-
that care was taken fhe fhould never come more in his
light. At firft, however, he lived quietly and happily
with Julia : but a rupture foon enfued 5 which became fo
violent, that, after the lofs of their fon, who was born at
Aqiiilela, and died an infant, he never would deep with
her more. He loft his brother Drufus in Germany, and
brought his body to Rome, travelling all the way on foot
before it.
VIIL In his firft eftays in the offices of civil life, he
pleaded the feveral caufcs of king Archelaus,^ the Tral-
lians, and ThelTallans, before Auguftus, who fat as
judge at the trial of them. He interceded with the Se-
nate in behalf of the Laodiceans, the Thyatircans, and-
Chians, who had faifered greatly by an earthquake, and
folicited relief of the Romans. He profecuteJ Fannius
Caepio, who had been engaged in a confpiracy with-
Yarro
TIBERIUS KERO CJESAR. £55
Varro Mursena againft Auguftus, and procured fentence
of condemnation againft him. During thefc tranfacfions,
he had a double charge upon his hands, that of fuppiying
the city with corn, which was then very fcarce, and
that of purging the work-houfes throughout Italy ; the
mafters of which were fallen under an odious fufpicioa
of feizing and keeping confined, not only travellers, but
thofe whom the fear of being obliged to ferve in the
wars, had driven to feek refuge in fuch places.
IX. He made his firft campaign in the war of Can-
tabria, in quality of a Tribune. Afterwards he led an
army into the Eaft, where he reftored the kingdom of
Armenia to Tigranes ; and being feated upon a tribunal,
put a crown upon his head. He' likewifc received from
the Parthians the ftandards which they had taken from
Craftus. He next governed, for near a year, die pro-
vince of Gallia Comata, which w^as then in great dif-
order, on account of the incurfions of the barbarians,
and the feuds of the grandees. He afterwards commanded
in the feveral wars againft the Rhretians,' Vindelicians,
Pannonians, and Germans. In the Rhaetian and Viiide-
lician wars, ‘he fubdued the nations in the Alps ; and in
the Pannonian, the Bruci and the Dalmatians. In the
German war, he tranfplanted into Gaul forty thou-
fand of the enemy that had fulimitted, and aftigned them
lands near the banks of the Rhine, For thefe acftions,
he entered the city in ovation, but mounted on a cha-
riot, and is faid by fome to have been the firft that ever
vvas honored with this 'diftindiion. He entered very
young upon the public offices of ftate ; and ran through
the Quaeftorfiiip, Prastorfhip, and Confulate aimoft fuc-
ceffively- After fome interval, he was chofen Coaftil a
fecond
the life of
fecond time, and held the Tribunitlaii authority during
five years,
X. In the niidd of all his profperity, in the prime of
his years, and a good flate of health, he all on a fudden
formed a refolution to withdraw to a great diflance from
Rome. It is uncertain whether this was owing to any
confideration of his wife, whom he neither durfl com-
plain of, nor divorce, and with whom the connexion be-
came every day more intolerable ; or to prevent that in-
difference towards him, which his conflant rehdence in
the city might in time produce ; or to the hope of fup-
porting and improving by abfence his authority in the
flare, if the public fliould have occafion for his fervice.
Some are of «opinion, that becaufe Auguflus^s fons were
now grown up to years of maturity, he voluntarily re-
iinquifhed the poffeffion he had long enjoyed of the fecond
poll in the government', as Agrippa had done before
him ; who, when M. Marcellus was advanced to public
oinces, retired to Mitylene, that lie might not feem to
Hand in the way of his promotion, or in any refpeifi
jeffen him by his prefence. The fame reafon likewife
Tiberius gave afterwards for his retirement ; but his pre-
text at this time was, that he was fatiated with honors,
and defirous of being relieved from the fatigue of bufi-
finefs ; requefting therefore that he might have leave to
withdraw. And neither the earneft entreaties of his mo-
ther, nor the complaints of his father-in-law in the Se-
nate, that he was deferted by him, could prevail upon
him to alter his refolution. Upon their perhfiing in the
defign of detaining him, he refufed to take any fufte-
nance for four days together. At lad, having obtained
permiffion, he quitted the city with his wife and fon, and
went
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR. 257
^veiit immediately for Oflia, without fpeaking a word to
any perfoii that waited upon him thither j and faluted but
Very few at parting.
XL From Oftia coafting along Campania, upon ad-
vice of Auguftus’s being taken ill, he flopped a little ; but
this circumflance giving rife to a rumor that he flaid wdth
a view to fomething extraordinary, he refumed his voy-
age, and with the wind almofl full againfl him arrived
at Rhodes ; having been much taken with the pleafant-
nefs and wholfonienefs of the ifland, from the time of his
landing there in his return from Armenia. Here con-
tenting himfelf with a moderate houfe, and a eoimtry-feat
not much larger, near the town, he led entirely a private
life ; taking his walks fometimes about the Gymnafia
without any fervant to attend him, and returning the
civilities of the Greeks with almofl as much complaifance
as if he had been upon a level with them. Gne morn-'
ing in fettling the rout of his diurnal excurfion, he hap-
pened to fay, that he fhould vifit all the fick people in
town. This being not rightly underilood by thofe about
him, the fick people w^ere brought into a public portico,
and ranged in order, according to their feveral diftem^
pers. Being extremely embarraffed by this unexpedled
occurrence, he was for fome time irrefolute how he
fliould acl ; but at laft he determined to go round them
all, and made an apology for the iniftake even to the
meanell amongfl them, and fuch as were entirely unknown
to him. One inflance only is mentioned, in which he
appeared to exercife his Tribunitian authority. Being a
* The Gynthajla were places of exercife, and received
their denomination from a Greek word fignifying naked j
becaufe the contending parties wore nothing but drawers.
S ‘conflant
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^38
conftant attendant upon the fchools and auditories of die
profefTors of the liberal arts, upon occafion of a quarrel
amongft the counter-fophifters, in which he interpofed to
reconcile them, fome perfon took the liberty to abufe
him as partial in the affair. Upon this, withdrawing
privately home, he fuddenly returned with his officers at*
tending him, fummoned before him, by a public crier, the
perfon who was the objedf of his rcfentment, and order-
ed him to be carried to prifon. Afterwards he received
advice that his wife Julia had been condemned for her
iewdnefs and adultery, and that a bill of divorce had been
fent to her in his name, by the authority of Auguftus.
Though he fecretly rejoiced at this intelligence, he
thought it incumbent upon him, in point of decency, to
interpofe in her behalf by frequent letters to Auguftus,
and to allow her to retain the prefenls which he had made
her, notwithftanding the little regard Ihe merited of
him. When the time of Tribunitian authority expired,
declaring at laft that he had no other objedl in his retire-
ment than to avoid all fufpiclon of rivalfhip with Cains
and Lucius, he petitioned, that, fince he was now fecure
in that refped, as they were come to the age of man-
hood, and would eafily maintain theinfelves in the pof-
feffion of the fecond polls of government, he might be
permitted to vifit his friends, whom he was very defirous
of feeing. But his requeft was denied ; and he was ad-
- vifed^to lay afide all concern for his relations, whom
. he had left with fuch eagerncfs for feparation,
XIL He therefore continued at Rhodes much againfl:
his will, obtaining with difficulty, by his mother, the
title of Auguftus’s lieutenant, to conceal his dlfgrace.
He thenceforth lived however not only as a private per-
fon, but in danger and perplexity, retiring up into the
country.
TiSERIUS NERO CiESAR. 259
tountry, and avoiding the vifits of thofe v/ho failed that
way, which were very frequent ; for no one paffed for
the command of an army, or government of a province
in thofe parts, without putting in at Rhodes. But there
were other reafons which gave him yet greater difturh-
ance. For paffing over into Samos, upon a vifit to hiS
ftep-fon Caius, who had been made a governor in the
Eaft, he found him prepoflTefTed againft him^ by the in-*
finuations of M. Lollius^ his companion and diredfor»
He likewife fell under a fufpicion of fending by fome
captains who had been promoted by himfelf, upon their
return to the camp after a furlough, dark kinds of mef-
fages to feveral perfons there, as if intended to found
them how they were dlfpofed to revolt. This jealoufy
refpedling his defigns being intimated to him by Auguf-
tus, he begged repeatedly that fome perfon of any of the
three Orders might be placed as a fpy upon him in every
thing he either faid or did.
XIIT. He laid afide likewife his uftial exefcifes of rid-
ing and arms ; and quitting the Roman habit, made ufe
of the Pallium and Crepida In this condition he con-
tinued almofl two years, becoming daily more contempt-
ible and odious ; infomuch that the Nemaufenfians pull-
ed down all the images and flatues of him in their town.
Upon mention being made of him at Caius’s table, one
of the company faid to that governor, “ I will go over
to Rhodes immediately, if you dehre me, and bring you
the head of the exile for that was the appellation now
given him. Thus alarmed not only by apprehenfions,
but real danger, he renewed his felicitations for leave to
return ; and feconded by the moft urgent fupplications of
* A low ilioe, or flipped
S 7r
his
THE LIFE OF
260
his mother, he at laft obtained his requefl ; to -which a a
accident fomewhat contributed. Auguftus had refolved
to determine nothing in the affair, but with the confent
of his eldcil: fon. The latter was at that time out of hu-
mor with M. Lollius, and therefore eafily engaged to a
compliance in favor of his father-in-law. Caius thus
acquiefeing in the meafure^ he was recalled, but upon
condition, tliat he fliould take no concern whatever in
the adminiftration of affairs^
XIV. He returned to Rome after an abfence of near
-eight years, with great and confident hopes of his future
elevation, which from his youth he had entertained from
various prodigies and predictions. For Livia, wdien
pregnant with him, being anxious to difeover, by differ-
ent ways of divination, whether her offspring would be
a fon j amongfl the reft took an egg from a hen that was
litting, and kept it warm with her own hands, and her
maids^ by turns, until a fine cock-chicken with a large
comb was hatched. Scribonius the aftrologer predicted
great things of him when he was but a child. “ He
will come,” faid the prophet, “ in time to be a king too,
but without the ufual badge of royal dignity the dig-
nity of the Caefars being as yet unknown to the world.
As he was going upon his firft expedition, and leading
his arjny through Macedonia for Syria, the altars which
had been confecrated at Philippi by the victorious legions
blazed out of themfelves all on a fudden with fire. Soon
after, as he was marching to Illyricum, he called to
confult the oracle of Geryon at Patavium ; and having
drawn a lot by which he was defired to throw golden
tali into the fountain of Aponus, for an anfwer to his
enquiries, he did fo, and the higheft numbers came up.
And thofe very tali are ftill to be feen at the bottom of
the
TIBERIUS NERO CiE:SAR.
261
the fountain. A few days before his leaving Rhodes,
an eagle, a bird never before feen in that ifland, fat all
day long upon the top of his houfe. And the-day before
he received advice of the permiffion granted him to re-
turn, as he was changing his cloaths, his tunic appeared:
to be all on fire. He then likewife had a remarkable
proof of the (kill of Thrafyllus the aftrologer, whom, for
his proficiency in philofophical refearches, he had taken
into his family. For upon fight of the fliip that brought
the advice, he faid, good news was coming : whereas
every thing going wrong before, and quite contrary to
expectation, Tiberius had intended that very moment to
throw him into the fea, as an impoflor, and one to whom
he had too haflily entruhed his fecrets,
XV, Upon his return to Rome, having introduced his
fon Drufus into the Forum, he immediately removed
from Pompey’s houfe in the Garinaa, to the gardens" of
Mecsenas in the EfquilijE, and refigned himfelf entire-
ly to his eafe, performing only the common offices
of civility in private life, without any preferment in
the government. But Caius and Lucius being both
carried off in the fpace of three years, he was adopt-
ed by Auguftus with their brother Agrippa ; being
obliged in the firft place to adopt Germanicus, his bro-?
ther’s fon. After this, he never more adled as mafter of
a family, nor exercifed in the fmalleft degree the rights
which he had loft by adoption. For he neither difpofed
of any thing in the way of gift, nor manumifed a flave ;
nor fo much as received any eftate left him by will, nor
any legacy without reckoning it as a part of his pecu-
lium or property held under his father. From that day
forward, nothing was omitted tliat might contribute to
the advancement of his grandeur, and much more, whenj
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Tuppii the difcarding and bariiihing of Agrippa, it was
evident that the hope of fuqeflion refted upon him alone,
XVI. The Tribunitian authority was again conferred
upon him for five years, and a commiffion given him to
fettle the jflate of Germany, The ambafTadors of the
Parthians, after having had an audience of Auguflus, were
ordered to apply to him likewife in his province. But
upon advice of an infurreftion in Illyricum, he went
over to fuperintend the management of that new war,
which proved the moft dangerous pf all the foreign wars,
fince the Carthaginian, This he conducted during three
years, with fifteen legions and an equal number of auxi-
liary forces, under great difficulties, and an extreme fcar-
city of corn. And though he was feveral times defired
to come home, he neverthejefs perhfted ; fearing left an
enemy fo powerful, and likewife fo near, fhould fall
upon them \n their retreat. This refolutipn was attend-
ed with good fuccefs ; for he at laft reduced to complete
fubje6lion all Tllyricurn, lying betwixt Italy and the
kingdom of Noricum, Thrace, Macedonia, the rivei^
Panube, and the Adriatic gulf,
XVII. The glory he acquired by thefe tranfa61:ions
received an encreafe from the conjundlure in which they
happened. For almoft about that very time Quintilius
Varus was cut off with three legions in Germany ; and
it was generally believed that the vidlorious Germans
would have joined the Pannonians, had not the war of
Illyricum been previoufly concluded. A triumph there-
fore, exclufive of many other great honors, was decreed
him. Some propofed that he fhould have the appella-
tion of “ Pannonicus,” others that of Invincible,” and
others, pf Dutiful,” But with refpedl to any of thefe
appella-
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR* 263
%
appellations Auguftus interpofed, as unneceflary ; engag-
ing for him that he would be fatisfied with what he
fhould leave him at his death. He poflponed his tri-
umph, becaufe the hate was at that time under great
afflidlion for the difafter of Varus and his army. Ne-
verthelefs, he entered the city in a triumphal robe, with
a crown of laurel on his head, and mounted a tribunal in
the Septa, whilft the Senate gave their attendance hand-
ing, and fat with Auguhus betwixt the two Confuls ;
whence, after he had paid his refpecSls to the people, he
, was attended by them on a vifit to the feveral temples.
XVJII. Next year he went again to Germany, where
finding that the defeat of Varus had happened through
the rafhnefs and negligence of the commander, he thought
proper to be guided in every thing by the advice of a
council of war : whereas at other times, he ufed to fol-
low the di dilates of his own judgment, and confidered
himfelf alone as fufficiently qualified for the diredfion of
affairs. He likewife took more care than ufual. Being
to pafs the Rhine, and having given particular orders
about provifions for the army, he would not fuffer the
waggons to go over, until he had fearched them at the
water-fide, to fee that they carried notliing but what was
permitted or neceffary. Beyond the Rhine, fuch was
his way of living, that he would eat fitting on the bare
ground ; often lie all night without a tent ; and his regu-
lar daily orders, as well as thofe upon fudden emergen-
cies, he gave all in writing, with this injundlion, that
in cafe of any doubt as to the meaning of them, they
fhould apply to him for fatisfadfion, even at any hour of
the night.
XIX, He maintained the flriddefl: difcipline amongft
• S 4 the
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2.64
the troops ; reviving many old cuftonis relative to the
punifhing and difgracing of offenders ; fetting a mark of
infamy even upon a lieutenant-general, for fending a
few foldiers with a freedman of his beyond the river a
hunting. Though it was his defire to leave as little as
poffible in the power of fortune or accident, yet he al-
ways felt a ftronger impuife to engage the enemy, as of-
ten as upon his reading by^ night, his lamp fell and went
out of itfelf, confiding, as he faid, in an omen which
had been fully evinced by himfelf and his ancefiors in
the command of armies. But after all his fuccefs in
the war, he was very near being affafiinated by a Bruc-
terian, who mixing with thofe about him, and being dif-
covered by his trepidation, was put to the torture, and
confeffed that he had entertained a defign upon his life,
XX. After two years he returned from Germany to
town again, and celebrated the triumph which he had
deferred, attended by his lieutenant-generals, for whom
he had procured the honor of triumphal ornaments. Be-
fore he turned up to the Capitol, he alighted from his
chariot, and threw himfelf at his father’s feet, who fat
by to fuperintend the folemnity. Bato the Pannonian
general he fent loaded with rich prefents to Ravenna, in
gi'atitude for his having fuffered him and his army to
march off, from a place where he had fo enclofed them
that they were entirely at his mercy. He afterwards
gave the people a dinner at a thoufand tables, befides
thirty fefterces to each man. He llkewife dedicated the
temple of Concord ; as alfo that of Caftor and Pollux,
which had been eredled out of the fpoils of the war,
jiis own and his brother’s name,
iXXI. A law being not long after preferred and pa fled
TIBERltrs KERO CJESAR. 265
hy fhe Confuls for his being joined with Angnftus In the
adminiftratsoii of the provinces, and likewife to take the
Cenfus with him, upon the conclufion of that affair,
he went into Illyricum. But being hahily recalled,
•whilft he was yet upon his journey, he found Auguftus
alive indeed, but pafl all hopes of recovery, and was
with him in private a whole day. I know, it is gene-
rally believed, that upon Tiberius^s quitting the rooin>
after their private conference, thofe who were in wait-
ing over-heard Auguflus fay, “ Ah! unhappy Roman
people, that are like to be in the jaws of fuch ^ flovy-
grinding beaft.” Nor am I ignorant of its being report-
ed by fome, that Auguftus fo openly and undifguifedly
.condemned the fournefs of his temper, that fometitnes
upon his coming in, he would break pfF any jocular coh-
verfation in which he was engaged ; and that he was
jonly prevailed upon by the importunity of his wife to
adopt him ; or adluated with an ambitious view of re-
commending his own memory from a comparifon with
fuch a fucceffor. Yet I muft be of opinion, that a prince
fo extremely circumfpe6l and prudent as he was, efpe-
cially in an affair of fo great importance, did nothing
rafhly ; but that, upon weighing the vices and virtues of
Tiberius with each other, he judged the latter to prepon-
derate ; and this the rather, fmce he fwore publicly in an
affembly of the people, that “ he adopted him for the
public good.’’ Befides, in feveral of his letters, he ex-
. .tols him as a confummate general, and the foie fecuriiy
of the Roman people. Of fuch declarations I fubjoin the
following inftances ; “ Farewell, my dear Tiberius, and
may fuccefs attend you, whilft you command for me
and the Mufes. Farewell, my moft dear, and (let me
profper according to my fincerity) moft gallant man, and
accompliftied generah’* Again, “ The difpofitlon of
your
266
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your fummer-quarters ? In truth, my dear Tiberius, I
do not think, that amidft fo many difficulties, and with
an army fo little difpofed for adlion, any one could have
behaved more prudently than you have done. All thofe
likewlfe who were with you, acknowledge that verfe
applicable to you
Unus homo nobis vigilando reftituit rem,
• This man by vigilance reflor*d the ftate.
Whether,’’ fays he, any thing happens that requires^
more than ordinary conli deration, or I am out of humor
upon any occaflon, I ftill, by Hercules, long for my
dear Tiberius ; and thofe lines of Homer frequently oc-*
^ur to my thoughts
T»Ta 5“’ la-TTO/AEVOlO HM £K TTVpO^ at9ofJ(.£VOlO
vo(7%a'ai[Jt.£v, sttei Trspi oih voncnxi.
Bold from his prudence, I could ev’n afpire
To dare with him the burning rage of fire.
“ When I hear and read that you are much impaired
by the continued fatigues you undergo, let me die if it
don’t fet my whole body a trembling. And I beg you
to fpare yourfelf, left, if we fhould hear of your being
ill, the news prove fatal both to me and your mother,
and the Roman empire fhould be endangered. It matters
nothing whether I be well or no, if you be not well. I
pray heaven preferve you for us, and blefs you with
health both now and ever, if the Gods have any regard
for the Roman people.”
XXII. He did not make the death of Auguftus public,
until he had taken off young Agrippa. He was flain by
a Tribune who commanded the guard about him, upon
reading
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR. 267
reading a written order for that purpofe : which order, it
was then a doubt, whether Auguftus left behind him at his
death, to prevent any occafion of public diflurbance after
his dcceafe, or Livia had iffued it, and whether with the
knowledge of Tiberius or not. When the Ti ibune came
to inform him that he had executed his command, he
replied, ‘‘ I commanded you no fuch thing, and you
muft anfwer for it to the Senate avoiding, as it
feems, the odium of the a6l for that time. For the af-
fair was buried in filence.
XXIII. Having fummoned the Seriate to meet, by vir-
tue of his Trlbunitlan authority, and begun a fpeech to
them relative to the (late of public aifairs, he fetched a deep
(igh, as if unable to fupport himfelf under his alilldllon ;
wlhied that not only his voice but his breath too might
fail him, and gave his fpeech to his fon Drufus to read.
Augnftus’s will was then brought into the houfe, and
read by a freedman ; none of the witnelTes to it being ad-
mitted, but fuch as were of the Senatorlan Order, the red
owning their hand-writing without doors. The will
began thus : “ Since my ill fortune has deprived me of
niy two fons Cains and Lucius, let Tiberius Caefar be
heir to two thirds of my ehate.’’ Thefe words counte-
nanced the fufpicion of thofe who were of opinion, that
Tiberius was appointed fuccelTor more out of neceffity
than choice, lince Auguflus could not refrain from pre-
facing his will in that manner.
XXIY. Though he made no fcruple to alTume and
exercife immediately' the imperial authority, by giving
orders that he might be attended by the guards, which
were the fecurity and badge of the fupreme power ; yet he
affedfed, by a moil impudent piece of grimace, to refufe it
for
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for a long time ; one while fharply reprehending his
friends who entreated him to accept it, as little knowing
what a monfter the government was ; another while
keeping in fufpenfe the Senate, that requefled the fame
of him, and threw themfelves at his feet, by ambiguous
anfwers, and a crafty kind of difiimulation ; infomuch that
fome were out of patience, and one during the confu-
lion of the houfe upon this occafion cried out, “ Either
let him accept it, or decline it at once and a feoond told
him to his face, Others are flow to perform what they
promife, but you are flow to promife what you atSlually
perform/' At laft, as if perfe6tly foi ced to it, and com-
plaining of that miferable load of flavery that was laid
upon him, he accepted the government, but yet in fuch
a manner, as to give hopes of his refigning it fome time
or other. The words he ufed upon this occafion were
thefe : “ Until the time fhall come, when ye may thmk
it reafonable to give fome reft to my old age.’^
XXV. The caufe of his demurring fo much upon the
occafion, was his fear of the dangers w'hich threatened
him on all hands ; infomuch that he faid, “ I have got a
wolf by the ears.” For a flave of Agrippa’s, Clemens
by name, had drawn together a confiderable force to re-
venge his mafter^s death ; L. Scribonius Libo, a Sena-
tor of the firft diftin61;ion, was fecretly attempting a re-
bellion ; and the troops both in Illyricum and Germany
w^cre all in an uproar. Both armies infifted upon high
demands, particularly that their pay ftiould be made equal
to that of the guards at Rome. The army in Germany
abfolutely refufed to acknowledge a prince who was nols
of their own choofing ; and urged with all poftible im->
portunity Germanicus, who commanded them, to take
the government upon him, though he obftiaately refilled
it,
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR. 269
It, It was Tiberius^s apprehenfion from this quarter,
that made him beg of the Senate to afflgn him fome part
only in the adminiftration, fuch as they Ihouid judge
proper, fince no man could be fufficient for the whole,
without one or more to affift him. He pretended like*
wife to be in a bad ftate of health, tliat Germanicus
might the more patiently wait in hopes of fpeedily fuc-
ceeding him, or at leaft of being taken into a lhare of
the adminiftration. When the mutinies in the armies
were fupp refled, he got by ftratagem Clemens into his
hands. That he might not begin his reign by an adi of
feverity, he did not call Libo to an account before the
Senate until his fecond year, being content, in the mean
time, with taking proper precautions for his own fccurity.
For upon Libo’s attending a facrifice amongft the high-
priefts, inftead of the ufual knife, he ordered one of
lead to be given him ; and when he deftred a private con-
ference with him, he would not grant his requeft, but
upon the condition that his fon Drufus fliould be prefent;
and as they walked together, he held him faft by the
right hand, under the pretence of leaning upon him, un-
til the converfation was over.
XXVI. When he was delivered from his apprehen-
fions, his behaviour at ftrft was unafluming, not much
above the level of a private perfon ; and of the many
and great honors offered him, he accepted but few, and
fuch as were very moderate. His birth-day, which
happened to fall in the time of the Plebeian Circenfian
games, he with difficulty fuffered to be honored by the
addition of a Angle chariot, drawn with only two horfes.
He forbid temples, Flamens, or priefts to be appointed tor
him, as like wife the eredfion of any ftatues or effigies for
him, without his permiflion; and this he granted only
upon
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t'jO
upon condition tliat they fhould not be placed amongH:
the images of the Gods, but only amongft the ornaments
of houfes. He alfo interpofedto prevent the Senate frdni
fwearing to maintain his acls ; and that the month of
September iliould not be called Tiberius, nor 06lober,
\Livy. The piai-nomen likewife of Imperator, with the
cognomen of Father of his country, and a civic crown
to hang conftantly at the entrance of his houfe, he would
not accept of. He never ufed the nai^e of Auguftus,
though hereditary to him, in any of his letters, except-
ing thofe to kings and princes. Nor had he more than
three Confullhips, one for a few days, another for three
months, and a third, during his abfence from the city,
until the Ides of May.
XXVII. He had fuch an averfion to flattery, that he
would never fuffer any Senator to approach his chair, as
he pafTed the flreets in it, either to pay him a civility, or
upon bufinefs. And when a man of Confular rank, in
begging his pardon for fome offence he had given hiih,
made a motion to fall at his knees, he darted from him
in fuch a hurry, that he fell flat upon his back. If any
compliment was paid him, either in converfation or a fet
fpeech, he would not fcruple to interrupt and reprimand
the party, and alter what he faid. Being once called
“ Lord,” by fome perfon, he defired that he might no
more be affronted in that manner. When another, to
excite veneration, called his occupations “ facred,” and
a third had exprefled himfelf thus : “ By your authority
I have waited upon the Senate,” he obliged them to alter
fheir words ; one of them to ufe, inftead of “ authority,’’*
perfuajion, and the other, for facred,” laborious.-
XXVIII. He remained unmoved at all the afperflonsy
fcandalous^
. TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
fcandalous reports, and lampoons, which were fpread
againft him or his relations ; and would now and then fay,
“ In a free ftate, both the tongue and mind otight to be
free.” Upon the Senate’s defiring that fome notice might
be taken of thofe offences, and the perfons charged with
them, he replied, “We have not fo much time upon our
hands, that we ought to engage in more bufinefs. If ye
once make an opening for things of this nature, ye will
foon have nothing elfe to do. All private quarrels will
be brought before you under that pretence.” The fol-
lowing is another fentence ufed by him in the Senate, and
far from affuming : “ If he fpeaks otherwife of me, I
fhall take care to behave in fuch a manner, as to be able
to give a good account both of my words and a6lions ;
and if he goes on, I fhall hate him in my turn.”
XXIX. Thefe things were fo much the more remark-
able in him, becaufe, in the refpedf he paid to individuals,
or the whole body of the Senate, he went beyond all
bounds. Upon his differing with Haterius in the
houfe, “ Pardon me, fir,” faid he, “ I befeech you, if
I fhall as a Senator fpeak my mind very freely in oppofi-
tion to you.” Afterwards, addrefling the whole houfe,
he expreffed himfelf thus : “ Confcript Fathers, I have
often faid it both now and at other times, that a good
prince who has a regard to the welfare of the people,
whom ye have invefted with fo great and abfolute a
power, ought to be a flave to the Senate, to the whole
body of the people, and often to individuals likewife : nor
am 1 forry that I have faid it. I have alw^ays found you
good, kind, and favorable mafters, and ftill find you fo.”
XXX. He likewife introduced an appearance of liber-
ty» by preferving to the Senate and magiflrates their
8 - former
272 tHE LIFE Of -
former majelly and power. All affairs, whether cf great
or fmall conffderation, public or private, were laid be-
fore the Senate 5 as the taxes, monopolies, the bulinefs of
raifing or repairing buildings, the levying and diibanding
of foldiers, the difpofal of the legions and auxiliary
forces in the provinces, the appointment of generals for
the management of extraordimary wars, and the aiifwer^
ing of letters from foreign princes, were all fubmitted to
the Senate. He never entered the houfe but alone ; and
being once brought thither in a chair, becaufe he was
iiidifpofed, he difmiffed his attendants at the door.
'XXXT. When fome things were decreed agalnfl his ad-
vice, he did not fo much as complain of it. And though he
gave it as his opinion that no magiftrates after their elec-
tion ffiould be fuffered to abfent themfelves from the city,
but refide in it conftantly, to enjoy the honor they had ob-
tained, a Praetor ele61: procured liberty to leave the town,
under the honorary title of a free lieutenant. Again, when
he prepofed to the houfe, that the 7h'ebians might have
leave granted them to employ fome money which had
been left them by will, for the building of a new theatre,
towards the making of a caufeway, he could not prevail
to have the intention of the teflator fet afide. And when,
.upon a divifion of the houfe, he went over to the mino-
rity, no body follow'ed him. Alh other things of a pub-
lic nature were likewife tranfadled by the magiftrates, and '
in the ufual forms ; 'the authority of the Confuls remain-
ing fo great, that fome ambafiadors from Africa waited
upon them with a complaint, that they could not have
theii bufinefs difpatched by Caefar, to whom they had
been fent. ' And no wonder ; fince it was obferved that
he ufed to rife up to them, and give the way.
XXXir. He
TIBERIUS i^ERO CiESAR.
273
XXXII. He reprimanded forne perfons of Confulat
J-ank at the head of the feveral armies, for not writing to
the Senate an account of their tranfadions^ and for con-,
fulling him about the diftribution of fome military pre-
fents ; as if they themfelves had not a right to bellow
them as they judged proper. Ke commended a Prastor,
whoj upon entering on his office^ tevived an old cuftoni
of celebrating the memory of his anceftors, in a fpeech
to the people* He attended the corpfes of fome perfons of
diflindion to. the funeral pile. He difcovered the fame
moderate condud with regard to perfons and things of
inferior confideration. He fent for the magiftratcs of
Rhodes, who had difpatched to him a public lej;ter<
which was not as ufual fubfcribed ; and without giving
them fo much as one harfh word, he defired them to
fubfcribe’ it, and difmilTed them. Diogenes, the gram-
marian, who ufed to read ledures at Rhodes every Satur-
day, had once refufed him admittance upon his coming
to hear him out of c'ourfe, and ordered him by a fervant
to come again feven days after. This fame perfon com-
ing to Rome, and waiting at his door, for admiffion to
pay his refpeds to him, he fent him word to come again
at the end of feven years; To fome governors of pro-
vinces, wdio advifed him to load them wdth taxes, he
anfwered, It is the part of a good jQiepherd to Iliear,
not to ilea his fheep.’*
XXXIIL By degrees he afTumed the exercife of the
fovereignty, but for a long time v^ith great variety of
condud., though generally with a due regard to the pub-
lic good. At firft he only^ interpofed to prevent ill
management. Accordingly he reminded fome decrees of
the Senate ; and when the magiftratcs fat for the adminif-
tration of juftic he' w’ould offer his fervice as an
T affeftbr^
THE LIFE OF
2-74
afTeiTor, and fit amongft them, or in the oppofite part of
the court, fronting ihein. If a rumor prevailed, that any
perfon under profecution was likely by his intereft to be
acquitted, he would fuddenly make his appearance in
court, and from the ground-benches, or the Prsetor’s feat,
would remind the judges of the laws, their oath, and the
nature of the charge brought before them. He likewife
took upon him the corredlion of the public manners,
where any abufe had been countenanced, either by negr
le61:- of duty in the magiflrates, or the prevalency of
cuftom.
XXXIV. He reduced the expence of public fports and
diverhons for the entertainment of the people ; by dimi-
nifhing the allowance to flage-players for their fervice,
and abridging the number of gladiators upon thofe occa-
fions. He made grievous complaint to the Senate, that
the price of Corinthian vefiels was rifen to a prodigious
height, and that three barbels had been fold for thirty
thoufand feherces ; upon which he moved in the houfe,
that a new fumptuary law Ihould be enabled : that the
fhambles fhould be fubjedled to fuch regulations, as to
the Senate fhould appear proper ; and the ^diles com-
iniflioned to refirain taverns and vi6Iualling-houfes, fo
far as. not to permit even the fale of bifcuit, or cakes of
any kind. And to encourage frugality in the public by
his own example, he would often, at his entertainments
upon folemn occafions, have at his table vi6Iuals which
had been ferved up the day before, and were half-eaten,
and the half of a boar, .declaring, “ It has all the fame
good bits that the whole had.” He forbid by proclama-
tion the daily ufe of the kifs, in the way of civility ; as
likewife the pradlice of prefenting new-year’s-gifts after
the firfl of January, He had been ufed to make a return
of
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR. 275
of four times as much as he received in that way, and
with his own hand ; but being offended at the continual
difturbance which was given him during the whole
month, by thofe who had hot the opportunity of attend-
ing him upon the feftival, he returned none after that day.
XXXV. Married women guilty of adultery, and
whom none appeared to profecute, he authorifed the
nearefl; relations to punilh by concert amongft themfelves,
according to ancient cuftom. He difcharged a Roman
knight from the obligation of an oath he had taken, never
to turn away his wife ; and allowed him to divorce her,
upon her being caught in criminal intercourfe with her
fon-in-law. Scandalous women, diverting themfelves of
the rights and dignity of matrons, had now begun a
pradlice of profeffing themfelves prortitutes, to avoid
the punifliment of the laws ; and the mort profligate
young men of the Senatorian and Equertrian Orders, to
fecure themfelves againrt a decree of the Senate, which
prohibited their acting upon the ftage, or fighting as
gladiators in the theatre, voluntarily fubjedfed themfelves
to an infamous fentence, by w^hich they were degraded.
All thofe he banifhed, that none for the future might
evade by fuch artifices the intention and efficacy of the
law. He took from a Senator the laticlavian tunic, upon
information of his having before the Calends of July re-
moved into his gardens, that he might afterwards hire
a ho life cheaper in the city. He likewife difmifled
another from the office of Qusrtor, for divorcing, the
day after his province had been affigned him by lot, a
wife whom he had married only the day before.
XXXVI. He fupprefled all foreign religions, the
Egyptian and Jewiffi rites of worrtiip, obliging all fuch
T 2 as
/
51/6 THE LIFE
as followed that kind of fuperllition, to bum their holy
vellmentS, and every inftrument of religious ceremony-
The young men amongft the Jews he difpofed of, under
the pretence of their ferving in the wars, in provinces of
an unhealthful air ; and banifhed from the city all the reft
of that nation, or profelytes to that religion, under a pe-
nalty of being condemned to flavery for life, if they did
not comply with his orders. He banifhed the aftrolo-
gers ; but upon their begging pardon, and promifing to
renounce their profelTion, he revoked liis decree,
XXXVII. But above all things he was careful to
fecure the public quiet againft the attempts of houfe-
breakers, robbers, and fuch as were difafFe61:ed to the
government. For this purpofe he polled in the different
quarters of Italy more guards of foldiers than had been
nfual ; and formed a camp at Rome for the Praetorian
battalions, wdio till then had lived difperfed in the city.
He fuppre fled, with great feverlty all tumults of the peo-
ple at 'their commencement ; and took every precaution
to prevent them. Some perfons having been killed in a
quarrel which happened in the theatre, be banifhed the
leaders of the parties, and the players, upon whofe ac-
count the dlflurbance had arlfen. Nor could all the en-
treaties of the people afterwards prevail upon him to re-
call them. The commonalty of Pollentia having refufed
to permit the removal of the corpfe of a Centurion of the
firft rank from the Forum, until they had extorted from
his heirs a fum of money fora public fhow of gladiators,
he fent upon them a battalion from the city, and another
from the kingdom of Cotius ; who concealing the occa-
fion of their march, entered the town by different gates,
with their arms all on a fudden uncovered, and trumpets
founding; by whom the greateft part of the common
people^
TIBERIFS NERO C/NSAR. 'LJ’J
people, and tnembers of the council of ftate, being feized,
he imprifoned them for life. He abolirtied every where’
the privileges of all places of refuge. The Cyzicenlans,
for an outrage committed upon fome Romans, he de-
prived of the liberty they had obtained for their good
fervices in the Mithridatic war. Difturbances from
foreign enemies he quelled by his lieutenants, without
ever going againfi: them in pcrfon. Nor would he even
employ his lieutenants, but with much reludlance, and
when an interpofition was neceffary. Princes who were
ill alFedled towards him, he kept in fubje^lion, more by
menaces and complaints, than by the force of arms.
And fome that he induced to come to him by fair words
and promifes, he never would permit to return home ; as
Maraboduus the German, Thrafcypolis the Thracian,
and Archelaus the Cappadocian, whofe kingdom he like-
wife reduced into the form of a province.
XXXVIII. He never fet foot out of the gates of Rome,
for two years together, from the time he affumed the
fupreme powder ; and after that period, went no farther
from the city than to fome of the neighbouring towns ;
his fartheft excurfion being to Antium, and that but
very feldom, and for a few days, though he often gave
out that he would vifit the provinces and armies, and"
made preparations for It almofl: every year, by taking up
carriages, and ordering provifions for his retinue in the
municipia and colonies. At laft he fuffered vows to be
put up for his good journey and fafe return, iiifomuch
that he was called jocofely by the name of Callipides,
who is famous in a Grecian proverb, for being in a
great hurry to go forward, but widiout ever advancing
a cubit,.
XXXIX. But
THE LIFE OF
278
XXXIX. But after the lofs of his two fons, of whom
Germanicus died in Syria, and Drufus at Rome, he with-
drew into Campania ; at which time, the opinion and re-
port likewife were almoft general, that he never would
return, and would die foon. Both the opinion and re-
port had like to have been true. For indeed he never
more came to Rome ; and a few days after, as he was
at a feat of his called the Cave, near Terracina, there
happened to fall a great many huge flones, which killed
feveral of the guefts and attendants: but he unexpe£l:edly
efcaped,
XL. After he had gone round Campania, and dedi-
cated a Capitol at Capua, and a temple to Auguftus at
Nola, which he made the pretext of his journey, he re-
tired to Caprese ; being greatly delighted with the ifland,
becaufe it was accelTible only by a fmall fliore, being in
all other parts furrounded with craggy rocks, of a flu-
pendous height, and a deep fea. But immediately the
people of Rome being extremely clamorous for his re^
turn, on account of a difafler at Fidena, where upwards
of twenty thoufand perfons, at a public diverlion of gladi-
ators, had been killed by the fall of the amphitheatre, he
pafled over again to the continent, and gave all people free
accefs to him ; fo much the more, becaufe, at his departure
from the city, he had by proclamation forbid any one to
difturb him, and declined all company upon the road,
XLI. Returning to the ifland, he fo far laid afide all
care of the government, that lie never filled up the de-
curiae of the knights, never changed any military Tri-
bunes nor commanders of horfe, nor governors of pro-
vinces, and kept Spain and Syria for feveral years with-
put any Confular lieutenants. He likewife fufiered Ar-
menia
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
■ 279
menia to be feized by the Parthiaiis, Mcjefia by the Daci-
ans and Sarmatians, and Gaul to be ravaged by the Ger-
mans, to the .great difgrace, and no lefs danger of the
empire.
XLII. But having now the advantage of privacy, and
being remote from the obfervation of the people of Rome,
he abandoned himfelf to all the vicious propenfLties, which '
he had long but imperfe6tly concealed ; and of which I
fliall here give a particular account from the beginning.
While a young foldler in the camp, he w’as fo remarkable
for his exceffive inclination to wine, that, for Tiberius^
they called him Biberius \ for Claudius^ Caldius \ and for
NerOy Mcro. And after he came to the empire, and had
upon him the charge of reforming die public manners, he
fpent a whole night and two days together in feafting and
drinking with Pomponius Flaccus, and L. Pifo, to one
of w’hom he immediately gave the province of Syria, and
to the other the Prsefedture of the city ; declaring them,
in his patents, to be “ very pleafant companions, and al-
ways agreeable/’ He made an appointment to fup^with
Seftius Gallus, a lewd prodigal old fellow, who had been
difgraced by Auguftus, and reprimanded by himfelf but a
few days before in the Senate -houfej upon condition that
he thould not recede in the leaft from his ufual method of
entertainment, and that they fliould be attended at table
by naked girls. He preferred a very obfeure candidate
for the Qu^florfliip, before the mold noble competitors,
only for taking off, in pledging him at table, an amphora
of wine at a draught He prefented Afellius Sabinus
with
^That any man could drink an Amphora of wine at a
draughtj is beyond all credibility ; for the Amphora was near^
T 4 y
THE LIFE OP
a8o
with two hundred thoufand fefterces, for writing a dia^
logue, in the way of difpute, betwixt the mulhroom and
the hg-pecker, the oyfler and the thruih. He likewife
jnftituted a new office for the advancement of his plea^
fures, into which he put Titus Caefonius Prifcus, a Roman
knight.
' XLIII. In his recefs at Capreae, he contrived an apart-
ment for the practice of abominable lewdnefs ; where he
entertained companies of girls and catamites, and the devi-
fers of a monftrous kind of copulation, whom he called
Spintria^ that defiled one another in his prefence, to in-
flame by the fight the languid appetite. He had feveral
chambers fet round with pi61;ures and ftatues in the mofl;
lafcivious attitudes, and furniihed with the books of Ele-
phantis ; that none might want a pattern for the execution,
of any lewd projeil that was preferibed him. He like-
wife contrived in woods and groves. receffes for the like
Juffful gratifications ; where young perfons of both fexes
proftituted themfelves in caves and hollow rocks, in the.
dlfguife of Pans and Nymphs So that he was openly
and commonly called, in allufion to the name of the iflandj
C(iprineus,
XLIV. But he was dill more infamous, if poffible, for
an abomination not fit to be mentioned, or heard, much
ly equal to nine gallons, Englifli meafure. The probability
is, -that the man had emptied a large vefTel, which was fliaped
Jike an /Amphora.
* Pan, the God of the ffiepherds, and inventor of the flute,
w'as faid to be the fon of Mercury and Penelope. He w'as
worfliipped chiefly in Arcadia, and reprefented with horns and
goat’s feet. The Nymphs, as well as the Graces, wererepre-
feiited naked.
lefs
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
2S1
lefs credited, ^
^ # f
*
* ^
% ^
^ ^ »
* « ^1? .3ki ^ ^
* ' * # * When a ])i£Lure, executed
by the Iiand of Parrhafius, in which the artift had repre-
fented Atalanta as a6ling a moh; unnatural piece of obfc-
quioufnefs to Meleager, was left him for a legacy, wnth
this provifo, that if he did not like the pidure, he might
receive in lieu of it a million of fefterces, he not only
gave preference to the former, but hung it up in his
bed-chamber. He is reported, likewife, once at a facri-
fice, to have been fo captivated with the face of a youth
attending with a cenfer, that, before the fervice was well
over, he took him afide and abufed him ; as alfo a bro-
ther of his that played at the facrifice upon the flute ; and
foon after broke the legs of both of them, for upbraiding
one another with their fliame.
XLV. How much he was guilty of abufing, in a mofl:
unnatural way, women, and thofe too of the firft quality,
appeared very plainly by the death of one Mallonia, wdiom,
being brought to his bed, but refolutely refufing to comply
with his luft, he delivered up to the common pra6litioners
in the buflnefs of information. When fhe w’as upon her
trial, he frequently called out to her, and afkedher, “ Do
you repent?’* until flie, quitting the court, went home,
and ftabbed herfelf ; openly upbraiding the vile old lecher
for his abominable pradfice. Hence an allufion to him in
a farce, which was adled at the next public fports, was re-
ceived with great applaufe, and became a common topic
of ridicule. .
XLVL He was of fo niggardly and tenacious a tem-
per,
THE LIFE OF
282
per, that he never allowed to thofe who attended him. m
his travels or expeditions, any wages, but their diet only.
He gave them once indeed, and but once, an inilance of
generofity, at the inftigation of his ftep-fatber ; when di-
viding them into three diflindl ciaffes, according to their
equality, he gave the iirft fix, the fecond four, and; the
third two hundred thoufand fefterces, w'hich lafi; clafs he
called by the name, not of friends, but Greeks.
XLVII. During the whole time of his government, he
never eredled any noble edifice; for what alone of that
kind he did undertake, as the temple of Augufius, and the
rebuilding of Pompey’s Theatre, 1^ left at lafi;, after many
years, unfinifiied. Nor did he ever entertain the people
with public fports and diverfions ; and was feidom prefent
at thofe which were given by others, left any thing of
that kind ftiould be requefted of him ; efpecially after he
was obliged to manumife the comedian Adlius. Having
relieved the poverty of a few Senators, that he might not
do the fame for many more of them, he declared, he
fhould for the future' relieve none, but fuch as gave the-
houfe full fatisfadlion with regard to the caufe of their ne-
ceffity. Upon this, moft of the needy Senators, from
modefty and fiiame, declined 'troubling him. Amongft
thefe was Hortalus, grandfon to the celebrated orator
Hortenfius, who, at the perfuafion of Auguftus, • had
lirought up four children upon a very fmall eftate.
XLVni. He difplayed only two inflances of his pub-
lic bounty. One was an offer to lend gratis for three
years a hundred millions of fefterces to fuch as wanted to
borrow ; and the other, when fome large houfes being burnt
down upon mount Coelius, he indemnified the owners. To
the former of thefe he was obliged by the clamors of the
TIBERIUS NERO C^SiSAR.
283
people, in a great fcarcity of money ; when an a£t of
the Senate, paffed upon a motion of his, to oblige ail ufu-
rers to lay out two thirds of their money in land, and the
debtors to pay in the like proportion of their debts, w^as
found infufficient to remedy the grievance. The other he
did to qualify in fome degree the feverity of his govern-
ment. The benefadlion to the fufferers by fire, he efti-
mated at fo high a rate, that he ordered mount Goelius to
be called for the future Augullus. To the foidiery, after
his doubling to them the legacy left by Auguftus, he
never gave any thing, except a thoufand denarii a man
to the guards, for not joining the party of Sejanus ; and
fome prefents to the legions in Syria, becaufe they alone
had not worfhipped the effigies of Sejanus amongft their
ftandards. He very feldom would difcharge the veteran
foldiers, in hopes of faving, by their dying in the fervice
(which from their age there was a profpedl of hap-
pening foon), the prasmiums which would have been due
upon their difcharge. . Nor did he ever relieve the pro-
vinces by any add of generofity, excepting Afia, where
fome cities had been deflroyed by an earthquake.
XLIX. In a little time his difpofition broke forth into
open rapine. It is certain that Cn. Lentulus the Augur,
a man of vafl eflate, was fo terrified and teazed by his
threats and importunities, that he was obliged to leave
him his heir ; and that Lepida, a lady of a very noble fa-
mily, was condemned by him, to gratify Quirinus, a man
of Confular rank, extremely rich and childlefs, who had
divorced her twenty years before, and then charged her
with an old defign to poifon him. Several perfons, like-
wife, of the firfl diftindtion in Gaul, Spain, Syria, and
Greece, had their eflates confifeated upon fuch defpicably
trifling and lhamelefs pretences, that againft fome of them
no
THE LIFE OF
- 284
no other charge was preferred, than their having too great
a part of their eftates in money. Old immunities, the
right of digging mines, and exa6ling duties, were taken
from feveral cities and private perfons. And Vononcs,
king of the Parthians, who had been driven out of his do-
minions by his own fubjedls, and fled to Antioch with a
great deal of treafure, to put himfelf under the protedion
of the Roman people, was treacheroufly robbed of all his
money, and afterwards murdered.
L. He firfl difcovered a hatred towards his relations in
the cafe of his brother Drufus, by producing a letter in
which he (Drufus) made a propofal to him, to oblige
Augufliis by force to reftore the public liberty. Soon
after, he betrayed the fame difpofition with regard to the
reft of his family. So far was he from Ih owing any ci-
vility or kindnefs to his wife, who had been baniihed,
and by the order of her father confined to one town, that
he forbid her to ftir out of the houfe, or converfe with
any company. He even deprived her of the property al-
lowed her by her father, and of her yearly income, under
pretence of law ; becaufe Auguftus had not fecured them
to her in his will. Being weary of his mother Livia, as
claiming an equal ftiare of the government with him, he
frequently declined feeing her, as alfo all long and private
conferences with her, left it ftiould be thought that he was
governed by her counfel, which yet he fonietimes w^ant-
ed, and likewife made ufe of. He was much oifended at
the Senate, when they propofed to add to his other titles
that of the fon of Livia, as w’ell as Auguftus. On which
account, he fulfered her not to be called “ the Parent of her
Country,” nor to receive any extraordinary honor from
the public. Nay he frequently admoniftied her “ not to
meddle with weighty alFairs, and fuch as did not fuit her
8 . lexi’*
'‘tiberius nero cjesar. 2S5
fex efpecially when he found her appear at a fire which
broke out near the Temple of Vefia, and encouraging the
people and foldiers to work hard, as flie had been ufed to
do in the rime of her hufband,
LI. He afterwards proceeded to an open rupture with
her, and, as is faid, upon this occafion. She having been
feveral times extremely urgent with him to choofe amongfi:
the judges one that had been made free of the city, he
refufed to do it, unlefs fhe would allow this reafon for
it to be put down in the lift of the judges’ names, “ That
the appointment had been extorted from him by his mo-
ther.” Livia, enraged at this procedure, produced fome
letters from Auguftus to her, relative to the fournefs and
infolence of his temper, and read them. So much was he
offended at thefe letters having been kept fo long, and now
produced with fo much bitternefs againft him, that fome
confider this incident as the principal occafion of his re-
tiring. During the whole three years ftie lived after, he
faw her but once, and that for a few hours only. When
file fell fick, which happened in a fiiort time fubfequent
to the interview, he would not vifit her ; and when file
was dead, he kept thofe about her fo long in expectation
of his coming, that the body was become putrefied before
the interment ; and he then forbid her to be enrolled
amongft the Gods, pretending her own order to that pur-
pofe. He likewife abrogated her will, and in a fiiort time
ruined all her friends and acquaintance; not fparing thofe
to whom, on her death-bed, fiie had recommended the
care of her funeral, condemning one of them, a man of
Equeftrian rank, to the drudgery of drawing w^ater in a
crane,
f LII. He entertained no paternal affeeftion either for
his
286
THE LIFE OF
his own fon Drufus, or his adopted fon Germanicus.
Oitended at the vices of the former, who led a diffolute
life, he was not much afFedled at his death, but, almoft
immediately after the funeral, refumed his ufual occupa-
tions, and obliged the public to do the fame. The ambaf-
fadors of the Ilienhans coming, after a confiderable inter-
val, with their compliments of condolence on this occa-
fion, the memory of which being now much diffipa-
ted, he faid to them by way of banter, “ And 1 heartily
condole with you in regard to the lofs of your excellent
countryman Hedlor.” He fo much affedfed to depreciate
Germanicus, that he would fpeak of his great atchieve-
ments as utterly infignificant, and rail at his moft glorious
vidtories as ruinous to the public; complaining of him to
the Senate for going to Alexandria without his know-
ledge, upon occafion of a great and fudden famine at
Rome. It is believed tliat'he took care to have him di-
fpatched by Cn. Pifo, the lieutenant of Syria. This per-
fon was afterwards tried for the murder, and would, as
was fuppofed, have produced his orders, had they not con-
tained a pohtive injunction to fecrefy. The following
words therefore were polled up in many places, and fre-
quently bawled out in the night: ‘‘ Give us Germanicus
again.” This fufpicion he afterwards confirmed by the
barbarous treatment of his wife and children.
LTII. His daughter-in-law Agrippina, after the death
of her hufband, complaining upon fome occafion with
more than ordinary freedom, he took her by the hand, and
addreiTed her in a Greek fentence to this effed : My dear
child, do you think yourfelf injured, becaufe the govern-
ment is not in your hands?” Nor did he ever fpeak to
her after. Upon her refufing once at fupper to tafte fome
fruit which he prefentedto her, he declined inviting her to
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR. 287
hIs table ; pretending that the in efFeit charged him with
a delign to poifon her ; whereas the whole was a contriv-
ance of his own. He was to offer the fruit, and fhe to
be privately cautioned againft it, as what would infallibly
be her death. At laft, charging her, without any foun-
dation, with a defign to fly to the ftatue of Auguflus, or
the army, he banifhed her to Pandataria. Upon her re-
viling him for it, he, by means of a Centurion, beat out
one of her eyes : and when fhe refolved to ftarve herfelf
to death, he ordered her mouth to be forced open, and
meat 'to be crammed down her throat. But flie perfift-
ing in her refolution, and dying foon after, he perfecuted
her memory with the bafefl afperfions, and adviied the
Senate to put her birth-day amongfl; the number of un-
lucky days in the Calendar. He likewife accounted it a
favor that he had not thrown her body upon the Scalse
Gemoniae, and fuffered a vote of the houfe to pafs, to
thank him for his clemency, and a prefent in gold to be
made to Jupiter Capitolinus upon the occafion.
LIV. He had by Germanicus three grandfons, Nero,
Drufus, and Caius, and by his fon Drufus, one named
Tiberius. Of thefe, after the lofs of his fons, he recom-
mended Nero and Drufus to the Senate ; and at their be-
ing folemnly introduced into the Forum, he diftributed
money among the people. But when he found that vows
had been offered^ up by the magiflrates in the beginning
of the year for their health, he told the Senate, “ Such
honors ought not to be conferred but upon thofe who had
been tried, and were advanced in age.” Having thus be-
trayed his fecret difpofition towards them, he occafioned
their being perfecuted with a variety of information againft
them ; and after pradfiling many artifices to provoke
them to rail at and abufe him, that he might be furnifhed
with
288
THE LIFE OP
with a pretence to deftroy them, he charged them with
it 111 a letter to the Senate ; at the fame time acculing them,
in the bittereil terms, with the mod; fcandalous vices.
Upon their being declared enemies by the Senate, he flarv«
cd them to death ; Nero in the ifland of Pontia, and
Urufus in the lower part of the Palatium. It is thought
by fome, that Nero was put upon making away with
himfelf, by the executioner’s fliewing him fome halters
and hooks, as if fent to him by the order of the Senate,
Drufus, it is faid, was fo rabid with hunger, that he at-
tempted to eat’ the huffing of his bed. The relics of both
W'ere fo difperfed, that it was with difficulty they were
eolledled.
LV. Befides his old friends, and intimate acquaintance,
be demanded the affihance of twenty of the moft eminent
perfons in the city, as counfellors in the adminiftration of
public affairs. Out of all this number, fcarcely two or
three efcaped the fury of his favage difpofition. All the
reft he deftroyed upon one pretence or another ; and
amongft them ^lius Sejanus, whofe fall was attended
with the ruin of many others. He had advanced this mi-
nifter to the higheft pitch of grandeur, not fo much from
any real regard for him, as that by his bafe and ftnifter
contrivances, he might ruin the children of Germanicus,
and thereby fecure the fucceffion to his own grandfon
by Drufus,
LVL He treated with no greater miidnefs the Greeks
in his family, even thofe with whom he was moft pleafed.
Having afked one Zeno, upon his talking fomewhat ob-r
feurely, “ What offenfive dialed!: is that?” he replied,
the Doric.” For this anfwer he baniflied him to Ci-
naiia, upon a fufpidon tirat he upbraided him with his
former
TIBERIUS NERO CMSAK, 28g
, former refidence at Rhodes, where the Doric dialed); is
ufed. It being his ctiftom to ftart queftions at fupper, fucli
as the authors he had been reading in the day furniflied
him with, and finding that Seleucus the grammarian ufcd
to enquire of thofe who attended him, what authors he
read every day^ and fo came prepared for his interroga-
tories ; he firfl: turned him out of his family, and then
drove him to the extremity of laying violent hands upon
liimfelf.
'LVII. His cruel aild fuilen temper appeared in him
when he was a boy ; which Theodorus of Gadara, his
mailer in Rhetoric, firft difcovered^ and expreffed by a
very appofite fimile, calling him now and then, in repri-
manding him, “ Dirt mixed with blood.” But his dif-
pohtion appeared hill more evidently upon his attaining
to the imperial power, and even in the beginning of his
adminiftration, whilft he was endeavoring to gain the
favor of the people, by affedling moderation. Upon a
funeral paffing by, a w^ag called out to the dead manj
“ Tell Augufcus^ that the legacies he left to the com-
monalty are not yet paid.” This man he ordered to be
brought before him, to receive what was due to him, and
then to be led to execution, that he might deliver the mef-
fage to his father himfelf. Not long after, when one
Pompey, a Roman knight, denied foraething in oppofitioni
to him in the Senate, he threatened to put him in prifon,
and told him, “ Of a Pompey I fliall make a Pompeian of
you by a bitter kind of pun playing upon the man’s
name, and the ill fortune of the party.
LVIII. About the fame time, w'hen the Prsetor confult-
ed him, whether it was his pleafure that the courts fhould
fit upon accUfations of treafon againfl his perfon, he re-
U plied,
THE LIFE OF
290
plied, I'he laws ought to be put in execution and
he did put them in execution moll feverely. Some per-
fon had taken off the head of Auguftus from a ftatue of
him, and put another upon it. The affair was brought
before the Senate ; and becaufe the cafe was not clear,
fome were examined by torture concerning it. The party
accufed being found guilty, and condemned, this kind of
procefs grew to fuch a height, that it became capital for
a man to beat his flave, or change his cloaths, near the
flatue of Augufl;us ; to carry his head ftamped, upon the
coin, or cut in the ftone of a ring, into a neceffary houfe,
or the flews 5 or to refledl upon any thing that had been
either faid or done by him. In fine, a perfon was con-
demned to death, for fuffering fome honors to be decreed
to him in the colony where he lived, upon the fame day
on which they had formerly been decreed to Auguflus.
LIX. He was befides guilty of many barbarous ac-
tions, under the pretence of flridtnefs and reformation
of manners, but more to gratify his own favage difpofi-
tlon. In verfes in which his cruelties were lampooned,
the authors difplayed the prefent calamities of his reign,
and anticipated the future.
Afper et immitis, breviter vis omnia dicam ?
Difpeream fi te mater amare poteft.
Non es eques, quare ? non funt tibi miliia centum :
Omnia fi quasras, et Rhodos exfilium eft.
Aurea mutafti Saturni fsecula, Caefar :
Incolumi nam te, ferrea Temper erunt.
Faftidit vinum, quia jam fitit ifte cruorem :
Tam bibit hunc avide, quam bibit ante merum.
Adfpice felicem fibi non tibi, Romule, Sullam :
Et Marium, fi vis, adfpice, f.d reducem.
Nec non Antoni civilia bella moventis
‘ Nec femel infeiftas adfpice caede manus.
6
Et
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
Et die, Roma perit': regnabit Tanguine multo, .
Ad regnum quifquis venit ab exfilio. ,
Obdurate wretch ! too fierce, too fell to move
The lead kind yearnings of a mother’s love I
No knight thou art, as having no eftate ;
Long fufFered’jft thou in Rhodes an exile’s fate.
No more the happy Golden Age we fee ;
The Iron’s come, and fure to laft with thee.
Inftead of wine he thirfted for before,
Jle wallows now in floods of human gore.
Refleft, ye Romans, on the dreadful times,
I Made fuch by Marius, and by Sylla’s crimes.
Refleft how Antony’s ambitious rage
Twice fear’d with horror a diftrafted age.
And fay, Alas ! Rome’s blood in ftreams will flow,
When banifh’d mifereants rule this world below.
At firft he would have it underftood, that thefe fatirical
reflexions proceeded from the refentment of thofe who
were impatient under the difeipline of reformation, rather
than their real fentirnents ; and he would frequently fay,
“ Let them hate me, 'fo long as they do but approve my
condu6t.’^ At length however, his behaviour fhowed*
that he was fenfible they were too well founded,
LX. A few days after his arrival at Capreae, a fifher-
man coming up to' him unexpectedly as he was alone,
and prefenting him with a large barbel, he ordered the
man’s face to be ferubbed with the fifh ; being terrified at
the thought of his having been able to make his way to
him over fuch rugged and fteep rocks. The man, while
undergoing the punifliment, exprefling his joy, that he
had not likewife prefented him with a large crab which
he had taken, he ordered his face to be farther lacerated
with the claws of that creature. He punifhed a foldier
of the guards with death, for having flolen a peacock
U % OMt
THE LIFE OF
tgi
out of his garden. His chair, as he was travelilng, be-
ing obflrudred by fome bufhes in the road, he ordered
the perfon that had been fent before to examine the road,
who was a Centurion of the firfl; rank, to be laid on his
face upon the ground, and to be whipped almoft to
death.
LXI. Soon after, he abandoned himfelf to every fpe-
cies of cruelty, never wanting occafion of one. kind or
other, to ferve as a pretext. He firfl: fell upon the friends
and acquaintance of his mother, then thofe of his grand-
fons, and his daughter-in-law, and laftly thofe of Seja-
nus ; after whofe death he became cruel in the extreme.
From this it appeared, that he had not been fo much in-
fligated by Sejanus, as fupplied with occafions of grati-
fying his favage temper, when he wanted them. Though
in a fhort memoir which he compofed of his own life,
he had the effrontery to wmife, “ I have puniflied Seja-
nus, becaufe I found him bent upon the deftrudfion of
the children of my fon Germanicus,’* one of thefe be
put to death, when he was now become jealous ot Seja-
nus ; and another, after he was taken off. It would l>e
tedious to relate all the numerous inftances of his cru-
elty : fujffice it to give a few examples, in their different
kinds. Not a day paffed without the punifliment of
fome unfortunate perfon or other, not excepting holi-
days, or thofe appropriated to the worfhip of the Gods.
Some were punifhed in the beginning of the new year.
Many were accufed and condemned in conjundfion with
their wives and children ; and for fuch as were fentenced
to death, the relations w^cre forbid to mourn. Confi-
derable rewards were voted for the profecutors, and fome-
times for the witneffes likewife. The information of any
perfon, without exception, was taken ; and all offences
were
TIBERIUS NERO C;ESAR. . 2Q3
%vere capital, even the fpeaking of a few words, though
without any ill intention. A poet was impeached for
abufing Agamemnon ; and a hiftorian, for calling Brutus
and Caffius the laft of tlie Romans.’^ The two au-
thors were immediately put to death, and their writings
fupprelTed ; though they had been well received fome
years before, and read in the hearing of Auguftus. Some,
who were thrown into prifon, were not only denied the
fblace of fludy, but debarred from all company and con-
verfation. Many perfons, when fummoned to trial,
ftabbed themfelves at home, to avoid the diflrefs and ig-
nominy of a public condemnation, which they were cer-
tain would enfue. Others took poifon in the Senate-
houfc, Amongfl the former, the wounds of fuch as had
not expired were bound up, and they were all carried,
half-dead, and panting for life, to prifon, All that were
put to death, were thrown down the Seals Qemonlae, and
then dragged Into the Tiber. In one day, twenty were
treated in this manner ; and amongfl: them boys and wo-
men. Becaufe, according to an ancient cuftom, it was
not lawful to llrangle virgins, the young girls were firft
deflowered by the executioner, and afterwards ftrangled.
Such as were defirous to die, were forced to llve.< For
he thought death fo flight a piiniflunent, that upon hear-
ing that one Carnulius, who was under profecution, had
killed hlmfelf, lie exclaimed, “ Carnulius has efcaped
me.’^ In calling over his prifoners, when one of them
requefled the favor of a fpeedy death, he replied, “ I am
not friends with you yet.’* A man of Confular rank
writes in his Annals, that at table, where a large com.
pany and he himfelf was prefent, he was on a fudden
and aloud afked by a dwarf w'ho flood by, amongfl the
buffoons that attended, why Paconius, who was under
a profecution fof treafon, lived fo long. Tiberius imme-
U 3 diately
294
THE LIFE OF
diately reprimanded him for his pertnefs ; but wrote to
the Senate a few” days after, to proceed without delay to
the punilhment of Paconius.
LXII. Exafperated by an information about the death
of his fon Drufus, he carried his cruelty dill farther.
He imagined he had died of a dife^fe occafioned by his
intemperance ; but finding that he had been poifoned by
the contrivance of his wife Li villa and Sejanus, he fpar-
ed no perfon, but tortured and put to death, without
mercy. He was fo entirely occupied with the examina-
tion of this affair, for whole days together, that, upon
being informed that a gentleman of Rhodes, in whofe
houfe he had lodged, and whom he had by a friendly
letter invited to PvOme, was arrived, he ordered him im-
mediately to be put to the -torture, as if he had been a
party concerned in that tranfadion. Upon finding his
miflake, he commanded him to be put to death, that he
might not publifh the injury done him. The fpot on
which he was executed is ftill fliown at Caprete, where
he ordered fuch as w^ere condemned to die, after long and
exquifite tortures, to be thrown, before his eyes, from
a precipice into the fea. There a party of foldiers be-
longing to the fleet, w^aited for them, and broke their
bones with poles and oars, left they fliould have any life
left in them. Amongft various kinds of torture invented
by him, one was, to perfuade people to drink a large
quantity pf wine, and then to tie up their members
tight with firings, to torment them at once by the conflricr-
tion of the ligature, and the floppage of their urine. Had
not death prevented him, and Thrafyllus, defignedly, as
fome fay, prevailed with him to defer fome of his cruel
proje6ls, in hopes of longer life, it is believed that he
would have deflroyed many more; and not have fpared
even
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR. 295
even the reft of his grandchildren : for he was jealous
of Caius, and hated' Tiberius as having been conceived
in adultery. This conjecture is indeed highly probable ;
for he ufed often to fay, “ Happy Priam, who furvived
his whole family !
LXIIT. Amidft thefe tranfaClions, how fearful -and
apprehenftve, as well as odious and deteftable he lived,
is evident from many indications. He forbid the footh-
fayers to be confulted in private, and without fome wit-
nefles being prefent. He attempted to fupprefs the ora-
cles in the neighbourhood of the city; but being terri-
fied by the manifeft appearance of a divine authority in
that of Prsenefte, he abandoned the defign. For though
the lots were fealed up in a box, and carried to Rome,
yet they were not to be found in it, until it was returned
to the temple. Two men of Confular rank, whom he
had appointed governors of provinces, he never durft let
go upon their refpedive deftinations, but kept them un--
til feveral years after, when he nominated fucceflbrs, be-
ing then prefent upon the fpot with him. In the mean
time, they bore the titles of their office ; and he frequent-
ly gave them orders, which they took care to have exe«»
cuted by their deputies and alfiftants.
LXIV. He never removed his daughter-in-law, or
grandfon, after their condemnation, to any place but in
chains, and a clofe chair, with a guard to hinder all that
met them on the road, from ftanding to gaze at them.
LXV. After Sejanus had formed his defign againft
him, though he faw that his birth-day was folemnly kept
by the public, and golden images of him worftiipped
every where, yet it was with difficulty at laft, and more
U 4 by
THE LIFE OF
bj artifice, than his imperial authority, that he efFe61ed
his death. In the firft place, to remove him from about
his perfon, under a pretext of doing him honor, he
made him his colleague in his fifth Confulfhip ; which,
tliough then abfent from the city, he took upon him for
that purpofe, a long time after his preceding Confulfhip :
and having flattered him with the hopes of a match with
a lady of his own kindred, and the Tribunitian autho-
rity, he all on a fudden, while Sejanus little expedled
it, charged him with treafon, in an abjedb miferable ad-
drefs to the Senate, in which, amongfl other things, he
begged thOm “ To fend one of the Confuls, to fetch him^
felf, a poor folitary old man, with a guard of foldiers.”
Still diflruflful, however, and apprehenlive of a public
infurredlion, he ordered his grandfon Drufus, v/hom he
kept confined at Rome, to be fet at liberty, if occafioii
required, to head the troops, and fuch as might appear
in his fupport. He had like wife fliips in readinefs, to
tranfport him to any of the legions to which he might
think proper to apply. Meanwhile, he was upon the
watch, on the top of a very hlgli rock, for the fignals
which he had ordered to be given, as any thing happen-
ed, led the mefTengers fhould be tardy. But though he
had now quite defeated the defigns of Sejanus againfl:
him, he was neverthelefs dill haunted as much as ever
with fears and apprehenfions ; infomuch that he never
once dified out of the Villa Jovis for nine months
after.
LXVI. To the extreme anxiety of mind which he
now experienced, he had the mortification to find fuper-
added the mod poignant reproaches from all quarters.
Thofe who were condemned to die, heaped upon him
the mod opprobrious language in hjs face, or by libels
fcattered
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR,
297
fcattered in tlie Senators’ feats in the theatre *, with
which he was differently affedled. Sometimes he wifhed,
out of ffiame, to have all fmothered and concealed : at
other times he would flight what was faid, and publiQi
it himfelf. To this accumulation of fcandal and open
farcafm, there is to be fubjoined a letter from Artabanus
king of the Parthians, in which he upbraids him with
Jiis parricides, murders, cowardice and luxury, and ad-
vifes him to fatisfy the furious rage of his own people,
which he had fo juftly excited, by putting an end to his
life.
LXVII. At lafl being quite weary of himfelf, he in-
timated his extreme mifery, in a letter to the Senate,
which began thus: “ V/hat to write to you, Confcript
Fathers, or how to write, or what not to write at this
time, may all the Gods and Goddeffes pour upon my
head a more terrible vengeance than that which I feel
myfelf daily finking under, if I can tell.” Some are of
opinion that he had a foreknowledge of thofe things,
from his Ikill in the fcience of divination, and that he knew
long before what 'mifery and infamy would at lafl; come
upon him ; and that for this reafon, at the beginning of
his reign, he had abfolutely refufed the title of the “ Far-
ther of his Country,” and the propofal of the Senate to
fwear to his adls, leil; he Ihould afterwards, to his greater
fhame, be found unequal to fuch extraordinary honors.
This indeed may be juftlv inferred from the fpeeches
which he made upon both thofe occafions ; as when he
fays, “ I fhall ever be the fame, and fliall never change
my condudl, fo long as I retain my fenfes ; but to avoid
giving a bad precedent to pofterity, the Senate ought to
beware of engaging themfelves to maintain the adds of
any perfon whatever, who might by fome accident or
8 other
SpS THE LIFE OF
Other be influenced to alter his condu6i:.” And again :
“ If ye fhould at any time entertain a jealoiify of my
condudl, and entire afFe6Iion for you, which heaven
prevent, by putting a period to my days, rather than I
fhould live to fee fuch an alteration in your opinion of
me, the title of Father will add no honor to me, but be
a reproach to you, for your raflinefs in conferring it
upon me, or inconftancy in altering your opinion of
me.
LX VIII. He was in his perfon large and robufl; ; of a
flature fomewhat above the common fize ; broad in the
flioulders and cheft, and in his other parts proportion-
able. He ufed his left hand more readily than his right ;
and his joints were fo ftrong, that he would bore a frefli
found apple through with his finger, and would wound
the head of a boy, or even a young man, with a fillip.
He was of a fair complexion, and had his hair fo long
behind, that it covered his neck, which was obferved to
be. a mark of dlftindlion afFecSted by the family. He had
a handfome face, but often full of pimples. His eyes,
which w'ere large, had a wonderful faculty of feeing in
the night-time, and in the dark, but for a fliort time
only, and immediately after awaking from fleep ; for they
foon grew dim again. He walked with his neck ftifF
and unmoved, commonly with a frowning countenance,
being for the moft part filent : when he fpoke to thofe
about him, it was very flowly, and generally accompa-
nied with an effeminate motion of his fingers. All thofe
tilings being difagreeable, and expielfive of arrogance,
Auguftus remarked in him, and often endeavored to ex-.-
cufe to the Senate and people, affui ing them that “ they
were natural defedls, which proceeded from no viciouf-
nels of mind.” He enjoyed a good flate of health, and
without
TIBEUIUS NERO C^SAR. 299
without any interruption, almoft during the whole time
of his government ; though, from the thirtieth year of
his age, he managed himfelf in refpedl: of his health ac-
cording to his own difcretion, without any medioal af-
fiftance.
LXIX. In regard to the Gods, and matters of reli-^
gion, he difcovered' much indifference ; being greatly ad-
didted to aftrology, and full of a perfuaflon that all things
were governed by fate. Yet he was extremely afraid of
lightning, and in cloudy weather always wore a laurel
crown on his head ; becaufe an opinion prevails among
many, that the leaf of that tree is never touched by the
lightning.
LXX. He applied himfelf with great diligence to the
liberal arts, both Greek and Latin. In his Latin flyle,
he affedled to imitate Meffala Corvinus, a refpedlable old
man, whole company he had much frequented 'in his
youth. But he rendered his llyle obfcure, by excels
of affedlation and nicenefs ; fo that he was thought to
talk better extempore, than in a premeditated difcourfe.
He corapofed like wife a Lyric Ode, under the title of
“ A Lamentation upon the Death of L. C^far,’^ as alfo
fome Greek poems, in imitation of Euphorion, Rianus,
and Parthenius. Thefe poets he greatly admired, and
fet up their works and flatues in the public libraries,
amongd; the eminent authors of antiquity. On this ac-
count, mofl of the learned men of the time vied with
each other in publifhing obfervations upon them, which
they addreffed to him. What he chiefly attended to was
the knowledge of the fabulous hiflory ; and this he pro-
fecuted with a zeal that might juftly be deemed ridiculous.
For he ufed to try the grammarians, a cjafs of people
which
THE LIFE OF
which I have already obferved he much alFecled, wifh
fuch queftions as thefe : “ Who was Hecuba’s mother?
What had been Achilles’s name amongft the young wo-
men ? What fong were the Sirens ufed to hng ?” And the
hrft day that he entered the Senate-houfe, after the death
of Augiiftus, as if he intended to pay a refpedl both to
the memory of his father, and the Gods, in imitation of
Minos upon the death of his fon, he made an offering of
frankincenfe and wine, but without any mullc,
LXXI. Though he was ready and converfant with
* the Greek tongue, yet he did not ufe it every where, but
chiefly declined it in the Senate -houfe ; infomuch that
having occafion to ufe the word mompoUum (monopoly),
he firfl begged pardon for being obliged to trouble the
houfe with a foreign word. And when in a decree of
the Senate, the word emblema (emblem) was read, he
advifed to have it changed, and that a Latin word ihould
be fubftituted in its room ; or, if no proper one could be
found, to exprefs the thing in a circumlocutory manner,
A foldier who was examined, as a witnefs upon a trial, in
Greek, he would not allow to make any anfwer but m
Latin.
LXXIT. During the whole time of his recefs at Ca-
pres, he attempted only twice to come to Rome. Once
he came in a galley as far as the gardens near the Nau-
machia, but placed guards along the banks of the Tiber,
to keep off all who fhould offer to come to meet him.
And a fecond time he advanced along the Appian way,
within feven miles of the city ; but taking only a view
of the walls at a dilfance, he immediately returned. For
what reafon he came not to the town, upon his progrefs
up the Tiber, is uncertain ; but in the latter excurfio»*
he
TIBERIUS NERO C.^SAR.
301
he was deterred by a prodigy. He ufed to divert himfelf
with a fnake, which going to feed with his own hand,
according to his cuftom, he found it devoured by ants,
and was therefore advifed to beware of the fury of the
mob. On this account, returning in all hafte to Cam-
pania, he fell ill at Aftura ; but recovering a little, went
on to Circeii. And to obviate any fufpiclon of his be-
ing in a bad ftate of health, he was not only prefent at
the diverfions of the camp, but encountered in perfon,
from an eminence, with javelins, a wild boar, which
was let out for the purpofe. Being immediately felzed
with a pain in the hde, and catching cold upon his over-
heating himfelf in the exercife, he relapfed into a worfe
condition than he was at firft. He held out however
for fome time ; and failing as far as Mifenum, omitted no-
thing in his ufual manner of life, not even his entertain-
ments, nor other pleafures, partly from an ungovernable
appetite, and partly to conceal his condition. For Cha-
rlcles, a phyfician, having obtained leave to retire fome
time from court, at his rifmg from table, felzed his hand
to klfs it ; upon which Tiberius, fuppofing he did it to
feel his pulfe, defired him to Ifay and take his place again,
and continued the entertainment longer than ufual. At
laft, however, according to his ufual pradlice, he flood
up in tlie middle of the room, with an officer attending,
and took leave of every one in the company by name.
I.XXIII. Meanwhile, finding upon a perufal of the
acts of the Senate, “ that fome perfons under profecution
Irad been difeharged, without being brought to a hear-
ing,” concerning whom he had wTitten but very briefly,
mentioning no more than that they had only been named
by an informer ; complaining in a great rage that he
w-as
^02 THE LIFE OF
was treated with contempt, he refolved at all events ta
return to Caprea ; not daring to attempt any thing upon
the occafioii but in a place of fecurity. But being de-
tained by flormsj and the violence of the difeafe, which
encreafed upon him, he died foon aftpr, at a country-
feat belonging to Lucullus, in the feventy-eighth year of
his age, and the twxnty-third of his reign, upon the fe-
venteenth of the Calends of April, when Cn. Acerro-
nius Proculus and C. Pontius Niger were Confuls. Some
are of opinion that a flow-confuming poifon was given
him by Caius. Others fay, that during the intermiflion
of' a fever with which he happened to be feized, upon
afking for food, it was denied him. Others report, that
he was ftided by a pillow thrown upon him, at his reco-
vering from a fwoon, and calling for his ring, which
had been taken from him in the fit. Seneca wTites,
“ That finding himfelf a-dying, he took his ring off his
finger, and held it a while, as if he would deliver it to
fomebody ; but put it again upon his finger, and lay for
fome time, with his hand clinched, and without ffirring :
when fuddenly calling upon his attendants, and no per-
fon making anfwer, he rofe ; but his ffrengh failing him,
he fell down a little way from his bed.
LXXIV. Upon his laft birth-day, he had brought a
, large beautiful ftatue of Apollo of Temenis from Syra-
cufe, with the view of placing it in the library of the
new temple, which had been built for that God ; but
dreamt that he appeared to him, and affured him “ that
his ffatue could not be ereded by him.” A few days
before he died, the watch-tower of Caprese fell down.
And at Mifenum, fome embers and coajs, which were
brought in to warm his parlour, went out, and after
being
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
being quite cold, burft out into a flame again in the
evening, and continued burning very bright for feveral
hours.
LXXV. The people rejoiced fo much at his death, that,
upon the firft news of it, they ran up and down the city,
fome crying out, “ Away with Tiberius into the Tiber
others exclaiming, “ May the earth, the common mother
of mankind, and the infernal Gods, allow no place for
the dead, but amongfl; the wicked.’* Others threatened his
body with the hook and the Scalas Gemoniae, their indig-
nation at his former cruelty being encreafed by a recent
inftance of the fame kind. It had been provided by an
adl of the Senate, that the punifhment of perfons con- '
demned to die fliould always be deferred until the tenth
day after the fentence. Now it happened that the day
on which the news of Tiberius’s death arrived, was the
time fixed by law for the execution of fome perfons that-
had been fentenced to die. Thefe poor creatures implored
the protedlion of all about them ; but becaufe Caius was
not in town, and there was none elfe to whom applica-
tion could be made in their behalf ; the men who were
charged with the care of their execution, from a dread
of oflending againfl: that law, ftrangled them, and threw
them down the Scal^ Gemoni^. This excited in the minds'
of the people a flill greater abhorrence of the tyrant’s me-
mory, fince his cruelty fubfifted even after his death.
As foon as his corpfe began to move from Mifenum, many
cried out for its being carried to Atella, and broiled there
in the amphitheatre. It was however brought to Rome,
and burnt with the ufual ceremony.
LXXVI. He had made about tw^o years before two
draughts
TH£ llFE OF
$04
draughts of his will, one with his ,own hand, and the
ether with that of one of his freedmen ; and both were
witneffed by fome- perfons of very mean rank. He left his
two grandfons, Caius by Germanicus, and Tiberius by
Drufus, conjunct heirs to his efrate ; and upon the death
cf one of them, the other w'as to inherit tire whole. He
gave likewdfe many legacies ; amongft which were be-
qiieds to the Veftai VirginSj to all the foldiers, to every
commoner of Rome, and to the overfeers of the feverai
divifions of the city»
AT the death of Aiiguflus, there had elapfed fo loirga
period from the overthrow of the Republic by Julius Caefarj
that few were now living who had been botn under the an-
cient conftitution of the Romans ; and the mild and profper-
ous adminiftration of Augultus, during forty-four ’years,
had by this time reconciled the minds of the people to a
defpctic government. Tiberius, the adopted fon of the
former fovereign, was of mature age ; and though he had
hitherto lived, for the moft part, abftraded from any '
concern with public affairs, yet, having been brouglu up
in the family of Auguftus, he was acquainted with his
method of government, which, there w^as reafon to ex-
pedf, he would render the model of his own. Livia, too,
his mother and the reli£l of the late emperor, was ftilH
living, a woman venerable by years, who had long beei>
familiar with the councils of Auguftus, and from her
high rank, as well as uncommon affability, pofTefTed ai>
extenlivc influence amongfl all claffes of the people»
Such were the circumftaiices in favor of Tiberius’s
fucceflion, at the demife of ALUguftus ; but there were
others
TIBERIUS NERO 'C^SAR. 305
Others of a tendency/ difadvantageous to his views. His
temper was haughty and referved : Auguftus had often
apologifed for the ungracioufnefs of his manners : he
w'as difobedient to his mother ; and though he had not
openly difeovered any propenfity to vice, he enjoyed none
of thofe qualities which ufually conciliate popularity.
To thefe confiderations it is to be added, that Poftumus
Agrippa, the grandfon of Auguftus by Julia, was living ;
and if confanguinity was to be the rule of fucceffion, his
right w^as indifputably preferable to that of an adopted
foil. Auguftus had fent this youth into exile a few years
before ; but, towards the dofe of his life, had expreiTed a
eleftgn of recalling him, with the view, as was fuppofed,
of appointing him his fucceffor. The father of young
Agrippa had been greatly beloved by the Romans ; and
the fate of his mother Julia, though notorious for her
proftigacyj had ever been regarded by them with peculiar
fympathy and tendernefs. Many therefore attached to
the fon the partiality entertained for his parents ; which
was encrcafed not only by a ftrong fufpicion, but a gene-
ral furmife, that his eider brothers, Caius and Lucius,
had been violently taken olF, to make way for the fuc-
ceflion of Tiberius. That an obftrudion was appre-
hended to Tiberius’s fucceffion from this quarter, is put
beyond all doubt, when we find that the death of Au-
guftus was induftriouily kept fecret, until young Agrippa
fhould be removed ; who, it is generally agreed, was di-
fpatched by an order from Livia and Tiberius conjundfly,
or at leaft from the former. Though by this adl thei e re-
mained no rival to Tiberius, yet the confeioufnefs of his
own want of pretenftons to the Roman throne, feemstohave
Itill rendered him diftruftfui of the fucceffion ; and tliat he
Ihould have quietly obtained it, without the voice of tire
people, the real inclination of the Senate, or the fupport
X of
THE LIFE OF
306
of the army, can be imputed only to the influence of Iris
mother, and his own diflimulation. Ardently folicitous to
attain the objedl, yet afFedling a total indifference ; artfully
prompting the Senate to give him the charge of the go-
vernment, at the time that he intimated an invincible rc-
ludtance to accept it ; his abfolutely declining it in per-
petuity, but fixing no time for an abdication ; his deceit-
ful infinuation of bodily infirmities, with hints likewife
of approaching old age, that he might allay in the
Senate all apprehenfions of any great duration of his
power, and reprefs in his adopted fon, Germanicus, the
emotions of ambition to difplace him ; form altogether a
fcene of the moft infidious policy, inconfiflency and
diflimulation.
In this period died, in the eighty-fixth year of her age,
Livia Drufilla, mother of the emperor, and the relidi of
Auguflus whom fhe furvived fifteen years. She was
the daughter of L. Drufus Calidianus, and married Ti-
berius Claudius Nero, by whom fhe had two fons, Ti-
berius and Drufus. The conducl of this lady feems to
juflify the remark of Caligula, that “ fire was an Ulyffes
in a woman’s drefs.” Oclavius firfl; faw her as fhe fled
from the danger which threatened her hufband, who had
efpoufed the caufe of Antony ; and though fhe was then
pregnant, he refolved to marry her, whether with her owa
inclination or not, is left by Tacitus undetermined. To
pave the way for this union, he divorced his wife Scribo-
nia, and with the approbation of the Augurs, which he
could have no difEculty to obtain, celebrated his nuptials
wu'th Livia. There enfued from this marriage no ifTuc,
though much defired by both parties ; but Livia retained,
without Interruption, an unbounded afcendency over the
emperor, whofe confidence fhe abufed, while the uxorious
hufband
TIBERIUS NERO CJE3AR. '
huibancl little fufpedled that he was cherilhing in his
bofoin a viper who was to prove the deftrudllon of his
houfe. She appears to have entertained a predominant
ambition of giving an heir to the Roman empire ; and
fmce it could not be done by any fruit of her marriage
Vv^ith Auguhus, flic refolved on accompliililng that end in
the perfon of Tiberius, the eldeft fon by her former huf-
band. The plan which fhe devifed for this purpofe, was
to exterminate ail the male offspring of Auguftus by his
daughter Julia^ who w^as married to Agrippa ; a firata-
gem which, when executed, would procure to Tiberius,
through the means of adoption, tlie eventual fucceffion to
the empire. The cool yet fanguinary policy, and the pa-
tient perfeverance of refolution, with which fhe profe-
cuted her defign, have feldom been equalleid. While the
fons of Julia were yet young, and while there Vvas hill a
poffibility that fhe herfelf might have iffue by Auguflus,
fhe fufpended her projedl for fome time, in the hope per-
haps, that accident or difeafe might operate in its favor ;
but when the natural term of her conflitution had put a
period to her hopes of progeny, and when the grandfons
of the emperor were rifing into the years of itianhood,
and had been adopted by him, fhe began to carry into ex-
ecution what file long had meditated. The firft objedl
devoted to deftrudlion was C. Csefar Agrippa, the eldeft
of Auguflus’s grandfons. This promifing youth was fert
to Armenia, upon an expedition againfl the Peril ans ; and
Lollius, who had been his governor, either accompanied
him thither from Rome, or met him in the Eafl, where
he had obtained fome appointment. From the hand of
this traitor, perhaps under the pretext of exercifing the
authority of a preceptor, but in reality inftigated by Li via j
the young prince received a fatal blow, of which he died
fome time after.
X'2 Th«
THE LIFE OF
308
The occafion of Calus’s death feems to have been
carefully kept from the knowledge of Aiiguflus, who pro-
moted Lollius to the Confulhiip, and made him governor
of a province ; hut by his rapacity in this ilation, he af-
terwards incurred the emperor’s difpleafure. The true
character of this perfon had efcaped the keen difeernment
of Horace, as well as the fagacity of the emperor ; for
in two Epiflles addreffed to Lollius, he mentions him as
great and accompli Ihed in the fuperlative degree : maxime
Loin, liberrime LoUi ; fo impofing had been the manners
and addrefs of this deceitful courtier.
Lucius, the fecond fon of Julia, was banifiied into
Campania, for ufing, as is faid, feditious language againfl:
his grandfather. In the feventh year of his exile, Au-
gufrus propofed to recall him ; but Livia and Tiberius,
<lrea'ding the confequenccs of his being reflored to the
emperor’s favor, put in pradtice the expedient of having
him immediately alTaiTinated. Poftumus Agrippa, the
third fon, incurred the difpleafure of In's grandfather ki
the fame way as Lucius, and w^as confined at Surrentum,
where he remained a prifoner, until he was put to death
by the order either of Li via alone, or in conjundlion
with Tiberius, as was before obferved.
Such was the cataftrophe, through the means of Livia,
of all the grandfons of Auguitus ; and reafon jufiifies the
inference, that Ihe wdio' fcruplcd not to lay violent hands
upon thofe young men, had formerly praclifed every arti-
fice that could operate towards rendering them obnoxious
to the emperor. We may even aferibe to Jicr dark in-
trigues the dlffclute condiuSl of Julia. For the woman
who could fecretly acl as procurefs to her owm hufoand,
w'ould feel little refiraint upon her mind, againil corrupt-
8 ing
TIBERIUS NERO C^SAR.
309
iiig his daughter, when fuch an efFe6l might contribute to
anfwer the purpofe which (he had in view. But in the in-
gratitude of Tiberius, however undutiful and reprehen-
fihle in a fon towards a parent, flie at lafl: experienced a
juft retribution for the crimes in which ftie had trained
him, to procure the fucceftion to the empire. To the dlf-
grace of her fex, flie Introduced amongft the Fvomans the
horrible pra6lice of domcftic murder, little known before
the times wdien ^the thirft or intoxication of unlimited
power liad vitiated the focial affeclions ; and flie tranf-
mitted to fucceeding ages a pernicious example, by w’hich
immoderate ambition might be gratified, at the expence
of every moral obligation, as well as of humanity.
One of the firft vifllms In the fanguinary reign of the
prefent emperor, w^as Germanicus, the fon of Drufus,
Tiberius’s own brother, and who had been adopted by his
uncle himfelf. Under any fovereign, of a temper differ-
ent from that of Tiberius, this amiable and meritorious
prince would have been held in the higheft efteem. At
the death of his grandfither Augiiftus, he was employed
in a. war in Germany, where he greatly diftinguiftied Iiim-
felf by his military atchievements ; and as foon as intelli-
gence of that event arrived, the foldiers, by whom he
was extremely beloved, unanlmoufly faluted liim empe-
ror. Refufing, however, to accept this mark of their
partiality, he perfevered in allegiance to the government
of his uncle, and profecuted the war with fuccefs. Upon
the concluuon of this expedition, he was fent, with die
title of Emperor of the Eaft, toreprefs the feditions of the
Armenians, in which he was equally fucccfsful. But the
fame which he acquired, ferved only to render him an ob-
jeff of jealoufy to Tiberius, by w'hofe order he was fe-
(tretly pcifoned at Daphne, near Antioch, in the thirty-
X 3 fourth
THE LIFE OF
fourth year of his age. The news of 'Germanicus’s death
was received at Rome with univerfal lamentation ; and
all ranks of the people entertained an opinion, that, had
he furvived Tiberius, he would have reflored the freedon^
of the Republic. The love and gratitude of the Romans
decreed many honors to his memory. It was ordered,
that his name Ihould be fung in the folemn proceffion of
the Sal'll ; that crowns of oak, in allufion to his vitflo-
ries, jfhould be placed upon Curule chairs in the hall per-
taining to the prieifs of Auguflus ; and that an effigy of
him in ivory Ihould be drawn upon a chariot, preceding
the ceremonies of the Circenfian games. Triumphal
arches were eredfed, one at Rome, another on the banks
of the Rhine, and a third upon Mount Amanus in Syria,
with inferiptions of his atchievements, and that he died
for his fervices to the Republic^.
His obfequies were celebrated, not with the difplay of
images and funeral pomp, but with the recital of his
praifes, and the virtues which rendered him illuflrious.
From a jefemblance in his perfonal accompliihments,
his age, the manner of his death, and the vicinity of
Daphne to Babylon, many compared his fate to that of
Alexander the Great. He was celebrated for humanity
and benevolence, as well as military talents, and amidffc
the toils of war, found Icifure to cultivate the arts of
literary genius. He compofed two comedies in Greek,
fome epigrams, and a tranflation of Aratus into Latin
yerfe. He married Agrippina, the daughter of M.
Agrippa, by whom lie had nine children. This lady,
who had accompanied her hufband into the eafl, car-
ried Ills alhes to Italy, and accufed his murderer Pifo,
who, unable to bear up againfl; the public odium inenr-
* Tacit. Annal. Ub. ii.
red
TIBERIUS NERQ C^SAR.
re<i by that tranfa6i:ioii, laid violent hands upon himfelf.
Agrippina was now nearly in the fame predicament with
regard to Tiberius, that Ovid had formerly been in re-
fpedl of Auguftus. He was fenfible, that wlien fhe ac-
eufed Pifo, llie was not ignorant of the perfon by whom
the perpetrator of the murder had been inftigated ; and
her prefence, therefore, feeming continually to reproach
him with his guilt, he refolved to rid himfelf of a perfon
become fo obnoxious to his fight, and banifhed her to the
ifland of Pandataria, where fhe died {o/me time afterwards
of famine. .
But it was not fuificient to gratify this fanguinary ty-
rant, that he had, without any caufe, cut off both Ger-
manicus and his wife Agrippina : the diftinguifhed mei lts
and popularity of that prince were yet to be revenged
upon his children ; and accordingly he fet himfelf to in-
vent a pretext for their defi;ru6lion. After endeavoring
in vain, by various artifices, to provoke the refentment
of Nerp and Drufus againfi; him, he had recourfe to falfe
accufation, and not only charged them with feditious de-
ligns, to which their tender years were ill adapted, but
with vices of a nature the mofl fcandalous. By a fen-
tence of the Senate, which manifefied the extreme fervilitv
of that aflTembly, he procured them both to be declared
open enemies to their country. Nero he banifhed to tlie
itland of Pontia, where, like his unfortunate mother, he
miferably perlflied by famine ; and Drufus was doomed to
the fame fate, in the lower part of the Palatium, after
fulFering for nine days the violence of hunger, and haw
ing, as is related, devoured part of his bed. The remain-
ing fon, Caius, on account of his vicious difpofition, he
refolved to appoint his fucceflbr on the throne, that, after
Jiis ow'u death, a comparlfon might be made in favor of
X 4 his
THE LIFE OF
312
his memory, when the Romans fhould be governed by a
•fovereign, yet more vicious and more tyrannical, if pof-
fible, than himfelf.
Sejanus, the minifter in the prefent reign, imitated
with fuccefs, for fome time, the hypocrify of his mafler;
and, had his ambitious temper, impatient
jElius Sejanus. ^ .
of attaining its objedf, allowed him to wear
the mafk for a longer period, he might have gained the
imperial diadem ; in the purfuit of which, he was over-
taken by that fate which he merited ftill more by'his
cruelties than his perfidy to Tiberius. This man was a
native of Volfinium in Ttifcany, and the fon of a Roman
knight. He had firft infinuated himfelf into the favor of
o -
Caius Caefar, the grandfon of Auguflus, after w^hofe death
he courted the friendfliip of Tiberius, and obtained in a
Ihort time his entire confidence, which he improved to
the beft advantage. The objedf which he next purfued,
was to gain the attachment of the Senate, and the ofEcers
of the army ; befides whom, with a new kind of policy,
he endeavored to fecure in his interefls every lady of di-
ibinguifhed connexions, by giving fecretly to each of them
a promife of marriage, as loon as he fhould arrive at the
fovereignty. The chief obflacles in his way were the
fons and grandfons of Tiberius ; and them he foon facri-
ficed to his ambition, under various pretences. Drufus,
the eldeft of this progeny, having in a fit of paffion flruck
the favorite, was defllned by him to deflrudlion. For this
purpofe, he had the prefumption to feduce Livia, the wife
of Drufus, to whom Ihe had borne feveral children ; and
fhe confented to marry her adulterer upon the death of her
hufband, who was foon after poifoned, through the
means of an eunuch named Lygdus, by the order of her
and Sejanus.
Drufus
TIBERIUS- KERO CiESAR.
313
Drufus was the fon of Tiberius by Vipfanla, one
of Agrippa’s daughters. He difplayed great intrepi-
dity during the war in the provinces of Illyricum and
Pannonia, but appears to have been difiolute in his mo-
rals. Horace is faid to have written the Ode in praife
^ of Drufus at the defire of Auguflus ; and while the poet
celebrates the military courage of the prince, he inh-
nuates indirectly a falutary admonition to the cultivation
of the civil virtues :
DoBrlna Jed vim promovet injitam,
Redtique cultus pediora roborant :
Utcunque defecere mores,
' Dedecorant bene nata culpa.
Upon the death of Drufus, Sejanus openlv avowTd a
defire of marrying the widowed princefs ; but Tiberius
oppofing this meafure, and at me fame time recommend-
ing Germanicus to the Senate as his fuccelTor in the
empire, the mind of Sejanus was more than ever in-
flamed by the united, and now furious paffions of love
and ambition. He therefore urged his demand with eii-
creafed importunity : but the emperor hill refufing his
confent, and things being not yet ripe for an immediate
revolt, Sejanus thought nothing fo favorable for the
profecution of his defigns as the abfcnce of Tiberius
from the capital. With this view^, under the pretence of
relieving his mafter from the cares of government, he
perfuaded him to retire to a di (lance from Rome. The
emperor, indolent and luxurious, approved of the pro-
pofal, and retired into Campania ; leaving to his ambi-
tious minlflier the whole dlredlion of the empire. Flad
Sejanus now been governed by common prudence and
moderation, he might have attained to the accomplhh-
snent of all his wifhes ; but a natural impetuoGty of
temper,
THE LIFE QF
3H
temper, and the intoxication of power, precipitated him
into meafures which foon eifeded his deftrudbion. As
if entirely emancipated from the control of a mafter, he
publicly declared himfelf fovereign of the Roman em-
pire, and that Tiberius, who had by this time retired to
Capreae, was only the dependent prince of that tributary
ifland. He even went fo far in degrading the emperor,
as to have him introduced in a ridiculous light upon the
flage. Advice of Sejanus’s proceedings was foon carried
to the emperor in Capreae ; his indignation was imme-
diately excited ; and with a confidence founded upon an
authority exercifed for feveral years, he fent orders for
accufing Sejanus before the Senate. This mandate no
fooner arrived, than the audacious minifier was deferted
by his adherents : he was in a Ihort time after ^feized
without refifiance, and fcrangled in prifon the fame day.
Human nature recoils with horror at the cruelties of
this execrable tyrant, who, having firfl imbrued his hands
in the blood of his own relations, proceeded to exercife
them upon the public with indiferiminate fury. Neither
age nor fex afforded any exemption from his infatiable
thirfi; of blood. Innocent children were condemned to
death, and butchered in the prefence of their parents :
virgins, without any imputed guilt, were facrificed to a
fimilar defiiny : but there being an ancient cufiom, of
not ftrangllng females in that fituation, they were firll
deflowered by the executioner, and afterwards firanglcd ;
as if an atrocious addition to cruelty could fanclion tlie
exercife of it. Fathers were conft rained by violence to
witnefs the death of their own children ; and even the
tears of a mother, at the execution of her child, were pu-
ni ihed as a capital offence. Some extraordinary cala-
mities, cccafioned by accident, added to the horrors of
this
TIBERIUS NERO C.ESAR.
3f5
this reign. A great number of houfes on mount Ccelius
were deftroyed by fire ; and by the fall of a temporary
building at Fidenre, eredfed for the pnrpofe of exhibit-
ing public fliows, about twenty thoufand perfons were
either greatly hurt, or crufhed to death in the ruins.
By another fire which afterwards broke out, a. part of
the Circus was defiroyed, with the numerous buildings
on mount Aventine, The only adt of munificence dif-
played by Tiberius during his reign, was upon the 0-*-ja-
lion of thofe fires, when, to qualify the fevcrity of his
government, he indemnified the mofi; confiderable fuffer-
crs for the lofs they had fufiained.
Through the whole of his life, Tiberius Teems to have
condudted himfelf with a uniform repugnance to nature.
Affable on a few occafions, but in general averfe to fo-
ciety, he indulged, from his earliefi; years, a morofenefs
of difpofition, which counterfeited the appearance of au-
ffere virtue ; and in the decline of life, when it is com-
mon to reform from juvenile indifcretions, he launched
.forth into exceffes, of a kind the moft unnatural and
mofl: detefiable. Gonfidering the vicious pafiions which
had ever brooded in bis heart, it may feem fuiprifing,
that he refirained himfelf within the bounds of decency
during fo many years after his acceffion ; but though ut-
terly deftitute of reverence or affedlion for his mother,
he fiill felt, during her life, a filial awe upon his mind ;
and after her death, he w^as adiuated by a flavi.fii fear
of Sejanus, until at lafi: neceffity abfolved Iiim likewife from
this reftraint. Thefe checks being both removed, he rioted
without any control, either from fentiment or authority,
Piiny relates, that the art of making glafs malleable
y/as adlually diicovered under the reign of Tiberius, and
that
3i6
I
THE LIFE OF
that the fliop and tools of the artift were deilroyed, led,
by the eftabliihment of this invention, gold and filver
fhould lofe their value. Dion adds, that the author of
the difcovery was put to death.
The gloom which darkened the Roman capital during
this melancholy period, fired a baleful influence on the
progrefs of fcience throughout the empire, and literature
languifhed during the prefent reign, in the fame propor-
tion as it had flouriflied in the preceding. It is doubtful
whether fuch a change might not have happened in fome
degree, even had tire government of Tiberius been equally
mild with that of his predeceflbr. The prodigious fame
of the writers of the Auguflan age, by reprefling emu-
lation, tended to a general diminution of the efforts of
genius for fome time ; while the banilhment of Ovid, it
is probable, and the capital punifhment of a fubfequent
poet, for cenfuring the charadler of Agamemnon, ope-
rated towards the farther difcouragemeirt of poetical ex-
ertions. There now exifted no circumftance to counter-
balance thcfe difadvantages. Genius no longer found a
patron either in the emperor or his minifter ; and the gates
of the palace were fhut againfl: all who cultivated tl\e
elegant purfuits of tlie Mufes. Panders, catamites,* aflaf-
fins, wretches Ifained with every crime, were the con-
flant attendants, as the only fit companions, of the tyrant
who now occupied the throne. We are informed, how-
ever, that even this emperor had a tafle for the liberal
arts, and that he compofed a lyric poem upon the death
of L. Caefar, with fome Greek poems in imitation of £u-
piiorion, Rhianus, and Parthenius. But none of thefe
has been tranfmitted to poflerity : and if we fhould form
an opinion of them upon the principle of Catullus, that
to be a good poet one ought to be a good man, there is
little reafon to regret that they have periflied.
We
TIBERIUS NERO CiESAR.
7
We meet with no poetical prodiidlion In this reign ;
and of profe-writers the number is ii-i^onfiderable, as will
appear from the following account of them.
M. P'elleius
Paterculus.
Velleius Paterculus w^as born of an Equeftrian faiTiIiy
in Campania, and ferved as a military Tribune under Ti-
berius, in his expeditions in Gaul and
Germany. He compofed an Epitome of
the Hiflory of Greece, and of Rome, with
that of other nations of remote antiquity : but of this work
there only remain fragments of the hiftory of Greece »rid
Rome, from the conqueft of Perfeus, to the feventeentli
year of the reign of Tiberius. It is written in two books,
addrefled to M. Vinicius, who held the office of Confui.
Rapid in the narrative, and concife as well as elegant in
Ryle, this produ£tion exhibits a pleafing epitome of an-
cient tranfa(5i:ions, enlivened occafionally with anecdotes,
and an expreffive defcription of characlers. In treating of
the family of Auguftus, Paterculus is juftly liable to the
imputation of partiality, which he incurs Rill more in the
latter period of his hiRory, by the praife which is lavhh-
ed on Tiberius and die miniRer Sejanus. He intimates
a defign of giving a more full account of the civil war
which followed the death of Julius Casfar ; but this, if he
ever accompliOied it, has not been tranfmitted to poReri-
ty. Candid, but decided in his judgment of motives and
adtions, if we except his invedives againR Pompey, he
Riows little propenRty to cenfure ; but in awarding praife,
he is not equally parRmonious, and, on fome occafions,
rifles the imputation of hyperbole. The grace, how-
ever, and the apparent Rncerity, with which it is beRow-
ed, reconcile us to the compliment. This author con-
cludes his hiRory with a prayer for the profperity of the
Roman empire.
Valerius
THE LIFE GF
Vaierlus iv^aximus was defcendecl of a Patrician fami-
ly ; but we learn nothing more c6ncerning him, than that
for fome time he followed a military life
under Sextus Pompey. He afterwards be-
took himfelt to writing, and has left an ac-
Vnlerius
Maximus.
count, in nine books, of the memorable apophthegms and
adlions of eminent perfons ; hrft of the Romans, and af-
terwards of foreign nations. The fubjedls are of various
kinds, political, moral, and natural, ranged into diflindt
claffes. His tranfitions from one fubjedl to another are
often performed with gracefulnefs ; and where he offers
any remarks, they generally fhow the author to be a man
of judgment and obfervation. Valerius Maximus is
chargeable with no affedlation of ftyle, but is fometimes
deficient in that purity of language which might be ex-
pedred in the age of Tiberius, to whom the work is ad-
dreffed. What inducement the author had to this dedica-
tion, we know not ; but as it is evident from a paffage in
the ninth book, that the compliment was paid after the death
of Sejanus, and confequently in the mofi; fiiamefiil period
of Tiberius^s reign, we cannot entertain any high opinion
of the independent fplrit of Valerius Maximus, who could
fubmit to ilatter a tyrant, in the zenith of infamy and de^
teftation. But we cannot afcrlbe the caufe to any delicate
artifice, of conveying to Tiberius, indlredlly, an admoni-
tion to reform his condudf. Such an expedient would have
only provoked the fevereft refentment from his jealoufy.
Phffidrus was a native of Thrace, and was brought to
Rome as a flave. He had the good fortune to come into
^ the fervice of Auguflus, where, improving
Ills talentsby reading, he procured the fa-
vor of the emperor, and was made one of Ins freedmem
In the reign of Tiberius, he tranfiated into iambic verfe
TIBERIUS NERO C.^:SAR. 3I9
the Fables of ^fop. They are divided into fivfe books,
and are not lefs confpiciious for precifion and fimplicity
of thought, than for purity and elegance of ftyle ; con-
veying moral fentimenls with unafFe61:ed eafe, and im-
preflive energy. Phaedrus underwent, for fome time, a
perfecution from Sejanus, who, confcious of his own de-
linquency, fufpe61;ed that he was obliquely fatirifed in the
commendations bellowed on virtue by the poet. The
work of Phaedrus is one of .the lateft which have been
brought to light fince the revival of learning. It remain-
ed in obfcurity until two hundred years "ago, when it was >
difcovered in a library' at Rheims.
Hyginus \s faid to have been a native of Alexandria, or,
according to others, a Spaniard. He was, like Phaedrus,
a freedman of Augullus ; but, though in-
duhrious, he feems not to have improved
himfelf fo much as his companion, in the
art of compofition. He wrote, however, a mythologi*
cal hiftory, under the title of Fables ; a work called
Poetlcon Ajironomicon-, with a treatife on agriculture,
commentaries on Virgil, - the lives of eminent men, and
fome other produ6lions now loll. His remaining works
are much mutilated, and, if genuine, afford an un-
favorable fpecimen of his elegance and corredlnefs as a
writer.
Celfus was a phylician in the time of Tiberius, and
has written eight books De Medicina^ in which he has
colledled and digelled into order, all that
is valuable on the fubje6l, in the Greek ,
and Roman authors. The profelTors of
medicine w^ere at that time divided into tliree fedls, viz.
the Dogmatifls, Empirics, and Metbodifts ; the hrH of
whom
320
THE LIFE, &C.
whom deviated lefs than die others from the plan of Hip-
pocrates : but'they were in general irrecoiicilable to each
other, in refpe6t: both of their opinions and pradfice.
Cclfus, with great judginent, has occafionally adopted
particular dod l ines from each of them ; and whatever he
admits into his fyflem, he not only edablidies by the mod;
rational obfervations, but confirms by its practical utili-
ty. In jufinefs of remark, in force of argument, in pre-
cifion and perfpicuity, as w'eil as in elegance of expref-
fion, he defervedly occupies the moft diftinguiOied rank
amougfc the medical writers of antiquity. It appears that
Celfus likewife wrote on agriculture, rhetoric, and mili-
tary afrairs ; but of thofe fcveral treaiifes no fragment now
remains.
To the writers of this reign we mud; add Apicius Coe-
lius, who has left a book De Re Coquinaria, of Cookery.
There were three Romans of the name of Apicius,
all remarkable for their vluttonv. The firit lived in
O
the time of the Republic, the laft in that of Trajan,
and die intermediate Apicius under the emperors Au-
guftiis and Tiberius. 'T'his man, as Seneca informs
us, waded on luxurious living- fexcemies fejlertiiim^
a fum equal to 484,375 pounds flerling. Upon ex-
amining the flate of his affairs, he found that there re-
mained no more of his eflate than centics fejierti-fim^
80,729/. 35. 4«^. which feeming to him too fraall to
live upon, he ended his days by -poifon.
CAIUS
( 32^ )
CAIUS CiESAR CALIGULA.
I. GERMANICUS, the father of C. Ctefar, and fori
6f Drufus and the younger Antonia, was, after his adop-
tion by Tiberius, his uncle, preferred to the Qusdorfhip
five years before he had attained the legal age,- and, im-
mediately upon the expiration of that office, to the Con-
fulfliip. When he was fent to the army in Germany^
he quieted the legions, which, upon the news of Auguf-
tus’s death, obftinately refufed to accept of Tiberius for
their prince, and offered him the government. In which
affair it is difficult to fay, whether his regard to filial
-duty, or the firmnefs of his refolution, was more confpi-
cuous. Soon after he defeated the enemy, and triumphed
upon it. Being then made Conful a fecond time, before
he could enter upon bis office^ he was obliged to fet
out fuddenly for the eaft, where, after he had con-
quered the king of Armenia, and reduced Cappadocia
into the form of a province, he died at Antioch of
a lingering difiemper, in the thirty-fourth year of his
age, not without the fufpicion of being poifoned.- For
befides the livid fpots which appeared all over his body,
and a foaming at the mouth ; when his corpfe was burnt,
the heart was found entire, the nature of which is fup-
pofed to be fuoh, as, when tainted by poifon, to refifl; all
tonfumption by fire
II. It
' 5 opinion j like fome others which occur in Sue-
y tonius.
THE LIFE OF
I 322
II. It was a prevailing opinion, that he was taken off*
by the contrivance of Tiberius, and through the means
of Cn. Pifo. This perfon being about the fame time
made governor of Syria, and declaring openly that he
mufl either offend the father or the fon, as if there was
an abfolute neceffity for it, abufed Germanicus, at that n
time fick, in the moft fcurrilous and extravagant manner,
both by words and deeds : for which, upon his return to
Rome, he narrowly avoided being torn to pieces by the
people, and was condemned to death by the Senate.
III. It is generally agreed, that Germanicus poffeffed
all the noble endowments of body and mind in a higher
degree than had ever before fallen to the lot of any man :
handfomenefs of perfon, extraordinary courage, great pro*
ficiency in the eloquence and other branches of literature
both of Greece and Rome ; befides a fingular humanity,
and a behaviour fo engaging, as to captivate the affe6lions
of all about him. The fmallnefs of his legs did not cor-
refpond with the fymmetry and beauty of his perfon in
other refpeds ; but this defe6l was at length corre61:ed by
a conftant cuftom of riding after meals. In battle, he
frequently encountered and flew the enemy with his own
hand. He pleaded caufes, even after he had the honor of
a triumph. Amongft other fruits of his ffudies, he left
behind him fome Greek comedies. Both at home and
abroad he always conduiSted himfelf in a manner the moff
unaffuming. On entering any free and confederate town,
he never would be attended by his Liclors. Whenever he
heard in his travels of the fepulchres of famous men, he
tonius, may juftly be confidered as a vulgar error: and if
the heart was found entire. It muft have been owing to the
weaknefs of the fire, rather than to any quality communi-
eated, of refifting the power of that thment. ••
paid
CAIUS C^SAR CALIGULA.
323
paid his refpedls at them to their memory, by the ufual
ofFerings. He buried in one tomb the fcattered relics of
thofe who had been flain with Varus, and was the fore-
moft to put his hand to the work of colledting and bring-
ing them to the place of burial. He was fo extremely
mild and gentle to his enemies, whoever they were, or on
what account foever they bore him enmity, that, though
Pifo cancelled his decrees, and for a long time haraffed
his dependents extremely, he never Ihowed the fmalleft
refentment, until he found himfelf attacked by magic
charms and imprecations ; and even then he proceeded
no farther than to renounce all friendfhip with him^ ac-
cording to ancient ufage, and to recommend to his friends
about him the revenge of his death, if he ftiould be cut
off by any violence.
IV. He reaped the fruit of his noble qualities in abun-
dance, being fo much efteemed and beloved by his friends,
that Auguftus (to fay nothing of his other relations) being
a long time in doubt, whether he fhould not appoint him
his fucceffor, at lalt ordered Tiberius to adopt him. He
w^as fo extremely popular, that many authors tell us, the
crowds of thofe who went to meet him upon his coming
to any place, or to attend him at his departure, were fo
prodigious, that he was fometimes in danger of his life:
tliat upon his return to Germany, after he had quelled
the mutinies in the army there, all the battalions of the
guards went to meet him, notwithffanding the public or-
der that only two fliould go for that purpofe ; and that
all the reft of the people, both men and women, of all ages
and conditions, went as far as twenty miles to attend him
to town.
V. About the time of his death, however, and aftcr-
Y % wards,
3^4
THE LIFE OF
wards, they difplaycd ftill greater and flronger proofs of
their extraordinary attachment towards him. The day
on which he died, the temples w^ere floned, the altars of
the Gods demolifhed, the houfehold Gods were by fome
thrown into the ftreets, and new-born infants were expof-
ed. It is even faid that barbarous nations, both fuch as
were at variance amongfl: themfelves, and thofe that were
at war with us, all agreed to a ceflation of arms, as if they
had been all in mourning for fome very near and common
friend : that fome petty kings fhaved their beards upon
it, and their wives’ heads, in token of their extreme for-
row ; and that the king of kings * forbore his exercife of
hunting and feafting with his nobles, which, amongft the
Parthians, is equivalent to a cefTation of all bufinefs in a
time of public mourning with us.
VI. At Rome, upon the firfl: news of his hcknefs, the
city was thrown into great conflernation and grief, wait-
ing impatiently for farther intelligence ; when fuddenly,
in the evening, a report without any certain author was
fpread, that lie was recovered j upon which the people
flocked with torches and vidlims to the Capitol, and were
in fuch hafte to pay the vows they had made for his re-
covery, that they almofl broke open the doors. Tiberius
was awakened out of his fleep with the noife of the peo-
ple congratulating one another, and finging all round:
* The magnificent title of King of Kings has been alfumed,
at different times, by various potentates. The perfon to whom
it is here applied, is the king of Parthia. Under the kings
of Perfia, and even under the Syro-Macedonian kings, this
country was of no confideration, and reckoned apart of Hyr-
cania. But upon the revolt of the Eaft from the Syro-Mace-
donians, at the inftigation of Arfaces, the Parthians are faid
to have conquered eighteen kingdoms^
Salva
CAIUS C^SAR CALIGULA.
3^5
Salva Roma, falva patria, falvus eft Germanicus.
Rome is fafe, our country fafe, Germanicus is fo.
But when certain advice came of his death, the mourn-
ing of the people could neither be afluaged by confola-
tion, nor retrained by edicts, and it continued during the
feflival of December. What contributed much to the.
glory of Germanicus, and the endearment of his memory,
was the difmal feverity of the fubfequent times all peo-
ple fuppofing, and with reafon, that the fear and awe of
him had laid a rclfraint ^ipon the cruelty of Tiberius,
which broke out foon after.
VII. He married Agrippina, the daughter of M. Agrippa
and Julia, by whom he had nine children, two of whom
died in their infancy, as did another a few years after ;
a very fprightly pleafant boy, whofe efBgy, in the charac-
ter of a Cupid, Livia fet up in the temple of Venus in the
Capitol. Auguftus alfo placed another of him in his bed-
chamber, and ufed to kifs it as often as he entered the
apartment. The refl; furvived their father : three daugh-
ters, Agrippina, Drufilla, and Livilla, wdao were born
fucceffively in three years ; and as many fons, Nero,
Drufus, and C. Caefar. Nero and Drufus, at the accufa-
tioD of Tiberius, were declared enemies to the public.
VIII. Caius Caefar was born the day preceding tlie
Calends of September, when his father and C. Fonteius
Capito were Confuls. But where he was born, is render-
ed uncertain from the number of places which are faid to
have given him birth. Cn. Lentulus Gaetulicus fays that
he was born at Tibur ; Pliny the younger, in the coun-
try of the Treviri, at a village called Ambiatinus, above
Y 3 ^ Confluentes j
THE LIFE OF
326
Confluentes ; and he alledges, as a proof of it, altars
which are there iliown, with this infpription : For the
Delivery of Agrippina.” Some verfes which were pub-
iiflied in his reign, intimate that he was born in the win-^
ter quarters of the army.
In caftris natus, patriis nutritus in. armis,
Jam delignati principis omen erat.
Born in the camp, and train’d in ev’ry toil
, Which taught his fire the haughtieft foes to foil ;
Defiin’d he Teem’d by fate to raife his name,
And rule the empire with Augufian fame.
I find in the public regifters that he was born at Antium,-
Pliny charges, Gsetulicus as guilty of an arrant forgery,
merely to footh the vanity of a conceited young prince,
by giving a luftre to his birth, from a city facred to Her-^
cules ; and fays that he advanced this lye with the more
afliirance, becaufe, the year before the birth of Caius, Ger-
manicus had a fon of the fame name born at Tibur, con-
cerning whofe amiable childliood and premature death
I have fpoken above. Pliny, it is plain, mufl; be mlftaken,
by the account left us of thofe times. For the writers of
Auguftus’s hiftory all agree, that Germanicus, at the expi-
ration of his Confulfliip, was Tent into Gaul, after the birth
of Caius. Nor will the infcription upon the altar ferve to
eftabliih Pliny’s opinion; becaufe Agrippina was delivered
of two daughters in that country, and any delivery, with-
out regard to fex, is called puerperium^ on acount that the
ancients were ufed to call girls puer^e, and boys puelll.
There is likewife extant a letter of Auguflus’s, written a
few months before his death, to his grand-daughter Agrip-
pina, about the fame Caius (for there was then no other
child of hers living under that name). He writes as fol-
lows ; “Yefterday I gave order for Talarius and Afellius
CAIUS CiESAR CALIGULA. 327
to fet out on their journey towards you, if the Gods per-
mit, with your child Caius, upon the fifteenth of the Ca-
lends of June. I fend with him a phyfician of mine,
whom I wrote to Germanicus he may retaih if he pleaf-
es. Farewell, my dear Agrippina, and take what care you
can to come fafe and well to your Germanicus.^’ I ima-
gine it is fufficiently evident that Caius could not be born
there, whither he was carried from the city when almoft
two years old. The fame confiderations muff likewife
invalidate the authority of the verfes, and the rather, be-
caufe the author is unknown. The only authority there-
fore, upon which we can depend in refpe6l of this matter,
is that of the A61s, and the public regifler ; efpeciaily as
he always preferred Antium to every other place of retire-
ment, and entertained for it all that fondnefs which is
commonly attached to one’s native foil. It is faid too,
that, upon his growing weary of the city, he defigned
to have transferred thither the feat of empire.
IX. He acquired the name of Caligula* from the mer-
riment of the foldiers with him in the camp, becaufe he
was brought up amongfl them in the drefs of a common
foldier. How much his education amongfl; them recom-
mended him to their favor and affedlion, was fufficiently
apparent in thaf furious mutiny of the army upon the
death of Auguftus, when the fight of him only appeafed
them. For they perfifled in their uproar, until they ob-
ferved that he was fent off to a neighbouring city, to fe-
cure him againft all danger. Then at lafl: they began to
irelent, and,- flopping the chariot he was in, earneftly begged
* This name was derived from Caliga^ a kind of flioe,
fludded with nails, and chiefly ufed by the common foldiers
in the Roman army.
Y 4
that
THE LIFE OF
328
that they might not be expofed to the general hatred and re^
fentment which by fuch a proceeding they mull incur.
X. He likewife attended his father in his expedition into
Syria. After his return, he lived firll with his mother,
and, when Ihe was banilhed, with his great-grandmother
Livia Augufla ; in praife of whom, after her deceafe,
though then only a boy, he pronounced a funeral oration
in the Rollra. He then went into the family of his grand-
mother Antonia, and afterwards, in the twentieth year of
his age, being caUed by Tiberius to Caprese, he in one
and the fame day affumed the manly habit, and fhaved his
beard, but without receiving any of the honors which had
been paid to his brothers upon the like occafion. While
he remained in that illand, many inhdious artifices were
praClifed, to extort from him a complaint againll Tibe-
rius ; but by his circumfpe6lion he avoided falling into
the fnare., He afie6led to take no more notice of the ill
treatment of his relations, than if nothing had befallen
them. With regard to his own fufFerings, he feemed ut-
terly infenfible of them, and behaved with fuch obfequi-
oufnefs to his grandfather and all about him, that it was
jullly faid of him, ‘‘ There never was a better Have, nor
a worfe mafier.’-
XL But he could not even then conceal his natural dif-
pofition to cruelty and lewdnefs. He was extremely ‘fond
of feeing executions, and would flroil about the llreets in
the night-time, difguifed in a periwig and a long coat ;
and was paflionately addi6led to the theatrical arts of fing-
ing and dancing. All thefe levities Tiberius readily con--
nived at, in hopes that they might perhaps corredt the
roughnefs of his temper, which the fagacious old man
fo well knew, that he would often declare, “ That Caius
live^
CAIUS CiESAR'CALIGULA.
329
iived for the deftrudlion of himfelf, and mankind ; and
that he brought up a water- fnake for the Roman people,
and a Phaeton for the world,”
XII. Not long after, he married Junia Claudilla, the
daughter of M. Silanus, a man of a very great family.
Being tnen chofep Augur in the room of his brother Dru-
fus, before he could be inaugurated he was advanced to
the Pontificate, with no fmall commendation of his dutiful
behaviour, and great capacity. The fituation of the
court likewife was at this time favorable to his fortunes :
for Sejanus being now fufpedled, and foon after taken off,
a new fupport was wanted to the adminiffration, and he
was by degrees flattered with the hope of fucceeding Ti-
berius in the government. Towards fecuring more ef-
fedlually this profpe6t, upon Jiinia’s dying in child-bed,
he engaged in a criminal commerce witlr Ennia Nsevia,
the wife of Macro, at that time commander of the guards,
promifng to marry her if ever he came to the. empire;
and gave her not only his oath, but a, written , obligation
under his hand, for the accomplifliment of that promife.
Having by her means infinuated himfelf into Macro’s
favor, fome are of opinion that he attempted to- poifon
Tiberius, and ordered his ring to be taken from him, be-
fore the breath was out of his body ; and, becaufe he
feemed to hold it fall:, a pillow to be thrown upon him,
feifing and fqueezing him by the throat, at the fame time,
with his own hand. One of his freedmen crying out at
the horrid barbarity of'this adf, he was immediately cruci-
fied for it. That fuch a tranfadflon really took place. Is
far from being improbable : for fome authors relate, that
afterwards, though he did not acknowledge his having
a hand in the death of Tiberius, yet he frankly declared
he had formerly entertained fuch a defign ; and as a
proof
THE LIFE OF
proof of his afFe6lion for his relations, he would frequent-*
ly boaft, “ That, to revenge the death of his mother and
brotliers, he had entered the chamber of Tiberius, when
he was afleep, with a poniard, but being feized v/ith a fit
of compaffion, threw it away, and retired ; and that Ti-
berius, though fenfible enough of the defign, yet durft
not take any notice of it, nor attempt any mode of
revenge.’’
XIII. Having thus obtained pofleflion of the imperial
powder, he fulfilled by his elevation the wilh of the Ro^
man people, I may venture to fay, of mankind. He was
long the object of expedlation and defire to the greater
part of the provincials and foldiers, who had known him
when a child ; and to the whole body of the commonalty
at Rome, from their affedlion for the memory of Ger-
manicus his father, and compaffion for the family almofi; ,
entirely defiroyed. Upon his moving fromMifenum there-
fore, though he was in mourning, and attended the corpfe
of Tiberius, yet he made his way amidft altars, vi^lims and
lighted flambeaux, with prodigious crowds of people every
wffiere attending him, in tranfports of joy, and calling him,
befides other aufpicious names, by thofe of their “ Star,
chicken, pretty puppet, and dear child.”
XIV. Upon his entering the city, immediately by the
confent of the Senate, and the people who broke into the
houfe, Tiberius’s will being fet afide, who had left his
other grandfon, then a minor, joint heir with him, the
whole government and adminiftration of affairs was put
into his hands ; fo much to the joy and fatisfa6lion of the
public, that, inlefsthan three months after, above a hundred
and fixty thoufand victims are faid to have been offered in
facrifice. Upon his paffing, a few days after, into th«
iflandi-.
CAIUS CJESAK CALIGULA.
331
jflands upon ihc coall: of Campania, vows were made for
his fafe return ; every perfon emuloufly teflifying their
care and concern for his fafety. But when he' fell iJi,
the whole body of the people continued all night about
the Palatium : fome engaged themfelves by vow to ex-
pofe their perfons in combat as gladiators, and others, in
like manner, to lay down their lives, for his recovery ;
which they intimated by bills publicly polled up in the
city. To this extraordinary love entertained by his
countrymen for him, was added an uncommon refpecl
from perfons of other nations. For Artabanus, king of
the Parthians, who had always manifehed a hatred and
contempt of Tiberius, folicited his friendfhip, came to
hold a conference with a Confular lieutenant of his, and
palling the Euphrates, paid his adoration to the eagles,
with the other Roman handards, and the images of C^efar.
XV. The love and refpe£l which the world difplayed
towards him, he improved by pradliling all the arts of
popularity. After he had delivered, with abundance of
tears, a fpeech in praife of Tiberius, and interred him
with the> utmoll pomp, he immediately hallened over to
Pandataria and the Pontian illands, to bring thence the
alhes of his mother and brother ; and, to tellify the great
regard he had for their memory, he performed the voy-
age in a very tempelluous feafon. He approached their
remains with a profound veneration, and put them into
the urns with his own hands. Having brought them in
grand folemnity to Ohia, with a llreamer upon the hern
of his Ihip, and thence up the Tiber to Rome, they were
borne by perfons of the firh dihin£lion in the Equehrian
Order, on two biers, into the raaufoleum, at noon-day.
He appointed yearly olFerings to be folemnly and publicly
piade in honor of tlreir memory ; and to that of his mo-
ther
THE LIFE OF
33^
ther Ciixenfian games befides, and a chariot in the pro-
ceffioD. The month of September he called Germanicus
in honor of his father. By a decree of the Senate, he
heaped upon his grandmother Antonia all the honors that
ever Livia Augufta had received. His uncle Claudius,
who till then had continued in the Equeftrian Order, he
took for his colleague in the Confulfhip. He adopted his
brother Tiberius on the day he took upon him the manly
habit, and conferred upon him the title of “ Prince of the
"Y outh.” With regard to his fiflers, he ordered an addition
in all the oaths taken upon his account, in thefe words :
Nor do I love myfelf or my own children more dearly
than I do Caius and his fifters:” and commanded all pro-
pofals of the Confuls to the Senate to be prefaced thus :
May what we are going to offer prove fortunate and
happy to C. Ctefar and his fifters.^’ With the like popu-
larity he reflored fuch as had been condemned and banifh-
ed, and granted an adf of indemnity for all crimes paffed.
To deliver from all apprehenfjon fuch as had been in-
formers or witneffes againfl his mother and brotliers, he
brought all the records or memoirs relating to their trials
into the Forum, and then with a loud voice calling the
Gods to witnefs that he had not read or meddled with them,
he burnt them. A memoir which was offered him re-
lative to his own fecurity, he would not receive, declar-
ing, ‘‘ that he had done nothing to render him odious to
any body and at the fame time faid, he had no ears
for informers.”
XVI. The Spintrise, thofe pra6litioners in a monBrous
kind of new-invented lewdnefs, he was indeed prevailed
upon not to throw into the fea, as he had intended ; but
he banifhed them the city. The writings of Titus La-
bienus, Cordus Cremutius, and Cafiius Severus, which
6 ' had
CAIUS C:/ESAR CALIGULA. jjj
had been fuppreffed by an a6l of the Senate, he permitted
to be drawn from obfcurity, and univerfally read 5 obferv-
ing, ‘‘ that it would be for his own advantage to have the
tranfaclions of former times delivered to pofterity/^ He
publilhed accounts of all that paffed in the government, a
praftice which had been introduced by Auguftus, but dif-
continued by Tiberius. He granted the magiflrates a full
and free jurifcli6lion, without any appeal to himfelf. He
took a very fl:ri6l andexadl furvey of the Equeftrian Order,
but with a mixture of moderation ; taking away openly
the horfe from each knight who lay under the reproach
of any thing bafe and difhonorable; paffing by the names
of fuch knights as were guilty of fmall faults, in calling ^
over the lift of the Order. T o eafe the j udges a little of their
fatigue, he added a fifth clafs to the former four. He at-
tempted likewife to reftore the people to their ancient
right of voting in the choice of magiftrates. He paid
very honorably, and without any difpute, the legacies left
by Tiberius in his will, though it had been fet afide ; as
likewife thofe left by the will of Livia Augufta, which
Tiberius had fupprefted. He remitted the hundredth pen-
ny, due to the government in all auctions throughout Italy^
He made up to many the lofs they had fuftained by fire ;
and if he reftored to any princes their kingdoms, he
likewife allowed them all the arrears of taxes, or
other revenue, during the time of privation ; as to
Antiochus of Comagene, the confifcation of whofe
kingdom amounted to^ a hundred millions of fefterces.
To evince to the world, that he was ready to encourage
goml examples in every kind, he gave to a freedvi^onian
eighty thoufand fefterces, for not difcovering a crime
committed by her patron, though fhe had been put to
cxquifite torture for that purpofe. For all thefe adls
ol beneficence, amongft other honors, a golden ftiield
was
THE LIFE OF
was decreed to him, which the different companfes of
priefls were to carry annually, upon a fixed day, into
the Capitol, with the Senate attending, and the youth of
the nobility, of both fexes, celebrating the praife of his
virtue in fongs. It was likewife ordained, that the day on.
which he began his reign fhould be called Palilia, in token
ot the city’s being at that time as it were new^ founded'*.
XVII. He bore four Confulfhips : the firfi; from the
Calends of July for two months : the fecond from the Ca-
lends of January for thirty days : the third until the Ides
of January ; and the fourth until the feventh of the fame
Ides. Of all thefe, he held the two laft fuccefiively.
The third he entered upon by himfelf at Lyons ; not
from any pride, or a difregard to the ufage of his coun-
try ; but becaufe, at that diffance, it was impoflible for
him to know that his colleague died a little before the be-
ginning of the .new year. He twice diftributed to the
people three hundred fefterces a man, and as often gave a
very plentiful entertainment to the Senate and the Equef-
trian Order, with their wives and children. In the latter^
he prefented to the men forenfic garments, and to the w^o-
men and children red fcarfs. To make an addition to the
public joy for ever, he added to the Saturnalia one day,
which he called Juvenalis f.
XVIII. He
The city of Rome began to be built on the twenty-firR
day of April, which was called Falilia.^ from Pales, the God-
defs of fliepherds, and was ever after kept as a feftival.
t The Saturnalia^ held in honor of Saturn, was, amongft
the Romans, the moft celebrated feflival of the whole year,
and kept in the month of December. All orders of the peo-
ple were then devoted to mirth and feaRing ; friends fent
prefen ts to one another ; and maRers treated thejr flaveS up-
on
CAIUS CJESAR CALIGULA. 335
XVIII. He prefented fome Iliows of gladiators, partly
in the theatre, partly in the amphitheatre of Taurus, and
partly in the Septa, with which he intermixed troops of the
choiceft boxers from Campania and Africa. He did not
always prefide in perfon upon thofe occafions, but fome-
tlmes gave a commiflion to the magiftrates or his friends
to fupply his place. He frequently entertained the people
with ftage-plays of various kinds, and in feveral parts of
the city, and fometimes by night, with lights fet up all
over the city. He likewife made fcrambles amongfi:
the people, and diftributed to every man a bafket of bread
with other vidluals. Upon this, occafion, he fent his own
fhare to a Roman knight, who was placed oppofite to
him, and was eating very heartily. To a Senator, for
the fame reafon, he fent a patent, by which he appointed
him, in an extraordinary manner, a Przetor. He likewife
exhibited a great number of Circenlian games from morn-
ing until night; intermixed with the hunting of wild
beafts from Africa, or the Trojan game. Some of thefe
games were celebrated with peculiar circumftances ; the
Circus being overfpread with vermilion and chryfocolla j
and none rode the chariots but thofe of the Senatorial!
Order.. Some he prefented upon the fudden, when upon
his viewing from the Gelotiana the furniture of the Cir-
cus, he was alked to do fo by a few perfons from tlie
neighbouring Maeniana.
XIX. He invented belides a new kind of fpedlacle,
and fuch as had never been heard of before. For he made a
bridge, of about three miles and a half in length, from
Baise to the Moles of Puteoli, drawing together from all
on a footing of equality. At jfirfl it was held only one day,
afterwards three days, and now received farther duration by
the order of Caligula.
8
parts
THE LIFE OF
parts fhips of burden, fixing them in two rows by thelf
anchors, and overlaying them with earth, in the form of
the Appian way. He palTed and repafled this bridge, for
two days together : the firft.day moimied upon a horfe
with accoutrements, wearing on his head a crown of
oaken leaves,, armed with a battle-ax, light fliield and
fword, and in a cloak made of cloth of gold : the day
following, in the habit of a charioteer, and mounted upon
a chariot drawn by two famous horfes, having with him
a young boy, Darius by name, one of the Parthian hoft-
ages, with ” a body of the guards attending him> and a
party of his friends mounted on Britiih chariots. Mod:
people, I know, are of opinion, that this bridge had
been projedfed by Caius, in imitation of Xerxes, who, to
the aftonifiiment of the world, laid a bridge over the
Heliefppnt, which is fomewhat narrower than the di-
ftance betwixt Baise and Puteoli ; and that others thought
he did it to ftrike a terror into Germany and Britain,
which he wa‘^ upon the point of invading, with the fame
of fome prodigious work. But I once, when a boy, heard
my grandfather fay, that the reafon affigned by fome
courtiers who were in the greatefi; intimacy with him,
was this ; That when Tiberius was in fome anxiety
about the nomination of a fuccefibr, and 'more inclined
to pitch upon his grandfon, Thrafyllus the afirologer had
affured him, “ That Caius would no more be emperor,-
than he would ride on horfeback over the bay of Baiae.”
XX. He likewife exhibited public diverficns in Sicily^
Grecian games at Syracufe, and mifcelianeous fports at
Lugdunum in Gaul : befidcs a eontefi; for pre-eminence
in the Grecian and Roman eloquence ; in which we are
told that fuch as were baffled bellowed rewards upon the
t)ell performers, and were obliged to compofe fpeeches in
their
CAIUS CJESAR CALIGULA.
337
their praife : but -that thofe who performed the word,
were forced to blot out what they had written with a
fponge or their tongue, unlefs they chofe rather to be
beaten with a rod, or plunged over head and ears into the
next river.
XXL He finifhed the works which were left imper-
fe6l by Tiberius, viz. the temple of Auguftus, and the
theatre of Pompey. He began likewife the aquedudb
from the neighbourhood of Tibur, and an amphitheatre
near the Septa ; of which worksj one was completed by
his fuccelTor Claudius, and the other remained as he left
it; The walls of Syracufe, which by length of time were
much decayed, he repaired^ as he likewife did the temples
of the Gods. He entertained a defign to rebuild the palace
of Polyci crtes at Samos, to finifti the temple of the Didy-
msean Apollo at Miletus, and to build a city upon the top
of the Alps ; but of all things to make a cut through the
Ifthmus irj Achaia ; and fent a Centurion of the ftrft rank
to meafure out the work,
XXIT. Thus far we have fpoken of him as a prince.
What remains to ^be faid of him, befpeaks him rather a
monfter than a man. He alfumed a variety of titles, fuch
as “ Dutiful, the Son of the Camp, the Father of the Ar-
mies, and the Greateft and the Beft Csefar.’* Upon hear-
ing foine kings, who came to the city to pay their re-
fpedls to him, contending amongft themfelves at fupper,
about the noblenefs of their birth, he exclaimed, Let
there be but one prince, one king.’^ He was ftrongly
inclined to have taken a crown immediately, and to haye
turned the imperial dignity into the form of a kingdom ;
but being told that he far exceeded the grandeur of kings
and princes, he began to arrogate to himfelf a divine ma-
Z jcfty..
THE LIFE OP
338
jefty. He ordered all the iniages of the Gods, that were
famous either for their beauty or the veneration paid them»
amongft which was that of Jupiter Olympius, to be
brought from Greece, that he might take the heads ofF,
and put on his own. ' He carried on a part of tlie Pala-
tium as far as the Forum ; and the temple of Callor and
Pollux being converted into a kind of porch to his houfe,
he would often fland betwixt the two brothers, and fo
prefent himfelf to be worfhipped by all votaries ; fome of
whom faluted him by the name of Jupher Latialis, He
ordered likewife a temple and priefts, and the moft choice
vidfims for his own godhead. In his temple ftood an
image of gold, exactly of the fame fize with himfelf, and
which was every day dreffed up in the fame fort of gar-
ment as what he ufed. The mofl; opulent perfons in the
city offered themfelves as candidates for the honor of be-
ing his priehs, and purchafed it fuccelTively at an immenfe
price. The vidlims were flamingos, peacocks, _bufl:ards,
Numidicae, turkey-hens, and pheafant-hens, each facrificed
on their refpedlive days. In the night he ufed conftantly
to invite the moon, when full, to his 'embraces. In the
day-time he talked in private to Jupiter Capitolinus ; one
while whifpering to him, and another turning his ear tQ
him : fometimes he would talk aloud, and in railing lan-
guage. For he was over-heard to threaten the God in
the following terms :
Ei^ yaiav TTE^ixciy <rs''
Into the land of Greece I will tranfport thee :
until being at laft prevailed upon by the entreaties of tlic
God, as li'e Xaid, and being invited to live with him, he
made a bridge over the temple of Auguftus, by which he
joined the Palatiurn to the CapitoL_
XXII!. He
CAIUS CJESAlt CiAttGULAo
XXIII. He was unwilling to be thought or called thd
grandfon of Agrippa, becaufe of the obfcurity of his
birth ; and he was ofFended if any one, either in profe or
verfe, ranked him amongR- the Cjufars. He faid that hiS
mother was the fruit of an inceftuous commerce, main-
tained by Auguftus with his daughter Julia. And not
content with this vile reflexion upon the memory of Au-
guflus, he forbid his vi6lories at Adlium, and upon the
coafl: of Sicily, to be celebrated, as ufual ; affirming that
they had been of the moft pernicious and fatal Cbnfe-
tjuence to the Roman people. He called his gfaiidmo-^
ther Livia Augufta Ulyfles in a woman'^s drefs,’* and
had the indecency to refleffi upon her in a letter to the
Senate, as of mean birth, and defcendedj by the mother’s
fide, from a grandfather who was only a member of the
council of ft ate at Fuildi ; whereas it is certain^ from au-
thentic documents, that Aufidius Lingo held public of-
fices at Rome. His grandmother Antonia defiring a pri-
vate conference with hliUj he denied the requeft^ unlefg
Macro, commander of the guards, might be {irefenh
By affronts of this kind, and ill ufage, he was the occa*
fion of her death; but, as fome think, net without giv-
ing her a dofe of pOifon. He paid not the fiiialleft re-
fpe6l to her memory after her death ; and gratified him-
felf with beholding, from his parlour, her funeral pile
6n fire. . His brother Tiberius, who had no expectation
of any violence; he difpatched, by fuddenly fending to
him a military Tribune for that piirpofe. He forced Sila-
iius his father-in-law to kill himfelf,. by cutting his throat
with a razor. The pretext he alledged for theie murders
Was, that the latter had not followed him upon putt.mg tb
fea in ftormy weather; but ftaid behind with the view of
felzing the city, if he ihoiild have been loft in the voyage.-
The other, he faid, fmelt of an antidote, which he h?A
t'dkai
'7 ^
340
THE LIFE OF
taken to prevent his being poifoned by him : whereas Sila-
nus was only afraid of being fea-fick, and of the trouble
, of the voyage ; and Tiberius had only made ufe of a me-
dicine for a habitual cough, which was conlfantly en-
, creahng upon him. As to his fucceffor Claudius, he
only fayed him to make fport with.
XXIV, He lived in the habit of incefl with all his
fillers ; and at table when much company was prefent,
he placed them every one by turns below him, whilft
his wife lay above him. It is believed, that he deflower-
ed one of them, Drufilla, before he had arrived at the
age of manhood ; and was taken in her embraces by his
grandmother Antonia, with whom they were educated
together. When /lie was afterwards married to Cafiius
Longinus, a man of Confular rank, he took her from
him, and kept' her openly as his wife. In a fit of fick-
pefs, he by his will appointed her helrefs of his ejflate,
and the empire likewife. After her death, he ordered a
public mourning for her ; during which it was capital for
any perfon to laugh, ufe the bath, or fup with parents,
wife, or children. Being inconfolable under his afflidion,
he went haftily, and in the night-time, from the city ; going
through Campania to Syracufe, and then fuddenly re-
turned without lhaving his beard, or trimming his hair
all that time. Nor did he ever after, in matters of the
greateft importance, not even in the aflfemblies of the
people and foldiers, fwear any otherwife, than “ By the
Divinity of Drufilla.” The reft of his fiflers he did not
treat ^vith fo much fondnefs or regard ; but would fre-
quently proflitute them to his catamites. He therefore
the more readily condemned them in the cafe of ^milius
Lepidus, as guilty of adultery, and privy to that confpi-
racy againft him. Nor did he only divulge their own
hand-
CAIUS CJESAR CALIGULA.
341
hand-writing relative to the ajfFalr, which he procured by
bafe and lewd means, but likewife confecrated to Mars
the Revenger three fwords which had been prepared to
flab him, with an infcription, letting forth the occafion
of their confecration.
XXV. Whether in the marriage of his wives, in part-
ing with them, or retaining them, he a£led with greater
infamy, it is difficult to lay. Being at tite wedding of
C. Pil'o with Livia Oreftilia, he ordered the bride to be
carried to his own hoiife, but w'ithin a few days divorced
her, and two years after haniJhed her ; bccaufe it was
thought, that upon licr divorce' ihe returned to the. em-
braces of her former hufband. Some fay, that being in-
vited to the wedding -fupper, he fent a melfenger to Pifo,
who fat oppofite to him, in thefe words : “ Do not prefs
upon my wife,” and that he immediately carried her
away wdth him. Next day he publihred a proclamation,
importing, “ That he had got a wife as Romulus and
Auguflus had done.” Lollia Paulina, who was married
to a man of Confular rank and a general of the army, he
fuddenly called from the province where fhe was with her
hulhand, upon mention made of her grandmother, as
formerly a very beautiful woman, and manied her, but
foot! after parted with her ; difcharging her at the fame
time from having ever afterwards any commerce with
man. He loved with a moft palfionate and conflant af-
fedlion Caafonia, who was neither handfome nor young,
and was befides the mother of three daughters by another
mlin ; but a woman of unbounded luxury and lafciviouf-
nefs. Her he would frequently fhow to the foldicrs,
drelfed up in a military cloak, with fhield and helmet, and
riding by his fide. To his friends he fhow'ed her naked.
After die had a child, he honored her with the title of
Z 3 \yifes
THE LIFE OF
34^
\vife, in one and the fame day, declaring himfelf her
huxband, and father of the child of which fhe was deli-^
yered. He named it Julia Drufilla, and carrying it round
the temples of all the GoddelTes, laid it on the lap of Mi-
nerva ; to whom he recommended the care of bringing
up and inftrudling her. He confidered her as his own
child for no other reafon, fo much as the favage cruelty
of her temper, which was fuch even in her infancy, that
ihe would attack with her nails the face and eyes of the
children at play with her.
XXVI. It would be frivolous and difgufting to add to
all this an account of the manner in which he treated his
relations and friends ; as Ptolemy, king Juba’s fon, his
coufin (for he was the grandfon of M. Antony by his
daughter Selene), and efpecially Macro himfelf, and Ennia
likewife, by whofe affiftance he had obtained the empire;
all whom, for their alliance and eminent fervices, he re-
warded with a violent death. Nor was he more mild or
rcfpe6lful in his behaviour towards the Senate. Some
who had borne the highdl offices in the government, he
fuffered to run by his chaife in their togas for feveral miles
together, and to attend him at fupper, fometimes at the
head of his couch, fometimes at his feet, with napkins.
Others of them, after he had privately put them to death,
he would neverthelefs continue to fend for, as if they were
flill alive, and after a few days pretended that they had
laid violent hands upon themfelves. The Confuls for-
getting to give notice by proclamation of his birth-day,
he difplaced ; and the government was for three days
without any to fill that high office. A Quseflor who was
faid to be concerned in a confpiracy againfl: him, he
feourged feverely, having firft hripped off his cloaths, and
fpread them under the feet of the foldiers employed in tlie
work^
CAIUS C.^SAR CALIGULA.
343
work, that they might ftand the more" firm. The other
Orders likewife he treated with the fame infolence and
violence. -Being dihurbed by the noife of people- taking
their places -in the Circus, wliich they were to have gratis,
he drove them all away with clubs; in the hurry and
confuhon occafioned by which, above hventy Roman
knights w'ere fqueezed to death, with as many married
women, befides a great number of other people. When
flage -plays were added, he would, to occallon a difputc
between the commonalty and the Equeftrian Order, fcat^
ter the money-tickets fooner than ufual, that the feats af-
iigned to the knights might be all feized by the mob.
In the fliow of gladiators, fometimes, when the fun was
violently hot, he would order the cover of the theatre to
he taken oiF, and forbid any perfon to be let out : with-
drawing at the fame time the ufual apparatus for the en-
tertainment, and prefenting wild bealds almoh pined to
death, the mofi ferry gladiators, decrepit with age, and
fit only for the pegma, befides noted houfe -keepers,
fuch however as were remarkable for fome bodily in-
firmity. Sometimes fbutting up the public granaries, he
w^ould oblige the people, to flarve for a while.
XXVIT. He evinced tlie favage barbarity of his temper
chiefly by the following indications. When cattle was
only to be had at a high price, for the-feeding of his wild
beads defigned for tire diverfion of the public, he ordered
that criminals fliould be made ufe of for that purpofe ;
and upon .taking a view of his prifoners who were drawm
up in a row before him, without troubling himfelt to ex-
amine the caufe of commitment of any one ol them, only
Banding in the middle of the portico where they were,
he ordered them to be led away to execution, frouj
fiald pate to balJ-pate.” Of one who had engaged him-
Z 4 feif
THE LIFE OF
344
felf to expofe his life as a gladiator for his recovery, he
exa61:ed the performance of his vow ; nor would he al-
low him to defift from the combat, until he came off con-
queror, and after a great many entreaties. Another who
had vowed to facrifice his life upon the fame account,
but felt fome backwardnefs .to the performance, he de-
livered, drefled up with facred leaves and ribbons, to fome
boys, who were to drive him along the ftreets, demanding
from him the accomplifhment of his vow, until he was
thrown head-long from the town rampart. After deform^
ing many perfons of honorable rank, by branding them in
the face with hot irons, he condemned them to the mines,
to work in the repairing of high-ways, or to fighting with
wild beafts ; or tying them by the neck and heels, in the
manner of beafts carrying to flaughter, would fhut them
up in cages, or fav/ them afunder. Nor were all thefe
feverities infli61;ed for crimes of great enormity, but for
refleffing upon his public fports for the entertainment of
the people, or becaufe they had never fworn by his Ge-
nius. He obliged parents to be prefent at the execution
of their fons ; and to one who excufed hlmfelf on account
of indlfpofition, he fent his own chair. Another he in-
vited to his own table immediately after the fight, and
with great complaifance was for engaging him in a
merry jocular converfation. The overfeer of his public
diverfions of gladiators and the hunting of wild beafts,
he ordered to be beat with chains, during feveral days
fucceflively, in his fight, and did not put him to death,
until he was offended with the ftench of his putrefied
brain. He burnt alive, in the middle of the amphi-
theatre, the writer of a farce, for a fhort jocular fentence
with a double meaning. A Roman knight, who had
been expofed by him to wild beafts, crying out that he
was
CAIUS C^SAR CALIGULA. 345
was innocent, he fetched him back, and cutting out his
tongue, remanded him to his former fituation.
XXVIII. Afking a certain perfon, whom he rellored
to his country after a long banilhment, how he ufed to
fpend his time, he, in flattery, replied, ‘‘ I was always
praying the Gods for what has happened, that Tiberius
might die, and you be emperor.” He fuppofing from
this, that thofe whom he had baniflied prayed for his
death likewife, fent orders round the iflands to have them-
all put to death. Being very defirous to have a Senator
torn to pieces, he employed fome perfons to call him a
public enemy, fall upon him as he entered the houfe,
flab him with their flyles, and deliver him to the reft to
tear in pieces. Nor was he fatisfled, until he faw the
members and bowels of the man, after they had been
dragged through the flreets, piled up in a heap before
him.
XXIX. He aggravat&d his barbarous a6lIons by lan-
guage equally outrageous. “ There is nothing in my
nature,” faid he, “ that I commend or approve fo much,
as my aoiccrpE^Pia (inflexible rigor).” Upon his grandmo-
V, ther Antonia’s giving him fome advice, as if to pay no
regard to it was not fufflcient, he faid to her, “ Remember
that ail things are lawful for me.” When he was going
to murder his brother, whom he fufpedled to take anti-
dotes for fear of poifon, he expreflTed himfelf thus : “ An
antidote againfi; Csefar r” And when he baniflied his flflers,
he threateningly told them that he had not only iflands at
command, but likewife fwords. A man of Praetorian
rank having fent feveral times from Anticyra, whither he
had gone for his health, for leave to continue longer, he
ordered
THE LIFE OF
34*5
ordered him to be put to death; adding thefe words;
Bleeding is neceffary for one that has found no benefit
from the ufe of hellebore for fo long a time.” He ufed
every tenth day to denounce in his hand-writing the num-
ber of prifoners appointed for execution ; and this he call-
ed ‘‘ clearing his accounts.” And having condemned fe-
veral Gauls and Greeks at one time, he exclaimed in
triumph, 1 have conquered Gallogr^cia.”
XXX. He fcarcely ever fufFered any perfon to be put
to death, but by flight and frequently repeated ftrokes ;
this being a well-known and conflant order of his upon
thofe occafions ; ‘‘ Strike fo that he may feel himfelf
die.” Having by a miftake of his name punifhed one
perfon for another, he faid, “ he had deferved as much*.”
, He had frequently in his mouth thefe words of the tra^
gedian,
Oderint dum metuant.
I fcorn their hatred, if they do but fear me.
He would often inveigh againfl all the Senators without
exception, as the clients of Sejanus, and informers
againfl his m.otlier and brothers^ producing the memoirs
which he had pretended to burn, and exculing the cru-
elty of Tiberius as necefiary, fince it was impoffible to
queftion the veracity of fuch a number of accufers. He
was continually reviling the whole Equeftrian Order, as
paffionately fond of adling upon the flage, and fighting
as Radiators. Being in a rage at the people for favor-
ing a party at the Circenfian games in oppofition to
him, he exclaimed, “ I wifh the Roman people had
but one neck.” When Tetrinius the hlghv/ayiuan was '
profecuted, he fgid the profecutors too were all Tetri-
nius’Sr
347
CAIUS CA!:SAR CALIGULA.
nius’s. Five Retiarii * in tunics fighting in a company,
yielded to fo many purfuers, without once contending
for vi6lory ; and being ordered to be all flain, one of
them taking up l^is fork again, killed all the conquerors.
This he lamented in a proclamation as a moft cruel butch-
ery, and curfed all thpfe who were able to endure the
fight of it.
XXXI. He iifed likewife to complain openly of the
condition of the times, becaufe they were not rendered re-
markable by any public calamities : that the reign of Au-
guftus had been made memorable to poflerityby the difafler
of Varus ; and that of Tiberius by the fall of the theatre at
Fidena3 ; but that his was like to be unknown to future ages,
from an uninterrupted feries of profperity. And he would
now and -then wiflr for fome terrible flaughter of his
troops, a famine, a peftilence, conflagrations, or that
the earth would open.
* Gladiators were diftinguiflied by their armor and man-
ner of fighting. Some were called Secutores^ whofe arms
were a helmet, a hiield, a fword, or a leaden bullet. Others,
the ufual antagonifts of the former, were named Retiarii,
A combatant of this clafs was dreffed in a fliort tunic, but
wore nothing on his head. He carried in his left hand a
three-pointed lance, called Tridens or Fufeina^ and in his
right, a net, with which he attempted to entangle his adver-
fary, by calling it over his head, and fuddenly drawing it
together ; when with his trident he ufually flew him. But
if he miffed his aim, by throwing the net either too fuort or
too far, he inflaiitly betook hirnfelf to flight, and endeavor-
ed to prepare his net for a fecond call. His antagonifl, in
the mean time, piirfiied to prevent his defign by difpatch-
ing him..
XXXII. Even
THE LIFE OF
348
XXXII. Even in the midft of his diverfions, in his
gaming or feafling, this favage ferocity both in his lan-
guage and adfions never forfook him. Perfons were of-
ten put to the torture in his prefence, whilft lie was din-
ing or caroufing. A foldier, who was an adept in the art of
beheading, ufed at fuch times to take off the heads of
prifoners, who were brought without diftindlion from the
jails for that purpofe. At Puteoli, upon his hrf}; mount-
ing the bridge, which has been already mentioned as of
his contrivance, he invited a number of people to come
to him from the fhore, and then all on a fudden threw
them headlong into t|ie fea ; thrufting down with poles
and oars thole who, to lave theinfelves, had got hold of
the rudders of the fhips. At Rome, in a public feaft, a
{lave having ftolen a little filver from the beds, he deli-
vered him immediately to an executioner, with orders to
cut off his hands, and to lead him round the feveral com-
panies with them hanging from his neck before his breaff,
and a label, fignifyiag the caufe of his punifhment. A
gladiator chat was pradlifng with him, and voluntarily
threw himfelf at his feet, he flabhed with a poniard, and
then ran about with a branch of palm in his hand, after
the manner of thofe who are vidlorious in the games.
When a vidfim was to be offered upon an altar, he, clad
in the habit of the Popas and holding the axe aloft
feme time, at laft, inflead of the animal, flaughtered an
* Popa were thofe who, at public facrifiees, led the viftim
to the altar. They had their cloaths tucked up, and were
naked to the waifl. The viftim was led with a flack-rope,
that it might not feem to be brought by force, which was
reckoned a bad omen. For the fame reafon, it was allowed
to ffand loofe before the altar ; and it was thought a very bad
omen if it fled away.
officer
CAIUS C^SAR CALIGULA. 349
'officer who attended to cut up the facrifice. And at a
Tumptuous entertainment, falling fuddenly into a violent
fit of laughter, and the Confuls, who were next him,
very refpedlfully alldng him the occafion ; ‘‘ Nothing,’*
replied he, “ but that, upon a fingle nod of mine, ye may
both of you have your throats cut.”
XXXIII. Amongfi many other jefts, this was one. As
he ftood by the ftatue of Jupiter, he alked Apelles the
tragedian, which of them he thought the bigger ? Upon
his demurring about it, he lafhed him moft feverely, now
and then commending his voice, whilft he begged par-
don, as very fweet in the midfl: of groans. As often as
he kiffed the neck of his wife or mifirefs,' he would fay,
“ So fine a neck muft be defiroyed when I pleafe and
now and then he would threaten to put his Ca3fonia to
the torture, for the purpofe of finding out the reafon why
he loved her fo much.
XXXIV. In his behaviour towards men of almoO: all
ages, he difcovered a degree of envy and malignity, equal
to that of his cruelty and pride. He fo demolifhed and
difperfed the flames of feveral illuilrio,us perfons, that
had been removed by Auguflus for want of room, fioin
the court of the Capitol into the Field of Mars, that it
w'as imppffible to fet them up again with their infcriptioris
entire. And for the future, he forbid any ftatue what-
ever to be ere6led without his knowledge and leave. He
had thoughts too of fupprefling Homer’s poems : “ For
why,” laid he, may not I do what Plato has done be-
fore me, who has turned him out of his commonwealth ?”
He w^as like wife very near banifhing the waitings of Vir-
gil and Titus Livius, with their effigies, out of all libra-
ries ; cenfuring one of them as ‘‘ a man of no wdt, and
6 very
Titi: LIFE oi*
35^
very little learning and the other as a verbof<S ind
carelefs hlftoriani’’ He often talked of the lawyers as if
he intended to abolilh their profeffion. “ By Hercules,”
he would fay, “ I lhall put it out of their power to an-
fwer any queflions in law, otherwife than by referring
to me.”
XXXV. He took from the nobleft perfons in the city
the ancient marks of diflindtion, ufed by their families 5
as from Torquatus '^' the chain, from Cincinnatus the
lock of hair f, and from Cn. Pompey, of an ancient fa-
mily, the furname of Great. Ptolemy, mentioned above^
whom he fent for out of his kingdoirij ahd received very
honorably, he fuddenly took off, for no other reafon, but
becaufe he obferved that upon entering the theatre, at a
public diverfion of gladiators, he attra61:ed the eyes of ail
the fpedfators, by the fplendor of his fine fcarlet robe.
As often as he met with handfome men, that had fine
heads of hair, he would order the back of their heads to
be fhaved, to make them appear ridiculous. There was
one Efius Proculus, the fon of a Centurion of the firfi;
* The golden chain, taken off the gigantic Gaul, who
was killed in fingie combat by Titus Manlius, called after-
wards Torquatus, was worn by the lineal male defcendents
of the Manlian family. But that illuftrious race becoming
extincfi:, the badge of honor, as well as the cognomen of
Torquatus, was revived by Augufius, in the perfon of C.^
Nonius Afprenas, who perhaps claimed defcent by the fe-
male line from the family of Manlius.
t I have met with no account of the lock of hair in Livy,
nor in any other writer whom I have confulted. It is there-
fore probable, that the tradition concerning it, though exift-
ing in the time of Suetonius, is now totally iofi.
rank,
CAitiS C^SAR CAtiGULA.
rank, who, being a lufty comely perfon, went by the name
of Colofleros. Him he ordered to be dragged out of his
feat into the middle of the theatre, and matched with a
gladiator in light armor, and another completely armed }
and, upon his worfting them both, commanded him forth-
with to be bound, to be led clothed in rags up and down
the ftreets of the city, to be fhown in that fituation to
the women, and afterwards to be butchered. There was
no man of fo abjedt or mean condition, whofe excellency
in any kind he did not envy. The Rex Nemorenfis hav-
ing many years enjoyed the honor of the priefthood, he
procured an able-bodied antagonifl to oppofe him. One
Pori us an Effedarian * having, at a public fhow of gla-
diators, manumifed a flave of his for his fuccefs in light-
ing, and being clapped extremely for it, he arofe in fuch
a hurry from his feat, that, treading upon the lap of his
toga, he tumbled down the fleps, full of indignation, and
crying out, “ A people v/ho are maflers of the world
pay greater refpedl to a gladiator for a trifle, tlian to
princes received amohgfl: the Gods, or to myfelf here
prefent amongfl; the'm.^’
XXX VI. He never had the leafl regard either to the
chaflity of his own perfon, or that of others. He is faid
to have been inflamed with an unnatural paffion for M,
Lepidus Mnf-fter the pantomimic, and fome hoflages i
and to have engaged with them in a pradlice of mutual
pollution. Valerius Catullus, a young man of a Confu-
lar family, bawled out publicly that he had been jaded by
him in that abominable a6t. Befidcs his incefi; with his
* An EiTedarian was one who fought from an Ej/eduni^
a kind of fwift carriage employed in war by the Gauls and
Britons, and adopted at Rome for common ufe,
8
fiflers^
THE LIFE OF
352
fifters, and his notorious paflion for the proflitute Pyfal-^
Jis, there was hardly any lady of diftin61;ion, that he did
not make free with. He ufed commonly, to invite them
with their hufbands to fupper, ^nd as they paffed by his
feet, viewed them very attentively, like thofe who trafhc
in flaves ; and if any one from modefty held down her
face, he raifed it up with.his hand. Afterwards, when
the humor feized him, he would quit the room, fend
for her whom he liked befl, and in a fliort time return-
with the marks of lewdnefs frefli upon him. He would
then, in prefence of the company, command or difparage
her, recounting the qualities or defe61:s of her perfon ahd
behaviour in private. 'To fome he fent a divorce in the
name of their abfent hufbands, and ordered it to be re-
giftered in the public a61s.
XXXVII. In the contrivance of profufe expences he
furpalTed ail the prodigals that ever lived ; inventing a
new kind of bath, with flrange diflies and fuppers ; fo
that he would bathe in precious unguents, both warm and
cold, drink pearls of immenfe value diffolved in vinegar,
and ferve up for his guells bread and other vi(51:uals of
gold ; often faying, ‘‘ that a man ought either to be a
' good economifl: or an emperor.” Nay, he fcattered money
likewife to a prodigious amount amongfl: the people, from
the top of the Julian court, during feveral days fuccef-
fively. He built two fhips with ten banks of oars, after
the Liburnian fafhion, the flerns of which were decked
with jewels, and the fails were parti-colored, with large
baths, porticos, and rooms of entertainment, and with
great variety likewife of vines, and other fruit-trees.
In thefe he would fail along thecoafl; of Campania, feafl;-
ing in the day-time amidfl; dancing and concerts of muiic*
In the building of his palaces and country-feats, in deh^
ance
CAIUS G^SAR CALIGULA.
353
atice of all teafon, he defired to effe61: nothing fo much,
as what was accounted impoffible. Accordingly moles
were formed in a deep and boifterous fea, rocks of the
hardeft hone cut away, plains raifed to the height of
mountains with a vail; niafs of earth, and the tops of
mountains levelled by digging ; and all thefe were to be
executed with incredible fpeed; for the leah remiffnefs
was capital. Not to mention particulars, he lavifhed
away a moll: prodigious eflate, and all the trealures which
had been amaffed by Tiberius Csefar, amounting to two
thoufand feven hundred millions of fellerces, within lefs
than a year.
XXXVIII. Being therefore quite exhaufled and iit
want of money, he fell to plundering his fubjedls, by
every mode of falfe accufation, conhlcation, and taxes,
that could be invented. He declared that thofe had no
right to the freedom of the city of Rome, whofe ancef-
tors had obtained it for themfelves and their poflerity, un-
lefs they were fons, for that none beyond that degree
ought to be confidered as pojierity. When the grants of
Julius and Auguflus were fhown upon thefe occafions,
he afFedled an air of concern, but faid they were old and
out of date. He charged likewife all thofe with giving a
falfe account of their ellates, who, after the taking of the
Cenfus, had by any means whatever improved them. He
cancelled the wills of all thofe who had been Centurions
of the hrfl rank in the army, as tedimonies of their bafe
ingratitude, if from the beginning of Tiberius^s reign they
had not left either that prince or hirafelf their heir. He
a61ed in the fame manner with refpedl to the wills of ail
others, if any perfon only pretended to fay, that they de-
figned at their death to leave Caefar their heir. The pub-
lic* being terrihed at this proceeding, he was now, by per-
A a fons
THE LIFE OF
^354
fons imknov/n to him, joined heir with their friends, and
by parents with their children. Thofe who lived any
' confiderable time after making fuch a will, he faid, ex-
pofed him to ridicule ; and accordingly he fent many of
them poifoned cakes. He ufed to fit for the trial of fuch
caufes himfelf; determining previoully the fum for the
raifing of which he propofed to fit, and, after he had fe-
cured it, quitting the bench. He was upon all thofe oc-
cahons impatient of deliberation, condemning by one
hngie fentence forty perfons, charged with different ac-
cufations ; and boafling to Caefonia when flie awaked,
‘‘ how much buflnefs he had difpatched while fhe was
taking her mid-day lleep.” He expofed to fale, in the
way of au6lion, all that was left of the furniture of his
public fhows for the diverfion of the people, and obliged
the company to purchafe his commodities at fo high a
price, that fame were ruined in their fortunes by it, and
bled themfelves to death. It is a well known (lory that is
told of Aponius Saturninus, who happening to fall afleep
as he fat by at the fale, Caius. called out to the au6lioneer,
not to overlook the Prastorian perfonage that nodded to
him fo often ; and accordingly the falefman went on with
his bufinefs, pretending to take the nods for tokens of
affent, until thirteen gladiators were knocked off to him
at the fum of nine millions of feflerces.
XXXIX. Having likewife fold off in Gaul all the
cloaths, furniture, flaves, and even freedmen belonging to his
fiflers, at prodigious prices, he was fo much pleafed with
tlie profit, that he fent for all the old furniture of the court
from the city ; taking up for the conveyance of it to him
all the hackney carriages, with the horfes and mules be-
longing to the bakers every where upon the road, fo that
they often wanted bread at Rome; and many that had
fuits
CAIUS CiESAR CALIGULA. 3^5
ftiits at law in progrefs, becaufe they could not make
their appearance in due time according to their bail-bond^
loft their caufes. In felling off this furniture, every arti-
fice of fraud and impolition was employed. Sometimes
he would rail at the bidders for their tenacioufnefs of
money, and “ becaufe they were not afhamed to be richer
than he was another while he would affert to be forry
for having alienated to private perfons what belonged to>
the court. He had difeovered, that an opulent man of
that province had given two hundred thoufand fefterces to
thofe who were employed by him to invite company to
his table, to be admitted to that honor 5 and he was much
pleafed to find it valued at fo high a rate. The day fol-
lowing, as the fapie perfon was fitting at the fale, he fent
him fome bauble,' for which he told him he miift pay two»
hundred thoufand fefterces, and “ that he ftiould fup with
Caefar upon his own invitation.” ^
XL. He levied his new taxes, and fuch as were never
before known, at firft by the tax-farmers, but after w^ards^
becaufe the money thence arifing was prodigious, by
Centurions and Tribunes of the guards ; no kind either of
things or perfons being exempted from the payment of
fome duty or other. For all eatables fold in the city, a
certain excife was exa6led : for all law-fuits or trials in
whatever court, the fortieth part of the fum in difpute ;
and fuch as were convi6i:ed of compromifing litigations,
were made liable to a penalty. Out of the day-wages of
porters, lie received an eighth part, and of the gains of
common proftitutes, as much as they received for one a6f
of criminal comnnerce. A claufe was in the law, that all
thofe fhould be liable to pay, who kept women for profti-
tution or fale, and that matrimony itfclf fhoOld not be
exempted.
A a 2
XLL Thefo
THE LIFE OF
35^
XLI. Thefe taxes being impofed, but the ail by whick
they were levied never fubmitted to public infpe61ion, great
grievances were experienced from the want of fufEcient
knowledge of the law. At length, upon the urgent re-
(]iie{l: of the people, he hung up the a£l:, but written in a
very fmall characl;er, and in a narrow place, tkat nobody
might tranfcribe it. To leave no fort of extortion un^
tried, he opened a public Ifew in the Palatium, with a
great variety of apartments, furniflied in a manner fuit-
able to the dignity of the place ; in which married women
and boys free-born were ready for the reception of all
vifitants. He fent likewife his nomenclators about the
forums and courts, to invite people of all ages to his
brothel ; and to fuch as came, he lent money upon in-
terefi: ; clerks attending to take down their names, as of
perfons who were promoters of the, emperor’s revenue.
Another method of raifmg money, which he thought not
below his notice, was gaming ; which, by the help of
lying and perjury, he turned to confiderable account.
Leaving once the management of his play to a ' fello w-
gamefter that fat next him, he ftbpped to the door, and
obferving two rich Roman kniglits paffing by, he ordered
them immediately to be feized, and their eftates con-
fifeated. Then returning overjoyed to his company, he
boafted that he had never better luck at play in his life.
XLII. After the. birth of his daughter, complaining of
his poverty, and the burdens to which he w^as fubjecled,
not only as an emperor but a father, he publicly received
contributions for her maintenance and fortune. He like-
wife gave notice by proclamation, that he would receive
new-year’s gifts the. £ifl of January following, and ac-
cordingly flood at the door of liis houfe, to take poflefTion
of the prefents which people of all ranks threw dowm be-
8 for<&
CAIUS CASSAR CALIGULA. 357
fore him by handfulls and lapfulls. At laft being feized
with an invincible delire of feeling money, he would of-
ten walk over great heaps of gold coin fpread upon a
large floor, and then laying himfelf down, would roll his
whole body over and over again upon them^
XLIII. He never but once in his life concerned himfelf
with military affairs, and then not deliberately, but in his
journey to Mevania, to fee the grove and river of Cli-
tumnus. Being put' in mind of recruiting his company
of Batavians, which he had about him, he refoived upon
an expedition into Germany. Immediately he drew to^
gether feveral legions and auxiliary forces from all quar-
ters, and made every where new levies with the utmofl:
rigor. Laying in provilions of all kinds, beyond what
had ever been done upon the like occafion, he fet out on
his march ; and purfued it with fo much hafte and hurry
fometimes, that the guards were obliged, contrary to
cuftom, to lay their ftandards upon the backs of horfes
or mules, and fo follow him. At other times, he would
march with fuch flownefs and delicacy, that he would
be carried in a chair by eight men ; ordering the roads to
be fwept by the people of the neighbouring towns, and
fprinkled with water to lay the dufl.
XLIV. Upon arriving in the camp, to fliovv himfelf
an adlive general, and feveredifciplinarian, hecaihiered the
lieiitenant-geneials that came up late with the auxiliary
forces from different parts. In reviewing the army, he
took their companies from meft of the Centurions of the
flrll rank, who had now ferved their legal time in the
w^ars, and from fome but a fev/ days before their time
would have expired ; alledging againfl them their great
age and infirmity ; and railing at the covetous difpofition
A a 3 of
THE LIFE OF
358
of the reft of them, he reduced the premiums due to fuch
as had ferved out their time to the fnm of fix thoufand
fefterces. Though he only received the fubmiihon of
Adminius, the Ion of Cinbbelinus a Britlfh prince, who
being forced from his -native country by his father, came
over to him -with a fmall body of troops ; yet as if the
whole ifland had been furrendered to him, he difpatched
magnificent letters to Rome upon the occafion, ordering
the bearers to proceed in their chaife dlret'^ly up to the
Forum and the Senate-houfe, and not to deliver the let-
ters but to the Confuls in the temple of Mars, and in the
prefence of a full afiembly of the Senators.
XLV. Soon after this, there being a general tranquil-
lity, he ordered a'few Germans of his guard to be carried
over and concealed on the other fide of the Rhine, and
word to be brought him after dinner, in a great hurry,
that an enemy was advancing. This being accordingly
done, he immediately pofted away with his friends, and
a party of the horfe-guards, into the adjoining wood,
where lopping the branches of fome trees, and drefling
them Up in the manner of tropliies, he returned by torch-
light, upbraiding thofe who did riot follow him, with
timoroufnefs and cowardice ; but prefented the com-
panions and ftiarers of his vidlory with a new kind of
crowns, and under a new name, with the reprefentation
of the fun, moon, and ftars upon them, which he called
Exploratorice. Again, fome hoftages were by his order
taken out of a fchool, and privately fent off; upon notice
of which he immediately rofe from table, purfued them
with the horfe, as if they had run away, and coming up
with them, brought them back in chains ; proceeding to
an extravagant pitch of oftentation likewife in this mili^
tary comedy. Upon again fitting down to table, whea
CAIUS C^SAR CALIGULA.
359 '
fome came to acquaint him that the army was all come
in, he ordered them to fit down as they were in their
coats of mail, animating them in the words of that well
known verfe of Virgil :
Durate, et vofmet rebus ferrate fecundis.
Bra vely bear up again ft the ftorm of fate,
And fave your perfons for a happier ftate. _
In the mean time, he reprimanded the Senate and peo-
ple of Rome by a -very fevere proclamation, “ For revel-
ling and frequenting the diverfions of the Circus and the-
atre, and enjoying themfelves in their country-houfes,
whiill; their emperor was fighting, and expofing his per-
fon to the greatefc dangers.”
•
XLVI. At laft, as if refolved to make an end of the
war at once, drawing up his army upon the fhore of the
ocean, with his halijl^e and other engines of war, whilft
no body could imagine what he intended to do, on a fud-
den he commanded them to gather up the fea ihells, and
fill their Jhelmets, and the laps of their coats with them,
calling them ‘‘ the fpoils of the Ocean due to the Capitol
and the Palatium.” As a monument of his fuccefs, he
railed a high tower, upon which he ordered lights to be
put in the night-time, for the direftion of fhips at fea ;
and then promifmg the foldiers a donative of a hundred
denarii a man, as if he had furpaffed the moft eminent ex-
amples of generofity, “ Go your ways,” faid he, “ and
be merry : go and be rich.”
XLVII. Upon his applying himfelf to make prepara-
tions for his triumph, befides prifoners and thofe who had
deferted from the barbarians, he picked out the men of
A a 4 greatefl
THE LIFE OF
360
greatefl: ftature in all Gaul, fuch as hc-faid were fittefi:
for a triumph, wita fome of the moft confiderable perfoiis
m the province, and referved them to grace the folemni-
ty ; obliging them not only to die their hair of a yellow^
ifh colour, and let it grow long, but to learn the Ger-
man lan^aiage, and aflTuine the names commonly ufed in
that country. He ordered like wife the galley in which
he had entered the ocean, to be carried a great part of the
way to Rome by land, and wrote to the coliedors of his
revenue in the city, “ to make proper preparations for
a triumph agaiofl his arrival, at as fmall expence as poffi-
ble ; but fuch a one, however, as had never been feen be^
fore, fince they had full power and authority to feize th^
efiates of all men whatever, ’•
XLViil. Before he left the province, he formed a de^t
fign of the rnofi horrid cruelty, to maffacre the legions
which had mutinied upon the death of Auguftus, for feiz-*
jng and detaining by force his father Germanicus their
commander, and himfelf then an infant, in the camp.
Though he was with great difficulty difTuaded from fo
\rafh a defign, yet neither the mofl urgent entreaties nor
reprefentations could reftrain him from putting to death
every tenth man. Accordingly he ordered them to afTem-
hle unarmed, without fo much as their fwords ; and when
they w^ere met, furrounded them with armed horfe. But
fnding that many of them, from a fufpicion of intended
violence, were making off, to a’rm in their own defence, he
quitted the afTembly as fall; as he could, and immediately
)n;irchcdfor Rome ; bending now all his fury againft the
Benate, whom he publicly threatened, to divert the gene-
ral attention from the clamor excited by the defign above-
mentioned. Amongll: other pretexts of offence, he com-
plained that he was defrauded of a fair triurnph^ though
he
CAIUS CiESAR CALIGULA. 36^
he had juft before foiblddeii, upon pain of death, any
honor to be decreed him.
XLIX. In his march he was waited upon by deputies
from the Senatorian Order, entreating him to haften hi^
return. He replied to them, “ I will come,^I will come,
and this with me,” ftriking at the fame time the hilt of
the fword which he had on. He ifTued likewife this pro-
clamation ; “ I am coming, but for thofe only who wifh
for me, the Equeftrian Order and the people ; for I fliall
no longer behave as a fellow citizen or a prince to the Se-
nate.” He forbid any of the Senators to come to meet him ;
and either dropping or deferring his triumph, he entered
the city in ovation on his birth-day. Within four months
from tliis period he was flain, after he had perpetrated
enormous crimes, and was meditating the execution, if
pofiible, of Hill greater. Ele had entertained a defign of
removing to Antium, and afterwards to Alexandria ; but
firfl refolved to murder all the flow^er of the Equeftrian
and Senatorian Orders. This is placed beyond all queftioii,
by two books which were found in his cabinet under dif-
ferent tides ; one being called fword^ and the other, dag-
ger. They both contained private marks, and the names
of fuch as had been devoted by him to future deftrudlion.
There was found likewife a large cheft, filled wdth a va-
riety of poifons, wdiich being afterw^ards thrown into the
fea by the order of Claudius, are faid to have fo infedled
the waters, that the fifli.w^ere poifoned, and thrown out
dead upon the neighbouring fhores, ‘
L, He was tall, of a pale complexion, ill fhaped, his
neck and legs very {lender, his eyes and temples hollow;
his forehead broad and grim, his hair thin, and about the
crown quite decayed. The other parts of his body were
much
THE LIFE OF
much covered wdth hair. On this account, it was reck-
oned a capital crime for any perfon to look down from
above, as he was paffing by, or fo much as to name a
goat. His countenance, which was naturally hideous
and frightful, he purpofely rendered more fo, forming it
by a glafs into the moft horrible contortions. He was
crazy both in body and mind, being fubjedl; when a boy
to the falling ficknefs. When he arrived at the age of
manhood, he would endure fatigue tolerably well, yet fo
that, occafionally, he w’^as liable to a faintnefs, during
W'hich he remained incapable of any effort, even for his
own prefervation. He was not infenfible of the diforder
of his mind, and fometimes had thoughts of retiring to
purge his brain. Tt is believed that his wife Csefonia adr
minifiered to him a love-potion which threw him into a
frenzy. What mofl of all difordered him, was want of
fleep, for he feldom had more than three or four hours
rell in a night ; and eVen then he flept not found, but dif-
turbed by It'i ange dreams ; fancying one time, that the
ocean fpoke to him. Being therefore often w^eary wuth
lying awake fo great a part of the night, he would one
while fit upon the bed, another while walk in the longefi;
porticos about his houfe, and now and then invoke, and
look out for the approach of day. •
LT. To this crazy conftitution of mind may, I think,
very juflly be aferibed two faults vvhich he had, of a na-
ture diredlly repugnant one to the other, namely, an ex-
cefs of affurance. and timidity. For he, who affc61;ed fo
much to defpife the Gods, wmuld, if there happened only
a little thunder and lightning, fhut his eyes, and wrap up
his head in his coat; but if it thundered and lightened
much, would get up and hide himfeif under the bed. • In
his vifit to Sicily, after ridiculing many ftrange objects
6 which
CAIUS CiESAR CALIGULA,
363
W’hich that country affords, he ran away fuddenly in the
night from Meffana, being terrified at the fmoke and
noife of Mount ^tna. And tliough he was in fpeech
very valiant againfl the barbarians, yet upon palling a
harrow defile in Germany in his chaife, and furrounded
by his troops, fomebody happening to fay, “ There
would be no fmall conflernation amongfl us, if an enemy
fhould appear,” he immediately mounted his horfe, and
rode towards the bridges in great hafle; but finding them
crowded wdth foldiers, fervants and carriages, he was in
fuch a confiernatlon as to be unable to proceed, and was
tranfported, on foot, by Jiis attendants, over the heads of
the crowd. Soon after, 'upon hearing of the wars break-
ing out again in Germany, he was making ready to qui|:
Rome, and providing fleets for the purpofe, comforting
himfelf with this confideration, that if the enemy fliould
prove vidlorious, and poflTefs themfelves of the tops of
the Alps, as the Cimbri had done, or of the city, as had
the Senones, he fhould ftill have in referve the ti'anfma-
rine provinces. For this reafon, I fuppofe, it was, that
thofe who killed him thought proper to perfuade the
foldiers, all in commotion upon his death, that he had laid
violent hands upon himfelf, in a fit of terror occafioned
by the news brought him of the defeat of his army.
LIL In his cloaths, fhoes, and other parts of his drefs,
he neither followed the ufage of his country, his fex, nor
indeed any fafliion fuitable to a human creature. He would
often appear abroad dreffed in an embroidered coat fet with
jewels, in a tunic with fleeves, and with bracelets upon
his arms ; fometimes all in fllks and habited like a woman ;
at other times in the crcpid<^ or bufkins ; fometimes in a
fort of flioes ufed by the meaner foldiers, or thofe of wo-
juen, and commpnly with a golden beard fixed to his
chin,
THE LIFE OF
cliin, holding in his hand a thunder-bolt, a trident," or a
caduceus, marks of diftindfion belonging to the Gods on-
ly. Sometimes too he appeared in the di els of Venus.
He wore very commonly the triumphal drefs, even before
his expedition, and fometimcs die breaft-plate of Alexan-
der the Great, taken out of the vault where his body lay.
LIII. In refpedt of the liberal fciences, he was little
converfant in philology, but applied himfelf with afuduity
to the fiudy of eloquence, being indeed in point of enun-
ciation fuflSciently elegant and ready ; and thefe qualities
appeared molt confpicuous when he happened to be in a
paiTion. In fpeaking, his adlion was vehement, and his
voice fo flrong, that he was heard at a great diftance.
When he was about to harangue, he threatened “ the
fvvord of his lucubration.” He fo much defpifed a foft
fmooth ftyle, that he faid Seneca, who was then much
admired, “ wrote only boyifh declamations,” and that
his language was nothing elfe but fand without lime.”
When pleaders were fuccefsfuMn a caufe, he often wrote
anfwers to their fpeechcs ; and would exercife himfelf in
compoling accufations or vindications of eminent perfons
that were impeached before the Senate ; and according to
his fuccefs he would exafperate or aiTuage the fituation
of the party by his vote in the hoiife ; inviting the Equef?
trian Order, by proclamation, to hear him.
LTV. He likewife applied himfelf with alacrity to the
pradfice of feveral other arts, as fencing, riding the cha-r
riot, finging, and dancing. In the hrO: of thefe, he
pra6lifed with the weapons ufed in fighting ; and drove
the chariot in Circus’s built in feveral places. He was fo
extremely fond of finging and dancing, that he could not
refrain in the theatre from finging with the tragedians,
au4
CAIUS C^SAR CALIGULA. 36^
an<] iitiltating the geflures of the adfors, eitlier in the way
of approbation or corredion. A peryigiUum whicli he
had ordered the,day upon which he was flain, was thought
to be intended for no other reafon, than to take the op-
portunity afforded by the licentioufnefs of fuch a feafoii,
to make his hrft appearance upon the ftage. Sometimes he
danced likewife in the night. Sending once, in the fecond
watch of the night, for three men of Confular rank, who
were under great apprehenfions from the meffage, he
placed them by the ffage, and then all on a fudden came
burfting out, with a loud noife of flutes and Scahella^
dreffed in a palla and tunic reaching down to his heels.
Having danced out a fong, he retired. Yet he who had
acquired fuch dexterity in other exercifes, could never
fwim.
LV. Thofe for whom he once conceived a regard, he
favored even to madnefs. He ufed to kifs Mnefler tire
pantomimic publicly in the theatre ; and if any perfon made
the leaft noife while he was dancing, he would order him
to be dragged out of his feat, and fcourged him with his
own hand. A Roman knight once making fome buftlc.
he fent him, by a Centurion, an order to go forthwith
down to Oflia, and cairy a letter from him to king Pto-
lemy in Mauritania. The letter was comprifed in thefe
words : Do neither good nor harm to the bearer. He
made fome gladiators captains of his German guards. He
took from the gladiators called Mirmillones fome of theh
arms. One Columbus coming off with vidlory in a com-
bat, but being flightly wounded, he ordered fome pc'ifon
to be Inluied into the wound, which he thence called Co-
lumbinum. For thus it certainly was put down with his
own hand amongfl; other poifons. He was fo extravagantly
fond of the party of chariotecis that rode in green, that
he
366 THE LIFE OF
he fupped and lodged for fome time conflantly in the {ta-
ble where their horfes were kept. At a certain revel,
he made a prefent of two millions of feflerces to one
Cythicus a driver of a chariot. The day before the
Circeniian games, he ufed by his foldiers to enjoin filence
in the neighbourhood, that the repofe of bis horfe Inci-
tatus might not be difturbedi For this favorite animal,
befides a marble liable, an ivory manger, fcarlet body-
cloaths, and a bracelet of jewels, he appointed a houfcj
with a retinue of {laves, and fine furniture, for the re-
ception of fuch as were invited in the horfe’s name to fup
wdth him. It is even faid that he deiigned to have made
Irim Conful.
LVI. During this frantic and favage behaviour, ma-
ny had formed adefign of cutting him off ; but one or two
confpiracies being difcovered, and others poflponed from
• the want of opportunity^ at lafc two men concerted a
plan together ; and accompli thed their purpofe, not with-
out the privity of fome of the greatefl favorites amongh:
his freedmen, and the commanders of the guards ; be-
caufe having been named, though falfely, as concerned
in one ccnfpiracy againh him, they perceived he_ was
jealous of them, and hated them ever after. For he had
immediately endeavored to render them obnoxious to
the foldiery, by drawing his fwmrd, and declaring, '
‘‘ That he would kill himfelf if they thought him wor-
thy of death and he was continually ever after aecufing
them to one another, and fetting them all mutually at va-
riance. The confpirators having refolved to fall upofi
him as he returned at noon from the Palatine games,
CalTiUS Chasrea, Tribune of a battalion of the guards,
claimed the pan of beginning the onfet. This Chserea
was now an elderly man, and had been often reproached
by
CAIUS CiESAR CALIGULA.
by Caius for effeminacy. When he came for the watch- •
word, the latter would give him Priapus or Venus ; and
upon his occafional expreflion of thanks, would offer
him his hand to kifs' in a figure and gefture of lewd
imitation.
LVII. His approaching fate was indicated by many
prodigies. The ftatue of Jupiter at Olympia, w'hich he
had ordered to be taken down and brought to Rome, all
on a fudden burfl; out into fuch a violent fit of laughter^
that the machines employed in the work being put into
diforder, the workmen ran away. 'Immediately upon
this incident^ there came up a man named Cafiius, who
faid that he w^as commanded in a dream to facrifice a bull
to Jupiter. The Capitol at Capua was fliruck with light-
ning upon the Ides of March ; as was likewife, at Rome,
the apartment of the principal flave belonging to the Pa-
latium. Some conftrued the latter into a prefage that
the mafter of the place w^as in danger from his own
guards ; and the other they regarded as a fign, that an
execution fimilar to what had formerly happened on that
day, would foon take place. Sylla the aflrologer being
confulted by him refpedling his nativity, affured him,
“ That death would unavoidably and fpeedily befall him.’*
The oracle of Fortune at Antium likewife forewarned
him of Caffius ; on which account'he had given orders
for putting to death Caffius Longinus, at that time Pro-
Conful of Afia, not confidering that Cbserea w^as alfo of
that name. The day preceding his death he dreamt that
he was flanding in heaven by the throne of Jupiter, who
giving him a pufli with the great toe of his right foot, he
fell headlong down upon the earth. Some things which
happened the very day of his death, and only a little be-
fore it, were likewife confidered as ominous prefages
of
THE LIFE OF
of that event. Whilfl: he was at facrihce, he was be-»
fpattered with the blood of a fiainingo. And the pan-
tomimic Mneftcr danced a tragedy, which the tragedian
Neoptolemus had formerly aCled at the games, in which
Philip the king of the Macedonians was fiain. And in
the piece called Laureolus, in which the a6lor running
out in a hurry and falling vomited blood, feveral of the
fecondary adfors vying with each other to give the beft
fpecimen ot their art, made the whole flage be overflowed
with blood. And for the night was intended a fort of play,
in which the fabulous accounts of the infernal regions
were to be reprefented by Egyptians and Ethiopians.
LVIll. Upon the ninth of the Calends of February,
and about the feventh hour of the day, being in fome
doubt whether he fhould rife to dinner, as his flomach
was dlfordered by what he had eaten the day before, at
lad, by the advice of his friends he came out. Some boys
of noble extraction, w'ho had been brought from Ada to
a6t upon the ftage, waiting for him in a private portico
through which lie was to pafs, he made a flop to view
and to fpeak to them ; and had not the chief of them faid
he had got cold, he would have gone back, and have
made them add immediately. In refpedt of what follow-
ed, two different accounts are given. Some fay, that,
whilfl he was fpeaking to the boys, Chserea came be-
hind him, and gave him a great cut in the neck, firfl
crying out, “ Mind this that then a Tribune, by
name Cornelius Sabinus, another of the confpirators, ran
him through the brcaif. Others fay, that the crowd
being kept at a dilfance by fome Centurions who were
privy to the dedgn, Sabinus came, according to cuflom,
for the word, and that Caius gave him “ jupitcr^'^ upon
which Chserea cried out, ‘‘ Here’s for thee thy wifh ful-
filled f'
CAIUS C^SAR cALlGtJLA. 3^9 ‘
Rlied!” and then, as he looked about, cleaved one of his
jaws with a blow. As he lay on the ground, crying out
that he was hill alive, tile reft difpatched him with thirty-
wounds. For the word amongft them all was, “ Strike
again.” Some likewife run their fwords through his
privy parts. Upon the firft buftle, the chairmen came
running in with their poles to his afliftance, and, imme-
diately after, his German guards; who killed foine of the
confpirators, and likewife foine Senators who had no
concern in the tranfa6liori.
LIX. He lived twenty-nine years, and reigned three
years, ten months, and eight days. His body was carried
privately into the Lamian Gardens, where it was half
burnt upon a pile haftily raifed, and then as carelefsly
buried. It was afterwards taken up again by his fifters,
upon their return ft om baniftirnent, eiTedlually burnt, and
buried. Before this was done, it is well known that the
keepers of the gardens were greatly difturbed by appari-
tions ; and that not a night paiTed without fome terrible
fright or other in the houfe where he was flain, until it
was deftroyed by fire. His wife Caefonia was killed with
him, being ftabbed by a Centurion ; and his daughter had
her brains knocked out againft a wall.
LX. Of the miferable condition of thofe times any
perfon may eafily form an efi;imatc-from the following
circumftances. For after his death was made public, it
was not prefently credited. People entertained a fufpi-
cion that the report of his being killed had been contrived
and fpread by himfelf, with the view of difcoveiing how
they ftood alFecled tow'ards him. Nor had the confpira-
tors pitched upon any one to fucceed him. The Senators
were fo unanimous in their refolutioii to aftert the liberty
Bb
THE LIFE OF
370
of their country, that the Confuls afTembled them at firfl
not ill the ufual place of meeting, becaufe that had its
name from Julius Caifar, but in the Capitol. Some pro-
pofed to the houfe to aboliili the memory of the Caefars,
and level their temples with the ground. It was parti-
ticularly remarked on this occafion, that all the Cajfars,
who had the praenomen of Cains, died by the fword,
ever lince him who was llain in the times of Cinna.
UNFORTUNATELY a great chafm in the Annals
of Tacitus, at this period, precludes all information from
that hillorian refpc^ling the reign of Caligula ; but from
what he mentions towards the clofe of the preceding
chapter, it is evident that Caligula was forward to feize
the reins of government, upon the death of Tiberius,
whom, though he rivalled him in his vices, he was far
from imitating in his diffimulation. Amongll the people,
the remembrance of Germanicus^s virtues cherilhed for
his family an attachment, which was probably encreafed
by its misfortunes ; and they were anxious to fee revived
in the fon .the popularity of the father. Conlidering,
however, that Caligula’s vicious difpofition was already
known, and that it had even been an inducement with
Tiberius to procure his fucceffion, as vvhat might prove
a foil to his own memory ; it is furpriiing that no effort
was made at this jumflure to Ihake off the defpotifm which
had been fo intolerable in the lafl reign, and rellore the
ancient liberty of the Republic. Since the commence-
ment of the imperial dominion, there never had been any
period fo favorable for a counter-revolution as the pre-
fent crilis. There exihed now no Livia, to influence
die minds of the Senate and people in refpe6t of the go-
vernment ;
CAIUS CiJESAR CALIGULA, 57!
vernmeilt ; nor was there any otlier perfon allied to the
family of Germanicus, whofe countenance or intrigues
could , promote the views of Caligula. He himfelf was
now only in the twenty-fifth year of his age, was totally
inexperienced in the admiiiifcration of public affairs, had
never performed even the fmallefl fervice to his country,
and was generally known to be of a chara6ter which dif-
graced his illuftrious defcent. Yet, in fpite of all thefe
circumftances, fuch was the deftiny of Rome that his ac-
ceffion afforded joy to the foldiers, who had known him
in his childhood, and to the populace in the capital, as
well as the people in the provinces, who were flattered
with the delufive expectation of receiving a prince who
fhould adorn the throne with the amiable virtues of Ger-
manicus.
It is difficult to fay, whether a weaknefs of underfland-
ing, or a corruption of morals, was more confpicuous in
the character of Caligula. He fcems to have difcovered
from his earlieft years an innate depravity of mind, which
was undoubtedly much encreafed by a defeCt of educa-
tion. He had loft both his parents at an early period of
life ; and from Tiberius’s own character, as well as his
views in training the perfon who fliould fucceed him on
the throne, there is reafon to think, that if any attention
whatever was paid to the education of Caligula, it was
directed to vitiate all his faculties and paflions, rather than
to correct and improve them. If fuch was really the ob-
jeCt, it was indeed profecuted with fuccefs.
The commencement, however, of his reign was fuch
as by no means prognofticated its fubfequent tranfition.
The fudden change of his conduCt, the aftonifhing mix-
ture of imbecility and prefumption, of moral turpitude
B b 2 and
THE LIFE OF
372
•\
and" frantic extravagance, which he afterwards evinced 5
fuch as rolling himfelf over heaps of gold, his treatment
of his horfe Incitatus, and his defign of making him
Conful, feem to juftify a fufpicion that his brain had ac-
tually been afFe61;ed, either by the potion, faid to have been
given him by his wife Csefonia, or otherwife. Philtres,
or love-potions, as they were called, were frequent in
thofe times ; and the people believed that they operated
upon the mind by a myfterious and fympathetic power.
It is, however, beyond a doubt, that their efFe6ls were
produced entirely by the a6lion of their phyfical qualities
upon the organs of the body. They were ufually made
of the fatyrion, which, according to Pliny, was a provo-
cative. They were generally given by women to their huf-
bands at bed-time ; and it was necelfary towards their fuc-
cefsful operation, that the parties fbould fleep together.
This circumftance explains the whole myfeery. The phil-
tres were nothing more than medicines of a ftimulating
quality, which, after exciting violent, but temporary
effedts, enfeebled the conftitution, and occafioned nervous
diforders, by w^hich the mental faculties, as well as the
corporeal, might be injured. That tliis was really the-
cafe with Caligula, feems probable, not only from the
falling ficknefs, to which he was fubjed, but from the
habitual watchfulnefs of which he complained.
The profufion of this emperor, during his fhort reign of
three years and ten months, is unexampled in hiftory. In
the midft of profound peace, without any extraordinary
charges either civil or military, he expended, in lefs than
one year, befides the current revenue of the empire,
the fum of 21,796,875 pounds fterling, which had been
left by Tiberius at his death. To fupply the extrava-
gance of future years, new and exorbitant taxes were'im-
6 pofed
CAIUS CAiSAR caligula;
373
pofed upon the people, and thofe too on the neceflaries of
life. There exifted no w amongft the Romans every motive
that could excite a general indignation againll their govern-
ment ; yet fuch was ftill the dread of imperial power, though
vefted in the hands of fo weak and defpicable a fovereign,
that no infurredfion was attempted, nor any extenhve
confpiracy formed ; hut the obnoxious emperor fell atlaft
a facrifice to a few Centurions of his own guard.
This reign was of too fliort duration to afford any new
produdlions in literature : but, had it been extended to a
much longer period, the effedfs would probably have been
the fame. Polite learning never could flourifh under an
emperor who entertained a dehgn of deftroying the writ-
ings of Virgil and Livy. It is fortunate that thefe, and
other valuable produdlions of antiquity, were too widely
diffufed over the world, and too carefully preferved, to be
ill danger of perifhing through the frenzy of this capri-
cious barbarian.
V
Bb 3
TIBERIUS
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CAESAR.
1. LIVIA having married Auguftus when jfhe was
big with child, was within three months after delivered
of Drufus, the father of Claudius Caefar, who had at firft
the pronomen of Decimus, but afterwards that of Nero ;
and it was fufpe6ted, that he was begotten in adultery by
his father-in-law. The following verfe, however, bC'»
c;ime immediately very common upon it.
Toig xai rpi(jLv]vot Trai^ia»
Ninp months for common births the fates decree ;
But, for the great, reduce the term to three.
This Drufus, during the time of his being Quasllor and
Praetor, commanded in the Rhaetic and German wars, and*
was the firfl of all the Roman generals that failed the
Northern Ocean. ^He made likewife fome prodigious
trenches beyond the Rhine, which to this day are called
by his name. He overthrew the enemy in feveral battles,
and drove them up a great way into the defert parts of
the country. Nor did he delift from the purfuit until a
barbarian woman of more than human ftze appeared to
him, and in the Latin tongue forbid him to proceed any
farther. For thefe atchieveraents he had the honor of
an ovation, and the triumphal ornaments. After his
Praetorftiip, he immediately took upon him the Confulate,
gnd returning again to Germany, died in the fummer-r
eampi
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CJESAR.
camp, which tbence obtained the name of “ the wicked
camp.” His corpfe w^as carried to Rome by the princi-
pal perfons of the feveral borough towns and colonics
upon the road, being met and received by the public
feribes of each place, and buried in the Field of Mars.
In honor of his memory the army erc6led a monument,
round which the foldiers ufed, annuallv, upon a certain
day, to march in folemn proceffion, and perfons deputed
from the feveral cities of Gaul made their fupplications
to his ghoft. The Senate likewife, amongft various other
honors, decreed for him a triumphal arch of marble wdth
trophies in the Appian way, as alfo the cognomen of
Germanicus^ for him and his pofterity. He was confider-
cd as a perfon by no means of an affuming temper, but
ambitious of glory. For befules his vidlories he brought
off the fpoils called Opima *, and frequently hngled out
and purfued the German commanders up and down their
army, with the utmoh hazard of his life. He likewife
often declared, that he wmuld fome time or other, if pof-
lible, reftore the ancient government. On this account,
I fuppofe, fome have ventured to affiem that Auguhus
was jealous of him, and recalled him ; and hecaufe he
made no hafte to comply with the order, took him off by
* The Spolia. Opima w^ere the fpoils taken from the gene-
ral of the enemy, when he was (lain in fingle combat by
the general of the Romans, They were always hung up in
the temple of Jupiter Feretrius. During the whole time that
the Roman ftate exifled, thofe fpoils had been obtained only
thrice ; the firh by Romulus, who flew Acron, king of the
CiEuinenfes ; the next by A. Cornelius Coflus, who flew
Tolumnius, king of the Velentes, A. U. 318 ; and the third
by M. Claudius Marcellus, who flew Viridomarus, king of
phe Gauls, A. U. 330,
Eb 4
poifon.
THE LIFE OP
'37^
poifon. This I mention, that I may not be guilty of any
omiffion, more than becaufe T think it either true or pro-
bable ; fince Auguftus loved him fo much when living,
that he always, in his wills, made him joint heir with his
fons, as he once declared in tlie Senate, and upon his de-
•ceafe, extolled him in a Ipeech to the people, to that degree,
that he prayed the Gods “ to make his Csefars like him,
and to grant. him as honorable an exit out of this world
as they had given him.” And not fatished wnih infcrib-
^ ing upon his tomb an epitaph in verfe compofed by Iiim-
felf, he wrote likewife the hiftory of his life in profe.
He had by the younger Antonia feveral children, but left
behind him only three, viz. Germanicus, Livilia, and
Claudius,
II. ‘Claudius was born at Lyons in the Confuldiip
of Julius Antonius, and Fabius Africanus, upon the
jhrft of Augufl, the very day upon which an altar was
firh: dedicated there to Auguftus, and was named Tibe-
rius Claudius Drufus. Soon after, upon the adoption of
his elder brother into the Julian family, he affumed the
cognomen of Germanicus. He was left an infant by his
father, and during almoft the whole of his minority, and
for fome time after he attained the age of manhood, was
aftlidled with a variety of ftubborn complajnts ; infomuch
that his mind and body being greatly impaired, he was,
even after his arrival at years of maturity, never thought
fufficiently qualihed for any public or private employment.
He was therefore during a long time, and even after the
expiration of his minority, under the direction of a peda-
gogue, who, he complains in a certain memoir, “ was
a barbarous wretch, and formerly a mafter-mule-driver,
that was retained as his governor, on purpofe to correcSl
himfeverely on every trifling occafion,” On account of
this
>
TIBERIIJS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR.. 377
this crazy confliitutlon of body and mind, at the fhow of
gladiators, wiiich in conjunddion with his brother he gave
the people in honor of his father’s memory, he prefided
muffled up in a pallium, contrary to cuftom. When he
fiffumed the manly habit, he was carried in a chair at
mid-night into the Capitol without the ufual ceremony.
in. He applied himfelf, however, from an early age,
with great aiTiduity to the ftudy of the liberal fciences, ‘
and frequently publifh,ed ipecimens of his fkill in each of
them. But never, with all his endeavors, could he attain
to any public pod; in the government, or afford any hope
of arriving at diftindlion in a future period. His mother
Antonia frequently called him “ a monfter of a man, that
had been only begun, but never tinilhed by nature.”
And w’hen fire would upbraid any one with dulnefs, fh<?
faid, ‘‘ he was more a fool than her foil Claudius.” His
grandmother Augufta always treated him with the utmofl
contempt, very rarely fpoke to him, and when fhe did
admonifh him upon any occafioii, it was in writing,
very briefly and feverely, or by mcflengers. His After
Livilla, upon hearing that he w^ould be created em^
peror, openly and loudly expreflTed her indignation that
the Pvoman people fhould experience a fate fo fevere and
fo much below their grandeur. To fliow the opinion,
both favorable and otherwife, entertained concernintr him
by Aiiguftus his great-uncle, I have here fubjoined fome
extradts from the letters of that emperor.
IV . I have had fome converfation with Tiberius, ac-
cording to your deflre, my dear LIvia, as to what muft
be done with your grandfon Tiberius at the games of
Mars. We are both agreed in this, that once for all we
pught to determine what courfe to take with him. For
if
THE LIFE OF
if he be really perfe6l and entire, as I may fay, with rc»
gard to his intellecls, why ihould we hefitate to promote
him by the fame fleps and degrees we did his brother ?
But if we find him indeed unfinifhed, and defedtive both
in body and mind, we mull beware of giving occafion for
him and ourfelves to be laughed at by the world, which
is ready enough to make maters of this kind the fubjedt of
mirth and derilioji. For we never {liali be eafy, if we
are alv/ays to be debating upon every occafion of this
kind, without coming to a final decifion, whether he be
really capable of public ojSices or not. With regard to
wdiat you confult me about at prefent, I am not againft
his fuperintending at the feaft of the priefis, if he will fuf-
fer himfelf to be governed by his kinfman Silanus’s fon,
that he may do nothing to make the people flare and
laugh at him. But I do not approve of his feeing the
Circenfian games from the Pulvinar. He will be there
expofed to view in the very front of the theatre. Nor
do I like that he fhould go to the Alban mountain, or be
at Rome during the Latin feftival. For if he be capable
of attending his brother to the mountain, why is he not
made Praefedl of the city ? Thus, my dear Livia, you
have my thoughts upon the matter, I am of opinion we
ought to fettle this affair pnee for all, that we may not
to be alvv^ays in fufppnfe between hope and fear. You
may, if you think proper, give our kinfwoman Antonia
this part of my letter to read.” In another letter lie
writes as follows : “ I fliall invite the youth Tiberius, every
day during your abfence, to fupper, that he may not
fup alone with his friend Sulpicius and Athenodorus. I
wifh he was more cautious and attentive in the choice of
fome perfon, whofe motion, air and gnit, might be proper
for tlie poor creature’s imitation :
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CyESAR. 375
Ary^si 'Jtavv £V roicn crTTov^aioi; 7\.iav,
. In things of confequence he fadly fails.
Where his mind does not run aftray, he d’fcovcrs
noble difpofition.” In a third letter he fays, “ Let me
die, my dear Livia, if 1 am not aftonilhcd, that your
grandfon Tiberius fhoiild declaim to pleafe me: for how
he that talks fo obfcurely, fliould be able to declaim fo
clearly and properly, I cannot imagine.” There is no
doubt but Auguftus, after this, came to a refolution upon
the fubje61:, and accordingly left him inverted with no
other honor than that of the Augural Prierthood ; naming
him amongft the heirs of the third degree, and fuch as
ivere but diftantly allied to his family, for a fixth part of
his eftate only, and left him a legacy of no more than
eight hundred thoufand ferterces-
V. Tiberius, upon his requerting fome preferment iri
the government, granted him the Confular ornaments.
But he perfirting in his requifition, the former wrote to
him, that he fent him forty gold pieces for his expences,
. during the fertivals of the Saturnalia and Sigillaria,^'
Upon this, laying afide all hope of advancement, Ue refigned
himfelf entirely to an indolent life ; living in great privacy,
one while in his gardens, or a country-feat which he had
near the city ; another while in Campania, where he palT-
ed his time amongrt the vilell; company ; by which means,
befides his former charadfer of a dull heavy fellow,' he ac-
quired that of a drunkard and gamerter,
VI. Notwithrtanding the infamous life he led, much
refpedt was fhown him both by the public, and private
perfons. The Equertrlan Order twice made choice of
him to carry a merta ge in their names ; once to requeft
of
of the Confuls the favor of bearing on their fhoulders the
corpfe of Auguftus to Rome, and a fecond time to conora-
tulate the Confuls upon the death of Sejanus. When he
entered the theatre, they ufed to rife, and putofF their cloaks.
The Senate likewife voted, that he fhould be added to
the number of the Sodales Augujlales who were chofen
by lot : and foon after, that his houfe, which was burnt
down, fliould he rebuilt at the public charge. ; and that he
fhould have the right of delivering his fentiments, upon
any fubje<51: that came before the houfe, amongfl: the men
of Confular rank. This decree was' however repealed ;
Tiberius infilling to have him excufed on account of his
weaknefs, and promifing to make good his lofs at his
own expence. But at his death, he named him in his
wdll, amongfl: his third heirs, for a third part of ’his eftate ;
leaving him befides a legacy of two millions of fefterces,
and exprefsly recommending him to the armies, the Senate
and people of Rome, amongfl his other relations.
VIL At lafl, Caius his brother’s fon, upon his advance-
ment to the empire, endeavoring to gain the affedlions
of the public by all the arts of popularity, he likewife was
admitted to public offices, and bore the Confulfhip in
conjun6lion with his nephew for two months. As he'
was entering the Forum for the firfl time wdth the Faf-
ces, an eagle which was flying that way, alighted upon
his right flioulder. He likewife took his lot for the go-
vernment of a province as Pro-Conful, at the expiration
of the year. And he fometlmes prefided at the public di-
verfions of the theatre, in the room of Caius ; being al-
ways, on thofe occafions, complimented with the acclama-
tions of the people, wifliing him all happinefs, fometimes.
under the title of the emperor’s uncle, and fometimes
under that of Germanicus’s brother.
VIII. Amidfl
.TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRU'SUS C^SAR. 2^1
VIII. AmidjQ: all this refpedl:, he nevertheleTs frequent-
ly experienced contumelious treatment. For if at any time
he came late in to flipper, he was obliged to walk round
the room fome time before he could get a place at table.
When he indulged himfelf wdth a deep after eating, which
was a common pradlice with him, the company ufed to
throw olive-ftones and dates at him. And buffoons that
attended would w'ake him, as if it were only in jefl, with' .
a cane or a whip* Sometimes they would put fhoes upon
his hands, as he lay fnoring, that he might, upon awak-
ing, rub his face with them.
IX. He was not only expofed to contempt, but fome-
times likewife to confiderabie danger : firft, in his ConfuU
'fhip ; for, having been too remifs in providing and ere61ing
the datues of Caius’s brothers, Nero and Drufus, he was
very near being ejedled from his office of Conful ; and af*
terwards he was continually haiaffed with informations
agalnfl him by one or other, fometimes even by his own
domedics. When the confpiracy of Lepidus and Gaetu- ,
licus v/as difeovered, being fent with fome othef deputies
into Germany, to congratulate the emperor upon the oc-
cafion, he was in danger of his life ; Caius being greatly
enraged, and expreffing his refentment, that his uncle
diould be fent to him, as if he was a boy that wanted a
governor. Some even fay, that he was thrown into a ri-
ver, in his travelling habit. From this period, he fpoke
in the Senate always the lad of the members of Confular
rank ; being called upon after the red, on purpofe to dif-
grace him. An indiStment likewife for the forgery of a
will was allowed to be profecuted, though he had figned it'
as a witnefs. At lad, being obliged to pay into the trea-
fury eight millions of federces for his entrance upon a new
office of priedhood conferred upon hiinj he w^as, for that
* purpofe,
THE LIFE OP
382
purpofe, reduced to the neceffity of expofing to fale his
whole eftate, by an edi6t of the commilTioners.
X. Having fpent the greater part of his life under thefe
and the like circumftances, he came at laft to the empire
in the fiftieth year of his age, by a very furprifing turn of
fortune. Being amongfl others prohibited by the confpi-
rators from approaching the emperor, under the pretext of
his defiring to be private, he retired into an apartment
called the Hermasum: and foon after, terrified by the re-
port of his being flain, he crept into an adjoining balco-
ny, where he hid himfelf behind the hangings of the door.
A common foldier that happened to pafs that way, fpying
his feet, and defirous to difcover who he was, pulled him
out ; when immediately knowing him, he threw himfelf in
a great fright at his feet, and fainted him by the title of em-
peror. He then condu6led him to his fellow-foldiers, all
in great rage, and irrefolute what tliey fhould do. ‘They
put him into a chair, and becaufe the flaves of the palace
had all fled, took their turns of carrying him, and brought
him into the camp, very melancholy and in great conifer-
nation ; the people that met him lamenting his fituation, as
if the poor innocent man was carrying away to execution.
Being received within the ramparts, he continued all night
with the watch, recovered fornewhat from his fright, but
in no great hopes of the fiicceffiou. For the Confuls, with
the Senate and city, battalions, had poffefled themfelves of
the Forum and the Capitol, with a refolutlon to affert the
public liberty : and he being fent for likewife, by a Tri-
bune of the commons, to the hoiife, to give his advice
upon the prefent jumSfure of affairs, returned anfwer,
“ I am under conftralnt, and cannot poffibly come.^*
The day after, the Senate being flow in the execution of
their projedt, on account of great divifions amongft them-
felves.
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CiESAR. jSj
felves, and the infolence of the populace, who infifted
upon being governed by one perfon, and Claudius by
name, he fulFered the foldiers to affemble under arms, and
fwear to fupport him ; when he promifed them fifteen
thoufand feflerces a man, he being the firft of the Csefars
that purchafed the hdelity of the foldiers with money.
XL Having thus fecured to himfelf the adminiftration
of affairs, his firft objedt was to abolifli all remembrance
of the two preceding days, in which a change of govern-
ment had been debated. Accordingly he paffed an adl of
perpetual oblivion and pardon for every thing faid or done
during that time ; and this he faithfully obferved, with
the exception only of putting to death a few Tribunes and
Centurions concerned in the confpiracy againft Caius, both
as an example, and becaufe he underftood that they had
propofed to kill himfelf likewife. He now turned his
thoughts towards paying his refpedf to the memory of his
relations. His moft folemn and ufual oath was, “ By
Auguftus.” He prevailed with the Senate to decree divine^
honors to his grandmother Livia, with a chariot in the
Circenftan proceftion drawn by elephants, as had been
appointed for Augtiftus, and public offerings to the glmfts
of his parents. For his father, likewife, he obtained
Circenftan games, to be celebrated every year, upon his
birth-day, and for his mother a chariot to be drawn
through the Circus, with the title of Aiigiifta, which had
been refufed by his .grandmother. To the memory of
his brother, to which, upon all occaftons, he fhowed a
great regard, he ordered a Greek comedy of his own to
be added to the games at Naples, and received the honor
of a crown upon it, by the fentence of the judges in that
folemnity. Nor did he omit to make honorable and
grateful mention of M, Antony ; declaring by a procla-
8 ma on.
THE LIFE OF
3^4
mation, “ That he the more earneftly infixed upon the
obfervation of his father Drufus’s birtli-day becaufe it
waslikewife that of his grandfather Antony.’’ He com-
pleted the marble arch near Pompey^s theatre, which had
formerly been decreed by the Senate in honor of Tiberius,
but negledled. And though lie cancelled all the adls of
Caius, yet he forbid the day of his affaffination, notwith-
ftanding it \vas that of his own acceffion to the empire, to
be reckoned amongd the fehivals.
XII. But in refpecl: of his own aggrandifement, he was
fparing and modeft, declining the title of emperor, and
tefufing all exceffive honors. He celebrated the marriage
of his daughter and the birth-day of a grandfon with
great privacy, at home. He recalled none of thofe who
had been baniflied, without a decree of the Senate for it ;
and requefled of them the favor, to bring into the houfe
with him the commander of the guards^ and a few mi-
litaiy Tribunes ; and alfo that they would be pleafed to
bellow upon his procurators a judicial authority in the
provinces. He afked of the Confuls likewife the privi-
lege of holding fairs upon his private eftate. He frequent-
ly alTifled the magiftrates in the trial of caufes, as one of
their alTciTors. And when they prefented the people witli
any public diverfions, he would rife up to them with the
reft of the fpedlators, and pay his refpedls to them both
by words and geftures. When the Tribunes of the com-
mons came to wait upon him while he was on the bench,
he begged to be excufed if he defired them to fpeak to
him ftanding, becaufe otherwife he could not hear them,
by reafon of the crowd. By this behaviour^ in a Ihort
time, he wrought himfelf fo much into the fivor and af-
feilion of the public, that when, upon his going to Oftia,
a report was fpread in town that he Iiad been way-laid
and
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR.
and flain, the people never ceafed curfing the foldiers for
traitors, and the Senate as parricides, until one or two
perfons, and prefently after feveral others, were brought
by the magifcrates upon the Roftra, who aflured them
that he was alive, and not far from the city, upon his re-
turn home.
XIIL Confpiracies however were formed againfl; him^
not only by individuals feparately, but by feveral in con-'
j unilion; and at laid his government was difturbed with a
civil war. A common man was found with a poniard,
near his chamber, at mid-night. Two men of the Equef-
trian Order were difcovered waiting for him in the
Idreets, armed wdth a tuck and a huntfman’s dagger ; one
of them intending to attack him as he came out of the
theatre, and the other as he was facrificing in the tem-
ple of Mars. Gallus Afinius, and Statilius Corvinus,
grandfons of the two orators, Pollio and MelTala, formed
againfl; him a confpiracy, in which they engaged many
of his freedmen and flaves. Furius Camillus Scriboni-
anus, his lieutenant in Dalmatia, raifed a civil war
againfl him, but was reduced in the fp'ace of five days ;
the legions which had been feduced by him to revolt, re-
linquifhing their purpofe, upon a fright occafioned by ill
omens. For when orders were given them to march, to
meet their new emperor, the eagles could not be drefled,
or the other flandards pulled out of the ground, whether
it was by accident, or a divine interpofltion.
XIV. Befides his former Confulfhip, he held the of-
fice afterwards four times : the firfl two fucceflively, but
the following, after an interval of four years each ; the
lafl for fix months', the refl for two ; and his third, upon
being chofen in the room of a Conful that died ; which
C c had
THE LIFE
386
had never been done by any of the emperors before hirfi.-
Whether he was Conful or not, he gave conftant attend-
ance in the courts for the adminiftration of juhice, even
upon fuch days as were folemnly obfei ved as days of re-
joicing in his family, or by his friends ; and fometimes
upon the public feftivals of ancient inftitution, or unlucky
days. Nor did he always adhere ftridlly to the letter of
the laws, but over-ruled the rigor or lenity of many, ac-
cording to his fentiments of juflice and equity. For
where perfons loft their fuits by infilling upon more than
appeared to be their due, before the judges of private
caufes, he granted them' the indulgence of a fecond trial.
And with regard to fuch as were convidled of any great
villainy, he would even exceed the punifhment appointed
by law, and condemn therh to be expofed to wild beafts. .
XV. But in the hearing and determining of caufes, he
fhowed a ftrange variety of humor, being one while cir-
€umfpe6l and fagacious, another while inconftderate and
ralh, and fometimes frivolous, and like one in a ftate o-f
infipiency. In cancelling the names of perfons upon the
judges’ lift, he ftruck off one, who, concealing the privi-
lege he had by his children to be excufed from that fer-
vice, had anfwered to his name, as too fond of the office.
Another that was fummoned before the emperor upon a
caufe of his own, but alledged that the affair did not pro-
perly come under his cognizance, but that of the ordinary
judges, he ordered to plead the caufe himfelf immediately
before him, and give a fpecimen in a bufinefs of his own,
hpw equitable a judge he would prove in that of other
perfons. A Woman refufing to acknowledge her own
fon, and there being no clear proof on either fide, he ob-
liged her to confefs the truth, by enjoining her to marry
the young man. He was much inclined to determine
' caufes
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CJESAR. 387
caufes in favor of the party that appeared, againft fuch.
as did not, without enquiring whether their abfence was
bccafioned by their own fault, or real neceflity. On
proclamation of a man’s being convicted of forgery, and
that he ought to have his hand cut ofF, he infifted that an
executioner fhould be immediately fent for, with a fword
and a butcher’s block. A perfon being profecuted for
falfely affuming the freedom of Rome, and a difpute
ariling betwixt the advocates in the caufe, whether he
ought to make his defence in the Roman or Grecian
drefs, to (hew his impartiality^ he commanded him to
change his cloaths feveral times according as he was ac-
cufed or defended. An anecdote is related of him, and
believed to be true, that, in a particular caufe, he deliver-
ed his fentence, which he had in writing before him, in
the following words t “ I give it for tliofe who have fup-
ported their pretenlions with truth.” By this kind of be-
haviour he fo much forfeited the good opinion of the
world, that he was every where and openly defpifed. A
perfon making ^n excufe for the non-appearance of a
witnefs whom he had fent for from the provinces, declar-
ed it was impofBble for him to appear, concealing the
feafon for fome time : at laft, after feveral interrogatories
were put to him on the fubjedt, he anfwered, ‘‘ The man
died lately at Puteoli.” Another thanking hiin, for fuffer-
ing a perfon that was profecuted to make his defence by
counfel, added, And yet it is no more than what is
ufual.”’ 1 have likewife heard fome old men fay, that
the pleaders in court ufed to abiife his patience fo grofsly;
that they would not only call him back, as he was quit-
ting the bench, but would feize him by the lap of his coat,
and fometimes catch him by the heels to make him flay.
That fuch behaviour, however ftrange, is not incredible,
will appear from this anecdote. Some obfeure Greek
G c 2 that
THE LIFE OF
388
that had a caufe before him, in a warm debate which hap-
pened upon it, cried out to him : “ Thou art an old fel-
low, and a fool too.’’ It is certain that a Roman knight,
who was falfely profecuted by a malicious contrivance of
his enemy’s, as guilty of unnatural lewdnefs with wo-
men, obferving that common ftrumpets w re fummoned
and allowed to give evidence againft him, upbraided him
in very fevere language with his folly and cruelty, and
then threw his flyle, and fome books which he had in
his hand, ftraight in his face, with fuch violence as to
give him a confiderable wound'in the cheek.
XVI. He likewife took upon him the office of Cenfor,
which had been difeontinued, fince the, time that Paullus
and Plancus had held it in conjundlion. But upon this
occahon, again, he behaved very unequally, and with a
flrange variety of humor and condudl. In his review of
thofe who were allowed a war-horfe by the public, he
difmiffed, without any mark of infamy, a profligate
young man, only becaufe his father exprefled his appro-
bation of his behaviour, faying, “ He has his own pro-
per cenfor.” Another, who w’as infamous for the de-
bauching of youth, both male and female, and adultery, he
only admoniihed to indulge his youthful inclinations
more fparingly, or at leafl: more cautioufly adding,
“ Why inuft I know what miftrefs you keep ?” When,
at the requeft of his friends, he had taken off a mark of
infamy which he liad fet upon one gentleman’s name, he
faid, “ Let the blot however remain.” He not only ftruck
out of the lift of judges, but likewife deprived of his free-
dom of Rome, a man of great diftindlion, and of th(i firft
rank in Greece, only bccaufe he w^as ignorant of the La-
tin language. Nor did he fufler any one to give an ac-
count of his life by an advocate, but obliged each man to
fpcak
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^TISAR. 389
i
fpeak for himfelf, however meanly he was qualified for
the purpofc. He difgraced many, and fome that little
expected it, and for a reafon entirely new, namely, for
going out of Italy without his knowledge and permifiion ;
and one likewife, for having attended in his province upon
a king, as his companion : obferving that, in former
times, Rabirius Poflhumus had been profecuted for trea-
fon, only upon the account of attending Ptolemy to Alex-
andria, to fecure payment of a debt. Several others,
whom he attempted to difgrace, through the great negli-
gence of the perfons employed to enquire into people’s
charadlers, he, to his own greater fhame, found perfedl-
ly innocent ; thofe whom he charged with living in celi-
bacy, want of children, or efrate, proving themfelves to
be hufbands, parents, and in afiluent circumftances. One
that was accufed of an attempt made upon his own life
by the fword, ftripped hinifelf to let him fee there was
not the lead: mark of violence upon his body. The fol-
lowing incidents were remarkable in his Cenforfiiip. He
ordered a filver chaife, of very furaptuous workmanfliip,
and which was expofed to fale at the Sigillaria, to be
purchafed, and hewed in pieces before his eyes. He pub-
lifhed twenty proclamations in one day ; in one of which
he advifed the people, “ Since the vintage was very plen-
tiful, to have their calks well fecured at the bung with
pitch And in anotlier he told them, “ that nothing
would fooner cure the bite of a viper, than the fap of the
yew-tree.”
XVII. He undertook only one expedition, and that
only of fhort continuance. The triumphal ornaments
decreed him hy the Senate, he confidered as below the
imperial dignity, and was therefore refolved to have
the honor of a complete triumph. For this purpofe, he
C c 3 made
THE LIFE op
39^
made choice of the province of Britain, which had never
been attempted by any lince Julius Caefar, and was then
in an uproar, becaufe the Romans would not reftore to
them fome deferter3 from that ifland. Accordingly he fet
fail from Oftia, but was twice very near being funk by
the boifterous wind called Circius, upon the coaft of
Liguria, and near the iflands called Stcechades. Making
therefore his way by* land from Maffjia to Geflbriacum,
he thence pafTed over into Britain, A part of the ifland
fubmitting, within a few days after his arrival^ without
battle or bloodlhed, he returned to Rome in lefs than fix
months from the time of his departure, and triumphed in
the moll folemn manner ; to the light of which, he not only
permitted fome governors of provinces to come to town,
but fome likewife who were in baniihment. Amongft
the fpoils taken from the enemy, he fixed upon the dome
of his houfe in the Palatium, a naval crown near the ci-
vic which was there before, in token of his having pafT-
ed, and as it were, conquered the Ocean. MefTalina his
wife followed his chariot in a Carpentum^. Thofe who
had attained the honor of triumphal ornaments in the fame
war, came after in chariots, the reft pn foot, and clad in
the robe ufed by the great officers of ftate. Craftus Frugi
was mounted upon a horfe richly accoutred, in an em-
broidered robe, becaufe this was the fecond time of his at-
taining that honor.
XVIII. He was partkularly attentive to the city, and to
have it well fupplied with proviftons. A dreadful fire
* The Carpeiitum was a carriage, commonly with two
wheels, and an arched covering, but fometimes without a
covering ; ufed chiefly by matrons, and named, according
to Ovid, from Carmenta, the mother of Evander. Women
were prohibited the ufe of it in the fecond Punic war, by the
Oppian law, which however was foon after repealed.
happening
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 39I
happening in the ^miliana, which continued forne time,
he pafled two nights in the Diribitorium^^ ; and the fol-
diers and gladiators not being fufficient to extinguifh it,
he fummoned the commonalty by the rnagiftrates out of
all the flreets in town, to their afTiflance, Placing baf-
kets full of money before him, he encouraged the people
to do their utmoll, declaring, that he would immediately,
upon the fpot, reward every one of them according to
their merit.
XIX. During a fcarcity of provifions, occafioned by
bad crops for fome years fucceffively, he was flopped in
the middle of the Forum by the mob, who attacked
him with fuch fcurrilous reproaches, and pieces of bread,
that it was with fome difficulty he at laft efcaped by a
back-door into the palace. He therefore ufed all pof-
iible means to bring provifions to the city, even in the
winter. ^He propoied to the merchants employed in that
traffic a fure profit, by taking upon himfelf any Iflfs that
might befall them at fea ; and to fuch as built fhips for
that purpofe, he granted great privileges, according to
their refpeiSfive circumflances : to a citizen of Rome
he gave an exemption from the penalty of the Papia-
Poppsean law ; to one who had only the privilege of La-
tium, the freedom of the city ; and to women the right which
by law belonged to fuch as had four children : which con-
flitutions, regulated by him, are obferved to this day.
* The Dirihitorium was a houfe begun by Agrippa, and
finiOied by Aiiguftus, in which foldiers were muftered and
received their pay. It was alfo a place where, when the
Romans went to give their votes at the eledfion of magi-
Urates, they were condndled by officers named Diribitores,
It is poflible that one and the fame building may have been
ufed for both purpofes.
C c 4
XX. He
392
THE LIFE OF
XX. He executed feveial proje6ls which were
rather great than neceffary. The principal were, an
aquedudl:, which had been begun by Caius, a canal for
the difeharge of the Fucine lake, and the harbour of
Oftia ; though he knew that one of thefe had by Au-
guftus been denied to the Marfians, who frequently ap-
plied to him upon the fubje6l ; and that the other had
been feveral times intended by Julius Csefar, but as often
abandoned on account of the difficulty of execution. He
brought to the city the cool and plentiful fprings of the
Claudian water, one of which is called Caeruleus, and
the other Curtius and Albudinus : as likewife the river of
the new Anio in a hone canal, and difpofed of them in-
to many fine lakes. He attempted the Fucine Lake, as
inuch from the expedfation of advantage, as the glory of
the execution ; fmee fome offered to drain it at their own
expence, upon condition that they might have a grant of
the land which it occupied. He completed a canal three
miles in length, partly by cutting through, and partly
levelling a mountain, but with great difficulty ; thirty
thoufand men being conftantly employed in that work
during eleven years. He formed the harbour at Oifia, by
raifing to the right and left two prodigious works, with
a bend into the fea, making a mole at the entrance in a
deep water. To fecure the foundation of the fuperfliruc-
ture, he funk the veffel in which the great obelifk had been
brought from Egypt ; and built upon piles a high tower,
in imitation of that of Pharos, upon which to fix lights,
for the dire61ipn pf mariners in the night.,
XXI. He often gave largeOes to the people, and en-
tertained them with a great variety of public diverfions,
not only fuch as were ufual, and in the ufual places, but
fpme of new invention, others revived from antiquity,
8 and
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CJESAR. 393
and in places where nothing of the kind had ever before
been exhibited. In the games that he prefented upon the
opening of Pompey’s theatre, which had been burnt, and
was rebuilt by him, he prefided upon a throne ere6led
for him. in the Orcheftra ; having firfl paid his devotions
in the upper part ; then coming down through the middle
of the Cavea, whllft all the people kept their feats with
profound filence. He likewife exhibited the Secular Games
under pretence of their having been anticipated by Au-
guftus ; though he Iiimfelf fays in his hiftory, “ That
they had been negledled before Auguflus, who had made
an exa6l calculation of the time, and again brought them
into their former order.” The crier was therefore ridiculed,
when he invited people in the ufual form, ‘‘To games
which no perfon had ever before feen, nor ever would
again when many were hill living who had feen them ;
and fome of the players who had formerly a6led upon
the occafion were now again brought upon the hage^
He likewife frequently prefented the Circenhan games in
the Vatican, fometimes with a hunting of wild beahs,
after every five courfes. He beautified the great Circus
with marble barriers, and gilded goals, which before were
of common hone and wood, and afligned proper places
for the Senators, who v/ere ufed to fit promifcuoufly
with the other fpe6iators. Befldes the chariot-races, he
exhibited there the Trojan game, and wild beads from
Africa, which were encountered by a troop of the horfe-
guards, with ^'ribunes, and the commander in chief at
the head of them : befides Theffalian horfe, that drive
mad bulls round the Circus, leap upon their backs when
they are tired, and puli them down by the horns to the
ground. He gave flmws of gladiators in feveral places,
pnd of various kinds : an anniverfary one in the Pi’seto-
rian camp ; but without any Irunting, or the ufual ap-
paratus :
THE LIFE OF
394
paratus : another as ufual in the Septa ; and in the fame
place, another out of the common way, and of a few
days’ continuance, only, which he called Sportula ; be-
caufe when he was going to prefent . it, he informed the
people by proclamation, “ that he invited them as it were
to a fmall fupper.” Nor was he in any kind of public
"diverfion more free or chearful ; infomuch that he would,
^with the common people, hold out his left hand, and
count upon his fingers aloud, the gold pieces prefented
to fuch as came off conquerors. He would invite the
company by earneft exhortations to be merry ; now and
then calling them his “ mafters,” wdth a mixture of infi-
pid, far-fetched jefis. Thus, when the people called for
Palumbus * (a gladiator}, he faid, He would give them
one when it was catched.” And the following llkewife,
though well-intended, and well-timed, when having with
great applaufe difcharged an Efledarian, upon the intern,
ceffion of his four fons, he fent a billet immediately round
the theatre, to remind the people, “ how much it con-
cerned them to have children, fince they had before them
an inffcance, how ufeful they had been to procure favor
and fecurity for a gladiator.” He likewife reprefented
in the Field of Mars, the taking and facking of a town,
as alfo the lurrender of the Britifii kings, and pie-
fided in his generaFs cloak. Immediately before the dif-
charging of the Fucine lake, he exhibited upon it a naval
fight. But thofe on board the fleets crying out, “ Health
attend you, noble emperor : dying men falute you and
he replying, “ Health attend you too,” they all refufed
to fight upon it, as if by that anfwer he had meant to
excufe them. Upon this incident, he was in doubt with
himfelf whether he Ihould not deflroy them all by fire
* A pun upon the' name of Palumbus, which fignifies a
tyood-pigeon,
and
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CiESAR. 395
and fword. At laft leaping from his feat, running along
the fide of the lake, and reeling to a ridiculous degree,
he, partly by fair words, and partly by reproaches, per-
fuaded them to engage. One of the fleets was from Si-
cily, 'the other from Rhodes ; confifting each of twelve
fliips of war, of three banks of oars. The fignal of
charge was given by a filver Triton^ raifed by mecha-
nifm.
XXII. With regard to religion, the management of af-
fairs both civil and military, and the condition of the feve-
ral Orders of the people at home and abroad, fome ufages
he corrected, others which had been laid afide he revived,
and fome regulations he introduced entirely new. In
chooflng new priefts into tfle feveral companies of them,
he nominated none but upon oath. As often as an earth-
quake happened in the city, he never failed to fummom
the people together by the Praetor, and appoint holidays
for religious worfliip. And upon the light of any omi-
nous bird in the city or Capitol, he ifiued an order for pub-
lic prayers, the words of which, by virtue of his office
of high-prieftj after an exhortation to the people from the
Roftra, he repeated before them, for them to join in,
all common mechanics and flaves being firfl: ordered to
withdraw.
XXIII. The courts of judicature, which had formerly
been ufed to fit only fome months in the fummer, and
fome in winter, he ordered, for the difpatch of buflnefs,
to lit the whole year round. The jurifdidlion in matters
of truft, which ufed to be granted annually by fpecial
commiffion to certain magiflrates, and in the city only,
he granted in perpetuity, and the fame to the provinces
likewife. He repealed a claufe added by Tiberius to the
Rapia-Poppsean law, as if men of flxty years of age
were
39^
THE LIFE OF
were incapable of begetting chi’dren. He ordered that
orphans fhould have guardians appointed them by the
Confuls; and that thofe who were bamihed from any
province by the chief magi (Irate, fhould be debarred from
coming into the city, or any part of Italy. He infiifted
upon fome a new fott of banifhment, by forbidding them
to (lir above three miles from Pvome. When any affair
of importance came before the Senate, he ufed to fit be-
twixt the two Confuls upon the tribune-bench. He ar-
rogated to himfelf the power of granting licence to tra-
vel out of Italy, which before had belonged to the Se-
nate.
XXIV. He likewife granted the Confular ornaments
to his procurators called Ducenarii. From fuch as de-
clined the Senatorian dignity, he took away that of the
Equeftrian ; though he had in the beginning of his reign
declared, that he would eledl no man into the Senate that
was not the great-grandfon of a Roman Senator. Yet
he gave the Latus Clavus to the fon of a freedman, up-
on condition that he (Iiould be adopted by a Roman
knight. Being afraid however of incurring cenfure by
fuch an adl, he informed the public, that his anceftor
Appius Caecus, the Cenfor, had eledted the fons of freed-
men into the Senate ; for he was ignorant, it feems, that
in the times of Appius, and a long while after, perfons
manumifed were not called Libertini, but their fons that
were free-born. Inftead of the expence wdiich the Qj^iasf-
tors were obliged to be at, for the paving of the high-
ways, he ordered them to give the people a (liow of gla-
diators ; and divefling them of the provinces of the Oftian
and Gallic coafi, he reftored to them the charge of the
treafury, which, fince the time it was taken from them,
had been managed by the Prastors, or thofe who had for-
merly been fuch. He gave the triumphal ornaments to
Silain^^a
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 397
SilanuSj contra6led to his daughter, though he was under
age ; but to elder people in fuch numbers, and fo eafily,
that he was unanimoufly addreffed by all the legions “ to
grant his Confular lieutenants the triumphal ornaments
with their commiflions, to prevent their engaging in un-
neceffary wars.’’ He gave A. Plautius the honor of an
ovation, and meeting him at his entering the city, walked
with him into the Capitol, and back again. And he al-
lowed Gabinius Secundus, upon his conquefl of the
Chauci, a nation of Germany, to ailume the cognomen
of Chaucius.
XXV. His management, with regard. to the promotion
of the Equefbrian Order in the army, was this. After
the command of a battalion, he granted that of the horfe
in a legion, and fubfequently the commiffion of a Tri-
bune. He raifed a body of militia, which he called Su-
pernumeraries) who, though only nominal foldiers, yet
received pay. He procured an a6l: of the Senate to pro-
hibit all foldiers from attending Senators at their houfes,
in the way of refpe61: and compliment. He confifcated
the eftates of all freedmen who prefumed to take upon
them the Equeftrian dignity. Such of them as were un-
grateful to their patrons, and were complained of by
them, he reduced to their former condition of flavery ;
and declared to their advocates, that he w^ould never give
judgment agalnh their freedmen, in any fuit at law w’hich
they might happen, to have with them. Some perfons
having expofed their hck flaves, w*ho were in a languilh-
ing condition, in the ifland of ^Efculapius, becaufe of
the tedioufnefs of their cure ; he declared all who were
fo expofed perfedflv free, never more, if they fheuld re-
cover, to return to their former fervitude : and that if
any one chofe rather to kill than expofe a Have, he (liould,
in that cafe, be liable to a profecution for murder, fie
8 publiOied
THE LIFE OF
publifhed a proclamation, forbidding all travellers to pafe
through the towns of Italy any otherwife than on foot,
or In a litter or chair. He quartered a baittalion of fol-
diers at Puteoli, and another at Ollia, to be in readinefs
againfl any accidents from £re. He forbid foreigners the
ttfe of fuch Roman names as were appropriated to families.
Thofe who faifely pretended to the freedom of R'ome^
be beheaded in the field of Efquiliae. He returned to
ttie Senate the provinces of Achaia and Macedonia, which
Tiberius had taken under his own care. He took from
the Lycians their liberty, to puniih them for theii* civil
diffenfions , but reftored to the Rhodians their freedom,'
upon their repentance for their former rnifdemeanors.
He abfolved from the payment of all tajtes for ever,
the Ilienlians, as being the founders of the Roman
people,; reciting upon the occafion a letter in” Greek,
from the Senate and people of Rome to king Seleu-
cus, in which they promifed him their friendfhip and
alliance, provided that he would grant their kinfmeri
the Ilienfians an immunity from all burdens. He banifh-
ed from Rome all the Jew^*^, who w^ere continually mal*
itig difturbances at the infiigation of one Chreftus. He
allowed the ambalTadors of the Germans to fit at the pub-
lic diverfions in the feats affigned to the Senators, being
induced to this indulgence by the franknefs and alTurance
cf their behaviour. For having been feated amongfl the
common people, upon obferving the ambafiadors from
Parthia and Armenia fitting with the Senators, they went
over to them, as being, they faid, no way inferior to
them in point eitlier of merit or quality. The favage
religion of tlie Druids, which had only been forbidden
the citizens of Rome, during the reign of Aiiguftus, he
utterly abolifiied. . On the other hand, he endeavored
to transfer the Eleufinian myfteries from Attica to Rome;
He likewife ordered the temple of Venus Erycina in Si-
6 cily.
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CJESAR. 399
tllv, which was old and in a ruinous condition, to be^
repaired at the public cxpence* He concluded treaties
with foreign princes in the Forum, with the facrifice of a
fow,' and the form of words ufed by the heralds in for-
mer times. Bitt in thefe and other things^ and indeed the
greater part of his admiiiiftration, he adted not fo much
by himfelf, as by the influence of his wives and freed-
meir; being for the moft part, diredled in conformity td
their interefls and humor.
\
XX VI. He was, at a very early age, contrad^ed td
two wives, Emilia Lepida, the grand-daughter of Au-
guftus, and Livia Medullina, who had the cognomen of
Camilla, and was defcended from the old Didtator Ca-
millus. The former he divorced in a ftate of virginity^
becaufeiher parents had incurred the difpleafure of Au-
guflus ; and the latter died of ficknefs upon the day fixed
for their nuptials. He next married Plautia Urgulaniila,
whofe father had enjoyed the honor of a triumph ; and
foon after ^lia Paetina, the daughter of a man of Con-
fuiar rank. But he divorced them both : Paetina, upon
fome frivolous offence ; and Urgul anilla, for fcandilouS
lewdnefs, and the fufpicion of murder* After them he
took in marriage Valeria Meflalina, the daughter of Bar-
batus Meflfala, his coufin. But finding that, befides her
other fliameful debaucheries, fhe had ifiarried C. Silius^
the document relative to her fortune being formally fign-
cd, as ufual, in the prefence of Aufpices, he put her to
death. Then furamoning his guards into his prefence,
he made to them this declaration : As I have been fo
unhappy in my marriages, I am refolved to continue in
future a widower ; and if I fliould not, I give you leave
to flab me.” He was however unable to perfifl; in this
refoiution ; for he began immediately to think of another
wife ; and of taking back again Psetina, whom he had
formerly
THE LIFE OF
400
formerly divorced ; as alfo Lollia Paullina, who had becil
married to Caius Casfar. But being enticed by the arts
of Agrippina, the daughter of his brother Germanicus,
upon the occafion of that familiar dalliance which their
near relation admitted, he ihduftrioufly procured a mem-
ber of the Senate, at the next meeting, to declare it to
be* his opinion, that they fhould oblige the emperor to
marry Agrippina, as a meafure highly conducive to the
public good ; and that alLothers ought to be allowed the
liberty of fuch matches, which until that time had been
confidered as incefluous. In lefs than twenty-four hours
after this he married her. No perfon was found, how-
ever, to follow the example, excepting one freedman,
and a Centurion of the firft rank, at the folemnization of
whofe nuptials, ^both he and Agrippina attended.
XXVII. He had children by three wives : by Urgu-
lanilla, Drufus and Claudia ; by Paetina, Antonia ; and
by MefTalina, Odlavia, and a fon, whom at firft he
called Germanicus, but afterwards Britannicus. He loft
Drufus while a mipor, at Pompeii, being choaked with
a pear, which in play he tofted up into the air, and
catched upon its defcent in his mouth. He had but a few
days before concluded a match betwixt him and one of
Sejanus’s daughters : for which reafon, I am furprifed that
fome authors fliould fay he loft his life by the treachery
of Sejanus. Claudia, who was indeed the daughter of
Boter his freed-man, though Ilie was horn live months
before his divorcing her mother, he ordered to be thrown
naked at her door. He married Antonia to Cn. Pompey the
Great*, afterwards to Faujdus Sylia, both youths of very
* It would feem from tliis palTage, that the cognomen of ‘‘ the
Great” had now been reftored to the defeendents of Cn.
Pompey who had lirft obtained that appellation.
noble
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS pRUSUS C^SAR. 40!
Koble parentage : Octavia to his fhep-fon Nero, after ilie
had been contra6ted to Silanus. Britannicus was born
upon the twentieth day of his reign, and in his fecond
Confullhip; He would often hold him in his arms, and
recommend him to the favor of the foldiers ; and he
would likewife to the common people in the theatre, fet-
ting him upon his lap, or before him, whihl he was as
yet but very little, and would join in their acclamations,
and good wifhes in his behalf Of his fons-indaw, he
adopted Nero. He not only difmiffed from his favor ,
' both Pompey and Silanus, but put them to death.
XXVIII. Amongft 'his freedmen, the greatefl: favo-
rite was the eunuch Pofides, whom, in his Britifh triumph,
he prefented with the Haifa Pura/ as he did iikewife fe-
veral others of the army. Next to Jiim, if not equal,
in favor was Felix whom he not only dignified with a
command both of foot and horfe in the troops, but made
governor of Judea ; and he became, in confequence of his
elevation, the hufband of three queens. Another favo-
rite was Harpocras, to wdiora he granted the privilege of
ufing a chair in the city, and ofentertaining the people with
public diverlions. In this clafs w'as likewife Polybius who
* This is the Felix mentioned in the twenty-fourth chap-*
ter of the AAs of the Apoftles ; who, when St. Paul fpoke
of ‘‘ j'uftice and temperance, and the judgment to come, trem--
bled.” Whether his agitation arofe from any compunftioa
of mind, for having been concerned in the dark and bloody
tranfa6tions which palled at the court of Claudius, it is im-
poffible to determine. His fortune, however, in marrying
three queens, was extraordinary ; and to the completion of it,
he feems to have only wanted what the fame apoftle benevo-
lently wiflied to Feftus, his fuccelTor in the government of
Judea.
D d
affiilcd
402
THE LIFE OF
him in his fludies, and had often the honor to walk
betwixt the two Confuls. Bat above all others, NarcifTus
his fecretary, and Pallas the comptroller of his houfehold,
were highly in favor with him. Thefe he not only fuf-
fered to be honored, by a decree of the Senate, with im-.
menfe prefents, but with Quseftorian and Praetorian or-
naments. So much did he indulge them in amaffing trea-
fure, and plundering the public, that, upon his complain-
ing once of the lownefs of his exchequer, fome perfons
made the remark, that “ It would be full enough, if
thofe two freedmen of his would but take him into part-
nerihip with them.”
XXIX. Being entirely governed by thefe men_, and
his wives, as I have already faid, he was a tool to the
purpofes of others, rather than a prince. He diftributed
offices, or the command of armies, pardoned or punifhed,
according as it fuited their interefls, their paffions, or
their caprice ; and for the mofi: pa'rt, without perceiving,
or being fenfible of what he did. Not to recount parti-
cularly every inferior tranfadlion relative to the revoca-
tion of grants, the reverfion of judicial decifions, the
prefenting him with falie patents of offices to fign, or
the bare-faced alteration of them after figning ; he put
to death Appius Silanus, the father of his fon-in-law ,
and the two Julias, the daughters of Drufus and Germa-
nicus, without any pofitive proof of the crimes witli
which thev were charged, or fo much as permitting them
to make any defence. He adled in the fame manner to-
^/ards Cn. Pompey, the hufband of his elder daughter,
and L. Silanus, who was contra6led to the younger.
Pompey was ilabbed in the adl of unnatural lewdnels
whth a favorite paramour. Silanus v/as obliged to quit
the office of Praetor upon the fourth of the Calends of
8 January,
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 403
January, and to kill himfelf in the beginning of the year
following, upon the very day when Claudius and Agrip-»
pina were married. He condemned to death five and
thirty Senators, and above three hundred Roman knights,
with fo little attention to what he did, that when a Cen-
turion brought him word of the execution of a man of
Confular rank, who was one of the number, and told
him that he had executed his order, he declared, “ he
had ordered no fuch thing, but that he approved of it
becaufe his freedman, it feerns, had faid, the foldiers
did nothing more than their duty, in running of their
own accord to revenge the emperor upon his enemies. But
it is beyond all belief, that he hirafelf, at, the marriage
of Meflalina with the adulterous Silius, fiiould fign the
writings relative to her dowry; induced, as is faid, by a
pretence, that the tranfadlion was meant only to divert
and transfer upon another that danger, which, from ill-
boding omens, feemed to threaten himfelf.
XXX. Either fianding or fitting, but efpecially when
he lay afleep, he had a majefiic and graceful a ’^earance ;
for he w’as tali, but not flender. His grey Iocks became^
him well, and he had a fat neck. But his- hams were
feeble, and failed him in walking ; and his adion, whe-
ther in mirth or bufinefs, was very ungraceful. His
laughter was unbecoming, and his paffion yet more fo ;
for then he wouM froth at the mouth, and his nofe would
drop. He had befides a fiammering in his fpeech, and a
tremulous motion of the head, at all times, but particu-
larly w’^hen he was engaged in a61;ion, were it ever fo
little.
XXXI. Though in the former part of his life he was
valetudinary, yet, after his advancement to the empire, he
' D d enjoyed
" 4*^4 LIFE OF
enjoyed a good ftate of health, except only that he was
fubjedl: to a pain of^ the ftomach. In a ht of this com-
plaint, he faid, he had thoughts of killing himfelf.
XXXIT. Ill his convivial entertainments he was no
lefs frequent than fplendid, and commonly gave them in
places fo very fpacious, that it was ufual with him ]:o
have fix bundled gueflis at his table. Upon his feafting
clofe by the trench made for* draining the Fucine Lake,
he narrowly efcaped being drowned ; the water at its
difcharge rufliing out with fuch violence, that it over-
flowed the canal. At fupper, he had 'always his own
children, with thofe of feveral of the nobility, who, ac-
cording to an ancient cuflom, fat at the feet of the-
touches. One of his guefls having been fufpedted of
flealing ^ gold cup, he invited him again the next day,
but ferved him with an earthen jug. It is faid too that
he intended to publifh a proclamation, “ allowing to all
people the liberty of giving vent to any diflention from
flatulence, at table, upon hearing of a perfon, whofe
modefly, in a rpftraint of that nature, had like to have
^ cofl; him his life
, XXXIII. He would cat and drink very heartily at-
any time, or in any place. As he was fitting for the
trial of caufes in the Foriim of Auguflus, upon fmelling
the dinner which was preparing for the Salii f, ia the
temple
' * Hiflory bluflies in recording anecdotes ofFenfive to de-
licacy ; but truth, and jiifiice require that the names of thofe
. princes fnould be fligmatized through all ages, who have de-
graded the throne by their folly, as much as they have pol-
luled it by their crimes.
f The Salii v/e:e the prlefls of Mars, twelve in number,
' , and
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C.^SAR. 405
temple of Mars adjoining, he quitted the bench, and went
to partake of the feafl with the priefls. He fcarcely ever
left the table, until he was thoroughly crammed and
drunk ; when he would immediately fall afleep, lying
upon his back with his mouth open. While in tins con-
dition, a feather was put down his throat, to make him
difgorge again. Upon compofing himfelf to reO-, his
fleep w'as fhcrt, and he ufually awaked before midniglu ;
but he would fometimes fieep in the day-time, and that
even upon the bench ; fo that the advocates ofien found
it difficult to aw'ake him, though they raifed their voices
for that purpofe. In refpecl of women he was extremely
libidinous, but never betrayed any unnatural paffion for
the other fex. He w^as fond of gaming, and publiihed a
book upon the fubjedl. He even ufed to play as he rode
in his chariot ; having the tables fo fitted, that the game
was not diftiirbed by the motion of the carriage.
XXXIV. The favage cruelty of his dlfpofition w^as
and inftituted by Numa. Their drefs was an embroidered
tunic, bound' with a girdle ornamented with brafs. They
had, on their head a conical cap, of a confiderabie height j a
fword by their fide ; in their right hand, a fpear or rod, and
in their left, one of the Ancilia^ or fliields of Mars. On fo-
lemn occafions, they ufed to go to the Capitol, through the
Forum and other public parts of the city, dancing and fing-
ing facred fongs, faid to have been compofed by Numa ;
which, in the time of Horace, could hardly be underftood by
any one, even the priefis themfelves. The mod folemn pro-
ceffion of the Salii was on the firft of March, in commemo-
ration of the time when the facred fhield was believed to
have fallen from heaven, in the reign of Numa. After their
proceffion, they had a fplendid entertainment, the luxury of
■vvhich was proverbial.
Dd
0
evident
THE LIFE OF
406
evident upon many occafions, both of great and fmalj
confideration. When any fiifpedled perfon was to be
put to the torture, or any criminal puniihed for parricide,
he was impatient for the execution, and would have it
performed before his eyes. When he was at Tibur, being
defirous of feeing an example of the old way of putting
malefadlors to death, fome were immediately tied to a
flake for the purpofe ; but there being no executioner to
be had at the place, he fent for one from Rome, and
waited for his coming until night. In any fliow of gla-
diators, prefeilted either by himfelf or others, if any of
the combatants happened to fall, he ordered them to be
butchered ; efpecially the Retiariu that he might fee their
faces in the agonies of death. Two gladiators happen-
ing to kill each other, he immediately ordered fome little
knives to be made of their fwords for his own ufe. He
took great pleafure in feeing men engage with wild beafts,
and the combatants that performed their parts at noon.
He would therefore come to the theatre by break of day^
and at noon would difmifs the people to dinner, but con-
tinue fitting himfelf ; and befides fuch as were devoted
to that fanguinary fate, he would match others with the
beafls, or one another, upon flight or fudden occafions ;
-as, for inflance, the carpenters and their affiflants, if a
machine, or any piece of work in which they had been
empluyed about the theatre, did not anfwer the purpofe
for which it had been intended. To this defperate kind
of encounter he forced one of his nomenclators, and, what
' was an aggravation of the cruelty, in the incommodious
habit of the toga.
XXXV. But the chara^flerifiics moil predorrdnant in
him were fear and diftrufl. In the beginning of his
reign, though he much affedled a modefl and humble
appearance,
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 407
appearance, as has been already obferved, yet he durft
not venture himfelf at an entertainment without his guard
of lances to attend him, and foldiers to wait upon him
at table. He never vifited a fick perfon, until the cham-
ber had been hrft fearched, and the bed and bedding tho-
roughly examined. At other times, all perfons who came
■to pay their relpecls to him were ilriclly fearched, by
officers appointed for that purpofe ; nor was it until after
a long time, and with much difficulty, that he was pre-
vailed upon to excufe wmmen, boys, and girls, from the
rude handling they underwenr upon thofe occahons, or
fuffer their attendants or writing-mafters to keep their
cafes for pens and ftyles, which ufed to be taken from
them. When Camillus entered upon his defign againft
him, not doubting but he might be terrified out of his
imperial dignity, without a war, he wrote to him a fcur-
rilous, petulant, and threatening letter, defiring him to
refign the government, and betake himfelf to a private
life. Upon receiving this requifition, he fumnioned to-
gether the principal men of the city, to confult with them
■whether he ought not to comply,
XXXVI. He was fo much alarmed with the rumor,
though without any fufficient foundation, of confpira-
cies formed againff him, that he thought of immediately
abdicating the government. And when, as I have re-
lated, a man with a fwcrd was difcovered near him, as he
was at faci'ifice, he inftantly convoked the Senate by the
public criers, and with tears and difmal exclamations
lamented his condition, that could be fecure in no place ;
and for a long time after, abftained from appearing in
public. He withdrew his violent paffion for MefTalina,
not fo much upon account of the bafenefs of her beha-
viour towards him, as from an apprehenfion of danger ;
D d 4 believing
THE LIFE OF
408
believing that jfhe had a dehgn to raife Silius her gallant
to the imperial dignity. Upon this occafion, he ran in a
great fright, and a very fhameful manner, to the camp,
afking all the way he went, “ if his government was
fecure.”
XXXVII. The mofl trifling fufpicion, even of a per-*
fon the mofl: contemptible, never failed to throw him into
a panic, and was with him a fufficient reafon for pro-
ceeding to p'unifliment, as neceflTary to his own fecurity.
A man who had a fuit tovcome before him, at his waiting
upon him, took him afide, and told him he dreamt that
he was murdered ; and prefently after, when his adverfary
came to prefent a narrative of his cafe to the emperpr, as
if he had difcovered the murderer, he told him that was
the perfon ; upon which, as if feized in the attempt, he
■Was hurried away to execution. We are informed, that
Appius Silanujs was taken oiiF in the fame manner, by a
contrivance betwixt Meflfalina and Narciifus. The lat-
ter burfl into his lord’s chamber before day, apparently
in great, fright, and told him he had dreamt that Appius
Silanus had murdered him. The emprefs, upon this, af-
fedling a great furprife, declared (lie had the like dream
for feveral nights fuccelTively. Prefently after, word being
brought in, that Appius was come to court, who had
received orders the preceding day to be tliere at that
time, as if the truth of the dream was fufficiently con-
firmed by his appearance at that jundlure, he ■was imme-
diately ordered to be profecuted and put to death. Thp
day following Claudius related the whole affair to the
Senate, and acknowledged his great obligation to his
frecdman for watching even in his fleep for his fqcurity.
XXXVIII. Senfible of his being fubjed topaflion and
* refentment,
TIE^ERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CiSSAR. 4Q9
jefcntment, he excufed himfelf on this head by a prodat
ination, affuring the public, “ that the former (hould be
fliort and harmlefs, and the latter never without good
caufe.” After he had very feverely reprimanded the Ofli-
enfians for not fending fome boats to meet him upon
his entering the mouth of the Tiber, and as if he intended
to expo'e them to the refen tment of the public on that
account, he wrote to Rome that he had been treated as
a private perfon ; yet he immediately pardoned them, and
in a way that had the appearance of making them fatis-
fadion, or begging pardon for fome injury he had done
them. Some people that addreffed him unfeafonably in
public, he puihed away with his own hand. He likcwife
baiiiihed one wdio had been fecretary to a Quasftor, and
a. Senator wdio had been Prsetor, unheard and innocent :
the former only becaufe he had appeared in great heat
againfl him, before he .came to be emperor; and the other,
becaufe in his -^Tdileililp he had fined fome tenants of
his, for felling drefled viduais contrary to law^ ; and or-
dered a baililt of his that interpofed in the affair to be
w’hipped. On this account likewife he took from the
^^.diles the jurifdidion they had over vidualling-honfcs.
He refrained hot 'from mentioning his own folly, and de-
clared infome fliort fpeeches which he pubiillied, that
he had only counterfeited himfelf a fool in the reign of
Caius, becaufe otherwife it would have been impoflihle
to have cfcaped, and arrive at the flation in which he
then was. He could not however gain public credit to
this declaration : for a fhort time after, a book w’as pub-
Jillied under the title of “ The Refurredion of Fools,’*
jlje defign of which was to ihow “ that no body ever
.counterfeited folly.’’
XXXIX. Amongfl other things, people admired in
him
410
THE LIFE OF
him his forgetfulnefs and want of thought; or, to exp refs
it in Greek, his and Placing himfelf at ta-
ble a little after he had put MelTalina to death, he enquired,
Why don’t the emprefs come ?” Many of thofe whom
he had condemned to death, he ordered the day after to he
invited to his table, and to game with him, and fent to
reprimand them as fluggardly fellows for making no more
hafte. When he was about his inceftuous marriage
with Agrippina, he was perpetually calling her, “ My
daughter, my nuriling, born and brought up upon my
lap.” And when he was going to adopt Nero, as if he
was not fufficiently cenfured for adopting his fon-in-law,
when he had a fon of his own come to years of maturity;
he now and then declared publicly, “ that nobody had
ever been taken by adoption into the Claudian family.”
XL. He frequently appeared fo carelefs in what he
faid, and fo inattentive to circum (lances, that it was be-
lieved he never refle6ted who he himfelf was, or amongfl
whom, or at what time, or in what place he fpoke. Upon
a debate in the Senate relative to the butchers and vintners,
he cried out, “ I beg of you to know w^ho can live
without a bit of meat ?” He recounted to them the great
plenty of old taverns, from which he himfelf ufed for-
merly to have his wine. Amongfl other reafons of his
favoring with his interefl a certain perfon w^ho flood can-
didate for the Quceflorfliip, he adduced .this as one, “ His
father once gave me, very feafonably, a draught of cold
w^ater when I was fick.” LFpon his bringing a woman
as an evidence in feme caufe before the Senate, he ex-
prefTed himfelf in thefe w^ords— “ This w’oman was my
mother’s freedwoman and dreffer, but (he always con-
fidered me as her patron ; and this I fay, becaule there
are forne ftill in my family that do not look upon me as
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 4II
fuch.” The Oftienfians addreffing him in open court
with a petition, he flew into a rage at them, and faid,
I have no reafon to oblige you : if any one elfe is free
to add as he pleafes, fureiy I am.” The following ex-
preflions he had in his mouth every day, and at ail hours
and feafons : “ What ! do you take me for a Theogonius
And in Greek, “ Speak, but do not touch me befldes
many other familiar fentences, below the dignity of a pri-
vate perfon, much more of an etoperor, who was not
deficient either in eloquence or learning, as having ap-
plied himfelf very clofely to the liberal fcienccs.
XLL By the encouragement of Titus Livius, and with
the affiftance of Sulpicius Flavus, he attempted at an early
age the compofition of a hiflory ; and having called to-
gether a numerous atiditory, to hear and give their judge-'
ment upon it, he read it over with much difficulty, and
after feveral interruptions from himfelf. For when he
had begun, a great laugh being raifed amongfl: the com-
pany, upon the breaking of feveral benches by the weight
of a fat over-grown man, after the confufiori was over,
he could not forbear from burfling out into a violent fit
of laughter, at the remembrance of the accident. During
his reign likewife he wrote a great deal, wdiich he con-
flantiy had rehearfed to his friends by a reader. He began
his hiftory after the death of Caefar the Didlator: but af-
terwards he came lower down, and commenced at the
concluficn of the civil wars ; becaufe he found he could
not fpeak with freedom, and a due regard to truth, con-
cerning the latter period, having been often reproved for
his freedom, both by his mother and grandmother. Upon
the former fubjecl, he left two books, but of the latter
one and forty. He compiled likewife the hiflory of
his own life,” in eight books, full of impertinence, but in
no
THE LIFE OF
4U
no bad flyle ; a_s alfo “ A Defence of Cicero againft'tlie
Books of Afinius Galius,’’ which difcovered a conhderable
degree of learning. He befides invented three new let-
ters, and added them to the former alphabet, as highly ne-
ceiTary. On this fubjefl, he publiflied a book, whilft he
was as yet but a private perfon. After his advancement
to the empire, he introduced them into common ufe ; and
that kind of writing is ftiil extant in many books, regis-
ters, and infcriptions upon buildings.
XLIL He applied himfelf with no lefs attention to the
fludy of Grecian literature, declaring upon ail occafions
his love of that language, and the excellency of it. A
ftranger once holding a difcourfe both in Greek and
Latin, he replied to him in thofe words ; “ Since you
are billed in both our tongues.** Arid recommend-
ing Achaia to the favor of the Senate, he faid, “ 1 have
a particular attachment to that province, upon account of
our common Hudies.’* He often harangued in that lan-
guage, before the Senate, by way of anfwer to ambaf-
fadors. Upon the bench he frequently made ufe of the
verfes of Homer. When at any time he had revenged
himfelf upon an enemy or a confpirator, he fcarcely ever
gave to the Tribune upon the guard, who had come to
him according to cuflom for the word, any other thar^
this : ' '
Av^p* ETTtxrxuvaa-^ai ors rig 'Tr^ors^og xa^£7ra{V|i. .
When outrage loud demands the vengeful blow,
*Tis glorious juilice to o’ervvhelm the foe.
To conclude, he wrote fome hiftories. like wife in Greek,
as twenty books of the Tufcan affairs, eight of the Gar-
thaginian ; upon account of which another mufeum w'as
added
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 4! j
added to the old one at Alexandria, called by his name*
At the fame time, an order was ilTued, tliat, upon certain
days every year, his Tufcan hiftory ihouid be read over
in one of thefe, and his Carthaginian in the other, as in
an auditory, each of them by their feveral readers in
turns.
- XLIII. Towards the clofe of his life, he gave fomc
manifeil: indications of repenting of his marriage with
Agrippina, and his adoption of Nero. For.fome of his
freedmen taking notice of his having condemned the day
before a woman accufed of adultery, and applauding him
for it, he obferved to them, “ It has been my misfortune
to light upon wives that have all been unfaithful to my
bed : but they Ihall not all go unpuniflied.’* Now and
then when Britannicus came in his wav, he would em-
brace him tenderly, and exprefs a defire “ that he might
grow apace, and receive from him an account of all his
addions ufing a Greek expreffion, the fenfe of which
is, “ He that has wounded will heal thee.” And intend-
ing to give him the manly habit, whilft he was yet under
age, and a tender youth, becaufe his flature would allow
of it, he added, “ I do fo, that the Roman people may
have a genuine Csefar.”
XLIV. Not long after he made his will, and had it
figned by all the magiflrates as witnelTes. But he was
prevented from going farther by Agrippina, whom, be-
fides alarms, her own guilty coiifcience, and feveral in-
formers, accufed of a variety of crimes. It is agreed that-
he was taken off by poifon ; but where, and by whom
adminiftered, remains an uncertainty. Some authors fay
that it was given hiiu as he was feafting with the priefls
in the Capitol, by the eunuch Halotus his tafler. Others
fay
THE LIFE OF
414
fay by Agrippina, at his own table, in a mulhroom, a
thing of which he was very fond. The accounts of what
followed are likewife different. Some relate that he in-
ffantly became fpeechlefs, was racked with pain through
the night, and died about day-break ; others, that at firft
he fell into a found fleep ; and afterwards his ftomach
heaving, he threw up the whole, but had another dofe
given him ; whether in water-gruel, under pretence of re-
frefhment after his difcharge, or in a clyfter, as if defigned
to relieve his bowels, is likewife uncertain.
XLV. His death was concealed until every thing was
I fettled relative to his fucceffor. Accordingly vows were
made, for his recovery, and comedians were brought to
court to divert him, as was pretended, at his own defire.
He died upon the third of the Ides of Odtober, in the
Confullliip of Aiinius Marcellus, and Acilius Aviola, in
the fixty-fourth year of his age, and fourteenth of his
reign. His funeral was celebrated with all the magnifi-
cence ufual upon fuch an occafion, and he himfelf ranked
amongfl: the Gods. This honor was taken from him by
Nero, but reftored by Vefpafian,
XLVI. The chief prefages of his death were the ap-
pearance of a comet, the deftrudlion of his father Drufus’s
monument by lightning, and the death of mofi of the ma-
gifirates of all denominations that year. It appears from
feveral circum fiances, that he was fenfible of his ap-
proaching diffolution, and made no fecret of it. For
when he nominated the Confuls, he appointed none to fill
that office beyond the month in which he died. At the
lafi affembly of the Senate in which he made his appear-
ance, he earnefily exhorted his two fons to a good agree-
ment betwixt themfelves, and with importunate entreaties
recommended
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CiESAR, 415'
recommended the protedlion of their youth to the houfe.
And the laft time he fat in judgement, he repeatedly de-
clared in open court, “ That he was now arrived at the
laft'flage of mortality,”'whilft all who heard it exprelTed
their abhorrence of the omen.
THE violent death of Caligula afforded the Romans a
frefh opportunity to have afferted the liberty of their
country ; but the confpirators had concerted no plan, by
which they fliould proceed upon the airaffination of that
tyrant ; and the indecihon of the Senate, in a debate of
two days, on fo fudden an emergency, gave time for the
caprice of the foldiers to interpofe in the fettlement of the
government. By an accident the mod fortuitous, a man
devoid of all pretenfions to perfonal. merit, fo weak in
underftanding, as to be the common fport of the empe-
ror’s houfehold, and an objedl of contempt even to his
own kindred; this man, in the hour of military infolence,
was nominated by the foldiers as fucceffor to the Roman
throne. Not yet in pofieffion of the public treafury,
which perhaps was exhaufted, he could not immediately
reward the fervices of his eledlors with a pecuniary gra-
tification ; but he promifed them a largefs of fifteen thou-
fand federces a man, upwards of a hundred and forty
pounds flerling ; and as we meet with no account of any
fubfequent difeontents in the army, we may juftly con-
clude that the promife was foon after fulfilled. This
tranfaction laid the foundation of that military defpotifm,
which, through many fucceeding ages, convulfed the Ro-
man empire.
Befides the interpofition of the foldiers upon this occa-
fioii,
' THE LIFE OE'
416
iioii, it appears that the populace at Rome were extreme-
ly clamorous for the government of a fmgle perfon, and
for that of Claudius in particular. This partiality for a
monarchical government proceeded from tv^^o caufes.
The commonalty, from their obfcure lituation, were al-
ways the lead: expofed to oppreffion, under a tyrannical
prince. They had likewife ever been remarkably fond of
ftage-plays and public fhows, with-which, as well as with
fcrambles, and donations of bread and other vicluals, the
preceding emperor had frequently gratified them. They'
had therefore lefs to fear, and more to hope, from the
government of a fingle perfon than any other clafs of
Roman citizens. With regard to their partiality for
Claudius, it may be accounted for partly from the l6w
habits of life to which he had been addidled, in confe-
quence of which many of them were familiarly acquaint-
ed with him ; and this circumftance likewife encreafed
their hope of deriving fome advantage from his accef-
fion. Exclufive of all thefe confiderations, it is highly
probable that the populace was infiigated in favor of
Claudius by the artifices of his freedmen, perfons of mearv '
exfradtion, by whom he was afterwards entirely govern-
ed, and who, upon fuch an occafion, would exert their
utmofl; efforts to procure his appointment to*" the throne.
From the debate in the Senate having continued during
two days, it is evident that there was fiill a-firong party
for reftoring the ancient form of government. That thev
were in the end overawed by the clamor of the multitude,
is not furprifing, %vhen we confider that the Senate was
totally unprovided with refources of every kind, for af-
fertlng the independence of the nation by arms, and that
the commonalty, who interrupted their deliberations,
were the only people by whofe affifiance they ever could
eSedl the reO.itution of public freedom. ' To this may be’
added,.
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DllUSUg CiEsAlt. 4!^
gjded, that the Senate, by the total redu6i;lon of their po-
litical importance, ever fince the overthrow of the Re-
public, had loft both the influence and authority which
they formerly enjoyed. The extreme cruelty, likewifej
which had been exercifed during the laft two reigns, af-
forded a farther motive for relinquifhing all attempts in
.favor of liberty, as they might be feverely revenged upon
themfeives by the fubfequent emperor : and it was a de-^
gree of moderation in Claudius, which, palliates the in-»
jufiiice of his caufe, that he began his government with
an a6l of amnefty, refpedling the public tranfaclions
Vvhich enfued upon the death of Caligula,
Claudius, at the time of his acceflion, w'as fifty years
of age ; and though he had hitherto lived apparently un-*
ambitious of public honors, accompanied with great of-
tentation, yet he was now feized with the defire of en-
joying a triumph.' As there exifted no war, in which he
might perform fome military atchievement, his vanity
could only be gratified by invading a foreign country,
.where, contrary to the advice contained in the tefiamenC
of Auguflus, he might attempt to extend fiill farther the
limits of the empire. Either Britain, therefore, or fomO
nation on the continent, at a great difiailce front the
capital, became the obje61: of fuch an enterprife ^
and the former was chofen, not only as more con-
venient, from its vicinity to the mavitime province of
Gaul, but on account of a remonfiraoce lately prefented
by the Britons to the court of Rome, rerpe61:ing the pro-
tedlion afforded to fome perfons of that nation, who had
fled thither to elude the laws of their country. Confider-
ing the ftate of Britain at that time, divided as it was into
a number of principalities, amongfl: which there w^as no
general confederacy for mutual defence, and where the
E § alar.m^
TriE LIFE OF
41S
alarm j excited by the invafion of Julius C^efar, upwards
of eighty years before, had long fince been forgotten ; a
fudden attempt upon the illand could not fail of being at-
tended with fuccefs. Accordingly an army was fent over,
under the command of Aulus Plautius, an able general,
who defeated the natives in feveral engagements, and pe-
netrated a confiderable way into the country. Prepara-
tions for the erhperor’s voyage now being made, Clau-
dius fet fail from Oftia, at the mouth of the Tiber ; but
meeting with a violent ftorm in the Mediterranean, he
landed at Marfeilles, and proceeding thence to Boulogne
in Picardy, pafled over into Britain. In what part he de-
barked, is uncertain, but it feems to have been at fome
place on the fouth-eaft coaft of the ifland. He immedi-
ately received the fubmiffion of feveral Britifh hates, the
Cantii, Atrebates, Regni, and Trinobantes, who inha-
bited thofe parts ; and returning to Rome, after an ab-
fence of fix months, celebrated with great pomp the tri-
umph, for which he had undertaken the expedition.
In the interior parts of Britain, the natives, under the
command of Caradlacus, maintained an obftinate refift-
ance, and little progrefs was made by the Roman arms,
until Oftorius Scapula was fent over to profecute the
war. He penetrated into the country of the Silures, a
warlike tribe, who inhabited the banks of the Severn ;
and having defeated Cara61acus in a great battle, made
him prifoner, and fent him to Rome. The fame of the
Britilh prince had by this time fpread over the provinces
of Gaul and Italy; and upon his arrival in the Roman ca-
pital, the people flocked from all quarters to behold him.
The ceremonial of his entrance was condudled with great
foiemnity. On a plain adjoining to the Roman camp,
the Frsetorian troops w^ere drawn up in martial array :
the
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS C^SAR. 4I9
the emperor and his court took their flation in the front
of the lines, and behind them was ranged the whole body
of the people. The proceflion commenced with the dif-
ferent trophies which had been taken from the Britons
during the progrefs of the war. Next followed the bro-
thers of the vanquilhed prince, with his wife and daugh-
ter, in chains, exprefling by their fupplicating looks and
geftures the fears with which they were adfuated. But
not fo Cara61;acus himfelf. With a manly gait and an
• undaunted countenance, he marched up to the tribunal,
where the emperor was feated, and addrelTed him in the
following terms :
“ If to my high birth, and diftingulfhed rank, I had
added the virtues of moderation, Rome had beheld me
rather as a friend than a captive ; and you would not have
rejedled an alliance with a prince, defeended from illuf-
trious anceftors, and governing many nations. The re-
verfe of my fortune to you is glorious, and to me humi-
liating. I had arms, and men, and horfes : I poflefled
extraordinary riches ; and can it be any wonder that I
was unwilling to lofe them ? Becaufe Rome afpires to
imiverfal dominion, muff men therefore implicitly refign
themfelves to fubje6fion ? I oppofed for a long time the
progrefs of your arms, and had I acled otherwife, would
either you have had the glory of conqueft, or I of a
brave refiftance ? I am now in your power : if you are
determined to take revenge, my fate will foon be forgot-
ten, and you will derive no honor from the tranfa^lion.
Preferve my life, and I ihall remain to the lateft ages a
monument of your clemency.**
Immediately upon this fpeech, Claudius granted him
his liberty, as he did likewife to the other royal cap-
E e 2 lives,
THE LIFE OF
420
lives. They all returned their thanks, in a manner the
mofi: grateful to the emperor ; and as foon as their chains
were taken off, walking tow^ards Agrippina, who fat upon
a bench at a little diftance, they repeated to her the fame
fervent declarations of gratitude and efteem,
Hiftory has preferved no account of Cara61;acus after
this period ; but it is probable, that he returned in a fhort
time to his own country, where his former valor, and
the magnanimity which he had difplayed at Rome, would
continue to render him illuflrious through life, even
amidft the irretrievable ruin of his fortunes.
The moft extraordinary chara 61;er in the prefent reign
was that of Valeria Meffalina, the daughter of Valerius
Meffala Barbatus. She was married to Claudius, and
had by him a fon and a daughter. To cruelty in the
profecution of her purpofes, Ihe added the mod abandon-
ed incontinence. Not confining her licentioufnefs with-
in the limits of the palace, where (he committed the mod
diameful exceffes, die prodituted her perfon in the com-
mon dews, and even 'in the public dreets of the capital.
As if her condu61; was already not fufficiently fcandalous,
die obliged C. Silius, a man of Confular rank, to divorce
his wife, that die might procure his company entirely to
herfelf. Not contented with this Indulgence to her cri-
minal padion, die next perfuaded him to marry her ;
and during an excurfion which the emperor made to
Odia, the ceremony of marriage was a6lually perform-
ed between them. The occafion was celebrated with a
magnificent fupper, to which die invited a large com-
pany ; and led the whole diould be regarded as a frolic, not
meant to be confummated, the adulterous parties afeend-
ed tire nuptial couch in the prefence of the adonidied
fpedlators^
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CiESAR. 42 1
fpe6lators. Great as was the facility of Claudius’s tem-
per in refpe61: of her former behaviour, he could not
overlook fo flagrant a violation both of puhlic decency
and the laws of the country. Silius was condemned to
death for the adultery which he had perpetrated with re-
ludbance; and Meffalina was ordered into the emperor’s
prefence, to anfwer for her condudl. Terror now
operating upon her mind in conjundlion with remorfe,
flic could not fummon the refolution to fuppoit fuch an
interview, but retired into the gardens of Lucullus, there
to indulge at lafl the compunction which die felt for her
crimes, and to meditate the entreaties by which die diould
endeavor to footh the refentment of her hufband. In
the extremity of her diftrefs, die attempted to lay violent
hands upon herfelf, but her courage was unequal to the
emergency. Her mother Lepida, who had not fpoken
with her for foiiie years before, was prcfent upon the oc-
cafion, and urged her to the a6l which could alone put
a period to her infamy and wretchednefs. Again die
made an effort, but again her refolution abandoned her ;
W'hen a Tribune burd into the gardens, and plunging his
fword into her body, fhe inftantly expired. Thus pe-
ridieda woman, the fcandal of whole lewdnefs refounded
througliout the empire, and of whom a great fatirid,
dieii living, has faid, perhaps witliout a hyperbole,
El laJjfata^iris^necduTrifatiatajreceJ/lt. Juvenal. Sat.VT.
It has already been obferved, that Claudius was entire-
ly governed by his frecdmeii ; a clafs ^of retainers wliich
enjoyed a great diare of favor and confidence with their
patrons in thofe times. 7'hey had before been the
Haves of their maders, and had obtaihed their free-
dom as a reward for their faithful and attentive ferviccs.
Of the edeem in which they often were held, we meet
E e c* with
o
422
THE LIFE OF
with an inftance in Tiro, the freedman of Cicero ; to
whom that illuftrious Roman addreiTes feveral Epifties,
written in the mofl: familiar and afFedionate ftrain of
friendlhip. As it was common for them to be taught the
more ufeful parts of education in the families of their
mafters, they were ufually well qualified for the manage-
ment of domeftic concerns, and might even be competent
to thefuperior departments of the hate ; efpecially in thofe
times, when negotiations and treaties with foreign princes
feldom or never occurred ; and in arbitrary governments,
where public affairs were dire6led more by the will of
the fovereign or his minihers, than by refined fuggeftions
of policy.
From the charadfer generally given of Claudius, before
his elevation to the throne, we fhould not readily imagine
that he was endowed with any tafie for literary compofi-
tion ; yet he feems to have enjoyed, exclufively, this di-
fiindfion during his own reign, in which learning was at
a low ebb. Befides hiftory, Suetonius informs us, that
he wrote a Defence of Cicero againfi; the Charges of Afi-
nius Gallus. This appears to be the only tribute of efieein
or approbation, paid to the charadfer of Cicero, from the
time of Livy the hiftorian, to the extindfion of the race
of the Caefars. Afinius Gallus was the fon of Afinius
Pollio, the orator. Marrying Vipfania, after the had
been divorced by Tiberius, he incurred the difpleafure of
that emperor, and died of famine, either voluntarily, or
by order of the tyrant. He wrote a comparifon between
his father and Cicero, in which, with more filial partia-
lity than jufiice, he gave the reference to the former.
NERO
I,
{ 423 )
NERO CLAUDIUS CAESAR.
I. FROM the houfe .of the Domitii fprung two celebrat-
■ed families, the Calvini and iEnobarbi. The latter de-
rive their extraction and cognomen likewife from one L.
Domitius, who, it is related, as he was returning from
the country to Rome, was met by two young men of a
moll auguft appearance, 7'hcy defired him to carry to
the Senate and people the news of a victory, concerning
which no certain advice had at that time reached the city.
To aiTure him that they were more than mortals, they
flroaked his cheeks, and by that means changed his beard
from a black to a ruddy color, refembling that of brafs ;
which mark of diHindlion defcended to his poflerity, for
they had generally red beards. The family had after this
the honor of feven Confulfliips, one triumph, and two
Cenforlliips ; and being advanced to the rank of nobility,
all continued the ufe of the fame cognomen, and no
other praenomina than thofeof Cneius and Lucius ; which
they retained, however, with remarkable irregularity ;
fometimes adhering to one of them for three perfons fuc-
celUvely, and then again-changing them alternately. For
the firft, fecond, fand third of the ^nobarbi had that of
Lucius, and again the three following, fuccellively, that
of Cneius ; but thofe who came after were called, one,
Lucius, and the other, Cneius, by turns. It appears to
me proper, to give a ihort account of feveral of the fa-
E e 4 «hly,
THE LIFE OF
4^4-
n'iily, to fliow that Nero fo far degenerated from the no-
ble qualities of his anceflors, that he retained only the
vices of the family, as if thofe alone had been tranfmitted
to him by his defcent,.
' II. To begin therefore at a remote period, hjs great-
grandfather’s grandfather, when he was Tribune of the
commons, being offended with the high priefls for eledl-
jng another than him into their number, in the room of
his father, procured the promulgation of a law for tranf-
ferring the right of thofe elections from the priefls to the
people. In his Confuldiip, having conquered the Alio-?
broges and the Arverni, he made a tour of the province,
mounted upon an elephant, with a body of foldiers attend-
ing him in a fort of triumphal pomp. Of this perfon the
orator Licinius Craffus fajd, “ It v/as no wonder he had
a brazen beard, who had a face of iron, and a heart of
lead.” His fon, during his Prsetorfhip, propofed that C.
Caefar, upon the expiration of his Confulate, fhould be
called to an account before the Senate for his adminidra-
> tion of that office, which was fuppofed to be contrary both
to the aufpicia and the laws. Afterwards, when he was
Conful, he attempted to have him recalled from the ar^
my, and having been by intrigue and cabal appointed his
fucceffor, he was in the beginning of the civil war made
prifoner at Corfinium. Being difmiffed upon that oc-
cafion, he went fome time after to Marfeilles, which then
was befieged ; where having by his prefence animated
the people to hold out, he on a fudden left them again,
and at laft was flain in the battle /^f Pharfalia. He was
a man of little conhancy, and of a fullen temper. Having
once in a defjperate fituation had recourfe to poifon, he
was, immediately upon taking it, fo terrified with the
thoughts of dying, that he took a vomit to throw it up
again,
NERO CLAUDIUS C^SAR. 425
again, and manumiied his phyrician, for having purpofe-»
ly given him only a gentle dofe of the poifon. When
Cn. Pompey was confulting with his friends in what
manner he Hiould condndt himfelf towards thofe who
were neuter, he alone gave his opinion that they ought
to be treated as enemies.
III. He left behind him a fon, who was without
doubt the bell: man of the family. He was by the Pedian
law condemned, though innocent, amongll others v/ho
were concerned in the death of Csefar. .Upon this, he
went over to Brutus and Caffius his near relations ; and
after their death, not only kept the fleet, the command
of which had been given him fome time before, but aug-
mented it likewife. At lafl, when the party had every
where been defeated, he voluntarily furrendered it to M.
Antony ; confidering it as a piece of fervice for which
the latter owed him no fmall obligations. Of all thofe
who w’ere condemned by the law abovementioned, he was
the only man that was reftored to his country, and ob-
tained the feveral offlces of flate. Upon a frefli difference
breaking out,, he had the commiflion of a lieutenant-ge-
neral under the fame Antony, and was offered the chief
command in that war, by thofe who were afhamed of
Cleopatra ; but not daring, on account of a fudden indif-
pofition with which he was feized, either to accept or
refufe it, he went over to Auguflus, and died a few days
after, not without an afperflon cafl upon his memory.
For Antony openly faid, that his changing fldes was
pv/ing to an impatience to be with his miflrefs, Servilia
Nais.
IV. The perfon abovementioned was the father of
that Domitius, who was afterwards w’ell known as the
purchaler
THE LIFE OF
426
purchafer of Iiis family in Augiiftus’s will ; being no lefs
famous in his youth, for his dexterity in chariot-driving,
than he was afterwards for the triumphal ornaments
which he obtained in the German war. But he was a
man of great arrogance, prodigality, and cruelty. When
he was 75],diie, he obliged L. Plancus the Cenfor to give
him the way ; and in his Prsetorfhip, and Confulfhip, he
brought upon tlie ftage Roman knights and married wo-
men, to adf in a mimic piece. Pie gave chafes of wild
beafts, both in the Circus and in all the wards of the
city ; as alfo a fliow of gladiators ; but with fuch barba-,
rity, that Auguflus, having given him a private reprimiand
for it, to no purpofe, was obliged to lay a reftraint upon
him by proclamation.
V. He had by the elder Antonia the father of Nero, in
every part of his life a man of execrable charadter. In
his attendance upon C. C^far into the eaft, he killed a
freedman of his own, for refufingto drink as much as he
commanded him. He was on this account difmiffed from
Csefar’s company, but profited nothing by the difgrace.
Por in a village upon the Appian road, he drove his
chariot over a poor boy, -and crufhed him ail to pieces.
At Rome, he flruck out an eye of a Roman knight in the
Forum, only for fome free language in a difpute that hap-
pened betwixt them. He was likewife fo fraudulent that
he not only cheated fome bankers of the price of goods he
had bought of them, but, in his Praetorihip, defrauded the
furnifliers of chariots for the Circenfian games, of the
prizes due to them for their vidlory. His fifler interpof-
ing with him upon the fubjedl:, and a complaint being
likewife made by them, he procured a law to be pafied,
“ That for the future, the prizes Ihould be immediately
paid them.” A little before the death of Tiberius, he
was»
NERO CLAUDIUS CiESAR.
427
was profecuted for treafon, adultery with feveral women,
and inceft with his filler Lepida ; but efcaped by a change
of the times, and died of a dropfy at Pyrgi, leaving be-
hind him his fon Nero, wiiom he had by Agrippina,
daughter of Germanicus.
VI. Nero was born at Antium, nine months after the
death of Tiberius, upon the eighteenth of the Calends of
January, juft as the fun rofe ; fo that its beams reached
him, before they could well reach the earth. Whilll ma-
ny and difmal conje6tures, with regard to his future for-
tune, were formed by different perfons, from the circum-
ftances of his nativity, a faying of his father Domitius
was regarded as an ill prefage, who told his friends that
were congratulating him upon the occafion, ‘‘ That no-
thing but what was deteflable, and pernicious to the pub-
lic, could ever be produced of him and Agrippina.” Ano-
ther manifeft prognoflic of his future unhappinefs occur-
red upon his luflration-day. For C. Caefar being requeu-
ed by his filler to give the child what name he thought
proper, looking at his uncle Claudius, who was after-
wards emperor, and adopted him, faid he gave his ; and
this not ferioully, but only in jeft ; Agrippina rejedfing it
with indignation, becaufe Claudius at that time was a
mere laughing-llock at court. He loll his father when
he was three years old, being left heir to a third part of
his ehate ; of which he never got polTelfion, the whole
being feized by his co-heir Caius. His mother being foon
after baniihed, he lived with his aunt Lepida in a very
neceffitous condition, under two tutors, a dancing-ma-
iler and a barber. After Claudius came to the empire, he
not only recovered his father’s eftate, but was enriched
with the additional inheritance of that of his hep-father
Ci'ifpus Palilenus. Upon his mother’s recall froin banihi-
ment,
THE LIFE OF
428
ment, by means of her intereft with the emperor, he made
fucb a figure at court, that fome afTalTins, it was reported,
were employed by MefTalina, Ciaudius’s wife, to flran-
gle him, as the rival of Britannicus, whiifl; he was taking
a fleep about mid*day. In addition to the ftory, it was
faid that they were frightened by a ferpent, which crept
from under his pillow, and ran away. The tale was oc-
cafioned by finding near the bolfter the fkin of that fpe-
cies of animal, which, by his mother’s order, he Wore
for fome time upon his right arm, inclofed in a bracelet
of gold. This ornament, at laft, from an averfion to
her memory, he laid afide, but fought for again, in vain,
in the time of his extremity.
VII. Before he was arrived at the age of puberty, during
the celebration of the Circenfian games, he perform.ed
his part in the Trojan diverfion with great firmnefs, and
the general approbation of the fpedlators. In the eleventh
year of his age, he was adopted by Claudius, and placed
under the tuition of Annseus Seneca, at that time a Se-
nator. It is faid, that Seneca dreamt the night after, that
he v/as giving a ledlure to Caius Casfar. Nero in a fhort
time verified his dream, betraying by all the means in his
power the favage cruelty of his difpofition. For he at-
tempted to perfuade his father that his brother Britanni-
cus was nothing but a fuppofititious boy, only becaufe the
latter had fainted him after his adoption, by the name of
.^nobarbus as ufual. V/hen his aunt Lepida was brought
upon her trial, he appeared in court- as an evidence againfl:
her, to gratify his mother, who entertained a virulent
enmity againfl her. Upon his folemn introdudlion into
the Forum, he. gave a largefs to the people and foldiers :
for the Praetorian band, he appointed a folemn proceffion
under arms, and marched at the head of them with a
fhidd
HERO CLAtTDirs C^SAR. 429
{hield in his hand ; after which he went to return thanks
to his father in the Senate. Before Claudius likewife, when
Conful, he made a fpeech for the Bononlans in Latin,
and for the Rhodians and Ilienfians in Greek. He fat for
the firfl time as a judge for the hearing of caufes, when
he was made Praefedl of the city in the Latin holidays ;
at which time the moft celebrated pleaders employed his
attention, not with eafy hiort trials, as ufual in that cafe,
but with trials of importance, notwithftanding they had
inflrudlions from Claudius himfelf to the contrary. Not
long after, he married Odtavia, and prefented the people
with Circenfian games, and a hunting of wild beails, for
the health of Claudius.
VIII. He was fevcnteen years of age at the death of that
prince ; and as foon as that event was made public, he went
out to the foldiers upon the guard before the palace be-
twixt the hours of hx and feven : for an earlier time of
the day w^as judged improper for his entering upon the
imperial dignity, on account of the direful omens that ap-
peared. Upon the fteps before the palace-gate, he was
unanimoufly faluted by the foldiers prefent as their empe-
ror, and then carried in a chair into the camp ; thence,
after making a fliort fpeech to the troops, into the Senate-
houfe, where he continued until the evening : of all the
immenfe honors which were heaped upon him, refufing
none but the title of Father of his Country ^ on account of
his youth.
IX. He began his reign with an oftentatlon of dutiful
regard to the memory of his deceafed father, whom he
buried with the utmoft pomp and magnificence, pro-
nouncing the funeral oration himfelf, and then had him
enrolled amongfr the Gods. He paid likewife the higheil:
8 honors
THE LIFE OF
43^
r
honors to the memory of his father Domitius. He left
the management of affairs, both public and private, to
his mother. The word which he gave the firft day of
his reign to the Tribune upon the guard, was “ the befl
of mothers, and afterwards, he frequently appeared in
the flreets of Rome with her in her chair. He fettled a
colony at Antium, in which he provided for the veteran
foldlers belonging to the guards; feveraf of the richeff
among the moft honorable Centurions being obliged to
live In that place, where he likewife made a fine harbour
at a prodigious expence.
X. To give the public yet farther afTurance of his
good difpofition, he declared, “ that he defigned to go-
vern according to the model of Auguftus and omitted
no opportunity of fhowing his generofity, clemency, and
complaifance. The more burdenfome taxes he either
entirely took off, or diminiflied. The rewards appoint-
ed for informers by the Papian law, he reduced to a
fourth part ; and diftributed to the people four hundred
fefterces a man. To the nobleffc of the Senators who were
much reduced in their circumffances, he granted penfions,
and to fome five hundred thoufand fefterces ; and to the
Pi jEtorian battalions a monthly allowance of corn gratis.
When the warrant for the execution of a criminal con-
demned to die was brought him to fign, according to
cuftoin “ I wifli,” faid he, “ I had never learnt to read
and write.” He now and then faluted the feveral Orders
of die people by name, without a prompter. When the
Senate returned him their thanks for his good behaviour,
he replied to them, “ It will be time enough to do lo
when I deferve it.” He admitted the common people to fee
him perform hisexercifes in the Field of Mars. He frequent-
ly declaimed in public, and recited verfes of his own com-
pofmg,
NERO CLAUDITIS CIESAR. 43 1
j)oring, not only at home, but in the theatre, fo much to the
joy of all the people, that public prayers were appointed
to be put up to the Gods upon that account ; and the verfes
which had been publicly read, were, after being wnitteu
in gold letters, confecrated to Jupiter Capitolinus.
i
XI. He prcfented the people with a great number of
public diverfions, and of various kinds ; as the Juvenal
and Circenfian games, ftage-plays, and a Hiow of gladi-
ators. In the Juvenal, he admitted Senators and aged
matrons to perform their parts. In the Circenfian games,
he affigned the Equeftrian Order feats apart from the reft
of the people, and had races performed by chariots drawn
each by four camels. In the games which he inftituted
for the eternal continuance of the empire, and therefore
ordered to be called Maximi^ many of the Senatorian and
Eqiieftrian Order, of both fexes, adled their parts A
diftinguifhed Roman knight rode down a rope upon an
elephant. A Roman play, likewife, compofed by Afra-
nius, was brought upon the ftage. It was entitled, The
Fire and in it the adlors were allowed to carry off, and
keep to themfelves, the furniture of the houfe, which, as
the plot of the play required, was burnt dowm in the the-
• atre. Every day during the folemnity, various things
were thrown amongft the people to fcramble for ; as
fowls of different kinds, corn, tickets, cloaths, gold, fi-
ver, gems, pearls, pi61;ures, faves, beafts of burden,
wild beafts tamed ; at laft, flips, large houfes, and iands,
were offered as prizes to be contended for.
XII. Thefe games he beheld from the top of the JPro~
fcenium. In the fhow of gladiators, which he exhibited
in a wooden amphitheatre, built within a year in the
wood of the Field of Mars, he ordered tlrat none fioidd
be
THE LIFE OF
43'^
be flain, not even of the criminals employed upon that
occafion. He engaged four hundred Senators, and fix hun-
dred Roman knights, amongfl; whom were fome of great
eftates, and amiable charadters, to engage as gladiators.
From the fame Orders, he procured peiTons to encounter
wild beads, and for various other fervices*in the theatre.
He prefented the public with the reprefentation of a na-
val hght, upon Tea-v/ater, with large iidies fwimming in
it; as alfo with the Pyrrhic dance, performed by^certain
youth, to each of whom, after the performance was over,
he granted patents for their freedom of Rome. During
this diverfion, a bull leaped Pafiphae, concealed within a
wooden flatue of a cow, as many of the fpedlators be-
lieved. Icarus, upon his hrft attempt, fell down clofe by
where he reclined, and befpattered him with his blood. For
he very feldom prefided in the games, but ufed to view them
lying upon a couch, at firfl: through fome little holes, but
afterwards with the Podium'^ quite open. He was the
fird that indituted, in imitation of the Greeks, a trial
of Ikill in the three feveral exercifes of mufic, wredling,
and horfe-racing, to be performed at Rome every five
years, and which he called Neronia. Upon the fird
opening of a hot-bath, and a fchool of exercife, 'vybicli
lie built, he furnilhed the Senate and the Equedrian Or-
der with oil. He appointed as judges of the trial men of
Confular rank, chofen by lot, who fat with the Praetors.
* The Podium was the part of the amphitheatre allotted to
the Senators, and the ambafTadors of foreign nations ; and
■where alfo was the feat of the emperor, of the perfon who
exhibited the games, and of the Vedal Virgins. It projedl-
ed over the wall which furrou tided the area of the amphi-
theatre, and was raifed between twelve and fifteen feet above
it ; fecured with a bread -v/ork or parapet againd the irrup-
tion of wild beads.
NERO CLAUDIUS CAiSAR.
433*
At this time he took his feat in the Orcheflra amongfl; the
Senators, and received the crown intended for the heft
performer in L'atin profe and verfe, for which feveral
perfons of the higheft quality were candidates, hut iina-
nimoufly yielded to him. The crown for the heft per-
former on the harp, being likewife awarded to him by the
judges in that difpute, he adored it, and ordered it to be
carried to Auguflus’s ftatiie. In the gymnic exercifesj
which he prefented in the Septa, during the preparations
for facrificing an ox, he fliaved his beard for the frft time^
and putting it up m a box adorned with pearls of great
price, he confecrated it to Jupiter Capitolinus. He in-
vited the Vefial Virgins to fee the wreftlers perform, be-
caufe, at Olympia, the priefteffes of Ceres are allowed the
privilege of feeing that diverfion.
XliL Amongft the fpe61;acles prefented by him, the
entrance of Tiridates into the city deferves to be mention-
ed. This perfonage, who was king of Armenia, he by
very large promifes invited to Rome* But being prevent-
ed from ih owing him to the people ’upon the day fixed for
it by proclamation, on account of the badnefs of the wea-
ther, he cook the fir ft opportunity that occurred ; pofting
feveral battalions under arms, about the temples of the
Forum ; and fitting himfelf upon an ivory feat in the
Roftra, in a triumphal drefs, amidft the military ftandards
and banners. Upon the king’s advancing towards him,
on a ftage made fhelving for tlie purpofcj he permitted
Tiridates to throw himfelf at his feet, but quickly raifed
him with his right hand, and kifted him. The emperor
then, upon the king’s humble fupplication, taking the
turban from his head, put on a crown, whilft a perfon of
Praetorian rank proclaimed in Latin the words in wdiich
the prince addrefted the emperor. After this ceremony,
F f the
■434
THE LIFE OF
the flranger being brought into the theatre, and there
again renewing his addrefs, the emperor feated him upon
his right hand. Being now univerfally complimented
with the title of Imperator, and fending his laurel-crown
into the Capitol, he fliut the temj>le of double-faced
Janus, as though there now exifled no war throughout
the Roman empire.
XIV. He held the Confulfhip four times : the firfi; for
two months, the fecond and laft for fix, and the third for
four ; the two middlemofl: he held fucceflively, but the
reft at the diftance of fome years from them.
XV. In the adminiftration of juftice, h^ fcarcely ever
gave an anfwer to fuch as preferred their caufes to him
for trial, before the next day, and in writing. His man-
ner of hearing the caufes was ‘not to allow the parties to
plead in long harangues, but to difpatch the feveral parti-
culars in their order, in the way of debate. When he
withdrew to confult his affeftbrs in any caufe, he did not
debate the matter openly vhth them ; but filently and
privately reading over their opinions, which they gave
feparately in writing, he gave fentence upon the bench
according to his own pleafure, as if the fame was the opi-
nion of the majority. For a long time he would not ad-
mit the fons of freedmen into the Senate; and fuch as
had been admitted by former princes, he excluded from
all public offices in the government. The fupernumerary
candidates, to comfort them under the delay of their
hopes, he put into fome command of the legions. The
Confullhip he commonly gave for fix months; and one of
the two Confuls dying a little before the firft of January,
he fubftituted no other in his room ; difiiking what had
been formerly done for Caninius Rebilus upon fuch an
occafion.
kERO CLAUDIUS C^SAR. 43^
Ocfcafion, who was Conful for one day only. He aU
lowed the triumphal honors only to thofe of Quaeflorian
dignity, and to fome of the Equeftrian Order, and that
not upon any military account. And inhead of the
Quaeftors^ whofe office it properly was, he commonly-
ordered that the fpeeches, which he fent to the Senate
upon certain occafions, fliould be read by the Confuls.
XVL He contrived a new model for building in the
city, ordering piazzas to be ere6led before ail houfes great
and fmall, that from the top of thenij if any fire happen*-
ed, it might be more ealily prevented from fpreading ; and
thefe he built at his own expenee.- He likewife defign-
ed to extend the walls of Rome as far as Oflia^ and thence
to bring the fea by a canal into the old city. Many fevere
regulations and new orders were made in his time* A
fumptuary law was enadled. Public fuppers were re-
duced to the Sportula ; and vi6lualling-houfes reftrained
from felling any dreffied vidfuals, except pulfe and herbs,
whereas before they fold all kinds of meat. The Chrif-
tians likewife were feverely punifhed, a fort of people who
maintained a new and mifchievous fuperftition He
forbid the fports of the Quadrigarii j who had long taken
the liberty of ftrolling about, and eftabliflied for them-
felves a kind of prefcriptive right to cheat and commit
* This characffer of the Chriftian religion exhibits the
prejudice of a Pagan author in firong colors. It is probable
that Suetonius confidered it as mifchievous upon two ac-
counts ; one was, that it exploded the fuperllition of the
Gentiles ; and the other, that, by declaring God to be no
refpe£l:er of perfons, it tended to flacken all the bands of
civil authority, and fubordination. But, had he taken the
pains to inveftigate its principles, he would have been unde-
ceived in refpe(5l to this apprehenfion,
F f 2 theft
43^ tHE LIFE OF
theft in jefl. The parties of the pantoiiiimics were ba-
nifhed, as well as themfelves*
XVII. Againfl: the forgers of writings^ the method was
then hril: invented, to have the writings bored, run through
three times with a thread, and then fealed. It was like-
wife ena61ed that in wills, the two firft pages, with only
the teftator’s name upon them, fhould be prefented blank
to thofe wh 
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