The lives of the first twelve Cæsars

발행: 1796년

분량: 639페이지

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CAESAR AUGUSTUS.

son. He allowed them the favor of being buri ed together, and ordei ed a mausoleium, beguia by thenaseives, to becompleted. The et der of his two sons by Fulvia he commanded to bc taken by force froin the statue of Julius Caesar, to whicli, after many supplications for his lise, but ali in vain, he had fled, and put to the Mord. Heli hewise put to dealli Caesario, whom Cleopatra pretendedste had hy Caesar, who had fled for his life, but was re-tahen. The children that were born to Antony by Cleo patra he saved, and maintained in a manner sultable totheir rank, as much as is they had been his own re

XVIII. About this time he had the curiosity to vie me cossin and hody of AleXander the Great, whicli, sor

deposited; and after looking at them for so me time, hepaid his respects to the memory of that prince, by the present of a goiden crown, and scat tering flowers uponthe body. Being asked is he desii red to see that os Ptolemylikewise , he replied, I destre to see a Ling, not deadmen. V He reducod Egypt into the forin os a province; and to render ii more fertile, and more capable of supplying Rome mitti coria, he employed his army to kour thedit ches, into whicli the Nile, ut on iis rise, di harges ita self, whicli during a long series of years were almosf qui techoahed up with mud. To render his vi tory at Actium

exploded the vulgar preiudice whicli prevalled in their favor. He justly observes, that the venom os serpents, like someother hinds of poison, proves noxious only when applied tothe nahed fibre; and that, provided there is no ulcer in thegunn or palate, the poison may be received irato the mouth

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consecrated it to Neptune and Mars. XIX. He asterwards quas hed severat tumulis and insurrections; as also severat conspiracies against his life, which were providentialty disco vered be fore they vaereripe for execution ; but these incideriis happened at differcnt times. Such were the conspiracies of young Lepidus, of VaiTo Muraena, and Fannius C pio ; then thatos Egnatius, aster ards that os Plautius Rufus, and of L. Paulus, his grand-daughter's hu arid; and besides these, another of L. Audasius, an old CraZy man, and who was Under a prosecution sor Orgery; as also of Asinius Epicadus, a Parthynian mongi et, and at last thatos Telephus, a lady's nomenclator μ' : for he was in danger of his life froin the plois and conspiracies of me

As the people of Rome had a vote in the choice of their magistrates, it Was usual, before the time os election, for thecandidates to endeavor to gain their favor by e very popularari. They would thereiare go to the hous es of the citigens, sta he hands with thola they met, and address them in ahindly manner. It being of great consequence, iapon thos eoccsions, to know the names of persons, they were Common-ly attended by a nomenclator, who Whis pered in to their ears that information whereuer it was wanted. Though this Lind of ossiter v as generalty an attendant upon men, WOmeet with instances of their haxing been likerei se employed in the service of ladieS; either with the view of serving candidates to whom they vere allied, or of gaining the r Iections of the people.

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c ESAR AUGUSTUS.

of the lowest of the peopte against hi m. Audasius and Epicadus had formed the design of bringing to the armies his daughter Julia, and his grand-son Agrippa, frona theislands in whicli they were confined. Telephus, from a wild imagination that the governinent was destined tollim by the fates, propos ed to tali both upon Octavitis

and the Senate. Nay once a soldier's servant belongingto the army in Illyricum, having passed the porters unobserve J, was found in the night time standing be re his chamber-door, provided with a hunting-dagger. Whether the person was reatly disordered in the head, or onlycounterfelted madness, is uncertain: for he would malaeno consession by the rach. XX. He conducted in person only two foretgn wars ;the Dalmatian, whilst he was yet but a youth, anil, after the final deseat of Antony, the Cantabrian. In the for-

mer of these wars he received sonae moundS, as in onebatile a contusion in the right knee, Dom a stone; and in another, he was much huri in one leg and both arnas,

in some of the wars of Pannonia and Germany, Or Wasnot ut a great distance from it, advancing frona theseat of govertament as far as Ravenna, Milan, or Aquileia.

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of whom he removed the Ubii and Sicambri, upon their submission, into Gaul, and setiled them in a Country up-on the bantis of the Rhine. Other nations lihewise, thalann yed the borders of his empire, he obliged to achnow

the standarils whicli they had taken frona M. Crassus, and LI. Antony, and offering him hostages bessides.

ΣXII. The

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XXII. The temple of Janus Quirinus, which hadbeen mut only twice, froni the bulldingi of the city tollis own time, he Qui three times, in a much shorter period, having establimed an universat tranquillity both bysea and land . He twice entered the city in the lesser triumph , viz. after the war of Philippi, and again after thatos Sicily. He had likewise three grand triumphs ' for his

victories η The inferior hind of triumph, called Ovatio, Was

The grand triumph, in Whicli the victorious generaland his army ad vanced in solemn procession through thecity to the Capitol, was the highest military honor whichcould be obta ined in the Roman state. Foremost in the procession, went musicians os various kinds, singing and playing triumphat songs. Next were led the oxen to be sacrificed, having their horns gili, and their heads adorne d with filleis and gariands. Then in carriages were brought thespotis taken fro in the eiae my, statues, pictures, plate, ar- mour, gold and silver, and brasse; with goiden crowns, ando ther gisis, sent by the allied and tributary states. The captive leaders followed in chains, with their children and attendanis. Aster them came the Lictors, having their fasces Wreathed with laurei, followed by a great company of musicians and dancers di essed like Satyrs, and wearing crowns of gold : in the midst of whom Was a pantomime, clothedin the garb os a semale, whos e busin esse it was, with histo olis and gestures, to insultithe vanquisied. Next followed a long train os persons carrying persum es. Thera Came

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victories in Dalmatia, at Actium, and AleXandria ; eachos which las ed three da ys. XXIIL In ali his Mars, he never received any signator ignominio us deseat, eXcept twiCe in Germany, in the person of his lietatenanis Lollius and Varus. The somnier indoed had in it more os infamy than lossi : but thatos Varus threatened the securi ty of the empire iistis;

gold, with a crown of Iaurei on his head, a branch of laurei in his right hand, and in his test an ivory sceptre, withan eagIe on the top ; haVing his face patia ted with vermilion, in the fame manner as the statue of Jupiter on festival days, and a goiden Bulla han ging on his breast, and containing some amulet, or magical preservative against enuy. Hesiood in a gilded chariot, adorned ut illi iv ory, and drau n by Dur u litte hors es, sonaetimes by elephanis, attended by his relations, and a great Crowd of Citigens, ali in Whitr. His chil iren used to ride in the chariot with him ; and that he might not be too much elated, a flave, carrying a goiden cro via sparkling with genas, stood bellind hina, and frequently whis pered in his ear, Remember that thou art a man l' Aster the generat, followed the Constiis and Senators onfoot, at least according to the appotiatinent of Augustus; for they formerly used to go besore hi m. His Legati an l. military Tribunes common ly rode Py his side. The victoriolis army, horse and Dot, came last, crowned with laurei, and decorated with the gifts whicli they had received fortheir valor; singing their own and their generat's praises, but so metimes throwing out raillertes against him ; and ostenexclaim ing, Io Triumphe t V in whicli they were joined by ali the citigens, as they pased along. The oxen having been sacrificed, the generat gave a magnificent Ontertain- metit in the Capitol to his friends and the clites men of thecity; after u hicli herivas conducted home by the people, illi music and a great number of lamps and torches. three

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three legions, with the generat, lieuienan generais, andali the auXiliary forces, being cui oss. Upon receivingad vice of this dis affer, he gave orders for liceping a strictv atch Over the city, to prevent any public disturbance, and continued the go vertament of the provinces in thesa me haniis, the better to keep the allies quiet, by the

means os persons weli acquainted with, and used to them. He made a vow to Celebrate the great games in honor

of Jupiter, Is he would be pleased to recover the state frona iis present siluation. V This eaepedient had formerly been practis ed in the Cimbric and Marsic wars. Forwe are informed that he was under so great consternation, upon this event, that he let the hair of his hea dand beard grow for severat monilis, and so metimes knoch ed his head agains: the dpor, crying oui, Quintilius Varus, give me my legions again.' And ever after, he observed the anniversary of this calami ty as a day of sorrow

XXIV. Hia military assati s hc made many alterations, introducing s me practices eriti rely new, and revivingothers, which had become obsolete. He maintainedamong the troops the strictest discipline : and would notallow even the lieuienant-genera is the liberty to visiit their Wives, but with great reluctance, and in the winter season only. A Roman knight having cui off the thumbs of two young sons of his, to reniter them incapable offeruing in the wars, he exposed both him and his e state to public sale. But upon observing the farmers of the Customs very bust about the purchase, he consigned hi mover to a freedman os lus own, that he might senil hi minio the Country, and suffer him to e oy his freedom. The tentii legion hec oming mutinous, lic brohe it th dis- grace; and did the sanae by me others that in a petu-

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dental fires, or under the apprehension os a public disturb- ance during a scarcity of provisions , he never sufferedmanumised si aves to bear arrias in his troops, eXcept Ont O Occasions ; one for the security of the colonies bor-dering tapon Illyricum, and again to guard the banks of the river Rhine. With these he obliged persons offortune, both male and female, to furnisti him; and though aster some time he granted them their Deedom, yet he kept them in a body by them lues, univixed Withliis other soldiers of helter hirth, and armed likewise in adi Terent marinci . Military presenis, such as trapping8sor borses, chains, or any others of gold or silver, he bcstori ed

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stowed more readily than the Crowns whicli mere usuallyconferred sor any signat acto os bravery in the siege of CampS Or tO ns, which were rectioned more honorablethan the former. These cro ns he gave sparingly, Without partiali ty, and osten even to common soldi et s. He presented M. Agrippa, after the naval engagement in the war of Sicily, M th a green banner. Per- sons who had obtained the honor os a triumph, thoughthey attended hi in in his expeditions, and had a mare in his successes, he judged it improper to distinguisti by thousual military presenis, because thenaseives had a right togrant them to whom they pleas ed. He thought nothinginore derogatory to the character of an accompli med generat than haste and rastinest: on whicli account hel, ad frequently in his mouth, and

I et his

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I 16

his legions in a hostile manner towards the city, and sene,ing deputies to demand it for him in the name of the army. When the Senate demurred ut on the su edt, a Centurion, nam ed Cornelius, me clites deputy, throwing

bore nine years after, his third, upon the intermission ofonly one year, and held the fame ossice every year successively untii the eleventh. From this period, thoughthe Consuls hip was frequently offered him, he always declined it, tili, after a long intervat, not lese than seven ieen years, he voluntari ly sto od for the twelfth, and twoyears aster for a thirteenth ; ilaat he mighi, whilst invested with that ossice, introduce into the Forum, aCCOrding to custom, his tw0 sons, Caius and Lucius. In his sive Consulfhips froin the si vili to the eleverith, he continued in ossice throughout the year ; but in the rest, during Only nine, si X, four, or three monilis, and in his se-Cond no more than a few houi s. For having sat sor astiori time in the moria ing, upon the fit st of January, Onliis ivory chair ', before the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, he quitted the ossice, and substituted another in his room. Nor did he enter upon them ait at Rome, but

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