The lives of the first twelve Cæsars

발행: 1796년

분량: 639페이지

출처: archive.org

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CAESAR AUGUSTUS.

Pater argentarius, ego Corinthiarius. Silver my fallier serv'd ; no other massDelictis my fancy, but Corinthi an brast.

because it was belleved, that he had put sonae iapon thelist of the proscribed, only to obtain the Corinthianvesseis in their possess1on. And after ards in the war of Sicily, the folio ing epigram was publissa ed :

Postquam bis classe victus naves perdidit, Aliquando ut vincat, ludit assidue aleam.

LXXL With respect to the charge of prostitution bovementioned, he very easily refuted it by the chastitvos his lisse, at the very time when the imputation was made, as weli as ever after. His conduct likewise gavethe lie to that os a luxurious extravagance in his furniture, When, Upon the taking of AleYandria, he reserved for himself nothing of ali the furniture of the palace, buta Cup of porcela in ; and soon aster meited domui ait thegoiden vesseis, even stich as were intended for commonus e. But he never could discountenance the imputation

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frankly and openly for his diversion, even when he was advanced in years ; and not only in the monili os December, but at ollier times, and upon ali days, whethersestivals or not. This evidently appears from a letter

The Romans, at their Dasis, during the intervals of drinhing, osten played at dice, of whicli there were two Linds, the tesseri and Iati. The former had fix sides, lihethe modern dice; the lalter, Dur oblong sides, for the two endS Were not regarde l. In playing, they used three tesserinand four rati, whicli ruere ait piat into a box wider beloru

gam ing board or table. divert

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CAESAR AUGUSTUS. IS9c veri themselves with the tali, or at the game of even orodd.

LXXII. In other paris of his lise, it is certain that heconducted himself with great discretion, and was Deus rom ali suspicion of any vice. Ηe lived at sirsi near the

Roman Porum, above me Ringmaher's Stairs, in a hou which had Once been occupied by Calvus the orator. He asterwards moved to the Palatium, where he res1dedin a smali house belonging to Hortensius, no way remarkable either in respect os accommodation or ornament; the

piaretas being but smali, the pillars of Alban stone, and therooms without any thing of marble, or sine paving. Ηe continued to use the fame bed-chamber, both winter and summer, during forty years: for though he was sensibiethat the city did not agree welt with his health, he never-thelesi resided constantly in it through the winter. Is atany time he wistaed to be perfectly retired, and secure Dominterruption, he sit ut himself up in an apariment in thetop of his house, which he called Syracuse, or Γεπνοφυον or he went to me seat belonging to his Deedmen nearthe City. But when he was indisposed, he commonlytook up his residence in Mecaenas's house. Os ali thel laces of retirement froin the city, he chiefly frequenteditiose upora the sea-coasi, and the istands of Campania,Or the tOwns near the city, as Lanuvium, Praeneste, and Tibur, where he osten used to sit for the administrationos justice, in the porticos of Hercules 's temple. He had a particular aversion to large and sumptuous palaces ; and some that had been raised at a vast eXpence by his grand- This V ord may be interpreted the Cisset ff. It was

common, in the hous es of the great, amongst the Romans, toliave an apariment called the Sthidy : but perhapa Augustus thoiight fucii a nam e too format for the place of his retirement.

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his own, whicli mere far froni heing spaci ous, he adorn-ed not so much mith statues and pictures, as withwallis and groves, and things whicli m ere Curious et theri or their antiquity or rarity ; such as at Capreae, the liuge limbs of sea-monsters and wild beasts, whicli sonte assectio cali the bones of gianis, and the arnis of old heroes.

LXXIIL His frugality in the furniture of liis housc

finer and larger than that os others; and a neW roga inas called Peaea. Non e but Roman citigens were permitted towear the toga I and banis1ed persons were prohibited the use of it. The color of the loea was white. Ma ristrates and

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LXXIV. At his table, which was always plentissiland elegant, he constantly entertained company; but waqvery scrupulo us in the choice of them. Valerius Mensata insorins us, that he never admitted any freedman tollis table, eXcept Menas, after he had belrayed to him Pompey s fleet, but not untit he had promoted him to thestate of the free-born. He writes himself that he invitedio his table a person in whose country-house he lodgeri that had formet ly been a s py to him. He osten would come late to table, and withdra on, so that the companybegan supper besere his coming in, and continued at tableaster his departure. His entertainments consisted of threedimes, or at mos only s1κ. But is the expence vras moderate, the complaisance With which he treated his com- pany was extraordinary. For sucti as were silent, or talked Io , he excited to bear a part in the common Conversation ; and ordered in music and stage-players and dan-cers stom the Circus, and very osten itinerant declaimers,

celebrated in a very expens1ve manner, but semetimesonly in a jocular manner, In the Saturnalia, Or at any other time wheni the fancy took him, he would distribute to his company esoassis, gold, and silveret some- times Coins os ali foris, even of the ancient hings of Romeand of other nations: semetimes nothing but hair-Cloth, sponges, peeis and pincers, and other things of that hind, with obscure and ambiguous inscriptions iapon them. Ed

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LXXVI. He was a man of a litile stomach ssor I must

cumber,

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ed late, uniit he had put down in his Diary ali or most of the remaining transactions of the day, which he hadnot be re registered. He would then go to bed, but ne, . ver sept above seven hours at most, and that not v thout interruption : for he would wahe three or four times in

ly awake in the dark, without somebody to sit by him. xy early rising was apt to dis agree with him. Onwhicli account, is religious or social duty obliged him toget up early, that he might guard as much as possibie against the inconvenience resulting from it, he used tolodge in seme apartinent belonging to any of his domestics,

that was nearest the place at which he was to give his attendance. Is at any time a fit os drowsinest seized hirnin passing along the strecis, he would order the chair tobe set down, untit he had taken a litile seep. LXXIX. In person he was hane me and grac ut, mrough ali the stages of his lis e. But he was caretes s of dresi; and se litile attentive to the adjustment of his hair, that he usualty had it done in great haste, by severat bar-

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twixi brown and fair; his stature but low ; though Julius Marathus his Deedman says, he was sive fom and nine inches in height. This however was much concealed by the just proportion of his limbs, that it was only pe Coivable upon comparison with sonae taller Person stand-

LXXX. He is seid to have been born with many spoisopon his breast and belly, ans ering to the figure, order, and number of stars in ille celestial Bear. He had besides severat callosities resembling tetters, occasioned by an itching in his liody, and the constant and violent use of the strigil in being rubbed. He had a weah nesse in his test hip, thigh, and leg, ins much that he osten halted on that fide. But he received much benefit horn the use of sand and reeds. He likewise found the sere-finger of his right hand so weali

i a complaint

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CAESAR AUGUSTUS. I 6sa complaint in me bl adder; but upon voiding somestones by urine, he was relieved istoria that patia.

LXXXI. In ali the stages of his lise, he eXperiencedsime dangerous fits of sichness,especialty after me conquestos Cantabria, when his liver being injured by a defluxionos rheum upon it, he was reduced to such a condition, that he was obliged to undergo a desperate and doubifulmethodos cure: for warm applications having no essedi,

Antonius Musa directed the use of those which were coid. He was lihewise subject to sits of sic knesis at stated times every year; sor about his birth-day he was commonly alitile indisposed. In the beginning Os spring, he waS attached with an inflation of the midriis; and when the windwa solitherly, with a colit in his head. By ali these complainis, his constitution was se s haltered, that he could not easily bear either heat or cold. LXXXII. In winter, he was fortified against the inclemency of the weather by a thicli toga, four tunics, a stiri, a fannet stomacher, and wrappers upon his legs and thiglis. In summer, he lay with the doors of his bed- chamber open, and frequently in a piaZZa, with water fio ing along the place, and a person standing by to fan him.

M a teri

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the heat of the sun. When, upon account of his nerves, he was obliged to have recourse to sea-water, or thewaters of Albula, he always placed himself upon a woodenseat, which he called by a Spanim nam e Durata, and tosia ed about his hands and seet in the water by turns. LXXXIII. Immediately aster the conclusion of the civit wars, he laid aside the usual exercises of arms, and

LXXXIV. From early youth he devoted himself with

great diligence and application to the study of eloquence, and the other liberat aris. In the war of Μodena, not-withstanding the weighty assairs in which he was engaged, he is laid to have read, written, and declaimed every day. He never addressed the Senate, people, or soldiery, but ina premeditated speech, though he was not destitute of the talent of speaking extempore. And test his memoryshould fail him, as weli as to prevent the losi os time ingetling his speeches by heari, he resolved to read them ait. In his intercourse with individuals, and even with his wise Livia, tapon a subject os importance, he had ali he would

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