The lives of the first twelve Cæsars

발행: 1796년

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gine it is lassiciently evident that Caius could not be bornthere, Whither he was carried sto in the city when almost two years old. The sanae considerations must likewise invalidate the authoi ity of the verses, and the rather, be-Cause the author is unknown. The only author ity there- fore, upon which we cari depend in respect of this matter,

is that of the Acts, and the public register ; especialty ashe always preferred Antium to every other place of retir ment, and entertained for it ali that fon iness whicli is Commonly attached to one's native soli. It is sa id too, that, upon his growing weary of the city, he designedio have transferred thither the seat os empire. IX. He acquired the na me of Caligula* froin the mer-riment of the soldiers with him in the camp, because hewas brought up amongst them in the di esse of a common

mended him to their favor and affection, was sussiciently opparent in thas furious muti ny of the army upon thedeath of Augustus, when the fight of him only appeas edinem. For they persis sed in their u proar, untii they Observed that he was sent ossi to a neighbouring City, to secure him against ali danger. Then at last they began tot elent, and s opping the chariot he was in, earnestly begged η This name was derived Dom Caliga, a Lind of stoe, stud ted with natis, and chiefly used by the common soldiers

in the Roman army.

that

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that they might not be exposed to the generat halred and re sentinent which by such a proceeding they must incur. X. He likewise attended his fallier in his expedition into Syria. Aster his return, he lived sit si with his mollier,and, when she was banished, with his great-grandinother Livia Augusta ; in pratse of whom, after her decease, though then only a boy, he pronounced a funerat oration in the Rostra. He then went into the family of his grand-mother Antonia, and afterwards, in the twentieth year of his age, being cassed by Tiberius to Capreae, he in oneand the sanae day assumed the manly habit, and shaved hisbearii, but without receiving any of the honors which hadbeen pa id to his brothers upon the like occasion. Whilelie rema ined in that istand, many insidiotas artifices merepracti sed, to eXtori from him a complaint against Tibe-yius ; but by his circumspection he avsided falling into the mare. He assected to tali e no more notice of the illireaiment of his relations, than is nothing had besallenthem. With regard to his own sufferings, he seemed ut-terly insensibie of them, and bellaved with such obsequi- Ousness to his grandi ather and ali a bout him, that it was justly sa id of him, There never Was a better sinVC, nor

XL But he could not even then conceat his natural distposition to crueity and lewdi esse. He was eXtremely fondos seeing executions, and would sit oli a boui the si recis in the night-time, dis ui sed in a periwig and a long coat; and was passionalely addicted to the theatrical aris of sing-ing and dancing. Ait these levities Tiberius rea lily COn- .nived at, in hopes that they might perhaps correct theroughnesse of his temper, whicli the sagaci ous old manso weli line , that he would osten declara, That Caius

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA.

Iived for the destruction of himself, and mankind; and

that he brought up a water-snahe sor the Roman peOple, and a Phaeton for the worid. V

XII. Not long after, he mari ted Junia Claudilla, thedaughter of M. Silanus, a man os a very great family. Being tnen cho sen Augur in the room of his brother Drusus, be re he could be inaugurated he was adu anced tothe Pontificate, with no smali commendation of his dutifulbellavio ur, and great capaci ty. The siluation of the Court likewise was at this time favorabie to his fortunes :for Sejanus being now suspected, and soon after taken Osca new support was wanted to the adminis ration, and he

berius in the go vernnient. Towards securing more ef

he engaged in a criminal commerce willi Ennia Naevia, the wife of Macro, at that time commander of the guariis, promising to mari y her is e ver he Came to the . empiro; and gave her not only his Dath, but a. written obligationunder his hand, for the accompli stament of that promisse. Uaving by her means insinuated himself into Macro's favor, fome a re os opinion that he attempted to, polson

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XIII. Having thus obtained possesi1on of the imperialpomer, he fulfilled by his elevation the wish of the Roman people, I may venture to say, of mankind. He was long the object os expectation and dessire to the greater part of the provincials and soldiers, who had known himwhen a Child ; and to the whole body of the commonalty at Rome, froin their affection for the memory of Germanicus his fallier, and compassion for the family almos .entiret y destroyed. Upon his moving Dom Misenum there- fore, though he was in mourning, and attended the corpseos Tiberius, yet he made his way amidst a tars, victims and lighted flambeau κ, with prodigious Crowds of peopte evers ere attending him, in transporis of joy, and calling him, besides other auspicio us names, by those of their Stari Chicken, pretiy puppet, and dear child. V XIV. Upon his entering the city, immediately by the consent of the Senate, and the people who brohe into thehouse, Tiberius's will being set aside, who h ad test his Other grandson, then a minor, joint heir with him, thewhole governinent anil administration os a Tairs was putinio his hands ; so much to the joy and satisfaction of the public, that, inles sthan three monilis aster, ab ove a hundredand si xty thousand victims are se id to have been offered in

sacrifice. Upon his passing, a seW days aliter, into iliu

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA.

istanti upon the coas of Campania, vows were made sorhis lase return ; every person emulousty testibing theircare and concern for his lasely. But when he' fell ild, the whole body of the peopte continued ali night about the Palatium : sonae engaged thenaselves by VOw to e X- pose their persons in Combat as gladiators, and others, in like manner, to lay down their lives, for his reco very :whicli they intimated by bills publicly posted up in the

City. To this eXtraordinary love enteria ined by his countrymen for him, Was ad ted an uncommon respectfrom persons os other nations. For Artabanus, Ling of the Parthians, who had always manifested a lia tred and contempt of Tiberius, solici ted his friendi hip, came tohold a conferetice with a Confutar lieuienant of his, and pasting the Euphrates, patit his adoration to the eagies, with the other Roman standards, and the images of Caesar.

popularity. Aster he had delivered, with abundance of tears, a speech in prat se of Tiberius, and interred him With the, utinosi pomp, he immediately hasiened over toPandataria and the Pontian istands, to bring theiace theas hes of his mollier and brother ; and, to testi sy the great regard he had for their memory, he performed the vOyage in a very tempestuous season. He approached theirrema iras mitti a pro und veneration, and put them into the urns with his own haniis. Having brought them in grand solemnity to Ostia, with a streamer u pon the sternos his seip, and therice up the Tiber to Rome, they Werebor ne by persons of the fit st distinction in the Equestrian

piade in honor os dieir memory ; and to that of his mo- ther

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ther Cimensian games besides, and a Chariot in the procession. The monili of September he called Germanicus in honor of his fallier. By a decree of the Senate, helieaped upon his grandinother Antonia ali the honors that ever Livia Augusta had received. His uncte Claudius, who tili then had continued in the Equestrian Order, helook for his colleague in the Consulmip. He adopted his brother Tiberius on the day he took upon hi in the manlyhabit, and conferred upon him the titie of Prince of the Y outh. V With regard to his sis fers, he ordei ed an additionin ali the oaths taken upon his account, in these woriis :Nor do I love myself or my own Children more dearlyssian I do Caius and his sisters: V and commanded ali pro posais of the Consuls to the Senate to be preficed thus :May What we are going to offer prove fortunate and

happy to C. Caesar and his sisters. '' With the like popularii y he res fored such as had been condemned and banish-ed, and granted an a ct of indemnity for ali crimes passe l. To deli ver from ali apprehension such as had been in

formers or witnesses against his mollier and brottiers, hebrought ali the records or memoti s relating to their tria is into the Forum, and then with a lovd voice calling the Gods to witnesse that he had not read or me ldled with them, he burni them. A memo ir which was offered him re lativo to his own securi , he would not receive, deClar ing, that he had done nothing to render hi in odiolis to

any body and at the fame time fa id, he had no ears

for informet S.

XVI. The Spintriae, those praetitioners in a monstro usLind of new-invented lewdness, he was in deed prevalle lupon not to throw in to the sea, as he had intended ; buthe banis hed them the city. The writings of Titus Labienus, Cordus Cremutius, and Cassius Severus, Which

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CAIUS CIESAR CALIGULA. 33 had been suppressed by an adt of the Senate, he permittedio be drawn from obscurity, and universalty read ; observ-ing, that it would be for his own advantage to have the transactions os former times delivered to posteri ty ' Hepublimed accounts of ali that passed in the gwverrament, a

practice which had been introduced by Augustus, but dis- continued by Tiberius. He granted the magistrates a fulland Dee juris liction, without any appeal to himself Helook a very stridi and exadi sui vey of the Equestrian Order,

fatigue, he ad ted a fifth classe to the former ur. He attempted likewise to restore the peopte to their ancient

right of voting in the choice of magistrates. He pa id very honorably, and without any dispute, the legacies test by Tiberius in his wili, though it had been set a fide ; aslikewis e those lost by the will of Livia Augusta, whicli

Tiberius h ad supprested. He remitted the hundredili peri ny, due to the govertament in ali auctions throughout Italu . He made up to many the losse they had iustained by sire; and is he resto red to any princes their hingilonas, helikewise allo ed them ali the arreat S Os taxes, Orother reventae, during the time os privation; as to Antiochus of Comagene, the confiscation of whos Lingdom amounted tue a hundred millions os sesterces. To evince to the worid, that he was ready to encOurage gomi examplus in every kind, he gave to a freed avonianeighty thousand sesterces, sor not discovering a crime committed by her patron, though she had been put toexquisite torture for that pui posse. For ali these adis Oi beneficence, amongst other honors, a goiden valeld

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was decreed to him, whicli the different companks of priesis Were to Carry annually, upon a fiXed day, into the Capitol, with the Senate attending, and the youth of the nobility, of both sexes, celebrating the prat se of his virtve in songs. It was lihewi se ordained, that the day onmhich he began his rei gn mould be called Palilia, in totien

i rom any pride, or a dis regarii to the usage of his coun- try ; but because, at that distance, it Was impossibie sorhim to know that his colleague died a litile before the be- ginning of the .new year. He twice distributed to thepeopte three hundred sesterces a man, and as osten gaVe a very plenti l entertainmeiat to the Senate and the Equestrian Order, wim their wives and child ren. In the lalter, he presented to the men forensio garmenis, and to the wOmen and Children red scar se. To mahe an addition to the

XVIII. He

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA. 33S XVIII. He presented some silows of gladiators, parilyin the theatre, partly in the amphitheatre of Taurus, and partly in the Septa, With which he intermiXed troops of thechoicest boXers stom Campania and Africa. He did notalways preside in person upon those occasions, but some- times gave a Commission to the magistrates or his friendsto supply his place. He frequently entertainta the peoplewith stage-plays of various hinds, and in severat paris of the city, and semetimes by night, mitti lighis set up allover the city. He lihewise made stramhles amongst the people, and distributed to every man a baciet os bi eadmitti other victuals. Upon this, occasion, he sent his owns hare to a Roman knighi, who mas placed opposite tollim, and was eating very hearti ly. To a Senator, forme fame reason, he sent a patent, by Which he appotnted

beasts fro in Africa, or the Trojan game. Some of thesegames Were Celebrated with peculiar circumstances ; thuCircus being ovei spread with vermilion and chrysocolla ;and none rode the Chariois but tho se of the Senatorian Order. Some he presented upon the sudden, when upontiis vlewing fro in the Gelotiana the furniture of the Circus, he was asked to do se by a few persons frona clieneigh bouring Maeniana. XIX. He invented besides a new hind of spectacle, and lach as h ad never been heard of before. For he made abridge, of abo ut three miles and a half in Ieragili, froni Baiae to the Moles of Puteoli, drawing together frona allon a Doting of equali ty. At sirst it was held only one day,

afterwards three days, and noW received Iarther duration by the older of Caligula.

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paris stips of burden, fixing them in two rows by theit anchors, and ovei laying them with earth, in the forna of the Appian way. He passed and repassed this bridge for

Courtiers who were in the greates intimacy with him, Was this: That when Tiberius was in sonae anxietyabo ut the nomination os a succestar, and more inclinedio pitch upon his grandson, Thrasyllus the astrologer hadassured him, That Caius would no more he emperor, than he would ride on horsebach over the bay of Baiae. V

Grecian games at Syracuse, and miseel laneous spopis at Lugdunum in Gaul: besides a contes: for pre-eminenco in the Grecian and Roman eloquerace; in Which we aretoid that suci, as Here hassed bes omed re ards upon theiaest persoriners, and were obiiged to compose speeches in their

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