The lives of the first twelve Cæsars

발행: 1796년

분량: 639페이지

출처: archive.org

분류: 미분류

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an active generat, and severe disciplinari an, hecam tered thelie utenant-gene Ials that came up late with the auxiliaryforces frona different paris. In reviewing the army, helook their companies frona most of the Centurions of the fit si rank, who h ad now served their legat time in thev ars, and frona sonae but a sew days bes re their tamewould have expired ; alle iging against them their great age aud infirmi ty ; and railing at the covetous dispossition

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of the rest of them, he reduced the premi unas due to lachas had serve l out their time to the sum os fix thousandsesterces. Though he only received the submission os Adminius, the sola of Cinbbelinus a Britis si prince, whoheing forced frona his 'native Country by his fallier. came over to him Nith a s mali body of troops ; yet as is thewhole ictand had bden surrendered to him, he dispalched

magnificent letters to Rome hipon the OCCasion, ordering the bearers to proceed in their chais e dire, ly up to the Forum and the Senate-house, and not to deliver the letters but to the Consuls in the temple of Mars, and in thepresence of a fuit assembly of the Senators. XLV. Soon after this, there being a generat tranquillity, he orderest a sew Germans of his guard to bc Carried Over and concealed on the other side of the Rhine, and word to be brought hi in aster dinner, in a great hvrry, that an enem y was advancing. This heing accordinglydone, he immediately posted away with his frientis, anda party of the horse-guards, in to the aloining Nood, Where topping the branches of so me trees, and dresi1ngthem up in the manner of troplites, he returned by torch-

crowns, and Under a nem name, With the representation

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA.

me came to acquaint hi in that the army was ali comein, he ordei ed them to ssit down as the3 were in their Coats of mali, animating them in the mords of that wellknown verse of Virgil:

Durate, et vosmet rebus servate secundis. Bravely bear up again st the storm os fate, And fave your persons for a happier state.

In the mean time, he reprimanded the Senate and peo-ple of Rome by a very severe proClamation, For revel-ling and frequenting the diversions of the Circus and theatre, and ei oying thenaseives in their Country-hous es, whiis: their emperor was figlitin g, and eXposing his person to the greate id dangers. V

XLVI. At last, as is resolved to malle an cnd of the war at Orice, drawing up his arm y upon the stiore of the ocean, with his bali ii and other elagines of war, whil sino body could imagine what he intended to do, on a sud-den he commanded them to gather up the sea stielis, and sill their helmeis, and the laps of their coats with them, calling them the spolis of the Ocean due to the Capitoland the Ρalatium. V As a monument of his successi, heraised a high tower, upon which he ordei ed lighis to beput in the night-time, for the direction of ships at sea ;and then promising the soldiers a donative of a hundreddenarii a man, as is he had surpassed the most eminent eX- amples of generosity, Go your Ways,V Did he, and be merry : go and be rich. VXLVII. Upon his applving himself to make preparations for his triumph, hesides prisoners and thos e who had deserted frona the barbarians, he piched out the men os

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greates stature in ali Gaul, lach as hc. id were fittes for a triumph, witia sonae of the most considera hie per lasm the province, and reserved them to grace the solemni-ty; obligin them nol only to die their hair of a yellowisti colour, and let it grow long, but to learn the German lan 'lage, and AB, irae the names common tu used in that country. He ordei ed like wis e the galley in whichhe had ente red the ocean, to be cavi ted a great part of the way to Rome by land , and wro te to the collectors of his revenue in the City, to mahe proper preparations fora triumph against his arrivat, at as smali expence as possi-ble ; but such a one, however, as h ad never been seen be- fore, since they had fuit power and aut tori ty to selete thous lates of ali men Chatever.'

XLVI1Ι. Besore he lest the province, he formed a de .sign of the most horrid crueity, to massacre the legions which had mutini ed upon the death of Augustus, for sein, ing and detaining by force his fallier Germanicus their Commander, and himself then an infant, in the camp. Though he was with great difficulty dissuaded stom so

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA. 36ι he had jus h be fore so ibi ideii, upon pain os deam, any honor to be decreed hi m. XLIX. In his march he was waited upon by deputies froin the Senatorian Order, enti eating him to has en his return. He replied to them, Ι wili come, I vili come, and this with me V stri hing at the fame time the hilt os the Mord which he had on. He issu ed like isse this pro- Clamation I am Coming, but for those only who wishfor me, the Equest ian Order and the people ; for I si ali

and either di opping or deseri ing his triumph, he enterddme city in ovation on his birth-day. With in mur monilis from this period he was ctain, after he had perpetrated

possibie, of stili greater. Ple had enteria ined a design ofremoving to Antium, and asterwariis to Alexandria ; butfirst resolved to mur ter ali the flower of the Equestrianand Senatorian Orders. This is placed beyonil ali questiosi, by two books which were founil in his cabinet under dif- serent iides ; one heing called ord, and the other, diagger. They both contained private mari S, and the nam es of such as had been devoted by him to suture destruction. There was found likewise a large chest, silled th a va-xiety of poisons, Malch being alterwarils thrown in to thesea by the order of Claudius, are sal l to have so insected

the waters, that the fissa urere polsoned, and thrown out

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and frightful, he pui posely rendered more se, forming it

by a glasse into me most horribie contortions. He was

ture directly repugnant One to the other, nam Cly, an CXCess of assurance. and timidi ty. For he, who affect ed so

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA.

crowded mulli soldiers, servants and Carri ages, he was insuch a consternation as to be Unable to proCeed, and was transported, on foot, by dais attendanis, over the heads of the croWd. Soon after, 'upon hearing of the wars breahing out again in Germany, he was making ready to quit Rome, and providing feeis for the purpo se, com sortinghimself with this consideration, that is the enem y should prove victorious, and pos esse thenaseives of the tops of the Alps, as the Cimbri had done, or of the city, as had the Senones, he should stili have in reserve the ii ansmarine provinces . FOr this reason, I suppose, it was, thatthose who killed hi in thought proper to persuade thesoldiers, ali in commotion upon his death, that he had laid violent han is upon himself, in a sit os terror occasioned by the news brought hi in of the des eat of his army. LIL In his cloaths, moes, and other paris of his di est,

he net ther solio ed the usage of his country, his sex, morindeed any fasti ion sultable to a human creature. He would osten appear altro ad di essed in an embroidered coat set with jeweis, in a tunic With seeves, and with bra celeis iapon his arnis ; metimes ali in silks and habited like a woman ;at ollier times in the crepidi or bus hins ; somelimes in asori of shoes used by the meaner soldiers, or those of wo

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ly. Sometimes too he appeared in the d: eis of Venus. Ηe wOre very commonly the triumphat di est, even be re his expedition, and semetimes me breast-plate of AleXander the Great, taken Out of the vavit where his body lar. LIII. In respect of the liberat scientes, he was litile conversant in philology, but applied himself with asnduityto the scudy of eloquerice, being indeed in poliat os enunciation lassiciently elegant and ready ; and these qualities

appeared molt Conspicuous when he happened to be in apassion. In speaking, his action Was vehement, and his voice so strong, that he was heard at a great distance. When he was abolit to harangue, he threate ne I thesuvord of his lucubration. V He so much despi sed a sost sinooth style, that he s id Seneca, who was then mia ChEdmired, wro te only bob isti declamations,'' and that his language was nothing et se hut sand without lime.

When pleaders were succcssi utan a Cause, he osten wroteans ers to their speeches ; and would evercise himself incomposing acCusations Or vindications os eminent persons that were impeached be fore the Senate ; and adcording to his successe he would eXasperate or aTu age the siluationos the party by his vote in the holi se ; in viting the Eques trian Order, by proclamation, to hear him. LIV. He likewise applied himself with lacrIty to the

praefice of severat other aris, as sencing, riding the Chariri Ot, singing, and dancing. In the frst of these, lici radii sed with the wea pons used in fighting ; and drovethe chariot in Circus's hulli in severat places. He was soeκtrem ely sond of singing and dancing, that he could notrefrain in the t eatre from singing mith the tragedians,

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CAIUS CAESAR CALIGULA. 36ς

and liri itating the gestures of the ad ors, eitlier in the wayos approbation or correction. A pervig/lium whicli heli ad ordei ed the. lay Dpon which he was flain, was thoughtto be intended for no other reason, than to tal e the Opportunity afforded by the licentio iis nesse of such a s eas oti,to mahe his fit si appearance upon the stage. Sometimes hedanced likewise in the night. Seniling once, in the secondwatch of the night, for three men os Consular rariti, Whowere Under great apprehensions froin the message, heplaced them by the stage, and then ali on a staden Camebui sting oui, with a lovd noisse of flutes and Scabella, dressed in a palla and tunic reaching down to his heeis. Havina danced out a sonet, he retii ed. V et he who liud acquired such deXteri ty in other eXercises, could never

LV. Thola for whom he once conceived a regard, he favored even to madness. He used to hisse Mnester tiae pantomimic publicly in the theatre ; and is a ny person madethe least nolse while he was dancing, he would order him to be di agged o ut of his se at, and sco urged hina mitti hisown harid. A Roman knielit Once mali ing some busile. he sent him, by a Centurion, an order to go forthwit down to Ostia, and cairy a letter froni him to Ling Ρtolemy in Mauritania. The letter Was compri sed in thesewords : Do nei ther good nor harm to the bearer . Hema de s me gladiators Capta in s of his German guariis. Helook fro in the gladiators called Mirmillones sonae of theiarnas. One Columbus coming oE with victory in a com-bat, but being sightly wounded, he ordered fome polis onto be insuted in to the wound , which he then Ce called Columbinum. For thus it certainly was put down with hisown hand amongs other pol sons. He was ta eLtra vagantly fond of the party of chariotecis that rode in green, th)the

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ble where their horses were hept. At a Certain revel, he made a present of two millions os sesterces to one

Cythicus a driver of a chariot. The day be re the Circensi an games, he used by his soldiers to et oin silence in the neighbourhood, that the repose of his horse Incitatus might not be disturbed. For this favorite animal, besides a marbie stabie, an ivory manger, scarlet bodycloaths, and a bracelet of je eis, he appo inted a liouse, with a retinue os flaves, and fine furniture, sor the reception os such as were invited in the horse's naine to supusilli him. It is even Did that he designed to have madeles in Consul LVI. During this fiantic and lavage bellaviOUr, many had formed a design os culting him off; but One Or two Conspiracies being dis overed, and others postponed from

my of death and he was continuatly ever after aCCusing them to one another, and setting them ali mutuatly at variance. The conspirators having resolved to fati uporihim a s he rei uine i at noon frona the Palatine games, Cassius Chaerea, Tribune os a battalion of the guards,clai med the pari of heginning the onset. This Chaerea Wab noW an elderly man, and had been osten reproached

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