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TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CAESAR. ψO7appearance, as has been ali eady observed, yet he dui stnot venture himself at an entertaininent without his guai dos lances to attend him, and soldiers to wait upon himat table. He never visited a sicli person, untii the cham
Cases for pens and styles, which used to be taken si omlhem. When Camillus ente red upon his design againsthim, not doubting but he might be terris ed out of his
imperiat digni ty, without a war, he wrote to him a scurrilous, petulant, and threaten ing letter, destring him tores gn the goverrament, and betake himself to a private lisse. Upon receiving this requisition, he lamna oned to-gether the principat men of the city, to consuli mitti them inhether he ought not to Comply. XXXVI. He was much alarmed with the rumor, thoum Without any sussicient foundation, Os conspira-cies sol med against him, that he thought os immediatelyabdicating the go verrament. And when, as I have related, a man with a Mord was discovered ne ar hina, as hewas at sacrifice, he instantly convoked the Senate by the public criers, and with tears and dismal exclamations lamented his condition, that could be secure in no place ;and sor a long time after, abstained frona appearing in public. He withdreis his violent passion sor Messalina, not so much upon account of the bas encss of her bella viour toWariis him, as from an apprehension os danger;
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helieving that she had a design to raise Silius her gallant to the imperiat dignity. Upon this occasion, he ran in agreat fright, and a very shame fui manner, to the Camp, ashing ali the way he went, is his govertament Was
XXXVII. The most trifing suspicion, even Os a person the mos: contempti ble, never falled to throw him intoa panic, and was with him a sussicient reason for pro- Ceeding to punistiment, as necessary to his own securi ty. A man who had a suit to come before hina, at his wattingiapon him, took him asside, and told hi in bu dreanat thathe was murdered; and presently after, When his adversaryCame to present a narrative of his Case to the emperur, asis he had discovered the murderer, he told hi in that was the person; upon which, as is seiZed in the attempt, he was hurried away to eXecution. We are informeli, that Appius Silanus was taken olf in the same manner, by a Contrivance belwixi Medistina and Narcissus. The lat-ter hursi into his lord's chamber bes ore day, apparently in great fright, and told hi in he had dreami that Appius Silanus had murdered hi m. The em presse, upon this, affecting a great surprise, declared she had the like dream for severat nighis successively. Presently after, word beingbrought ira, that Appius was come to Couri, who had received orders the preceding day to be illere at that time, as is the truth of the di eam was lassiciently coη- firmed by his appearance at that juncture, he was immediately ordei ed to be prosecuted and put to death. Theday following Claudius related the whole assair to the Senate, and achnowledged his great obligation to hisi reedman for watching even in his seep sor his Rcuri ty.
XXXVIII. Sensi bie of his being subject topassion and
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ΤIB ERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CAESAR. goyyesentinent, he excused himself on this head by a proesa, iraation, assuring the public, that the former Iliouid hestiori and harnales si and the lalter never mithout good cause. V Aster he had very severely reprimanded the Osti-enssians for not seniling some boats to meet hina tapon his entering the mouth of the Tiber, and as is he intendedio eXpo e them to the res eniment of the public ora that ACCOunt, he wrote to Rome that he had been trealed asa private person ; yet he immedia tely pardoned them, and in a way that had the appea rance of mahing them satis
bani thed one Mao h ad been secretary to a Quaestor, auda Senator V 4o had been Praetor, uni eard and innocent:
the formor only because he had appeared in great heat against him, bet ore he came to be em peror; and the Other, because in his Edileilrip he had sine i sonae tenanis of his, for selling di essed victuals contrary to law; and OI dered a balliu of his that interposed in the affuir to beu hippe l. On this account likewise he took frona therii diles the jurisdiction thev had over victuali ing-houses. He refratne d bot from mention ing his own folly, and declared insonae si ori speeches which he publi:lied, that he had only counterfelted himself a s ol in the re igia os Caius, bccause oth et wise it would have been impossit leto have es caped, and arrive at the station in whicli hethen was. He could not hori e ver gain public credit tothis declaration : for a stiori time affici , a book M as phil,
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s; dered me as her patron ; and this I say, hecaute thereare sonae stili in my family that do not look upon me as
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Vate person, much more os an emperor, Who was notdeficient either in eloquence or learning, as having applied himself very closely to the liberat sciences. XLL By the encoura gement of Titus Livius, and withthe assistance of Sulpicius Flavus, he attempted at an early age the composition of a history ; and having called to-gether a numerous auditory, to hear and give their judgement υpon it, he read it over With much dissiculty, andaster severat interruptions from himself For when heliad begula, a great laugh being raised amongs: the com pany, upon the breaking of severat besaches by the weight
he could not forbear si om buriling out into a violent fit os laughter, at the remembrance of the accident. Duringliis rei gn likewise he wrote a great deal, v lich he Constantly had reliearsed to his frientis by a reader. He beganliis history after the death of Caesar the Dictator: hut asia terwards he came lower down, and Commenoed at theconclusion of the civit Wars ; because he found he could not speah with freedom, and a diae regarit to truth, Con- cerning the lalter period, having been osten reproved fortiis freedom, both by his mollier and grandinother. Uponthe former subjech, he lest two books, but of the lalterone and forty. He compiled likewis e the history of his ora n life, in tight books, fuit of impertinence, but in
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no bad style : a s also A Defence os Cicero against tiae Bootis of Asinius Gallus, '' whicli discovered a considerable degree of learning. He bessides invented three ne letters, and added them to the former alphabet, as hight y ne
was as yet but a private person. Aster his adu ancementio the empire, he introduced them into common use ; Znd
that hind of writing is stili eYtant in many books, regii ters, and inscriptions upon bulldings. XLII. He applied himself with no lese attention to thes udy of Grecian literature, declaring upon ali occasions his love of that language, and the eYcellency of it. Astranger once holding a disco ut se both in Greela and Latin, he replied to him in those mortis: Since youare si illed in both our longues. '' Aud recommend-ing Achaia to the favor of the Senate, he Hid, I havea particular atlychment to that province, upon account Ofour Common studies. '' He osten harangued in that langia age, be re the Senate, by way of ans er to ambaLs adors. Upon the berach he frequently made use of the verses of Homer. When at any time he had revenged himself upon an enem y or a conspirator, he scarcely evergave to the Tribune upon the guard, who had come tollim according to custom for the word, any other tharithis : ' i
To conclude, he wrote so me histories lihe wise in Greela, as twenty books of the Tuscan affairs, eight of the Carthagini an ; upon account of which another mustum v as
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TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CAESAR. 4s gadded to the old one at Alexandria, called by his name. At the same time, an order was issued, fiat, Upon certain Jays every year, his Tuscan history thould be read overin one of these, and his Carthaginian in the other, as in an auditory, each of them by their severat readers in
XLIII. Towards the close of his lis , he gave so me manifes indications os repenting of his mari iuge with Rgrippina, and his adoption os Nero. For sonae of his freedmen taking notice of his having condemned the da ybe re a woman accused os adultery, and applauding him for it, he observed to them, It has been my misfortuneto light upon wives that have ali been uni illis ut to mybed: but they mali not ali go unpunistaed. '' Now and then when Britannicus came in his wau, he would em brace him tenderi y, and expressi a destre that he might grOW apace, and receive sto in him an account of ali his actions using a Greela expression, the sense of whichis, He that has wounded will heal thee. V And intend-ing to give him the manly habit, whilst he was yet underage, and a tender youth, b cause his stature would alio Nos it, he added, I do so, that the Roman peopte may have a genuine Caesar. XLIV. Not long aster he made his will, and had itsigned by ali the magistrates as mitia esses. But he wasprevented from go ing farther by Agrippina, whom, be-ssides alarms, her o wn guit ty Coiis cience, and severat in- sol mers, accused os a variety of crimes. It is agreed that he was taken off by poison ; but where, and by whom administered, re maius an uncertain ty. Some authors saythat it was gi ven hi in as he was fecisting with the pries sin the Capitol, by the eunuch Halotus bis taster. Others
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freminent after his dis charge, or in a clyster, as is designedio relieve his boweis, is likewise uncertain. XLV. His death was concealed untii every thing Was setiled relative to his successor. ACCordingly vows mere
madet for his recovery, and comedians were brought to Court to divert him, as was pretended, at his own destre.
He di ed upon the third of the Ides of October, in the Consulsilip of As1nius Marcellus, and Acilius Aviola, in
the siXty- urth year of his age, and Durteenth of his reign. His funerat was celebrated with ait the magnificence usual upon such an occasion, and he himself rankedamongst the Gods. This honor was talicia from hi in by Nero, but restored by Vespasian. XLVI. The clites preseges of his death were the appearance of a comet, the destruction of his fallier Drusus's monument by lightiaing, and the dea th of most of the magistrates of ali denominations that year. It appears si Omseverat circum stances, that he was sensibi e of his approaching dissolution, and made no secret os it. Forwhen he nomina ted the Consuis, he appotnted none to fili that ossice beyond the monili in which he die J. At the Iast a Tembly of the Senate in which he made his appea
ance, he earnes ly exhorted his two sons to a good agreement belwiXt thenaseives, and with importunate enti eaties
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TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS CAESAR. 4 IS/recommended the protectiora of their youm to the liouse. And the last time he sat in judgement, he repeatedly declared in open Couri, That he was now arrived at thelast stage of mortality,V whilst ali who heard it expressediheir abhorreiace of the omen.
THE violent death of Caligula a Torded the Romans as resti opportunity to have asserted the liberty of theircountry; but the conspirators had concerteit no plan, bywhicli they should proceed upon me assas sination of that
tyrant; and the indecision of the Senate, in a debate of two days, on so sudden an emergenCy, gave time sor thecaprice of the soldiers to interpose in the setilement of thegoverninent. By an aCcident the most fortuitous, a mandevo id os ali pretensions to personat. merit, se weali inundet standing, as to be the Common spori of the emperor's hous hold, and an object os contempt even to hisown Lindred; this man, in the hour os military insolence, was nominated by the soldiers as successor to the Romanthrone. Not yet in possession of the public trea svry, whicli perhaps was exhausted, he could not immedia telyreward the services of his electors with a pecuniary gratification ; but he promised them a largesi os si fleen thou sand sesterces a man, upwariis of a hundred and fortypounds sterting ; and as we meet with no account of any subsequent discontenis in the army, we may justly conclude that the promise was s on aster sulfilled. Thistransaction laid the solandation of that military despotis ira, Whicli, through many succee ling ages, convulsed the Ro
Bessides the interposition of the soldiers iapon this occa
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11on, it appears that the populace at Rome were extreme
ly clamorous for the governinent of a single person, and for that os Claudius in particular. This partiali ty for a
monarchical go verninent proceeded frona ivx o CausCS. The commonalty, fro in their obscure 11 tuation, were al-ways the leas eXposed to oppression, under a tyrannicalprince. They had likewise e ver been rema rhahly fond of flage-plays and public shows, with which, as weli as withscrambies, and donations of hread and other victustis, thepreceding emperor had frequently gratified them. Theyhad there fore lese to fear, and more to liope, Dom thegoverninent of a single person than any other clasi os Roman citiλens. With regard to their partiali ty for Claudius, it may be accounted for partly from the lowbabiis of life to which he had been addicted, in consequence of whicli many of them mere familiarly acqua int-ed with him : and this circumstance likowise encreased their liope os deriving me advantage si ona his accestas1on. Exclusive os ali these considerations, it is hiolyprobable that the populace was instigated in favor of
Claudius by the artifices of his freedmen, persons of meais 'ex traction, by whom he was aliter artis entii ely goveria ed, and who, upon such an occasion, Would exert theirutinosi efforis to procure his appotniment to' the throne. From the debate in the Senate having continii ed during two da ys, it is evident that there was stili a strong partysor restoring the ancient form of goverament. ThaT thzVmere in the end overawed by the clamor of the multitude, is not sui prising, when we consider that the Senate was
totally unprovided with re urces of every hin i, for asia serting the independetace of the nation by arnas, and that the Common alty, who interrupted their deliberations, were the only peopte by whose assistance they ever could effect the res bitution os public freedom. To this may be