장음표시 사용
451쪽
XX. Amongst the other liberat aris which he wastaught in his youth, he was instructed in music; and immediately upon his advancement to the empire, he sentsor the harper Terpnus, who flourished at that time in me highest reputation ; and for severat days together sat by him as he played after supper, untii late at night. Atlast, he began by degrees to practis e ui ora the instrumenthimself Nor did he omit any of those expedients whichthe artisis in music mahe use os, sor the preservation and improvement of their voices. He would lye upon hisbach with a meet os lead upon his breast, clear his stomach and bowels by vomits and clysters, and forbear thecating os fruits, or victuals preiudiciat to the voice. En- coui aged by his proficiency, though his voice waS naturalty neither loud nor clear, he was de Trous os appearingupon the stage, frequently repeating amongst his frientis a Greeli proverb to this effect that no regard was had lar music unlieard. V Accordingly he made his frit pub-
452쪽
ὶic appe arance at Napies ; and notwithstanding the theatro was sh aken by a sudden siloch of an earth quake, he didnot desist, uniit he had fini med the piece of mussio bes ore hi m. He played and lang in the fame place severat times, and for severat days together ; taking only now and thena litile respite for the recrui ting of his voice. At last, be-ing Weary of private praetice, he passed stom the hath
into the theatre ; and after a res rectament in the Orchestra,
some Aleκandrians helonging to the fleet then arrived, hesent for more of the like songsters hom AleRandria. At the fame time, he chose young men of the Equestri an Order, and ab ove five thous and robus young sellows out of the common alty, on puri osse to learn various kinds of applause, called hombi, imbrices, and testis, whicli theywere to practi se in his favor, whenever he performe lupon the harp. They were divided into severat partiessor the pus posse; ali of them remari able for delicate
wise at Rome, he ordei ed the games called Nei onia tobe celebrated be re the time fixed for their retiarn. Allnow bcca me importunate to hear his heavenly voice, and
453쪽
NERO CLAUDIUS CAESAR. 63 9 musicians, that put in. and casting in his tot among ther est, came up in his turn, attended by the commanders of the Ρraetorian battalions bearing his harp, who were fol-lowed by the Tribunes of the soldiers, and severat of his intimate frientis. Aster he had taken his station, and madethe usual flourish, he commanded Cluvius Rufus to proclaim to the theatre, that he intended to sing the story of Niobe. This he accordii gly did, and continued it tintillen o 'cloch, but deseri ed the disposal of the Crown, and the rem aining part of the solemnity, untii the neXt year; that he might have more officia the Opportunity Os per- forming in the same way. But that be ing too long a timeto restrain his inclinations , he could not refra in stom frequently exhibiting his art during the intervat. He madeno strupte to appear Upon the stage amongst other performers, even in the games presented to the peopte by the magistrates, and was ostered by one of the Praetors, Upon that account, no tesse than a million os sesterces. He like-wise sung tragedies masked ; the vigors of the heroes and Gods, as also of the heroines and Goddesses, being form-ed into a resemblance of his own face, and that of any woman he was in love with. Amongst the rest he sun Canace in Labour, Orestes the Murderer of his Mother, indipus Blinded, and ΙHercule, Mad. In the las tragedy, it is suid that a yoting centiriel, posted at the en-trance of the theatre, seeing him attire i and bound withchains, as the fabie of the play required, ran up to his
XXII. He had stom his infancy an extravagant sond-nest for horses ; and was constantly talking of the Circensian races, though he had been fori id to do so. La- nenting once, amungit his scho olfellows, the case of a
454쪽
Upon a table. When there was a ny exhibition in the Circus, he would come at first privately, but at last open-ly ; so that no body ever doubted of his attendance ut onmose occasions. Nor did he conceat his destre to liave the number of the prires doubled. The number of races being encreased accordiragly, the diversion continued untii a late hour the masters of the severat parties refusing now to furnisti Chariois for any time less than the wholeday. Upon this, he took a fancy sor driving the chariothimself, and that even publicly. Having made his fit stessays in the gardens, anaidst crowds of flaves and other rabbie, he at tengili performed in the view of ali the peo-ple, in thie Circus Maximus, whil si one of his foed mengave the usual signat, by the tosting up of a naphin in the Place Where the magistrates a re used to do it. Not satis- fed with giving various specimiens of his dexterity in
those aris at Rome, he went over to Achaia, as has beenali eady satil, upon th following occasion. The severat Cities, in whicli solemn blic trials of skill in music used to be performed, had resolved to send hi in the crowns
mitted them to his table. Being by sonae of them re- quested to sing at supper, and prodigiousty applaude l
455쪽
after his arrivat at Cassiope, he exhibited 'his si s f inusi calperformarice be re the altar of Jupiter Cassius. XXIIL He asterwards appeared at me celebration os ali public games in Greece : for such as seli in different years, he brought within tho. Compase of One, and sonaehe ordered to be celebrated a seconil time in the same year. At Olympia, lihewise, Contrary to Custo im , he appotnted a public performance in music: and that hemight meet with no interruption in this employment, whenhe was informed by his freedman PIelius, that the aifairs of the city required his presence, he wrote to him in these wor is : Tliough yoti advise and wisit for my
srom his adversaries, and with how much awe of the judges appotnted in those solemnities, is scarcely to bebelleve l. . As is his adversaries had been upon a levet with him, he would watch them narrowly, ly at Calch, defame them privately, and so me times, Upon meetingiliem, rati at them in very scurrilous langu age; or bribe them too, is they were better arti sis than himself. Healways addi essed the judges with the mos profoUnd re-Vereiace, besore he began, telling them, he had done all
456쪽
things that were necessary, by way of preparation, butthat the is sue of the approaching triat was in the hand of
fortune ; and that they, as wi se and Milful men, ought not to have any regard to things mei ely accidentat.' Upon their encoui aging him to have a good heari, hewent oss with more assurance, but not enti rely free fromanxiety, interpreting the s letiace and modesty of sonae of them into Qui ness and ill nature, and saying that he was suspici bus of them.
XXIV. In those contests, he adhered so strictly to therules, that he never dursi spit, nor Uripe the sweat fronaliis foret ead any other way than with his arm. Having, in a tragi C performa iace, dropi his stam but qui chly re- covered it, he was notis illisianding in a great fright, testhe should be set asside for the miscarri age, and could notreco ver his assurance, untii an actor who sto od hy swore, he was certain it had not been in the least regat ded, amidst the acclamations and eXultations of the people. When thepriZe was adjudged to him, he always proclai med ithimself, and put in amongst the public criers in their contestssor superiority. That no memory or the least monument might rem ain os any of the victors in the sacred Greciangames, he ordei ed ali their statues and images to bepulled down, dragged a way witia hooks, and thrown into
the Common sewers. He rode the chariot with vario usseis of hoi ses, and at the Olympic games with no fewcrthan tera; though, in a poem of his, he had reflecte lupon Mithridates for that innovation. Being to Sed out of the chariot, he was again repla Ced, yet Could not reta in his scat, and was obliged to desist, be re he cameto the end of the race, but was crowned notwithstanding. At his qui iting the province, hedeclared it a Dee country,
457쪽
the naiddie of the Stadium, during the solemnitr os tiae
Isthmian gameSν XXV. In his return Dom Grecce, arri ving at Naples, be cause he had commenced the public practice of his artiti that city, he made hia entrauce in a Chariot drawn by whi te hors es, through a breach in me town-wall, ACCord ing to the practice of those ullo ruere vi Esorious in thes acred Grecian games. In the sanae manner he entered Antium, Albanum, and Rome . Into the last of th se places, he made his entry molanted upon the same Chariotin whicli Augustus h ad triumphed, in a scarlet toga, and with a cloali embroidere 1 with goiden stars, having on his head ine Crown won at Olympia, and in his righthand that Malch was gi ven at the Pythi an games: therest being carried in a pompo his manner be fore him, With inscriptions denoting the places where they had heen won,
frona whom, and in what musical performances ; whiis a train followed hina with loud acclamations, CrVin T OUt, that they were the em peror's attendanis, and the sol dici s f his triumph. Having then caused an arch of thegre at Circus to he taken down, he passed through thehreach, as also through the Velabrum and the Forum, tome palace and the temple of Aposso. Everv where as hemarched a long, victims were flain, whil t the streeis meres irewed with sastron, and birds, rit an is and sweet mea isthrown Upon them. Ne hung the sacred crowns in his chamber aliout his beds. He caused statues to be ei est edior him in the attire of a harper, and had the like stam pedupon his Coin. Aster this period, he was so far si omphating any thing of his application to inusic, that. for the reservation of his voice, he never addressed lumself tothe
458쪽
rude. Aster this accident, he ne ver more VentUred abro ad at that time of nighi, without sonae Tribunus fol-lowing him at a litile distance. In the da y-time he wouldbe carried in a chair incognito into the theatre; plaCing himself upon the ut per part of tiae Pro senium, wllere he not only beheld the quarreis arising Upon the account of the pantomimics, but likeo se enco ut aged iliem. Whenthey Carne to blows, and stones and pieces of broken
459쪽
XXVII. His vices by degrees gaining strengili, he laidasside his jocular diverti munis, and ali dis uise ; breuhingout into enorm ous Crimes, without the least ei eavor toco iaceat them. He would Continue his reueis from naid-
ballis, anil, in the summer-time, in lach as were Cooled with snow. He osten supped in public, as in the Naumachia, with the si uices mut, or in the Field of Mars, orthe great Circus, being waited upon at table by Common prostitutes of the town, and those frona Syria. As ostenas he went down the Tiber to Ostia, or coasted by thebay of Baiae, bootiis furnissa ed with ali conveniencies fordebauchery were erected along the smores and banks ; be- fore vultich shood matrons, who, like kinil land-ladies, invited hi in ashore. He would invite himself to supperwith his friends ; at one of which was expended no tessthan Dur millioris of sesterces in coroneis, and at anothersomething more in roses. XXVIII. Be11des his abuse of boys Dee-born, and theliberty he took with married women, he Committed arape upon the Ves at Virgin Rubria. Ηe was upora thepoliat os mari ying Adte his free twoman, having suborn-ed sonae meri os Consular rank to Mear that she was ofroyal descent. Hu gelded the boy Sporus, and endea-vored to transform him into a woman. He even went
460쪽
Rome through the Sigillaria, di essed up in the ricli alti reos an em presse, and now and then Lissed him as they rodetogether. That he was passiona tely destro us to ly with his mollier, but was dissuaded frona it by her enenates, fors ear that the haughty insolent woman should, by hercompliance, get hi in enti rely into her power, and governin every thing, was universalty belleved ; especialty after he had entertained amongst his concubines a strum pet, Who was reported to have a strong resemblance of Agrip-
XXJ X. He prostituted his oram chaslity to that degree,
iliat, after he had defled every pari about hina with sonae Dianatural pollution, he at last invented an extraordinaryhind of diversion, which was, to be let out os a dencovered over with a wild beast 's se in , and to seige oponthe private paris both of men and women, lied to a stat e for that purpos . Aster he had sussiciently spent his furyupon them, he was, at his o vn destre, served in the samem anner himself by his freedman Doryphorus, to whom hewas mari ted in the fame way that Sporus had been married to himself; imitating the cries and shrielis of Foung Virgins, when they a re deflowered. I have been informed by severat, that he firmi y belleved, that notonem an in the world was Chasse, or unde filed in any part of him : but that most men conccaled that vico, and had the cunning to keep it private. To such, theres ore, m