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NERO CLAUDIUS CAESAR. 497 portance of a contest which was to determine ille fate of Rome and the empire of the worid, are displayed willi variety of coloring, and great energy of eXpression . in the description os scenes, and the recitat of heroic actions, uae author disco vers a strong and lively imagination ; while, in those paris of the work whicli are addi essed either to the undet standing or the passions , he is bold, figurative, and anima ted. Indulging too much in amplification, he is apt to tire with prolixi ty ; but in ali his excursions he is ardent, elevated, impressive, and osten hi illiant. His versification has not the sinoothnesswhich we admire in the compositioris of Virgil, and his language is osten involved in the intricacies of technical construction : but with a l. his desedis, his beatities arenumerotis; and he discovera a greater degree of meritthan is commonly found in the productions os a poet oft enly-siX years of age, at whicli time he illed. Persius was boria at Volaterrae, of an Equestri an family, a boui the bcginning of the Christi an sera. His fallier dying when he was si X years old, hewas test to the care of his mollier, for whomand sor his sisters, he expresses the warm est affection. At the age of twelve he came to Rome, Where, after attending a Course of grammar and rhetoriconder the respective masters of thos e paris of education,
he placed litioseis under the tuition of Annaeus Cornutus, a celebrated Stoic philosopher of that time. There subsisted belween him and this preceptor so great a friend-sai p, that at his death, which happened ita the twentyninth year of his age, he bequeathed to Cornutus a liand- me sum os money, and his library. The lalter, howeVer, accepting only of the books, test the money to Persus's sisters.
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Priscian, Qtiintilian, and other ancient writers, sphealios Pers1us's Satires as consisting of a book, without any division. They have since, however, been generalty divi ted into si x disserent satires, but by me only into five. The subjects of these compositions are, the vani ty of the poets in his time ; the bachwardiaest of y buth to thecultivation os morat science ; ignorance and temerity inpolitical administration, chiefly in allusion to the govern-ment of Nero : the fifth Satire is employed in evincing, that the wise man alone is free; in discussing whicli potnt, the author adopis the observations used by Horaceon the samo subject. The las: Satire os Persius is dire ed against avarice. In the fifth, we meet with aheautis ut ad tress to Cornutus, ' hom the author Celebrates for his a mi able viriues, and peculiar talenis sor teaching.
. The following lines, at the sanae time that they slio how diligently the preceptor and his pupil were employ-ed through the whole day in the cultivation os moralscience, afford a more agreeable picture os domesticco nasori and philosophical conviviality, uian might beexpedi ed in the family of a rigid Stoic.
I cum eten ran longos memim consum re soles, Et tecum primias epulis decerssere norites. Unum opus, cis requiem pariter disponimus amborisque verecundia laxamus seria mensE.
The Satires of Persius are writtera in a s ree, expostu Iatory, and argumentative manner; possessing the fame justiaesse of sentiment with rhose of Horace, but eXertet in the way os derision, and not with the admirabie rati-Iery of that facetio us author. They are regat ded by many as obscure ; but this imputation arises more DomunaCquaintance with tiae characters and manners to whichthe author alludes, than suom any peculiari ty ei ther in
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his language or composition. His versification is harmo nious ; and we have only to remark, in addition to similar examples in other Latin writers, that, though Persius is achnowledged to have been both virtuous and modest, there are in the foui th Satire a se in passages whicli Cannot decently admit of being translated. Such was the Deedom of the Romans, in the use of sonae expressions, whicli just refinement has now eXploded. Another poet, in this period, was Fabricius Veiento, who wrote a severe satire against the priests of his time ;as also one against the Senators, for corruption in their judiciat capaci ty. Nothing re mains of either of thos productions ; biit, for the lalter, the author was banislied
by Nero. There now likewise Bouris hed a lyric poet, Caesius Bassus, to whom Ρersius has addi e Ted his fixili
Satire. He is suid to have been, nexi to Horace, the best lyric poet among the Romans : but of his various Compositions, only a sew inconsiderable fragments are preserve l. To the two poets now mentioned must be ad ted Pomponius Secundus, a maia os distinguiss1ed rank in theariny, and who obta ined the honor os a triumph sor avidiory over a nation os barbarians in Germany. Hewrote severat tragedies, whicli, in the judgment of Quintilian, Here beauti sui compositions.
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I. THE race of the Caesars became extinct in Nero; an event intimated before by various s1gias, two of whichare particularly rema rhable for their positive indication. Fornaei ly as Livia, after her marriage with Augustus, wasgoing to a country-seat whicli siue had near Veii, an eagle
gave oriters to have the hen taken care os, and the laureis prig let; and there came frona her such a numerous broodos chichens, that the villa to this day goes by the nameos the Villa at the Hens. The laurei spread so considerably, that the Caesars, in their triumplis, procured thencetheir laurei crowns. It was a custom Constantly observ-.ed, to plant others in the place upon that occasion ; anda remal h was made, that, a litile before the death of each
prince, the tree which had been set by him died. But in the last year of Nero, the whole plantation of laureis peristaed to the very roois, and the liens ali died. About thesame time, the temple of the Caesars being struch withlightiaing, the hea is os ali the statues in it feli oss at once ;and Augustus's scepti e was das lied o ut of his hands. II. Nero was succeeded by Galba, who was not in the remotest degree allied to the fami ly of the Caesars, butwithout doubt of very noble cxtraction, being descended
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SERGIUS SULPICIUS GALBA. 5OIOs a great. and ancient family, as who always used to putamongst his other tities upon the bases of his statues, hisbeing grea grand n to Catulus Capitolinus. Andwhen he came to be emperor, he set up the images of his ancestors in the atrium' of the palace; accordingto the tities of which he carried up his pedigree on the father's side to Iupiter; and by the mother's to Pasiphae, Minos's queen. III. To give even a mort account of the whole famisy, would be tedious. I siali there re only slightly notice that branch of it frona which he was descende l. ForWhat reason, or Whenco the sirst of the Sulpicii that had the cognomen os Galba, was so called, is uncertain. Someare os opinion, that it was hec ause he set ii re to a city in Spatia, after he had a long time attached it to no purpose, with torches dipped in the juice of the Syri an cane calle lGalbanum : others salit he was so named, because, in atedio us indisposition, he made use of a remedy wrappellup in the wool called Galbeum others, hecause he was a very set man, such a one heing called in the GallictOngue Galba ; or finalty, on account of his being of the opposite habit os body, very sender, like those insedis xvhich breed in a sori of oah, and are called Galbae. Ser-
η The Arrium, or Aula, was the colari or hali os a liouse, the entrance to which was by the principat door. It appears to have been a large oblong square, surrounded with covere lor arched galleries. Three fides of the Arrium were support-ed by pillars, in later times, of marble. The fide opposite tothe gale was called Tablinum : and the other two sides, Alae. The Tablinum contained books, and the records of what any one had done in his magistracy. In the Hirium the nuptialcouch was erected; and here the mistress of the family, withher maid-servants, wrought at spinning and weaving, Whicli, in the time of the ancient Romans, was their principat empl0yment.
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gius Galba, a man of Consular rank, and the most elo. quent of his time, gave a lustre to the family. History. relates, that, When he waS Pro-Praetor of Spatia, he per
and by that means gave occasion to the war of Viriatus.
His grand n being incensed against Julius Caesar, whos lietatenant he had been in Gaul, because he was throughhim dis appotnted of the Consulmip, joined with Cassius and Brutus in the conspiracy against him, for whicli hewas condemned by the Pedian iam Froni hina were descended the grandi ather and fallier of the em peror Galba. The grandiather was more celebrated for his applicationto study, than for any figure he made in the govern ment. For he rose no hi glier than the Praetorship, but publinieda large and not unitateresting history. His fallier attained to the Consul ship: he was a stiori mari and hum p-backed, but a tolerable orator, and an industrious pleader. Hewas twice married: the first of his wives mas Mummia Achaica, daughter of Catulus, and great-grand-daughter of L. Mummius, who destroyed Corinth ; and theother, Livia Ocellina, a very ricli and beautis ut womani by whom it is supposed he was courted for the nobienessos his descent. They say, that stie was farther stimulate lio take him for her lius barid, by an incident whicli evinceda great ingenuousnesse in his disposition. Upon her press ing him in private mitti a propos at of marriage, he strip-ped offliis Toga, and siewed her the deformity of his person, that he might not be thought to impose upon her. He had by Achaica two sons, Caius and Sergius. Thecider of these, Caius, having very much reduced his estate, reti reis frona town, and being prohibited by d herius frona standing a candidate for the Consulmip in his year, putav end to his own lise.
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SERGIUA SULPICIUS GALBA. SO3IV. The em peror Sergius Galba was born in the Con- suis hip of M. Valerius Messala, and Cn. Lentulus, Uponthe ninth of the Caleniis of Januarx, in a Country-hOUse Upon a hili, near Terracina, on the lest side of the roadto Fundi. Being adopted by his stel)-mother, he assumed the nanae of Livius, with the cognomen of Ocella, anda new praenomen; for he aster ards made use of Lucius, instead of Sergius, uiatit he arrived at the imperiat dignity. It is well known, that when he Came o iace, amongst otherboys of his own age, to pay his res pedis to Augustus, thelalter, stroahing his cheeli, salillo him, And thou, child, too, wiit iaste of our imperiat digni ty. '' Tiberius likewisebeing told that he would co Die to be em peror, but in an ad-vanced age, laid upon it, I et hiat live then, since that Concerns me nothing. '' When his grandia ther was offering sacrifice to avert sonae ill omen froni lightraing, theentralis of the victim were snalched out of his hand by an eagle, and cari ted olf into an oah-tree lo aded withacorias. Upon this the s othsayers sa id, that the fami lywould cometobe masters of the empire, butnot untii many years had elapsed at which he smiling said, Ar, whena mule has a soal. V When Galba fit si declared against Nero, nothing gave Lim so much confidence of success,as a mule's happening at that time to have a foal. Audwhilst ali others expressed their abhorren ce of it as a mos hin auspicio us prodigy, he alone regat ded ii as a very hap
py omen, calling to minit the sacrifice and saying of lus grandiather. When he took upon him the manly habit, he dreanit that the Goddesse Fortune sa id to him, I standbesore 3 our door qui te tired ; and uni esse I am admitted forti, with, I mali be a prey to the firsit Comer. V Upon his awaking, ope ning the door of his house, he found abraZen statue of the goddc , above a cubit long, close by the dares hold, and carried it milli Lim to Tusculum,
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his fretamen and faves appear in a body bes ore him twicea day, moi ning and evening, to pay their res pedis to him. V. Amongst ollior liberat studies, he applied himself iothe law. Ηe mari ted Lepida, by whom he had two sons ; but the mollier and children ali dying, he continueda widower ; nor could he be prevalled ii pon to marτyagain, not even Agrippina herself, at that time test a VH-dow by the de th os Domitius; who had en dea vored by every artifice to draw him to her embra ces, whilst he was a mari ted man ; in much that his mollier Lepida, in thepresence of severat mari ted women, scol ded her for it, and even proceeded to beat her. He paid mosi os ali hisco uri to Livia Augusta, by whose favor, whil est she was living, he made a considerable figure, and had like toliave been enriched by the mill which she lest at herde ath ; in which she distinguis hed hi in si om the rest ofitie legalees, by a lega cy of fifty millions os sester s. But hecause the sum vias expressed in figures, and not in vortis at tength, it was reduced by her heir Tiberius, tosive hundred thousand I and even this he never received'.
Suetonius seems to have largoiten, that, according tollis o n testimony, this legaCy, as weli as thos e leti by Tiberius, Was pald by Caligula. Legata ex festinento Tiberii, quamquam abolito, sed et 'liae Augusi, quod Tiberius f presse sit, cum siue, ac sine calvinnid repris fenfata perfohit '
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SERGIUS SULPICIUS GALBA. SOSVI. Being advances to public posts in the goVernment, besore the age required for it by law, in his Praetorsius, at the celebration of games in honor of the goddest Flora, he interia ined with a new sight os elephanis Walhing up-On ropes. He then go verned the province of Aquitainsor near a year, and soon after had an ordinary Consulsa ip, which he held si1κ monilis. Ιt so happened that he succee led L. Domitius, the fallier of Nero, and was succee led by Salvius Otho, fallier to the em peror of thalname ; Which looked like a presage of his future ad vance-ment to the empire, betwiXt the fons of these two men.
Being appo inted by C. Caesar to succeed Gaetulicus, theday after his arrivat at the army, he put a stop to their claΡping of haniis in a solentia public diversion, by giving out
Disce, miles, milisare: Galba es, Non GiIulicus. Soldiers, learn the use of arms: 'tis Galba, not Gaetulicus.
Wim equat stridiness, he would allow of no petitions sorleave to be absent frona the Camp. He har lened the soldieis, both old and young, with constant eXeresse ; and havitag quickly reduced within their proper boundsthe ba barians, who h ad made inroads into Gaul, upon Caius'sco ming into Germany , he so far recommended himselfand his arm y to that emperor's approbation, that, amongst the innumerable troops drawn from nil the provinces of the empire, none met with higher Commendation, Or
peror's Chariot twenty miles together.
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VII. Upon the news of Caius's dea th, though many earnestly pressed him to lay hold of that opportunity of
sei Zing the empire, he cliose rather to be quiet. On this account, he was in great favor mitti Claudius, and beingreceived into the number of his frientis, stood so high in his good opinion, that the Britisti expedition was for me time suspended, Upon the occasion of his heing sud-
chosen out of course to setile the state of that province, which was in great disorder frona civit dissensions, and the alarnas of the barbariaris. He displayed upon this occasion the ulmost stridinesse and justice even in matters of smali conssideration. A soldier u pon me expedition be-ing charged with selling, in a great scarci ty of Corn, amodius of wheat, which was ali he had Iest, sor a hundred denarii, he forbid him to be relieved by any body, when he came to be in Want himself; and accordingly hedied os famine. In the administration os justice, a causebeing brought before him about so me beast os burden, the property of which was clai med by two persons, the
pro of being on both sides tristing, and the truth uncertain, he ordered the beast to be led, with his head muSed up, toa pond at which he had used to be wa tered, the coveringio be there removed froni his head, and that he ui ould bethe property of the person, to whose house, after drini ing, he mould return. VIII. Eor the alchievemenis performed by him, bothat that time in Africa, and formerly in Germany, he received the triumphat ornamenis, and three prie si 's ossices, . Oneamongst the i fleen, another amongsi the Sodales Titit,
and a third amongst the Augustiales; and frona that timeto the mi dille of Nero 's rei gn, he lived sor ille most part