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ΤΙΤUS FLAVIUS VESPASIANUS AUG. 587teenth, of the nature of lint, hem p, and similar productions ; the twentieth, of the medicinal qualities of vegetabies culti valed in gardens; the twenty-first, os flowers; the twenty-seconii, of the properties of herbs; the twenty-third, of the medicines yielded by cultivaled trees; the twenty- urth, of medicines derived froin forest-trees; the twenty-fifth, of the properties of wild herbs, and theorigin of their use ; the twenty-si Xth, of other remedies for dis eas es, and of sonae new dii eas es ; the twenty- venili. of disserent Linds of herbs; the twenty-eighth, twentyninth, and thirtieth, of medicines procured Dom animais ; the thii ty-firs , and thii ty-second, of medicines obtained Dom aquatic animais, with so me eXtraordinaryfacts relative to the subject; the thii ty-third, of the nature os metais; the thirty-fourth, of brast, iron, lead, and tin ; the thirty-fifth, of pictures, and observations relative to patiating; the thirty-si xth, of the nature offlones and marbles ; the thii ty- severith, of the origin ofgems. To the contents of each book, the author sub-joins a list of the writers from whom his observations have been collected. Os Pliny's talents as a writer, it might be deemed presumptuous to form a decided opinion Dom his Natural History, whicli is avowedly a compilation stom various
authors, and eXecuted with greater regard to the mat-ter of the work, than to the elegance of composition.
Abstracting, however, stom a degree os creduli ty, Common to the human mind in the early stage of physical re arches, he is far frona being deficient in theessentiat qualifications of a writer of Natural History. His descriptions appear to he accurate, his observations precise, his narrative in generat perspicuous ; and he ODten illustrates his subject by a vivaci ty of thought, as
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endeavor to give novelty to state disquisitions, and authority to new observations. He has both removed therus , and dispelled the obscurity, which enveloped the doctrines of many ancient naturalists ; but, with ali hiscare and industry, he has eXploded sewer errors, and sanctioned a greater number of doubis ut opinions, manv as consistent with the eXercise of unprejudiced and severe investigation. Pliny was fifty-siX years of age at the time of his death ; the maniter of whicli is accurately related by his nephew, the elegant Pliny the Younger, in a letter toTacitus, who entertained a design of writing the lise Milae naturalist.
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leniis of November, when his fallier was Consul elech, being to enter upon his ossice the monili following, in the si1Yth ward of the city, at the Ρomegranate, in thehouse which he after Wards converted into a temple of the Flavian family. He is laid to have sperat the time of his youth in much want and infamy, that he had notone piece of plate belonging to him. Arad it is wellknown, that Clodius Pollio, a man os Praetorian rank. against whom there is a poem Os Nero's eXtant, entilled Luscio, hept a note under his hanil, which he s metimes produced, in whicli Domitian promised hi in an assignation. Some likewi se have se id, that he was calamite to Nerva who succeeded him. In Vitellius's war, hefled into the Capitol with his uncte Sabinus, and a partos the troops whicli thev thera had in to n. But theenem y breaking in , and the temple being set on sire, hehid himself ali night with the keeper of the temple ;and LeXt moriaing, asium ing the dis uise of a wor saipper of Isis, and mi Ling with the pi tests of that idie superstition, he got over ille Tiber, to the liouse of awOman, the m Other of a young man who h ad formet lybeen his scitool-fellow, with Only one attendant, and COncea ted himself there so close, iliat, though the enem y, whowere at lus liceis, searched the ho usu very strici ly, they could
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not find him. At last, after the success of his party, pearing in public, and being unanimous y saluted by the
thing but the name; for the jurisdiction of the place he
he even then lassiciently discovered what sori os a princehe was lihely to prove. Aster he had made free withthe wives of many men of distinction, he tooh Domitia Longina froni her hiis and AElius Lamia, and mari ted her ; and in one day disposed os above twenty ossices in the city and the provinces together ; upon whicli Vespasian laid severat times, he wondered he did not senil him
II. Ηe likewise designtd an expedition into Gaul and Germany, without the least necessity for it, and contraryto the advice of ali his sether's frientis : and this he didonly with the view of equalling his brother in militaryatChlevemenis and glory. But being severely reprimandedfor it, that he might the more effect ually be hept to a sense of his age and condition, he lived with his fallier,
and followed his and his brother's chair, as osten as theywent abroad, in a litter ; attending them in their triumphsor the reduction of Judaea, mounted upon a whi te horse.
of the si x Consuli hi ps which he held, only one Wasordinary ; and that he obtained by the cession and interest of his brother. He affected greatly a modest bellavio ur, and above ali a taste for poeti y ; in muchthat he reliearsed his performances of that hind in public, though it was an art which had formerly been astitile practised, as it was after ards despised and rejected by hi m. Devoted however as he was at this time to Poetical
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ΤΙTUS FLAVIUS DOMITIANUS. 591 poetical pursu iis, yet when Vologesus hing of the Pa thians destred succours against the Alani, and one of Vespasian's sons to command them, he labored hard in procure sor himself that appotniment. But the eX ution of that project so on becoming necessary, he attempted to engage by presenis and promisses other kings of the East to malle the like request. Aster the death of his fallier, he was for sonae time in doubt with himself whether he should not offer the soldiery a donative double to that of his brother, and made no scrupte to say se quently, that he had been test his partiter in the em pire, but that a fraud had been practi sed with regard to his fallier s will ' Frona that time forward, he was Contin
ordei ed ali his attendanis to leave him, Under pretenCe of his heing dead, before he reatly was so ; and, at his decease, patit no other honor to his memory, than that ofenrolling him amongst the Gods ; notwillis an ling whicli, he would osten, both in his speeches and edidis, traduce his memory by invidio us and uia favorabie allusions. III. In the beginning of his reign, he used to spenddaily an hour by himself in private, during whicli timehe was wholly employed in the catching of files, and stiching them through thebody with a bodhin. Whenso mebody theresore enquired, whether any one WASwith the emperor,'' it was significantly answered by Vibius Crispus, Not so much as a fly ' Soon after his advancem ent, his wise Domitia, by whom he had ason in his second Consul lai p, and whom the year fol-lowing he compli mented with the titie of Augusta, be ingdesperately in love with the player Paris, he divorcedher; but in a stiori time aster, heing unable to bear theseparation,
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separation, he took her again, under pretence of compi , ing with the people's importuni ty in her favor. Duringsome time, there was in his administration a strange mixture of virtve and vice, tantii at last his virtuos themselvcs degenera ted into vices ; being, as we may reas nably COD-jecture respecting the nature of his disposition, inclined tota varice through want, and to crueity through motives of
theatre, but the Circus ; where, besides the usual races with chariois dra n by two or four horses a-breas , he exhibited the representation os an engagement belwiXt both horse and ot, and a Da-fight in the Amphitheatre. The peopte mere also enteria ined with the chase of wildbeasis and the combats of gladiators, even in the night-
time, by the light os lamps. Nor did men only fght
attended at the games gi ven by the Quaestors, which hadbeen dilased for sonae time, but were revived by himself;
and upon those occasions, at ays gave the peopte theliberty of demanding two pati s of gladiators out of hisown s Chool, who Came last in the Court-li very. Duringlais attendan Ce upon this diversion, there sto od at hisseet a litile boy in scarlet, with a monstro us smali hea with whom he used to talli very much, and somelimes gravet y to a. It is certain, that he was overheard ascinglaim, is he lineis sor what reason he had in the late promotion os public o Scers, made Mettius Rufus go vernor os Egypt. V He presented the peopte With navalfghis, performed by fleets almos as numerous as whatare usualty employed in real en gagements ; mali ing a vast
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TITUS FLAVIUS Do ΜΙTIANUS. 393 ille purposse. And he attended in person at me diversion, during a very rainy season. He lihewise celebra ted the Secular Gamus, rechoning hot frona the year in whichthey had been eYhibited by Claudius, but frona the time
of Augustus's celebration of them. In these, upon the day of the Circensi an diversions, to have a hundred races performed, he reduced each frona seven rounds to flve. Helikewise institu ted, in honor of Jupiter Capitolinus, a
solemn contest in m tisic to be per i med every sive years; iesides horse-ra cing and the exercises of the Gymnasium, ivitii more priZes than a re at present allowed. Nay there was likewise a public performarice in eloquence, both Greeli and Latin : and besides the harpers who sung to that insti liment, others who played in Concert, or single, without using their voice. Virgins also ran races in the
stadium, at which he presided in his Crepidae, di essed in scarlet after the Grecian fastiion, and wealing upon his head a goiden crown with the essigies of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, rarith the priest of Jupiter; and the violeCompany of those appotia ted for the Flavian family, si itingby him in the like di esse ; eYcepting only that their Crowns had his picture likerui se ii pon them. He celebrateil also
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ΤHE LIFE OPos serambling, he dispersed a variety of cahes and other delicacies amongu the people; and beCause the greater part of them fel l in to the seats of the commonalty, heorderes sive hundred licheis to be thrown into each range of seats bolonging to the Senatorian and Equestrian Ordera. V. He likewise rebulli many noble edifices that hadbeen destroyed by 1ire, and amongst them the Capitol, which had been buriat down a second time; but ali in his Own name ; and without the least mention of the originalfo undet s. He lihewise ere ned a new temple in the Capitol to Jupiter Custos, and a Forum , whicli as no called Nerva's, as also the temple of the Flavian family, a Stadium , an Odeum ', and Naumachia r ; out of the stone of which the sides of the great Circus belligburni down were rebulli. VL He undertook me expeditioris, partly stomchoice, and partly frona necessi ty. The eκpedition against the Catti was voluntary, but that against the Sarmatians v as other ise; an entire legion, With a lieuienant-generat, having been cut off by that people. He made two expeditions against the Dacians ; the former upon the overthrow of Oppius Sabinus, a maia of Consular xanh, by them ; and the other, upon that os Cornelius Fuscus commander of the Praetorian battalions, to whom he had
η A place nearly in the forna os a Circus, for the running of men and horses.' A buit ling, where musicians and actors reliearsed, orprivately exercised themistives, belare their appearing uponthe stage.' A place for exhibiting naval engagemenis, bulli nearly in the form os a Circu S. Committed
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committed the management of that war. Aster severat
batiles with the Catii and Daci, he had, for his successagainst them, two triumphs. But for his at hi evemenis agains the Sarmatians, he only made an offering of a laurei crown to Jupiter Capitolinus. The civit war, be-gian by L. Antonius governor of Upper Germany, hequelled. without being obliged to be personalty present atii, with remarkable good fortune. For at the time of theengagement, the Rhine suddenly breahing iis banks, puta stop to the tro ops of the barbarians which were readyto go over to Antony. of this victory he had notice bysome pres ages, besore the messengers who carried thenews of it arrived. For upon the very day the batilewas fought, a large eagle, sprea ling iis wings round his statue at Rome, made a most joysul noise over it. Andstortly after, a rumor became common, that Antony was
brought to the Cly. VII. Ae made many innovations in the public usam os his country. He abolished the Sportula, and revived the old pradfice of format suppers. To the four formen parties in the Circensian games, he added two ne , ingold and scarlet. He prohibited the players stom adtingin me theatre, but permitted them the praefice of theirari in private houses. He sorbid the castration ofinales; and reduced the prices of eunuchs who werulest in the hands of the dealers in flaves. Upon the GC-casion os a great plenty of Wine, but a scarcity of coria, suppossing the tillage of the ground was neglected on ac count of too great application to the cultivating of vinu-yards. he publimed a proclamation forbidding the planting
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one half of them to remain. But he did not persi si in theexecution of this project. Some of the greatest ossices about court he conferred Upon his freedmen and soldiers. He Orbid two legions any where to encam p together, and more than a thous and sesterces to be deposited by any soldier at the standari; because it was thought that L. Antonius had been encoui aged in his late rebellious design, by the large sum deposited in the military chest, by the two legions which he had in the fame military-quar ters. He made an addition to the soldiers' pay, of three gold pieces a year.
VIII In the administration os justice he was diligentand assiduous ; and frequently sat in the Forum out ofco urse, to Cancel the judgements of the Centumviralcourt, Which had been procured through favor or interest. Ηe now and then cautioned the judges called Re- coverers, to beware of being too eas' in favor of clatins for liberty brought bes ore them. He set a mark of infa-my upon judges Who were convicted of tahing bribes,as weli as their assessors. He likev tisu instigated the Tribunes of the commons to prosecute a Corrupi AEdile for eXtortion, and to destre stom the Senate judges for histriat . He lihewise took such effectual care in punishingine cit magistrates, and goVernors of provinces, guilty of mal-administration, that they never were at any other time more modest or more just. Most of these, since his reign, we have seen prosecuted for crimes of various hin is . Having taken upon himself the reformation of the public manners, he restrained the licence of the popu- lace in sitiing promiscuousty with the linighis in the theatre. Scandalo us libels, published to dc fame persons ofrank, of either sex, he suppressed, and inflicted iapon their authors a mark of infamy. He turnud a man of Qt aes-