The lives of the first twelve Cæsars

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TITUS FLAVIUS DOΜITIANUS.

ali persens to withdraw, he rei tred into his bed-chamber, and was there flain. XVII. With respeet to the contrivance and eXecutionos his death, the common account is this. The conspirators being in me doubt when and where they mould attach hi , whether while he was in the bath, or at stip-Per, Stephanus, a steward os Domitilla's, then under aprosecution for defrauding his inistressi, offered them his advice and assistance ; and wrapping up his te fit arm , asis it was hvrt, in v ool and bandages for me days, toprevent suspicion, at the very hour appo inted for thecXecution of the plot, he made use of this farther strata-gem. He pretended to mahe a discovery of a plot, and being for that reason admitted, he presented to the em peror a writing, which whilsi the lalter vias rea lingWith the appearance of one astonis hed, he stabbed him in the groin. But Domitian mal ing resistance, Clodianus, one of his Chamberlains, MaXimus a freedman os Parthenius , Saturius a superintendent of his bed-cham ber, ith so me gladiators, feti upon him, and si abbedhim in seven places. A boy that had the charge of the Lares in his bed-chamber, then in attendance as usual, When the transadtion was over, gave this farther account of it: that he was ordered by Domitian, upon receivingliis first wound, to reach him a dagger Which lay undex his bolsfer, and cali in his servants ; but that he so utidnothing at the head of the bed, excepting the hilt os a Pontarii, and that ali the doors were secured : that theem peror in the mean time got hold of Stephanus, and throwing him upon ille gro unit, struggled a long time With him ; one while enitea voring to wrench his swordi rom hina, another while, though his fingers were misera-

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and yet my hair has had the fame fate : howeven Ιbear with fortitude this early declining state of my hair,

considering that nothing is more agreeable than beauty, but nothing of sta orter continuance.

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stu ly of the liberat sciences, though he took Care to restore, at a vast expence, the libraries which had been buriat down, by collecting coples frona ali paris, and seniling scribes to Alexandria, ei ther to Copy or correct fi Omthe repository of books at that place. Vet he ne ver applied himself to the reading of history or poetry, Or to eXercise his pen for his own improvementi He read nothingbut the oommentaries and adis of Tiberius Caesar. His letters, speeches, and proclamations, were ali drawn up

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he debauched her, and that whilst Titus was living. Butaster nae had lost both her fallier and her humand, heloved her most passionalely and avowedly ; insomuch thathe was the occasion of her death, by obliging her to havereCOurse to violent means for promoting the miscarria geos a child whicli sine had conceived by her late lius baiad. XXIII. The people bore his death with much unco cern, but fae soldiery with great indignation, and immediately endea vored to have him ranked amongst the Gods. Though ready to revenge his death, however, they wan ed sonae person to head them : but this they effected se onaster, by resolutely demanding the punissiment of all

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Nuper Tarpeio quae sedit cyalmine cornix, Est bene, ' non potuit dicere ; dixit, Erit.'The cro , whicli late on Tarpey qne might see, Could not say, ait was well, but said, 'twill be.

They say likemisse thal Domitiati di ea nat he had a goldenhum p grow out of the back of his necli, which he consi dered as a certain sigia os happy days for the empire after him. Such an auspici ous change in ieed shortly after hapa pened, by the justice and moderation of the following em

IF we view Domitian in the differcnt lighis in isti cli' he is represented, during his life-time and after his de cease, his character and condust discover a greater diver fity than is commonly observed in the objects of historical detail. But as pos humo us character is always thCmost just, iis decisi vo verili ct a Jorda the sui est criterion by whicli this variegated cmperor must be estimated by impartiat posteri ty. According to this rute, it is beyond

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of age, the frivolity of his datly employment, in the Lilling of fies, exhibiis an instance of dissipation, whichsurpasiues ali that has been recorded of his imperiat pre- decesibrs. The encoui agement, however, whicli thefirst Vespasian had shown to literature, continued tooperate during the present reigii ; and we heliold the first fruits of iis auspicious influence in the valvabie treatiscos Quintilian, of the lise of this celebrated writer, litile is knownupon any authority that has a titte to much credit. Welearn, however, that he was the son os a os sonae of the preceding emperors, and was born at Rome ;though in What Consulmip, or under What emperor, it is impossibie to determine. He mari ted a Woman of a no-ble family, by whom he had two sons. The mollier died in the Bower of her age, and the fons, at the distance of me time fro in each other, When their lathermas advanced in years. The precise time of Quintilian'sown death is equalty inauthenticated with that of his birth ; nor can we rely upon an author os suspicious Veracity, Who says that he passed the lalter part of his life in a state os indigence, which was alleviated by the

liberality of his pupil Ρli ny the Volanger. Quintilianopened a school of Rhetoric at Rome, v. here he notonly discliarged that laborious employment With great applause, during more than twenty years, but pleaded atthe bar, and was the sirst who obtained a salaryfrom. the state, for eXecuting the ossice of a public teacher. He Was also appotnted by Domitian, preceptor to rhet O JOUng princes, who were intended to succeed hi mon the throne.

Aster

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ΤΙΤUS FLAVIUS DΟΜΙTIAN Us. 6I3 Aster his reti rement stom the siluation os a teacher, Quintilian devoted his attention to the study of literature, and comprosed a treati on the Causes of the Corruptioncs Eloquence. At the earnest solicitation of his frientis, he was asterwards induced to underlahe his In situtiones Oratoriae, the most elaborate and most perfect system oforatory eXtant in any language. This work is dividedinto tWelve books, in whicli the author treats with great precision of the qualities of a per et orator ; explaining not only the fundamental principies of eloquenCe, as connected with the constitution of the human mind, butevincing, both by argument and observation, the most successsul method of exercising that admirabie are, fortite accomplilliment of iis purpOse. So minutely, andupon eXtensive a plan, has he prosecuted the subject, that he delineales the education sultable to a perfect orator, fro in the stage of infanCy in the Craille, to the Consummation os rhetorical fame, in the pursuits of the bar, Or those, in generat, of any public assem bly. It is su T-

cient to say, that, in the execution of this elaborate work, Quintilian has called to the assistance of his own aCuto and comprehensive understanding, the pro und penetration of Aristolle, the exquisite graces of Cicero; allthe stores of observation, eXperience and practice ;and in a word, the whole accumulated exertions os ancient genius on the subject of oratory. It may justly be regarded as an extraordinary Circum stance in the progress of scientinc improvement, that theendo ments of a perfect orator were ne ver fully eκhibited to the worid, untii it had beCome dungerous to CX-ercise them for the important pui posses for whicli theyWere originalty cultivated. And it is no lese rema rhabie,

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Juvenat was born at Aquinum, but in What year i. uncertain ; though, fro in s me circumstances, it laeuisto have been in the reign of Augustus. Some say that he was the son os a freed- man, while omers, without specifying the condition of his fallier, relate only that he was brought up by a freedman. He came at an early age to Rome, where he declaimed for many years, and pleaded causes in the Forum With great applause ; but at last, he betook himself to the writing of Satires, in which he acquiredgreat fame. One of the fit si , and the mos: constant object of his satire, wao the pantomime Paris, the great favorite of the emperor Nero, and after ards os Domitian. During the reign of the former of these emperors,no reseniment was stlown to artis the poet; but he eXPerienced not the fame impunity after the accession of the lalter ; when, to remove him frona the capital , he wassent a8 governor to the frontiers of Egypt, but in reali ty, into an honorabie eLile. According to sonae authors, hedied of chagi in in that province : but this is not authenti- Caled, and seems to be a mistake : for in some os Martia PsEpigrams, whicli appear to have been written after thedeath os Domitian, Juvenal is spolien os as res ling at

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os age. The rema in ing compositions of this author are siXteen Satires, ait written against the dissipation and enorinous vices whicli prevalled at Rome in his time. The various objects of animadversion are patiated in the strongest Colors, and placed in the most conspicuous potnts of Vie .

Giving loose retias to jus f and morat indignation, Juvenalis every Where animaled, vehement, petulant, and inCessant

ly acrimonio us. Dis laining the more lenient modes OiCOrrection, or des patring of their success, he netther ad opis the raillery of Horace, nor the derission os Persius, but prosecutes vice and folly with ait the severity of sen- timent, passion, and eYpression. He so metimes exhibiisa 'iXture of humor milli his invectives ; but it is a humor Whicli parta es more of virulent rage than Of plea

saniry; broad, hosfile, unchastised, and equat ling, in res pedi os indelicaoy, the profligate manners whicli itassatis. The Satires of Juvenal a bourid in philosophi Cal apophthegnas ; and , where they a re not stilli ed by ob

scene description, are supported with a uniform air of Virtuo us elevation. Ami isto ali the intemperance of sal Cata, his numbers are harmonio tis. Had his Teat permit- ted him to direct the current of his impetuo us genius in- to the channel os ridicule, and endea vor to p Ut sothaine the vices and follies of those licentiolis times, a Smuch as he perii aps eXaspera ted convidi ion, rather thalaeXCited contrition, he would have carried Satire to the

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THE LIFE OFBiography has preserved no sarther particulars of Sta, tius than that he was born at Napies ; that his fallier sname was Statius, of Epirus, and his Statiis mother'S Agelina, and that he died about the year one hundred of the Christian sera. Some have conjectured that he maintained himself by v, riting for the stage : but of this thero is no susscient evidence; and is he ever composed dramatic productions, they have peristi ed. The works of Statius, now eXtant, are two poenas, viz. the Thebais, and the Achilleis, be-ssides a collection, nam ed Simae. The Theb is conssisis of twelve books, and the subjectos it is the Theban war, which happened I 236 year bes ore the Christian aera, in consequence of a disputebetween Eteocles and Polynices, tho sons os indipus and

Jocasta. These brothers had entered into an agreement With each other to reigia alternately for a year at a time ;and Eteocles being the elder, got fit si possession of the throne. This prince refusing to abdicate at the eXpiration of the year, Ρolynices sed to Argos, where marry-ing Argia, the data ter of Adrastus, Ling of that Coun- try, he procured the assistance of his fallier-in-law, toen rce the enga gement stipulated with his brother Eteocles. The Argives marched under me command of se-Ven able generals , who were to attach separalely the se-ven gales of Thebes. Aster much blood had been spillwithout any essedi, it was at last agreed belween the trio parties, that the brothers 1 hould determine the dispute bys gle conabat. In the despcrate erigagement whiCh en-sued, they both seli ; and being burni together Upon the funerat pile, it is sa id that their ashes separahed, as is a tua ted by the implacabie resentinent whicli they had