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rest of the day strossing idly by himself in a quiet part of the Palace.
22. Domitian was extremely lustiat, and called his sexuat activities 'bed-wresti ing', as though it were a spori. Some say that he preferredio depilate his concubines himself, and would go swimming with the commonest os common prostitutes. He had been offered the hand of his young niece Julia, Titus's daughter, but persistently refused tomar her on account of his infatuation sor Domitia. Later, when Julia took another husband, Flavius Sabinus, he seduced her, though Titus was stili sive: and after both Titus and Flavius Sabinus were dead, demonstrated his love for her so openly and ardently that, in theend, she became pregnant by him and died as the result of n abortionwhich he forced on her. 23. Though the generat public greeted the news of Doinitiati's fatewith indifference, it deeply assected the troops, who at once began to speia os Domitian the God they would have avenged him had anyone given them a lead - and insisted that his assasstas should bebrought to justice. The Senators, on the other hand, were delighted, and thronged to deno ce Domitian in the House with bitter indinsulting cries. Then, sending for ladders, they had his images and the votive shields engraved with his likeness, brought smashing do ;and ended by decreeing that ali inscriptions referring to him must beeffaced, and ali records of his reign obliterated. A sew monilis besere the murder a raven perched on the Capitoland croahed out the words: 'Alt will be welli' - a portent whicli somewag explamed in the sol lowing verse:
There Was a raven, Strange to teli,
his successors proved him right.
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I. The silver denarius whicli here bears the portrait ofJulius Caesar wasissued about February, 44 B.C., and was one of the flast series of Romancolas to carry the portrait os a living person. Although in the Roman Republic portraiis on coins were confined either to the goti or to deadheroes, the Hellenistic tangs were commonly portrayed on thela colas and the appearance of Caesar's head on coitas in his lifetinae has beentaken as evidelice of Caesar's monarchical ambitions. The unusual wreath whicli Caesar wears is quite unlike the lauret wreath of the later emperors and has been said to be similar to the goiden wreathos the ancient Etruscan tangs of Rome. 2. The portrait of Augustus is an on aureus struck at a mini in the province of Spain. The modessing of the head is a great improvementon that os Caesar, but the portraii, whose grace is enhanced by the relegation os tities to the reverse, is an idealized one. It is a youthsul Augustus who is stlown here; though as the coin was struch about IS B C. he was then nearing fifty. Augustus here wears the lauret wreath of the triumphant and victorious generat and the reverse of the coin shows the two laureis planted on both sides of Augustus's door todo honour to his victories. 3. The portrait of Tiberius is also that on an aureus struch this time atthe mint of Lyons in Gaul where Augustus had finalty established histant for coriage in the preci ous metals. The portrait is stili somewhat idealized and characteriess, typical of the conservatism of Tiberius who in the field of coriage as in other fields was content to fossow the institutions of Augustus without innovation. The inscription prominently records that Tiberius is the heir of the deified Augustus. The reverse of the coin shows Tiberius in his triumphat chariot as heappeared in the celebrations of his German and Illyrian victories.
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THE T ELVE CAESAR S4. Caligula was the first of the emperors to malae use of the broad flanos the bronete sestertius as a portrait medium. With greater room at his disposai the die engraver was able to produce a more delailed portrait ili more moulding to the statures and with a suggestion of the bust. Caligula, too, in his tities is caresul to state his descent frona Augustus. The reverse of the cola depicis Caligula addressing his troops.
3. The bronge sestertius of Claudius silows a further development in effective portraiture as shown in the accentuated muscling of thenech. The hereditary claim to rule is no longer emphasiged in the inscription but the Various powers whicli Claudius held and throughwhich he resed are impressively listed. The reverse has a representationos an Oak wreath, the corona ciνica, presented, as the inscription says, ob cives seruatos - for saving the lives of citietens. He Won this wreatli during his campaign in Britata. 6. With Nero, Roman coin portraiture reached the genith of iis power. The portrait of the emperor here is in high relies, well-modelled and with great attention to the delatis of beard, hair, and wreath. Theunflatiering representation os Nero's bullineck speaks for iis realistic qualities. The sealed figure of Rome on the reverse, helmeled with spearand shield, is one of the remote ancestors and inspirations of the Brit
7. Galba, the flast emperor to be proclaimed oulside Rome and thes1rsi generat to be elevated by his armies, is stlown here as rather ahar,bitten old soldier. The continuation os realism with technical and artistic qualities which flowered under Nero is stili to be seen in this portrait. The harsh line of the truncation is here sostened by a suggestionos drapery. On the reverse, Victory With her wreath and palm is represented, though Galba's victory was to ensure him only a Verybries rei gn. 8. Since Otho struch no bronge coins, his oesy coin portrait on goldand silver is os a restricted si ge. It is technicatly far inferior to those of Nero and Galba and is distinguished by the strange style of the toupeehe wears. The representation of Peace on the reverse was characteristicos Otho's politics. 9. The cola portrait of Vitellius, again on a bronge sestertius, is atriumph of realism. The large nose, the heavy jowl and the rotis of fatat the back of the neck are ali faithfully recorded. The inscription
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records that amongst his tities Vitellius included that os Germanicus, marking him as the emperor who had been proclai med by the legions
in Germany. Pax is again represented on the reverse, the eXpression os a natural destre in a year of wartare. Io. This sestertius, one of the great issue of TI A. D. following Vespasian's arrival in Rome, shows that realism in portrai ture stili held the field. The beautifully executed portrait gives sonae indication of the character of the generat who, froin the various contenders for powertia 69 A.D., emerged Victorious. On the reVerse, Mars carrying a figureos Victory and a trophy hurries with the news of the emperor's success
II. By no means so forcessit is the portrait os Titus. In contrast to theharsh contours of Vespasian's features Titus appears almost cherubicand, indeed, with something of a Churchilli an air. The reverse with atype of 'Pietas Augusta' shows Titus and Domitian clasping the righthands of sellowship under the blessing of Pietas: this despite the rumoursos discord be tween the brothers and Domitian 's desigias against Titus. Ia. Is the astringent quali of realism noticeable in the prerious rei gnsseems missing Dom the portrait os Domitian, this is hecause he had remarkably haiadsonae seatures. On his breast appears the aegis, thebadge of Minerva, his patron diely. This coin issued in 89-9O A. D.
Shows, on the reverse, Victory crowning the emperor, an allusion to the conclusion of the war against the Chattians and Dacians.
. The roundet on the cover of this book shows the Anchor and Dolphin symbol which was adopted by the printer Aldus Manutius for his device in I 3oa. According to Erasmus, he took the symbol stom acori os Titus given to him by Pietro Bembo whicli bore the device with the inscription CITE E BPAd EOC, equivalent to 'Festina
lente' 'More haste. less speed'). This symbol appears on preci ous metalco s issued in 81 A D. both by Titus and Domitian. The coin is oneos the series silowing the particular attributes or emblems of the godswhich were displayed in connexion with services of prayer and propitiation voted by the senate after the eruption of Vesuvius. The anchorand dolphin were the emblems of Neptune.
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Tino other Latin Classiciare described on thesollowing pages