Select Observations of Roman Emperors 2, Part 1 · To the reader – Emperor 13
AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER.
REader, I know Bookes have their doom according to thy capacity, and that such are usually most free in censuring other mens workes, which are least able to publish any of their own. But as the Poet saith, Carpere vel noli nostra, vel ede tua: Many Carpes are expected when curious eyes go a fishing, and Bookes are pressed to the war as well as men; Ad praelum tanquam ad praelium. I neither deserve that favour from thee nor desire it, that thou shouldest respect my toyes, as Pliny said to Vespasian, Tu soles nostras esse aliquid putare nugas: and yet if thou be such a one, that Augustus-like thou art ready to tax all the world, I know no reason why I should regard thy censure; the French Proverb saith, De fol juge brieve sentence, & Nihil facilius quam reprehendere alium. However, I shall say now with Iulius Caesar, Iacta est alea, I have put it to the hazard; thy applause shall not much tickle me, nor thy rash sentence discourage me. I have taken notice of a witty allusion used by divers of these Emperours, and others concerning them, which I thought fit to commend to thy observation, viz. a descanting as it were upon the double signification of the word, as first, that of Iulius Caesars Souldiers:
Gallias Caesar subegit, Nicomedes Caesarem:
Ecce Caesar nunc triumphat, qui subegit Gallias;
Nicomedes non triumphat, qui subegit Caesarem.
Caesar did subdue the Gaules, and him hath Nicomede:
Behold now Caesar doth triumph, who did the Gaules subdue;
But Nicomede triumpheth not, who Caesar hath subdu'd.
Subegit carrieth a double sence, the one signifieth the conquering of a Nation, and so it is taken in the former place, as it is applyed to Gaule; the other, the wanton abuse of the body, in which acceptation it is to be understood in reference to Caesar abused by Nicomedes.
So in the History of Augustus, Suetonius saith, Quasi alii se puerum, alii ornandum tollendumque jactassent; ne aut sibi aut veteranis par gratia referretur. The grace lyeth in the ambiguity of the Latine word tollendum, which in one signification, is in a manner equivalent with laudandum & ornandum, and betokeneth to be advanced, extolled, or lifted up, and so it is to be taken in good part; but in another, it is all one with tollendum de medio or occidendum, that is, to be dispatched out of life or killed, in which sence Augustus took it; much like to that you shall read of Nero in Martial,
Quis neget Aeneae magni de stirpe Neronem?
Sustulit hic matrem, sustulit ille patrem.
The like appeareth in some of Augustus his witty speeches, as that to Galba; Ego te monere possum, corrigere non possum. Iocatus est ambiguo verbo, corrigitur quod reprehenditur, corrigitur quod ex distorto sit rectum. Eras. Apophtheg. Hoc verè est monumentum Patris colere; Colimus ea quae veneramur, & colitur ager aut aliud simile. Gemina fuisset amphibologia, si pro monumento dixisset memoriam, quod ab illo dictum arbitror; siquidem eorum memoria nobis sacrosancta dicitur, quos vita defunctos veneramur, & memorias ad Graecorum imitationem vocamus defunctorum monumenta. Erasm. in Apoph.
Nero said jestingly of Claudius, That he left morari inter homines; in which Verb morari there is couched a double sense, which gives the grace unto this pleasant scoffe; for being a meer Latine word, and having the first syllable by nature short, it signifieth to stay, or to make long abode, and taking it thus, Nero might he thought to imply thus much; that Claudius was now departed out of the company of mortall men: but take the same word as Nero spake it, derived of foreign in Greek, which signifieth a Fool, and hath the first syllable long, it importeth, that Claudius played the fool no longer here in the world among men. In the time of the two first Caesars, which had the Art of Government in greatest perfection, there lived the best Poet, Virgilius Maro; the best Historiographer, Titus Livius; the best Antiquary, Marcus Varro; and the best or second Orator, Marcus Cicero, that to the memory of man are known. The time that the Roman Monarchie seemed to be at his foreign was (saith Carion) from Iulius Caesar to the end of Antoninus the Philosopher his reigne.
Afterward, many filthy Monsters reigned, and many seditious and civill wars followed; therefore I have not onelyonly enlarged the former Treatise, by inserting here and there some other speciall observations, but have made an addition also of six more Emperours since, (as Sir Francis Bacon also saith in his advancement of Learning) the six next Princes were all learned, or singular favourers and advancers of Learning: which age (as he also saith) for temporall respects, was the most happy and flourishing that ever the Roman Empire (which then was a Model of the world) enjoyed: a matter revealed and prefigured unto Domitian in a dream, the night before he was slain; for he thought there was grown behind upon his shoulders a Neck, and a head of Gold, which came accordingly to passe, in those golden times which succeeded. Fulke in his Book of Meteors observeth, not long before the contention of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, for the Empire of Rome, there appeared three Suns, as it were pointing out the strife which followed soon after between them three for the Imperial Diadem; of threescore and thirteen Roman Emperours (that perished within the narrow compasse of one hundred years) onelyonly three died a naturall death in their Beds, the rest were cut off by their lusts.
It was a heavy time then with Christians, when they groaned under the Persecuting Emperours three hundred years together, yet in that time they had many Lucida intervalla, many breathing spaces under Princes not altogether so bloody; there were too principal Persecutors of the Church, Diocletian, and Julian, but the last was the most pestilent. Jerome justly styled him Canem rabidum; and it is remarkable what is observed of him, that going forth to the Persian War, he asked in scoffing manner, What the Carpenters Son (meaning Christ) was doing? To whom it was answered by a good Christian, Loculum fabricatur, He is making a Coffin for Julian; which Propheticall speech was indeed verified by the event; for Julian was strangely wounded and slain in that War, and as in his life time he had blasphemed Christ, so he died blaspheming Christ, and casting up his Blood towards Heaven, he cried, Vicisti ô Galilaee, Thou hast overcome O Galilean.
This may suffice to have spoken of some of the chief Persecutors in generall, since I purpose not to enlarge this Treatise any more, because there is little said of many of the Roman Emperours, and the*Mexia translated by Grimston. History of them altogether is already written in our Mother tongue: but I intended onelyonly at the first, Analecta, some choyce and pithie observations of them, if these therefore may benefit thee, summam votorum attigi, I have attained the end of my desires, and so I rest
Thy Well-wisher, EDWARD LEIGH.
Choyce Observations OF COCCEIVS NERVA.
DOmitian thus made away, Coccejus Nerva a prudent,He was 76. yeares old when he was Emperour. Carion. honourable, and aged person was elected Emperour by the Senate; his birth was noble, and of Italy, in the City Narnia, and of the Province Vmbria, ruling so well, as he may be esteemed too good a Prince long to continue in so bad an age; who reformed many enormities, and remitted many grievous tributes and exactions; also he recalled from banishment the Christians severally dispersed, and suffered them to enjoy the freedom of their profession,Suidas. Nicephorus. at which time Iohn the Evangelist returned from Pathmos (wherein he had been confined) unto Ephesus, a City in Asia the lesse, where after his return he lived 4. years. The excellent temper of his Government is by a glance in Cornelius Tacitus touched to the life,In vita Agricolae. Postquam divus Nerva resolim insociabiles miscuisset, imperium & libertatem. Dion writeth of him, that he was so good a Prince, that he once uttered this speech, Nihil se fecisse quo minus possit deposito imperio privatus tutò vivere, He remembreth not to have done any thing why he should not live securely, and without fear of any body, although he gave over the Empire. His symbole was, Mens bona regnum possidet. He discharged the City of the new impositions which Vespasian and Domitian had laid upon them, and commanded that goods unjustly taken should be restored to the owners.
He was very eloquent, and a good Poet, as Martial testifies of him,
Quanta quies placidi, tanta est facundia Nervae.
See Martial's Epigramme of him, lib. 11. epig. 6.
Herodes Atticus found a great treasure in his house, but fearing calumnies, he wrote to Nerva, and discovered it. He wrote back again, Vtere, use it. But he being not so secure, wrote again, At enim thesaurus privati hominis conditionem superat, but the treasure exceedes the condition of a private man: Nerva again nobly replied, Ergo abutere. Lips. in Plin. Paneg.
On a reverse of Nerva is found a team of horses let loose, with this inscription, Vehiculatione per Italiam remissa; whereby we learn (which no Historian remembers) that the Roman Emperours commanded all the carriages of the countrey; that Nerva remitted that burden; and that the grievance was so heavy, that coines were stamped in remembrance of this Emperours goodnesse that eased them of it. See the coines in L. Hulsius, and Speed's Chronicle.
Sextus Aurel. Victor writeth thus; Quid Nerva prudentius aut moderatius? quid Trajano divinius? Quid praestantius Hadriano.
Having reigned onelyonly one year, four moneths, and nine dayes, de dyed of a passionate anger conceived against a Senatour,Dion Cassius. in the year of Christ his Incarnation ninety nine, the twenty seventh day of Ianuary, and seventy sixth of his own age.