Commentary Upon Acts, Part 1
PART I. The Roman Story.
Sect. I. Macro, all base.
THis man had beene mischievous ever since hee had power to bee so, but now was hee so most of all, that hee might keep that power of his afoot, or might raise it more and more. Hee was used by Tiberius as an instrument to bring down Seianus, the one bad, and the other worse; and after hee had done that, none must stand by his good will, that was likely to stand in his way: Hee was made master of the Praetorian Souldiers in Seianus his stead, and as hee possessed his place, so did hee his favour with the Emperour, and the crookednesse of his conditions: as if all the honours, fortune, and wickednesse of Seianus had been intailed upon Macro. An agent as fit for Tiberius as could bee required, and a successor as fit for Seianus. A man as bloody as the Tyrant could desire him, and sometimes more then hee set him on worke. Hee was the continuall Alguazil and Inquisitor for the friends and complices of the late ruined Favorite, and under colour of that pursuite, hee tooke out of the way, whosoever would not friend and comply with him. Of that number were Cn. Domitius, and Vibius Marsus, accused with Albucilla the wife of Satrius secundus, for Adultery, but all three together for conspiracy against the Emperour, yet was there no hand of the Emperours shewed for the prosecution of the matter, which shewed the onelyonly spleene and machination of the Blood-hound Macro. Albucilla, whether guilty indeed or knowing that his malice and power would make her so, stabbed her selfe, thinking to have died by her owne hand, but the wound not being deadly, shee was taken away to prison. Grasidius and Fregellanus the pretended Pandars of her adulteries were punished the one with banishment, and the other with degradation, and the same penaltie was inflicted upon Laelius Balbus: A man, but justly, paid in his owne coyne, to the rejoycing and content of divers, for hee had been a strong and violent accuser of many innocents. Domitius and Marsus (it may bee) as guilty as the woman, but more discreet, traversed the indictment, and saved their owne lives, partly by the shortnesse of the Emperours life, and partly by the feigned prediction of Thrasyllus, that promised that it should bee long. But too sullen was the indignation of L. Arruntius against Macro, and too desperate his ill conceit of Caius who was to succeed in the Empire, for when hee was inwrapt in the same accusation with the two last named, and might have escaped the same escape that they did, yet despised hee so to outlive the cruelty of Tiberius and Macro, as to come under the greater cruelty of Macro and Caius. No, saith hee, I have lived long enough, and (to my sorrow) too long. Nor doth any thing repent me more, then that thus I have endured an old age under the scornes, dangers and hate, first of Selanus, now of Macro, and alwayes of one great one or another, and that for no other fault then for detesting their flagitiousnesse. It is true indeed that I may survive the old age and weaknesse of Tiberius, but what hopes to doe so by the youth of Caius, and wickednesse of Macro? Can Caius a youth do well being led by Macro, who so corrupted Tiberius in his age? No, I see more tyranny like to come then hath been yet: And therefore will I deliver my selfe from the present misery, and that to come: And with these words and resolution, hee cut his owne veines, and so bled to death: and spent a blood and a spirit, what pitie it was that they should have been so lost? As Macro thus divided his paines in crueltie, betwixt the satisfying of Tiberius his mind and his owne malice, so also did hee, his affections shall I say? or flattery rather, and own-end observances betwixt Tiberius and Caius. For as hee sought to please the one that now ruled, for his owne present security, so did hee, to indear the other that was to succeed, for his future safety: Hereupon he omitted not any opportunitie nor occasion, that he might skrew Caius further and further into Tiberius his favour, and to keepe him there, that he might doe as much for himselfe into the favour of Caius. One raritie and non-parallel of obsequiousnesse hee shewed to the young Prince, worth recording to his shame, for hee caused his owne wife Ennia Thrasylla to intangle the youthfulnesse of Caius into her love and adultery, and then parted hee with her and gave her to him in marriage. The old Emperour could not but observe this monster of pretended friendship, nor were his old eyes so blind, but hee perceived his flattery plaine in other carriages, in so much that hee brake out to him in these plaine words: Well, thou forsakest the setting Sun, and onelyonly lookest upon the rising.
Sect. II. A wicked woman.
With the wife of Macro, that made her owne prostitution to become her husbands promotion, may not unfitly bee yoaked, the mother of Sex. Papinius that made her owne lust her sonnes overthrow: Whether this were the Papinius that was the last yeers Consull, or his sonne, or some other of the same name and family, it is no great matter worth inquiring, but whosoever hee was, infortunate hee was in his mother: for shee caused his end, as shee had given him his beginning. Shee being lately divorced from her husband, betooke herselfe unto her sonne, whom with flattery and loosenesse shee brought to perpetrate such a thing, that hee could find no remedy for it, when it was done but his owne death. The consequent argueth that the fault was incest, for when hee had cast himselfe from an high place, and so ended his life, his mother being accused for the occasion was banished the Citie for ten yeers, till the danger of the slipperinesse of her other sons youth was past and over.