Select Observations of Roman Emperors, Life 11
Titus Vespasianus.
FOR his natural goodness and noble disposition,Speed saith as much of Henry the 5th, whom he compareth to Titus. Edgar Etheling, Englands darling. he was called Amor & deliciae humani generis, The lovely darling, and delightful joy of mankind. Tantum illi ad promerendam omnium voluntatem, vel ingenii, vel artis, vel fortunae superfuit. Sueton.
So fully was he either endued with good nature and disposition, or enriched with skill and cunning, or else graced with fortunes favour.
Augustin De Civit. Dei. lib. 5. cap. 21. calls him Suavissimum Principem, a most sweet Prince.
He was learned in the Greek and Latine tongues, and in most excellent writing.
Yet God made him a terrible scourge to the Nation of the Jews, who forsook the Lord Jesus, and preferred Caesar; for as our Saviour prophesied concerning Ierusalem, that a stone should not be left upon a stone, Matth. 24.2. So it was fulfilled forty years after his Ascension, by Vespasian the Emperor, and his Son Titus, say Eusebius and Iosephus. And by that which followeth in the same Ch. 21. v. he meaneth the tribulation the Jews were to endure at the siege,Dr. Sclat. and surprisal of Ierusalem by Vespasian and Titus. In the time of which siege the Jews were oppressed with a grievous famine, in which their food was old shooes,Mr. Perkins. old leather, old hay, and the dung of beasts. There dyed partly of the sword,Vespasian brake into their City at Cedron, where they took Christ, on the same feast day that Christ was taken, he whipped them where they whipped Christ, he sold twenty Jews for a penny, as they sold Christ for thirty pence. B. Andr. Cat. and partly of the famine, eleven hundred thousand of the poorer sort; two thousand in one night were embowelled, six thousand were burned in a Porch of the Temple. The whole City was sacked and burnt, and laid level to the ground; and ninety seven thousand taken captives, and applyed to base and miserable service.
Suum scripsit nomen cum urbem delevit.
Emanuelis Thesauri Caesares.
So many of the Jews were crucifyed, that by relation of their own Iosephus de bello Iudaico lib. 6. c. 12.) there remained no more space to set crosses in, nor any more crosses to crucify bodies upon.
At the very first, even in his child-hood there shone forth in him gifts both of body and mind, and the same more and more still by degrees, as he grew in years.
He was therefore sickly, because his Nurse was so.
Ingenium quantaecunque fortunae capax, Tacitus l. 2. Hist.decor oris cum quadam Majestate.
A person capable of any dignity,Forma egregia, & cui non minus auctoritatis inesset quam gratiae. were it never so great; of a goodly presence and countenance, wherein was seated no less Majesty than favour and beauty.
His stature was not tall, and his belly bare out somewhat with the most.Sueton. He had a singular memory,Facundissimus, bellicosissimus, moderatissimus. Eutropius. and was very docible; he was most skilful in handling his weapon, and withall a passing good Horseman. He was facilis ad extemporalitatem usque. He was of a prompt and ready wit,Sueton. and would have spoken well ex tempore; He was also skilful in Musick; he could write with cyphers, and by artificial characters, both very fast and very fair, striving by way of sport and mirth with his own Clerks, whether he or they could write fastest:Sueton. He was able to express and imitate what hand soever he had seen, and would often say, that he could have been a notable forger and counterfeiter of writings.
Suo quàm Patris Imperio modestior.Tacit. l. 2. Hist.
Whiles he was a private person, he behaved himself not altogether so well as when he was Emperor.
Exuit animum cum purpuram induit.
Lupus invasit regnum, evasit Pastor.
Emanuelis Thesauri Caesares.
His youthful affections were settled somewhat upon Berenice the Queen of Iewry;Berenice. Dion. & Joseph. notwithstanding in no such degree that it was any hinderance to his honourable actions.
Suetonius.The Feasts which he made were pleasant merriments rather than lavish and sumptuous.Convivia instituit jucunda magis quam profusa.
No gross vice could be found in him, but many excellent vertues.Suetonius.
Neminem à se dimisit tristem.
He never dismissed any Petitioner with a tear in his eye, or a heavy heart; and when his Domestical servants about his Person would seem to tell him that he promised more than he was able to perform;Sueton: his saying was, Non oportet quenquam à sermone Principis tristem discedere. Hadrianus Caesar said, it was troublesome to him if he saw any sad.No man ought to depart from the speech of a Prince, sad and discontented.
Calling to mind one time as he sate at Supper,Aurel. Vict. that he had done nothing for any man that day,Sueton. he uttered this memorable and praise-worthy Apophthegm,Eutropius. Amici, diem perdidi. Or rather it must be read (saith Casa…b) Amici, hodie diem perdidi.My Friends, I have lost a day.
If he had not bestowed some benefit upon one or other, he was wont to say (saith M…llerus) Hodie non imperavi quia nemini benefeci.
His Rule and Government was merciful, he received no accusation against those who were reported to have spoken evil of him, saying, Ego cum nihil faciam dignum propter quod contumelia afficiar, mendacia nihil curo. When I shall do nothing worthy of blame, I care not for lies.
He said,Periturum se potius quam perditurum adjurans. he would rather die himself than put others to death. He proceeded no further against two noblemen convicted for affecting and aspiring to the Empire,Sueton. than to admonish them to desist and give over, saying,Suetonius. Eutropius. Aurel. Vict. that Sovereign Power was the gift of Destiny and Divine providence; if they were Petitioners for any thing else, he promised to give it unto them.
He would not endure to kill, or sequester and confine his Brother Domitian (though he never ceased to lay wait for his life) but still made him partner with him in his Sovereign Government,Aurel. Vict. Suetonius. and often with tears exhorted him to mutual love.
There fell out in his daies some heavy accidents; a fire in the City of Rome, which lasted three daies and three nights;Tacitus. Sueton. Aurel. Vict. and a grievous Pestilence, wherein there dyed ten thousand a day; and Vesuvius a mountain in Campania flamed with great horrour; Pliny the natural Historian then Admiral of the Roman Navie, desirous to discover the reason, was suffocated with the smoak thereof, as his Nephew witnesseth in an Epistle of his to Cornelius Tacitus. Pliny. l. 6. Epist. 16.Am: Marcellinus observeth, that the ashes thereof transported in the Air, obscured all Europe; others say, that they darkned the Sun.
He was a valiant Soldier; going once to espy the enemy,Ioseph. l. 6. c. 2 of the Wars of the Jews. From his wonderful escape at the walls of Ierusalem, Iosephus collects, Imperatorum pericula Deum curare; That God takes care of Princes in their danger. Ibid. and not to fight, notwithstanding that an infinite number of darts and arrows were shot at him, and he had no Armour at all, yet received he not one wound, but all past him, as though upon purpose every one had strove to have mist him. And he with his sword made way, and cut many upon the face that opposed themselves against him, and so they falling down, he with his horse past over them. The Jews seeing Titus his valour, exhorted one another to set upon him, but whither soever he turned, the Jews fled and would not abide by it.
In the last assault of Jerusalem, he slew twelve enemies that defended the wall,Suetonius. Eutropius. with just so many arrows shot, and won the City with great joy, and favourable applause of all his Soldiers.
He being to see that executed which Christ foretold should happen to Jerusalem,Iosephus de Bell. Iud. l. 6. c. 14.7. & 10. stretched forth his hands, and called Heaven and Earth to witness in great bitterness, that he was not to blame that the Jews perished in such sort, but they themselves; and would not by any means that fire should be set on the Temple. Comparing the desolation of Jerusalem with the beauty and goodly buildings that were before it was destroyed,L. 7. of the wars of the Jews. c. 24. he lamented and pittied the overthrow thereof, saith Iosephus.
It is likely that he would have carried a milder hand upon the Jews his Prisoners, after his sacking the City of Jerusalem, than to east so many thousand of them to the Lions, and other beasts to be devoured,Illud adagium Festina lentè, arridebat du…bus Imperatoribus Romanis, omnium facilè laudatissimis, Augusto & Tito; quorum utrique singularis quaedam aderat animi magnitudo, cum incredibili quadam lenitate facilitateque conjuncta. Eras. in Adag. as he did on the birth-day of his Brother Domitian, but that the heavy curse of God which boiled against that Nation, did urge his gentle and calm nature to bring them to destruction.
He did stamp in his Coin a Dolphin and an Anchor, with this Impress, Sat cito si sat bene. A Dolphin out-strips the ship, that's soon enough; an Anchor stayeth the ship, that's well enough. A Dolphin and Anchor, Soon enough if well enough.
It was said of him, Abstinuit alieno, ut si quis unquam. If ever any man abstained from that which was not his own, he was the man.
Though he was the mirrour of men among the Heathen,Suetonius. yet he was loth to depart out of this world;Multum conquestus, eripi sibi vitam immerenti, neque enim extare ullum suum factum poenitendum, excepto duntaxat uno. for being carried in his Horse-litter, and knowing that he must die, he looked upwards towards Heaven, and complained very pitiously, that his life should be taken from him who had not deserved to die, for he knew not (he said) of any sin that ever he committed but only one.
Suetonius writes as if he had dyed of a natural death,Whether his over familiar acquaintance with his Brothers wife Domitia, as Sueton. or with the Queen Berenice, as Speed, is uncertain. Senatus tantas mortuo gratias egit, laudesque congessit, quantas ne vivo quidem unquam atque praesenti. but Aurel. Vict. saith, he was poysoned by his Brother Domitian, Titus à Domitiano leporis marini vi peremptus. Cael. Rhod. Lect. Antiq. l. 6. c. 30.
Morte praeventus est, majore hominum damno quam suo.
He was cut short and prevented by death, to the greater loss of Mankind than of himself, saith Suetonius.
The Senate gave him more thanks being dead, than ever they did living and present.
His death was much lamented, so that they call'd him generally, Delicias publicas; and wept for him as if the world had been deprived of a perpetual Protector.Suetonius. Tantus luctus eo mortuo publicus fuit, Aurel. Vict.ut omnes tanquam in propria doluerint orbitate.Eutropius.He lived 39 years five months, 25 daies, saith Carion.
He dyed in the 42. year of his age, saith Suetonius, 41 say Aurel. Victor. and Eutropius.
When he had reigned two years, two months and twenty daies, say Suetonius, Aurel. Vict. Carion; eight months, saith Eutropius.