Select Observations of Roman Emperors, To the reader 1 – Life 13
AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER.
READER, I know Books have their doom according to thy capacity, and that such are usually most free in censuring other mens works, which are least able to publish any of their own. But as the Poet saith, Carpere vel noli nostra, vel ede tua: Many Carps are expected when curious eies go a fishing, and Books are pressed to the war as well as men; Ad praelum tanquam ad proelium. I neither deserve that favour from thee nor desire it, that thou shouldest respect my toies, 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 Julius Caesar, Jacta 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 Emperors, 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 Julius Caesars Soldiers.
Gallias Caesar subegit, Nicomedes Caesarem:
Ecce Caesar nunc triumphat, qui subegit Gallias;
Nicomedes non triumphat, qui subegit Caesarem.
Caesar did subdue the Gauls, and him hath Nicomede:
Behold now Caesar doth triumph, who did the Gauls 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 Gaul; 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 lieth 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. Jocatus est ambiguo verbo, corrigitur quod reprehenditur, corrigitur quod ex distorto sit rectum. Eras. Apophtheg. Hoc vere est monumentum Patris colere; Colimus ea quae veneramur, & colitur ager aut aliud fimile. Gemina fuisset amphibologia, si pro monumento dixiffet 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 Apophth.
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 scoff; 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 be thought to imply thus much; that Claudius was now departed out of the company of mortal 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 Monarchy seemed to be at his foreign was (saith Carion) from Julius Caesar to the end of Antoninus the Philosopher his reign,
Afterward, many filthy Monsters reigned, and many seditions and civil wars followed; therefore I have not only enlarged the former Treatise, by inserting here and there some other special observations, but have made an addition also of six more Emperors 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 temporal 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 pass, in those golden times which succeeded. Fulk 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 Emperors (that perished within the narrow compass of one hundred years) only three died a natural death in their Beds, the rest were cut off by their lusts.
It was a heavy time then with Christians, when they groned under the Persecuting Emperors three hundred years together, yet in that time they had many Lucida intervalla, many breathing spaces under Princes not altogether so bloody: there were two principal Persecutors of the Church, Dioclesian, 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 Prophetical 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 o Galilaee, Thou hast overcome O Galilean.
This may suffice to have spoken of some of the chief Persecutors in general, since I purpose not to enlarge this Treatise any more, because there is little said of many of the Roman Emperors, and the *Mexia translated by Grimston.History of them altogether is already written in our Mother tongue: but I intended only at the first, Analecta, some choice and pithy 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 Wel-wisher, EDWARD LEIGH.
A FURTHER ADVERTISEMENT.
REader, I had held my former resolution of not enlarging this Treatise, but that the Book-seller intending a re-impression of the whole, with Cuts and Pictures of the Emperors, sent me my part with paper between the leaves, and therein intimated a desire, that I should insert some memorable things by way of Addition. I have to gratifie him, and I hope therein the publick, both corrected and augmented my Observations; having (by my interest in a learned Gentleman) procured the use of Boeclerus his Political Dissertations, upon the twelve first Caesars; from that, and some other learned men, I have collected such things as I hope may be useful and beneficial to others,
Thine E. L.
Coccejus Nerva.
DOmitian thus made away,He was 76 years old when he was Emperor. Carion. Coccejus Nerva a prudent, honourable, and aged person was elected Emperor by the Senate;He was the first of all the Emperors not born in Rome, as after him there were few born in it. 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 severely dispersed, and suffered them to enjoy the freedom of their profession,Suidas. Nicephorus. at which time Iohn the Evangelist returned from Patmos (wherein he had been confined) unto Ephesus, a City in Asia the less, where after his return he lived four years. The excellent temper of his Government is by a glance in Cornelius Tacitus touched to the life, Postquam divus Nerva res olim insociabiles miscuisset, imperium & libertatem. In vita Agricolae.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 tuto 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 Epigram 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 exceeds 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 Emperors commanded all the carriages of the Country; that Nerva remitted that burden; and that the grievance was so heavy, that coins were stamped in remembrance of this Emperors goodness that eased them of it. See the coins 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 only one year, four months and nine daies, he dyed of a passionate anger conceived against a Senator, in the year of Christ his Incarnation ninety nine,Dion Cassius. the twenty seventh day of January, and seventy sixth of his own age.