Pliny's Epistles. Book III.
Epistle I. To Calvisius.
by
Mr. Henley.
[_]
On the Life of a chearful old Friend.
I Cannot reflect upon a more delightful Scene than I lately enjoy'd with
Spurinna; so far, that I do not know a Man I should be more desirous to emulate in old Age,
if I should happen to reach it. For nothing can be more formal than that kind of Life;
and I own, I
am equally pleas'd with the regular Lives of Men, especially those in advanc'd Years,
as with the certain Course of the Stars: In Youth a little Confusion,
and as it were a Disorder, is not unbecoming; but all that is smooth and orderly is most proper to the ages,
in whom Industry would be too late, and Ambition Infamous.
Spurinna
constantly observes this Rule; and besides, he brings these small Matters (small,
were they not daily repeated,) round in a kind of Circle, with great Exactness.
In the Morning he keeps his Bed, till he dresses, two Hours after Sun-rise,
takes a Walk of three Miles, and gives Exercise to his Mind, as well as Body.
If his Friends be with him, the best Conversation is open'd; if not, a Book is read;
even sometimes when they are Present, if they be not disinclin'd to it.
Then he sits down, and again something is read, or Talk is begun, as either is most agreeable.
Presently after he mounts his Chariot, and takes his Spouse along with him;
a Lady of a singular good Character, or one of his Friends, as my self on the last Opportunity of that Nature.
How beautiful and charming is that Retreat! What Antiquity, History, Characters,
one hears in it! What Lessons do you receive? Tho' his Modesty gives that Temper to the Discourse,
that he does not seem to dictate at all. After we have taken a Range of seven Miles,
again he walks a Mile; then takes his Chair, or returns
to his Chamber, and sets himself to writing. For he writes both in
Greek and
Latin, but is the greatest Master in the Lyric Way.
The sweetness, ease and gaiety of his Productions, is wonderful; and the Character of the Writer adds a Grace to them.
When he is told the Bath-Hour, which in winter is Nine, in Summer, Eight,
he walks naked in the Sun-shine, if the Air be still. Then he diverts himself at Tennis for a good while with Vigour;
for this is an Exercise that struggles with Age. After the Bathing is over,
he takes his Coach, but delays the Meal for some time; and in the Interval,
hears something read, that is more Amusing and Pleasant. In all this Course his Friends have the liberty either to pursue the same,
or another Method, as they judge proper. Then Supper is set upon the Table,
in a frugal, and yet an elegant Manner, all in Plate, that is ancient,
and of the Standard. Some of the Equipage to his Table is
Corinthian;
he is pleas'd but not much smitten with it. His Supper is often distinguish'd by Recitals of the Comedians, to give his very Pleasures a seasoning of Study.
His Supper takes up a Part of the Night, even in Summer. This is not tedious to any,
the Treat is so genteely prolong'd. Hence he preserves his Sight and Hearing so entire,
after Seventy Seven: His Body hale and sprightly, and a cautious Way of Living,
in which
he is only directed by his Age. I run forward to this Method in my Thought and Wishes,
and should be very fond to enter upon it, as soon as Time begins to sound my Retreat:
Till then, I am wearing amidst a thousand Fatigues, in which this same
Spurinna is a Support, and a Pattern to me. For he also, as far as has consisted with his Honour,
has serv'd a Variety of Offices; gone through several Posts in the Government;
has had the Command of Provinces, and has earn'd his present Quiet with immense Labour.
Therefore I prescribe the same Course and Bound to my self, and I now set my Hand to it,
before you, That if you find I pass by this Limit, you may appeal to this Letter,
and enjoyn me, in vertue of these Presents, to be easy, as soon as I may stand clear of the Charge of Supineness and Inaction.
Epistle II. To Maximus.
by
Mr. M.
[_]
In behalf of a Friend, for whom he would procure an honourable Employment that wants little Attandance.
WHAT I would gladly have done to serve any of your Friends, I think I may with Justice lay claim to for mine.
Arianus Maturus is Chief of the Alcinates. When I call him so,
I do not mean on account of his Estate, which is very sufficient, but his Chastity,
his Justice, his Gravity and Prudence: I take his Opinion in Business,
I use his Judgment in my Studies; for he is a Man of great Honour, Truth and Understanding.
His Affection to me I cannot shew in a better Light, than by placing it with yours:
He is without Ambition, and therefore has kept in the Equestrian, when he might have attain'd the highest Dignity.
He is, however, entitl'd to all the Honour and Service I can do him. I shall have a particular Pleasure,
if I can add to his Dignity when he least thinks of, and perhaps will not care to accept it;
to find some Post for him
that may be honourable, yet easy to execute. As soon as any such is vacant,
I desire you will bestow it upon him; you will make me, you will make him your grateful Debtor:
For tho' he does not solicite for an Employment, his Gratitude will accept it as the greatest Obligation.
Epistle III. To Corellia Hispulla.
by
Mr. Henley.
[_]
On chusing a Tutor for her Son.
SINCE I paid so great a Respect to your Father, (who was a Person of uncommon Value and Character) that I cannot avow,
whether my Admiration or Love for his was superior; and since I carry on that Affection to you in his Memory and Honour,
I can't help desiring, and endeavouring as far as I can, to make your Son resemble his Grandfather.
I prefer indeed him by the Mother's Side, tho' he, by the Father's, was a Man well approv'd and reputed;
and his Father himself, and Uncle, are distinguish'd by a particular Fame.
His Growth will be
equal to them, if he be train'd up in a liberal Education; and the Hand that is to form him,
is of the first Importance to it. As yet, his tender Age has confin'd him to your Eye,
and domestick Tutors, where there is little or no room to go astray. But now his Studies are to be carry'd beyond the Threshold:
You must look about for a
Latin Master of Rhetorick, whose School maintains a due Severity,
a Sense of Shame, which is the main Thing, and a chaste Management. For our Youth is possess'd,
among other gifts of Nature and Fortune, of a great personal Beauty; that requires,
in this slippery State of Life, not only an Instructor, but a Guardian,
and a Governor. I think I can warrant
Julius Genitor to you. I love the Man,
yet my Esteem for him, which is founded upon Judgment, is no prejudice to that Judgment.
He is a Man of correct Life, and prudent; indeed, something too rugged and hard,
for this Libertine Age. You may plentifully find his Mastery in Eloquence; for an open and
plain Faculty of speaking is presently discerned. Humane Life has a variety of Depths and Caverns in it;
in all which, take my Word for
Genitor. Your Son will hear nothing from him,
that will not be useful; and learn nothing, which it were better not to know.
He will be admonish'd by him as frequently as by you and my self, what Images of his Ancestors he is to honour,
what celebrated Names he must
answer. And therefore, by the Favour of Heaven, commit him to a master,
who will first give a Frame to his Manners, and then to his Eloquence;
which is ill learn'd without them.
Epistle IV. To Macrinus,
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley.]
[_]
On his Charge of Advocate for the Bætici.
THO' the Friends I have met, and the Talk of the World seem to approve my Action,
yet I reckon much upon your Sentiments about it. For as I desir'd your Advice in the Run of the Affair,
I should be very glad of your Judgment in the Close of it. When I made an excursion into
Tuscany, in order to see about a publick Building, at my own Expence;
and had received my private Charges as Lord of the Treasury, The Deputies of the Province of
Bætica, in forming their Complaint against the Proconsulate of
Cæcilius Classicus, petitioned the Senate, that I might be their Advocate.
My very worthy Friends, my Collegues, after a previous Speech upon the Exigences of that common Office,
try'd to excuse and exempt me from it. A
very honourable Decree pass'd the House, that I should be Advocate for the Provincial Party,
if they could obtain my own Consent. Then the Deputies were introduc'd again,
and as I was present, re-demanded me for their Advocate; imploring my Fidelity to them,
which they experienc'd in the Cause against
Bebius Massa, alledging a covenant of patronizing them.
This was follow'd by an Assent of the Senate, much to my Credit; such an one as usually precedes a Decree.
I reply'd, that I now forbore to think that my Pleas of Excuse were just.
They were pleas'd both with the Modesty of my Answer and the Reason of it.
I was reduc'd to take this Step, not only by the Consent of the Senate (tho' this was the leading Motive) but that of others;
of less Account indeed, but innumerable. I remind my self, that our Predecessors had prosecuted the Wrongs of particular Friends,
by voluntary Indictments; which gave it a more unhandsome Look, to neglect the Rights of the Publick.
Besides, when I reflected what Dangers I underwent in a former Advocation for the same People of
Bætica,
I thought it needful to keep up the Merit of an old good Turn, by a new Kindness.
For it is very much the Nature of Things, that you overthrow a past Favour,
if you do not renew it: If you deny one Thing, those you have obliged,
will remember only that Denial. I was the more induc'd to it, since
Classicus was not
living; and the Danger of a Senator was remov'd, which is commonly the most forbidding Circumstance in Causes of this Nature:
So that I found my Defence was liable to as fair an Acceptance, as if her were alive and to no Ill-will.
I short, I computed thus, That if I perform'd this Function now a third Time,
my Excuse would be easier, if I happen'd after to light upon one whom I ought not to accuse.
For since there is a Boundary sometime to all Duties, a Compliance is the best Preparation to have an Indulgence of future Liberty.
You have not view'd the Motives of my Design; it remains that you give my your Opinion,
on either Hand of the Question; in which I shall be equally delighted with the plain Freedom of your Dissent,
as with the Authority of your Approbation.
Epistle V. To Marcus.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley.]
[_]
On the Works of his Uncle, Pliny the Elder.
YOU give me a great Pleasure, in reading, collecting and enquiring so carefully into the Works of my Uncle.
I will discharge the Part of an Index; and will also inform
you, in what Method, they were penn'd. For this is no disagreeable a Part of Knowledge to the Studious.
He wrote one Treatise on the Art of slinging the Spear or Javelin, as practis'd in the Cavalry.
This he compos'd with equal Care and Skill, when he commanded a Wing of the Army.
Two of the Life of
Pomponius Secundus (his Particular Friend) a Debt he paid his Memory.
Twenty of the
German Wars, being a compleat View of them. He enter'd upon them when he serv'd in
Germany, from the impulse of a Dream. The Shape of
Drufus Nero
stood near him in a slumber; who, after a large Conquest, dy'd in that Country.
He recommended his Memory to him, and entreated him to rescue it from Oblivion.
Three of a Student, divided into six Volumes, for the Bulk of them, in which he Instructs and Perfects the Orator from his earliest Years.
Eight of a Miscellaneous Kind, written in the last Years of
Nero,
when Slavery made every kind of Study, that is of a more free and exalted Nature,
dangerous. Thirty One from the Conclusion of
Ausidius Bassus's History.
Thirty Seven of natural History; a Work diffusive, learned, and as various as Nature itself.
Do you wonder that a Man of Business finish'd so many Volumes, the Particulars of which are often so Nice and Delicate?
It will add to your Wonder, when you know, that he was employ'd in Pleading for a good Space of Time,
and dy'd in his Fifty Sixth Year. It is well known that his middle Age was taken up by the most Considerable Offices,
and by the intimacy of Princes. But his Wit was acute, his Study incredible,
his Vigilance extraordinary. He began his Lucubrations from the Feast of
Vulcan, not for an auspicious Beginning, but for the sake of Study:
in Summer, presently after Mid-Night; in Winter, at Seven; or, when latest,
at Eight, often at Six. He was indeed a very moderate Sleeper; and sometimes a Slumber came upon him,
and left him again in the midst of his Studies. Before Day he went to the Emperor
Vespasian, for he likewise us'd the Night in the same manner; then returning Home to his appointed Office,
spent the remainder of his Time in Study, after eating a light and easy Meal,
after the Custom of the Antients. If he had any leisure Time in Summer,
he lay down in the open Sun: A Book was read, and he took his Notes and Minutes upon it;
for he read nothing without making an Extract from it. He
was accustom'd to say, no Book was so ill pen'd, but it might in some degree be serviceable.
After this relaxation in the Warmth, he commonly bath'd in cold Water;
then he took a slight Taste of something Eatable, and a short Repose.
Immediately, as if the Day was renew'd, he studied till Supper-time: after that a Book was read,
and in a cursory Way remark'd upon. I remember, that one of his Friends,
when the
Reader made a Mistake in the Pronuntiation, call'd him back, and oblig'd him to repeat it;
my Uncle gave him a Reprimand; Did you understand it? Very well, he answer'd.
Why then did you recall him? We have lost above ten Verses by your Interruption:
So great was the Husbandry of his Time. In Summer he rose from Supper by Day-light;
in Winter, within the first Hour of the Night; and all this ins the midst of his Labours,
and the Din of the Town, as if some Law had confin'd him to it. Only when he retir'd to Bath,
his Time was reliev'd from Study: When I speak of the Bath, I mean the most private Parts of it;
for while he is chaf'd and dry'd, he ever us'd to hear or dictate something.
In a Journey, as if he was free from other Cares, he found a Vacancy for this only.
He took along with him by his side, an Amanuensis, with a Book, and Writing Tables,
whose Hands in Winter were guarded with Gloves, that the inclemency of the Air it self might not invade the Time of Study; upon which Account,
in
Rome he was carry'd in a Sedan. I remember that I had a Rebuke of him for Walking;
you might not, says he, fling away these Hours: for he imagin'd all the Time was lost,
which was not bestow'd upon his Studies. By this constant Application he finish'd so many Volumes;
and left me 160 Commentaries of select Subjects, written even on the Back,
and done in very small Characters; so that by this Reckoning the
Number is really doubled. He assur'd me that he could, during the Time of his
Spanish Government, have sold these Commentaries to
Lartius Licinius,
for four Hundred
Sesterces, and then they were something fewer.
Do not you think, when you reflect on the Compass of his Reading and Writing,
that he was neither employ'd in Offices, nor a particular Favourite of Great Men:
and again, when you hear what Labour he bestow'd upon his Studies, that he neither wrote nor read enough.
For what can you conceive that might not be obstructed by those Affairs,
or perform'd by this close Attention: So that it creates a Smile to me,
when some Men call me Studious; that, if compar'd with him, am the most Idle of all Mankind.
But here I am not single, for I am partly taken up by publick Cares, and partly the private Offices of my Friends.
Ney, who among those that devote their whole Life to Letters, if set in Comparison with him,
would not blush, as if he was given up to Sleep and Laziness? I have
stretched my Epistle beyond Bounds, tho' indeed I determin'd only to write what your requir'd;
that is, what Books he left behind him. Yet I am confident, that this Account of him will be as grateful to you,
as the Books themselves; for it may excite you not only to read them,
but to work up something like them, by a Spur of Emulation.
Epistle VI. To Servus.
by
B. G. Esq;
[_]
Upon a Corinthian Statue.
I Have lately out the the Estate which fell to me, made a Purchase of a
Corinthian Statue; it is indeed a small one, but elegant, and much to the Life,
if I have any Taste, who perhaps in every thing, in this certainly have but very little;
and yet even I taste the Beauties of this Statue.
It is a Nudity, nor are its Faults, if there be any, conceal'd; nor its Perfections sparingly conspicuous.
It represents an old Man in a standing Posture; the Bones, Muscles, Nerves,
Veins, nay, the very Wrincles speaks Life and Breath. The Hairs are thin and parting;
the Forehead broad, the Face shrivel'd; the Neck slender; the Arms dangle,
the Breasts flatten, and the Belly hollows and is retir'd.
The Age appears the same from the Back, as the Brass it self from the Back,
whose rusty Hue and Colour shews perfectly the Antique.
In fine, the whole is such as might engage the Eye of a Master, but transport that of a less competent Judge;
which tempted me,
who am but a Novice in these Matters, to make the Purchase.
I bought it indeed, not with any View of placing it at Home, (for as yet I am Master of no
Corinthians) but of fixing it in some Famous Place of our Country;
and, to chuse, in the Temple of Jupiter; for it seems a Present worthy of the Temple,
worthy of the God.
You then, as you are ever at my Devoir, undertake to Order a Pedestal out of Hand,
made out of what Marble you please, capable of holding my Name and Titles,
if you judge them not to improper to be added.
I will send the Statue as soon as I can find any body who will not grudge taking that Trouble upon him;
or, which better suits your Wish, bring it with me: For I determine, if the Duty of my Post gives me leave,
to make an Excursion your Way. You are pleas'd, I see, with my Promise of coming;
but you'll be angry at my adding, it is but for a Day or two: The truth is,
The Reasons that forbid my long Stay, are the very same that prevent my immediate Coming.
Epistle VII. To Caninius.
by
Mr. Henley
[_]
A Character of Silius Italicus
I AM just now inform'd of the Death of Silius Italicus; in his
Neapolitan Farm, occasioned by a Habit of Illness, arising from too long an
Abstinence. He was afflicted with an incurable Tumour in the Foot;
a lingring Evil, which he bore with Constancy, to his Decease. A Man,
entirely happy to the last, except in the Loss of the youngest of his two Sons;
but he left the eldest and better of them in a flourishing State, and past the Consulship.
He impair'd his Reputation under Nero: He was believ'd to second his violent Impeachments very willingly;
but he behav'd himself very wisely and agreeably in his Friendship with
Vitellius: He acquir'd great Applause, as Proconsul of Asia,
and wip'd off the Stain of his former ill-turn'd Application by a laudable Indolence.
Among the principal Men of the City, he seem'd insensible of Power, and was therefore without Envy.
He was much saluted and courted; and while he was very much confin'd to his Bed, his Character
was fill'd with a Number, that did
not address him on the Score of his Fortune. When at leisure from Writing,
he past the Day in the most learned Conversation. He wrote
Verse
with more
Labour than
Fire; and sometimes try'd the Judgments of Men,
by
Rehearsing. Lately, inclin'd by his Years, he retir'd from the City,
and made his Abode in
Campania; and was not remov'd, even by the Arrival of the
New-Emperor TRAJAN, in that Country. It was a distinguishing Praise of
Cæsar, to allow that Liberty; and of him that had the Courage to make use of it.
He was fond of new Things, to an Objection of being addicted to buy for the sake of Buying.
He was possess'd of many
Country Seats in the same
Places;
and when he took a Fancy to a
new Purchase, he neglected an
old one. He had a multitude of Books, of Statues, and of Images; which beyond a meer Possession,
he also reverenc'd. First in Esteem, he held
Virgil, whose
Birth-day he celebrated with greater Solemnity than his own;
mostly at
Naples, where he frequented his Monument as a Temple.
In this peaceful Course of Life, he reach'd beyond his Seventy fifth Year;
with a Tenderness, rather than an Infirmity of Body. And as he was the last Consul of
Nero, so he expir'd the last of his Consuls; and it is remarkable,
that
Nero dy'd, when he was Consul. When I reflect upon this, I am touch'd with a Compassion of humane Frailty.
For what is so
narrow, so short, as the longest Life of Man? Do not you fancy that
Nero is but lately deceas'd, when at the same Time we do not find one of his Consuls surviving.
Tho' why am I surpriz'd at this? It is not long, since it was said of
Lucius Piso, (Son of that
Piso who was so impiously kill'd in
Africa, by
Valerius Festus) that He now saw no Senator in the House,
whose Opinion he had ask'd, when himself was Consul with
NERO. To so streight a Bound is the very Life of so numerous an Assembly confin'd,
that the Tears of that Prince, mention'd in Story, do not only seem excusable,
but graceful: For
Xerxes is reported to have wept, when he survey'd his immense Army,
because the Fall of so many Thousands was so speedily threatened. However,
we are the more oblig'd to prolong our Share of this vain and perishing Time,
if not by Actions, (the Materials of which are in other Hands) yet certainly by Studies.
And as far as we are deny'd a Length of Life, we should bequeath
something to Posterity, that may testify we have liv'd sometime.
I am sensible, you do not want an Incentive; yet my Affection for you prevails upon me to quicken you forward in your Race,
as it is your Practice with me. Contention is good; when one Friend inflames another to the Love of Immortality by mutual Exhortations.
Epistle VIII. To Tranquillus.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
On Solliciting for the Tribuneship.
IT is very agreeable to that Respect you pay me in other Affairs, to request with so much Zeal,
that the Office of Tribune, which I procur'd for you of Neratius Marcellus,
a Person of great Eminence, should be transfer'd to your Kinsman,
Cesennius Sylvanus. As it is very delightful to me, to see your self a
Tribune, so it is not less pleasing, to view another advanc'd to that Post by your Application.
For I do not in the least think it consistent to envy him the Regards of Duty (preferable to the greatest Honours) whom you are fond to distinguish.
For I observe, since it is a Point of Excellency to merit or to confer a good Office rightly,
that you will at once acquire the Praise of both, in allowing to others,
what your self have deserv'd. Besides, I understand it will be a Credit to my self,
when it is known by this Step of yours, that my Friends may not only be capable of bearing,
but of giving the Tribuneship. For this Reason, I am obedient to your honest Desire.
For the Name is not yet put in the Catalogue,
and therefore we are at our liberty to plant
Sylvanus in your stead;
and I would have your Present as grateful to him, as mine is to you.
Epistle XI. To Minutian.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
On the Cause of the Bætici.
I Can now acquaint you by Letter what Labour I have undergone in the publick Cause of the Province of
Bætica. For it was of a manifold Nature, and often pleaded with great Variety.
Whence was the Variety? Whence the Multiplicity of Pleadings? Cæcilius Classicus,
a profligate Fellow, and barefac'dly wicked, discharg'd the Proconsulate of that country after a manner equally violent,
as sordid, in the same Year as Marius Priscus bore that Office in
Africa. But Priscus came from Bætica, Classicus from
Africk. Hence the Word of the Bætici (as Sorrow often makes a Man witty) not much amiss,
was carry'd about, I have given one bad Officer, and taken another. But
Marius was accus'd publickly by the City only, tho' by many private Persons:
A whole Province fell upon
Classicus. He prevented the Charge, either by an accidental,
or a voluntary Death; for it was infamous, but of a doubtful nature. For as it seem'd probable that he was willing to quit a Life he could not defend,
so it was surprising that he avoided the Shame of Condemnation by dying,
who was not asham'd to commit things worthy of it. Yet the Province persisted in the Accusation of the Deceas'd.
This was settled by the Laws, yet intermitted, and after a long Interval reviv'd.
They added, how many Accomplices and Servants of
Classicus they at once accus'd,
and by Name challeng'd an Enquiry into their Conduct. I was with the
Bætici, and with me
Luccius Albius, a Man copious and elegant in speaking,
with whom I once cultivated a mutual Friendship, that increas'd on this Partnership of Office.
Glory indeed has something incommunicable, especially in Studies; yet between us there was no Dispute,
no Contention, since both of us labour'd for his Cause in
an equal Yoke, not for himself. And the Weight and Service of it restrain'd us from pursuing so burthensome an Affair by single Actions.
We fear'd our Time, Voice, or Strength, would fail us, if we bound up this variety of Charges and Parties at Law in one;
then, lest the Attention of the Judges should not only be fatigu'd, but confounded by the Number of Names and Causes,
or the Favour of particular
Senators mingled and put together, tho' it might be aim'd only at this or that respective Party,
yet it might be extended to all in general; and finally, left Men of the greatest Power,
on a Sacrifice of the Meanest, might escape by the Punishment of others.
For Favour and Address is then most prevailing, when it may be cover'd with a shew of Severity.
Our Plea was assisted by the Instance of
Sertorius, relating to the Horse-Tail,
pulled by the strongest and feeblest Soldier in his Army; you know the rest of it.
For we plainly saw that so numerous a Crowd of Litigants might be with Ease at least overcome,
if we pluck'd them off singly. We first thought it proper to shew that
Classicus was guilty; hence was a just Transition to his Accomplices and Agents;
for they could not be convicted, unless he was demonstrated to be a Criminal.
Of whom we immediately added two to
Classicus, Bebius Probus and
Fabius Hispanus, both Men of Consequence, the latter also distinguish'd
for his Eloquence. Our Work in the Case of
Classicus was short and expeditious;
he had left a Writing under his own Hand of what he receiv'd in each Affair or Cause.
He had likewise sent Letters to a certain Female Acquaintance in Town full of Vanity,
attended with these Expressions; Brave Luck! I shall speedily wait upon you free and unfetter'd:
I have now made up my Sum of 40000 Sesterces, on a Sale of
part belonging to the
Bætici. We had more Employment in relation to
Hispanus and
Probus. Before I enter'd upon their Charge, I thought it necessary to labour the Point of proving their Crimes to be ministerial and subservient.
Unless this were effected, it were in vain to insist on their being Instruments:
For their Defence did not run upon the Negative, but a Petition of Allowance to a Case of Necessity,
founded on their Provincial Relation, and their Confinement to obey all the Commands of the Proconsuls.
Claudius Restitutus, my Respondent, a Man of long Practice and Assiduity,
and ready on the most sudden Emergencies, is ever apt to say, That he is never so much involv'd,
and perplex'd, as when he finds those Topicks cut off and wrested from his Defence,
in which he plac'd his utmost Confidence. The Event of our Plea was this;
The Senate was pleas'd to separate the Effects of
Classicus, which he possess'd before his Trust in the Province, from the Remainder; and
to assign the former to his Daughter, the latter to the injur'd People:
and it was added, That the Money paid by him to his Creditors, should be recall'd.
Hispanus and
Probus were banish'd for the Space of five Years.
So heavy a Charge did that at last appear, which at first was doubted,
whether it were criminal, or no. A few Days after, we indicted
Clavius Fuscus,
the Son-in-Law of
Classicus, and
Stillonius Priscus, who
was Tribune of a Cohort under
Classicus, with a different Issue.
Priscus was interdicted
Italy for two Years;
Fuscus
was acquitted. In the third Action we thought it most Commodious to join a Number together,
lest, if the Cognizance of it was prolong'd farther, the Justice and Severity of the Court should flatten by a tedious Delay,
and a Glut of Business: Otherwise we had lesser Clients in Reserve, that were designedly kept off to this Crisis;
excepting yet the Wife of
Classicus, who was entangled in several Suspicions,
but not sufficiently convicted by clear Evidence: For the Daughter of
Classicus, who was concern'd in the Cause, was not so much as suspected;
so that upon the Close of the Action, when I came to her Name (for there was not an equal Reason,
in the Conclusion, to fear that the Force of the whole Charge should be impair'd by that Circumstance,
as in the opening of it) I thought it the fairest Treatment not to press
upon the Innocent; and I repeated
the same with Freedom and a variety of Expression. For sometimes I ask'd the Deputies whether they gave me Information,
which they presum'd might be disprov'd. Sometimes I submitted it to the Court,
whether they were of opinion, that I ought, if I was Master of any Talent of Speaking,
to aim it, like a Weapon, at the Throat of the Undeserving. And lastly,
I shut up the entire Argument with this Determination. Some will urge,
Do you
then act the Part of a Judge? Truly, no: Yet I cannot forget that I am commission'd from the Judges to be an Advocate.
This was the Bound of this complicated Question: Some were absolv'd; more condemn'd,
and also banish'd for some time; others for ever. By the same Act of the Senate,
our Industry, Fidelity and Constancy, was approv'd by a very full Testimony;
a worthy Recompence of our Labour, and that alone could equal it. You may imagine what a Fatigue it was to us,
to plead and contest a thing so often; to examine, relieve, confute so large a Train of Evidences.
Then besides, how difficult and troublesome it is to deny a thing to the Friends of a Client asking a private question,
and openly to oppose and Antagonist? I will relate to you one Instance of those I have mention'd.
When one of the Judges themselves loudly contradicted me in Favour of a Party in Court that was extremely countenanc'd,
I answer'd, He will be no less innocent, if I speak out all I have to
alledge about him. You may guess
by this what Struggles we underwent, and what Offence we incurr'd, tho' only for a short time:
For Integrity offends those whom it withstands for the present, but is by the same afterwards admir'd and extoll'd.
I could not take a better Method to set the Affair, as present, before your Eyes.
You will say, perhaps, it was not worth my while; for what have I to do to write so long an Epistle?
Do
not then be so frequently enquiring what News in Town? And yet you should remember,
that an Epistle is not long, which comprehends so many Days, Hearings,
Parties at Law and Causes. All which I think I have prosecuted with equal Brevity and Care;
for I now recollect a Point I had forgot, and indeed too late: But however,
tho' it be here preposterously set, it shall be represented. This is the Practice of
Homer, and of many others, in pursuit of his Example: Besides, it is often very graceful and becoming;
yet I shall not use it now for that Reason. One of the Evidences, whether angry that he was call'd out against his Inclination,
or suborn'd by one of the Parties to disarm the Charge, accus'd
Norbanus Licinianus,
a Delegate, and one of the Inquest, of Prevarication in the Cause of
Casta, the Wife of
Classicus, It is provided by Law, that the Accusation of the Criminal first be finish'd,
and then the Question be open'd of Prevarication; because the Credit of the Accuser is
estimated chiefly by the Accusation itself: Yet neither the Order of the Law,
the Name of a Delegate, nor the Office of an Inquisitor, was a Protection to him.
So obnoxious to publick Hatred was a Man, otherwise very dissolute, and that us'd the Times of
Domitian, like many others; and then elected by the Province to enquire,
not because he was good and faithful, but an
Enemy to
Classicus. He was banish'd by him, and requir'd a Day to be allow'd him for the clearing of his Crimes,
but obtain'd neither. He was compell'd forthwith to put in his Answer.
He did so. The perverse and deprav'd Cast of the Man, gives me a Doubt whether it was perform'd with Confidence,
or Firmness. Certain it is, it was carry'd on very readily. Many Objections were laid to him,
that hurt him more than his Prevarication. Besides, two Consular Men,
Pomponius Rufus, and
Libo Frugi, wounded him with an Evidence,
that, under
Domitian, he assisted in Court the Accusers of
Salvius Liberalis. He was condemn'd, and order'd to be transported to an Island.
And so, when I accus'd
Casta, I push'd nothing more, than that her other Accuser should fall by a Charge of Prevarication.
Yet I urg'd it in vain; for an Incident happen'd that was cross and new,
that when the Plaintiff was condemn'd for Prevarication, the Defendant was
acquitted. Do you ask what I was employ'd about during this Transaction? I declar'd to the Senate, that I learnt this publick Cause of
Norbanus, and ought to have it a-new inculcated, if he was prov'd to be a Prevaricator.
And so, while he was in Suit, I sat down; and afterwards
Norbanus
was present every Day of Hearing, and supported the same, either Constancy,
or Assurance, to the last. I now put a Question to my self, whether I have made an Omission;
more than once I have been on the borders of it. On the last Day,
Salvius Liberalis
gave a sharp Reproof to the other Delegates, as if they had not brought all to the Bar that were commanded by the Province to be arraign'd;
and, as he is vehement and eloquent, drew them into some Hazard. I protected the Gentlemen,
worthy as they were, and generally grateful. Indeed they often proclaim it an Obligation to me,
that they escap'd the coming Storm. This shall be the End of my Epistle;
the Close of it in good Earnest. I will not add a Letter, tho' I should find I have pass'd over any Particular.
Epistle X. To Spurinna and Coccia.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
On Verses written upon the Death of their Son.
THE last Time I visited at your House, I did not tell you that I had penn'd a few Lines upon your Son.
First, because I did not write them to speak of them, but to gratify my Affection and Sorrow:
Secondly, because when you, Spurinna, heard me rehearse
them, as you assur'd me your self, I believe that you understood what I recited.
Besides, I was apprehensive of giving you Confusion, in a Festival Season,
if I brought you down to the Memory of so great a Disaster: And, at present too,
I make some Hesitation, whether I should only send you what I rehears'd at your Demand,
or add what I thought to reserve for a distinct Piece. For it is not a full Satisfaction to my Value,
to celebrate a Memory that shall ever be most dear and sacred to me in one single Performance,
since his Fame will be more amply consulted, if it be more spread and dispens'd.
But when I entertain'd a Scruple, whether I should give you a View of all my present Composition,
or defer some to a farther Opportunity, I judg'd it more friendly and ingenuous to yield up all to your Hands,
especially since you assure me they shall be confin'd to your selves,
till I think it proper to publish them. As for what remains, I would desire you,
with equal Frankness, if you think of any proper Change,
Addition, or Omission, to impart it. It is a Point of Difficulty to me,
to carry my Attention thus far beneath a weight of Sorrow. Hard indeed;
but yet, as you would admonish a Carver, or a Painter, that was taking a Likeness of your Son,
what he ought to express, and what to reform; so be pleas'd to model and direct me,
who attempt to draw, not a frail and perishing, but, as you flatter
me, an immortal Figure of him; one that will be so much the more lasting,
as it will be more true, good and perfect.
Epistle XI. Plinius to Julius Genitor.
by
Mr. M.
[_]
On his Friendship to Artemidorus.
OUR Friend Artemidorus is of so benevolent a Temper, that he is for inflaming the Kindnesses of his Friends with the most extravagant commendations.
This puts him on setting such a Value on my Deserts, which, tho' here true,
he runs too great a Length in.
'Tis true, indeed, when the Philosophers were banish'd the City, I visited him in the Suburbs;
and what was more remarkable and dangerous too, I was at that time Prætor.
He wanted a considerable Sum of Money, to pay some Debts he had contracted on some generous and friendly Accounts,
which for all the Whispers of some great and rich People, I gave instead of lending him.
All this I did in such a critical Time, when I had seven Friends either murder'd or banish'd.
Among the murder'd were Senecio, Rusticus,
Helvidius; and the banish'd were
Mauricus, Gratilla, Arria, Fannia.
When I was sing'd as it were with so many Thunderbolts about me, I had good Reason,
and too sure and Omen, to expect the same Fate.
These are no Reasons as he would have 'em, in my Opinion, of my being so finely spoken of;
only I may be said not to have been so base as to abandon a Friend in Distress.
For I lov'd and admir'd his Father-in-Law C. Musonius, as much as the Difference in our Years would allow;
and when I commanded as Colonel in Syria, I contracted a great Intimacy with
Artemidorus himself. In that indeed I gave a Specimen that I had the Taste of a Philosopher,
or something the nearest to it that could be: For of all those who assume that Name in our Age,
you shall hardly pick out one of his Sincerity and Veracity. I forbear mentioning his Patience and Indefatigableness in every Extremity of Heat and Cold,
his Abstinence in Eating and Drinking, and the whole Regulation of his Soul and Senses.
These are mighty Things, and so they would be in another; but in him were the least,
in comparison with his other Virtues; which was the Reason that C.
Musonius preferr'd him for a Son-in-Law to all Competitors whatsoever.
All which indeed I very gratefully remember, since he is pleas'd so unmercifully to extol me before others as well as your self.
But I fear, thro' his excessive good Nature, he keeps no Measure with himself,
which I hinted before: For in such an Instance, a Man, tho' otherwise the discreetest Person breathing,
is guilty of a Fault; which, tho' pardonable, is yet a Fault, I mean,
to entertain a better Opinion of ones Friends than they can possibly deserve.
Epistle XII. To Catilius.
by
Mr. M.
[_]
Who had invited him to Supper.
I Will accept of your Invitation, but upon this Condition, that our Supper be early and moderate.
Let it only abound in polite Conversation, and in that too, let it not exceed Measure:
There will some Circumstances attend late Hours, that even Cato
could not fall under without Censure, whom yet Cæsar so reprehends as to applaud;
for he describes those that met him Drunk, blushing at the Sight, and adds,
you would have thought They, not Cato had been found in that Condition.
Could more Respect be shewn to Cato, than even in Drink to be so venerable?
But in our Entertainment, as in the Preparation and Expence, so in the time of our Stay,
let us be reasonable, for our Character is not so establish'd as to be Proof against Censure.
Epistle XIII. To Romanus.
by
Mr. Henley
AT your Request, I have sent you the Book, in which I made a Panegyrick on our most excellent Prince,
when Consul; and was determin'd to send it, tho' you had not requir'd it.
In the Work, I would have you consider, as the Beauty, so the Difficulty of the Subject:
For in other Matters, Novelty it self keeps the Reader, attentive; but in this all things are known and publick.
By which it happens, that the Reader easy and supine, is only mindful of the Elocution;
and that is harder to please when it is judg'd singly. I wish the Method,
the Transitions and Figures were view'd at the same time; for to invent noble,
and speak magnificently, is sometimes the Talent, even of a Barbarian;
but to dispose aptly, to figure variously, is deny'd to all but the
letter'd Part of Mankind. Nor indeed is the rais'd and the lofty to be always affected.
For as in Painting, nothing sets off the Light better than a Shade: so it is proper to let fall,
as well as to elevate the Expression in Writing: But why do I trouble one with this,
that is eminently learned? Rather let me remind you of one thing; Mark what you think is to be corrected;
for so I shall the better find that the rest is agreeable, when I know that some Passages are displeasing.
Epistle XIV. To Acilius.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
Two stories of a Gentleman at the Bath.
LArgius Macedo, that has past the Prætorship, has endur'd vile Treatment,
such as deserves a Notice beyond an Epistle, from his Servants. He was truly,
in other Regards, a proud and cruel Master; and one, who very little,
or not at all remembred that his Father was a Servant. He was using the Bath in his
Formian Villa; suddenly his Servants encompass him, they fall upon his Mouth,
his Face, his breast, his Belly, and what is most base and
shameful, the most sensible and conceal'd Parts: and when they took him to be breathless,
they fling him on the glowing Pavement, to try whether he was alive or no.
He, whether he really was, or only pretended to be, void of Sense, extended and Motionless,
made them believe he was dispatch'd; and then is carry'd out, as if only relax'd by the warmth of Bathing.
The more trusty Servants take him away; the Ladies he entertain'd flock'd together with all the Screaming and Cry imaginable.
Thus rais'd by the Voices about him, and refresh'd by the coolness of the Place,
his Eyes open, his Body moves, and he owns, as it was now free from Danger,
that he is one of the Living. The Slaves disperse themselves, a great Part of them are seiz'd,
and Search is made for the other. In a few Days, as his Spirit was very hardly supported,
he dy'd, not without a Comfort in the View of Revenge; which he, while living,
receiv'd as Men do that are kill'd. You see, to what Dangers, Affronts,
and Derision we are liable. Nor
has any a Reason to be secure, because he is careless and easy; for a Master is often murder'd by Villainy,
as well as a malicious Design. Well, so much for this. What News besides?
What? why none at all, otherwise I would give it to you. For my Paper allows me sufficient room,
and the Festival Season would give me Liberty to put more together. I will add however a thing that I now luckily remember,
about
this same
Macedo. As he was in the publick Bath at
Rome,
an odd Accident, and as the Event shew'd, an ominous one befell him: a
Roman Knight, admonish'd by his Servant to give him Passage, with a light touch of his Hand,
turn'd about, and gave, not the Man that touch'd him, but
Macedo
himself, so violent a Blow with his Fist, that he almost fell'd him. Thus the Bath was first a Place of Insult to him,
and then, as it were, by certain Degrees, of Destruction.
Epistle XV. To Proclus.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
YOU desire me to read your Performances in my Retirement, and examine whether they deserve a more publick Light;
you importune me to it, and alledge your Precedents for the Purpose. You ask me to cut off a Pittance of leisure Time from my own Studies,
and bestow it on yours. You add, that Tully encourag'd the Genius of Poets with an amazing good Nature:
But I am neither to be courted nor exhorted to it; for I have both a religious Veneration for Poetry it self,
and a
particular Respect for you: Therefore I will satisfy your Desire with equal Care and Inclination.
But I think I am now capable of answering, That it is fine Composition,
and not to be suppress'd, as far as I can reckon up the Part you recited before me,
if your Rehearsal did not impose upon me, for you read with the utmost Skill and Sweetness:
Yet I am confident, that I am not so charm'd by the Hearing, as to have all the Points of my Judgment broken off by the Allurements of it;
they may be turn'd a little, and blunted, but torn away and destroy'd they cannot be;
for this Reason, I do not at present rashly pronounce on the whole, but shall find by Observation what the Parts are,
in the Perusal.
Epistle XVI. To Nepos.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
Some rare Incidents of Arria and Pætus.
I Think I have observ'd, that in the Expressions and Actions of illustrious Men and Women,
some are more conspicuous, and others greater. My Opinion has been confirm'd by a Conversation yesterday with
Fannia: she is a Niece of Arria; her that was a
Relief and an Example to the Death of her Husband. She related a Variety of Things concerning her Aunt,
not inferiour to this Act, but more obscure; which I imagine will be as surprising to you,
while you read, as they were to me when I heard them.
Cæcinna Pætus, her Husband, was ill; her Son was in the same Extremity;
both, in all appearance, to a fatal Degree. The Son expir'd; a Youth he was of uncommon Beauty,
and equal Modesty; belov'd by his Parents on other Accounts, as well as the Tye of Blood.
She prepar'd his Funeral, and conducted his Obsequies in that manner,
that her Husband was a Stranger to them: Nay, as often as he enter'd his Apartment,
she feign'd that he was alive, and better; and often answer'd, when he enquir'd how the Boy did,
that he rested well, and took his Food readily. After, when her Tears long stifled,
grew too powerful, and broke out, she retir'd. Then she gave a loose to Sorrow.
Having eas'd her Grief, she return'd with dry Eyes, and a compos'd Look,
as if she had left her Loss behind her.
'Tis true, it was a glorious Deed of the same Woman, to draw the Sword,
pierce her Bosom; disengage the Blade, and reach it forth to her Husband;
add that immortal, and almost divine Voice, Pætus, it does not pain me.
But as she spoke and acted that Scene, Glory and Eternity were before her Eyes;
which sets it higher, without the Reward
of Eternity, without the Prize of Glory, to hide her Tears, to cover her Anguish,
and on the Fall of her Son, still to maintain the Character of a Mother.
Scribonian took up Arms against Claudius in Illyricum;
Pætus was of the Faction, and on the Death of Scribonian
(slain in Battle) was taken a Prisoner to Rome. As he went on Shipboard,
Arria beg'd of the Soldiers to be put on Board with him; for (says she) you will allow a Consular-Man a few under Servants to attend him at his Table and Dressing;
I alone will perform all those Offices. Her entreaty was not hear'd. She hired a small Fisher's Boat,
and followed the large Vessel with the smallest.
The same Arria, when the Wife of Scribonian, made a Discovery of the Conspirators,
said to her, Shall I hear you talking, in whose very Bosom your Husband was kill'd,
and yet you can bear to live? By which it is plain, that the Design of that honourable Fate was not sudden.
Besides this, when Thrasea, her Son-in-Law indeavour'd to divert that fatal Purpose,
and said among other things, Would you then oblige your Daughter, if I lay under a Necessity of Dying,
to take her Fate with me? She reply'd, If she should happen to live so long,
and Harmoniously with you, as I with Pætus; I would have it so.
By this Answer she heighten'd the Concern of her
Friends: She was watch'd more carefully; was sensible of it, and told them,
You do all to no Purpose; You may reduce me to dye Ill; to dye, you cannot debar me.
In the very Course of this Speaking she sprung out of her chair, and on a violent Push of her Head against the opposite Wall,
she fell. When she was something reviv'd, I told you, (she said) that I would find a Way to die,
however difficult, if you deny'd me an easier Passage. Do not you esteem these Attempts to be greater that that,
Pætus, it does not pain me: when at the same Time, this is spread by the loudest Fame,
those by none at all? From this you may collect, what I laid down at first That some Exploits are more renown'd,
others Nobler.
Epistle XVII. To Severian.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
On his Intermission of Writing.
IS all right, that your Letters have taken so long a Vacation? Or, is something amiss;
or are you too much engag'd; or perhaps you are not so busy: but you have seldom or never an Opportunity of Writing.
Ease me of this
Doubt, which I am not Casuist enough to discharge. Send an Express on purpose for it;
I will bear his travelling Charges, and give him a Reward over and above.
Only let him bring me the News I wish for. I my self am well, if a Man can be well who lives in Suspense and Anxiety,
hourly expecting and fearing, in behalf of his best lov'd Friend, all that can possibly arrive to human Nature.
Epistle XVIII. To Severus.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
MY Consular Office, enjoin'd me to pay a publick Compliment to the Emperor in the name of the Common-wealth;
which when I had perform'd in the Senate, according to Custom, and the Rule of the Time and Place,
I thought it most agreeable to a good Subject to cast the same Piece more amply and copiously into the Compass of a Volume.
First, that the peculiar Virtues of our Prince might receive a just Encomium;
and then, that future Monarchs should be inform'd, not as by a Master,
but a Pattern, what Path they
should follow to the same Glory. For to instruct a Prince what he ought to be,
is a great Attempt, but weighty, and almost assuming; but to applaud a good Ruler,
and by this hold out a Light to Posterity, as from a Tower, which they ought to observe,
is equally useful, without the Arrogance. But I took a particular Pleasure,
that when I was inclin'd to recite the Book to my Friends, not by Sections or distinct Pieces,
but (if it was commodious, and the Time was very free, as it seldom or never happen'd on either Side at
Rome to favour the hearing of a Rehearsall) on an Invitation they met for two Days,
tho' in the most forbidding Weather: And when my Modesty would have put and End to the Recital,
they desir'd me to add a third Day for it. Should I think this Honour is done to me,
or my Studies? I could rather wish it was a Deference paid to my Studies;
which, tho' almost extinguish'd, are again enliven'd. But to what Theme did they give this Assiduity?
Why, such a one as we were accustom'd to bear uneasily in Senate, even for a small Point of Time, where we were confin'd to suffer it;
the same is heard and recited for the Space of three Days together: Not that it is written more eloquently than before,
but more freely, and therefore more willingly. And the Praise of our Prince will receive this Addition,
that a Design, hitherto as odious as false, is now become both true and amiable.
But I was
extremely pleas'd with the Zeal and Judgment of the Audience: I remark'd,
that the gravest Passages created the highest Satisfaction. I recollect indeed,
that I recited to a few what I wrote to all; yet rejoice in this Severity of the Hearers,
as if the Sentence of all would be the same. And as formerly the Theatres did but ill instruct the Musicians in Singing,
so now I begin to hope it is possible the same theatres may reach a juster Skill in Musick:
For all who write to please, will pen what they find is pleasing. But I presume,
that in this kind of Matter there is room for a greater Latitude in Style,
when the close and the contracted Parts may seem rather to be forc'd in and affected,
than those that are written in a gayer and more luxuriant Manner. Yet my Wishes are not the less importunate,
that the Day may some time arrive, (Heaven grant it were already come) when these luscious and flattering Strokes of Writing may yield to the just Possession of
the grave and the severe. You have now a Journal of me for three Days.
In viewing of which, I was desirous you should taste an equal Pleasure in your Absence,
both on the account of my Studies, and my self, as you could entertain,
if present.
Epistle XIX. To Calvisius Rufus.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
He asks his Advice on a Purchase which he has in View.
I Call you to Council on a Family Affair, according to Custom. A Farm,
that borders upon my Estate, and partly runs into it, is to be sold. In this,
many things invite; and some, as considerably deter me. First, the very Beauty of a Conjunction takes me much;
then, that I may have a View of both under one, and at the same riding charge;
put them under the same Manager, and almost to the Care of the same Drovers;
inhabit and furnish one Country-House, and just keep the other. The Expence of Houshold Goods comes into this Reckoning;
of lodging Servants; of Gardeners to cut and dispose my Greens, of Workmen,
and even of Hunting Equipage; which, it is of Consequence to settle, whether you lay together in one Place,
or distribute in many. Then, on the other Hand, I am afraid it may be imprudent to expose to large a Concern to the same Turns of Season,
and the same Casualties: It
appears safer, to try the Hazard of Fortune in a Variety of Possessions.
there is also much Delight in the Change of Air and Soil, and the very Journey that a Man must make between them.
Now (which is the Head of our Debate) the Grounds are well condition'd,
fruitful, and well-water'd: They consist of Level Fields, Vineyards, Woods,
that afford Materials and a Produce from them, that is moderate, but constant.
But this Felicity of the Land is quite spoil'd by poor Tenants. For the former in Possession often fells the Articles that should be left by way of Earnest;
and while he abates on the other Dues of the Husbandmen for his Time,
he disables them from improving the Ground for the next; by which Default other Inconveniecies have been have been encreas'd.
Therefore a good Number of careful servants is to be provided: I have none at present in my Command,
nor is any remaining there. That you may know what may be imagin'd the Price of them,
it is about three hundred thousand Sesterces; not that sometimes they have not been at Five hundred; yet, in this Want of Labouring Hands,
and the Common Iniquity of the Time, the Rent of Grounds, and the Purchase,
by Consequence is lessened. Do you enquire, whether I can easily raise this Three hundred Thousand?
Indeed my Cash is almost entirely upon my Grounds, yet some is at Interest,
and I shall not think it a Trouble to
borrow. I will take up some Money of my Wife's Mother, whose Purse is as free to me as my own.
So that you are not to be concern'd about this, if other Points do not interfere;
which I would have you weigh with the utmost Attention. For you are Master of great Experience and Foresight in all Things and particularly in the Oeconomy of your Fortune.
Epistle XX. To Maximus.
by
the Same. [Mr. Henley]
[_]
On the Behaviour of the Senate in Voting.
DO you not remember that you have often read what Disputes were rais'd by the Law of Balloting?
And what glory or Reproach it brought upon him that made it? Yet now,
it has pleas'd, as the most perfect way in the Senate, without any Contradiction.
On the Election Day they all demanded the Tables. Indeed, in those plain and open votes we exceeded the utmost Liberty of publick Assemblies.
No Time of speaking, no Bound of Silence, no Dignity of Order was preserv'd.
The Clamours on every Side were loud and jarring: All rush'd forth with their
Candidates: There were many Crowds in the Middle; many Rings of People,
and an indecent Confusion; so far had we funk from the Usage of our Ancestors;
among whom all things were regular, moderate, calm, and maintain'd the Grandeur and Solemnity of the Place.
There are old Men alive, that speak much of this Order of the Assemblies.
When the Name of a Candidate was call'd over, there was a profound Silence.
He spoke for himself in Person, explain'd his Life, produc'd his vouchers and Hands to recommend him,
either an Officer he serv'd under in War, or one to whom he was Questor;
or if possible, both of them. To these he added some of his voting Friends;
they spoke gravely and concisely: This was more useful than Petitions.
Sometimes a Candidate objected to the Birth-place, Age or Morals of a Competitor.
The Senate gave the Audience with a Censorian Gravity; so that the worthy prevail'd more often than the Favourite.
But this is now computed by the Extravagance of Favour, and is fallen to the silent
manner of Voting as if it were a better Expedient. And in the mean Time it was plainly a kind of Remedy;
for it was new and sudden. But I am in fear, that in process of Time,
some Evils may grow out of this Remedy it self. For there is Danger, that a Contempt of Reputation may creep into this silent Method of Voting.
For what Man of a Thousand has secretly the same
Care of his Integrity as openly? Many revere their Fame, but few are in awe of Conscience.
However, I presage too hastily of the future; and in the mean Time, by the Benefit of these Tables,
we will have those Officers, that ought principally to be chosen. For,
as it is in Actions of Recovery, so in these Assemblies, we have been impartial Judges,
because we have been seiz'd unawares. I write this to you, first to inform you of something new;
next, to take now and then an Occasion to talk of the Government; a Subject that ought the less to be omitted,
as we have more rarely an Opportunity to speak of it, than was enjoy'd by the Antients.
And, in the Name of Dullness, how long shall we repeat those vulgar Sounds;
So, Friend! how do you do? How fares your Body? Our Letters ought also to bear something that is not mean and groveling,
and confin'd to private Affairs. All indeed is under the Direction of one,
who has singly undertaken the Cares and Fatigues of every Man
for the common Safety. Yet some Rivulets descend from that kind Fountain, by a certain agreeable Temper of publick Management,
even to us; which we are free to draw our selves, and serve to our absent Friends in an epistolary Correspondence.
Epistle XXI. To Priscus.
by
Mr. — —
[_]
On the character of Martial.
I Hear Valerius Martial is dead, and take it much to Heart. He was a Man of Wit and parts,
of a sharp and poignant turn of Thought; there was a good deal of Salt and Gaul in Writings,
and as much Candour and Ingenuity.
I made him a Present at our Parting. That Compliment I paid to our Friendship,
as well as to the Honour I ow'd him for the Verses he compos'd on me.
He was one of the old Stamp, ready at praising or rewarding those who had written Panegyricks on particular Men,
or Cities — a Faculty, that with some others of equal Worth and Honour,
is quite our of Fashion in our Days.
For since we have left off doing Actions worthy of Praise, we wisely conclude Praise to be highly impertinent.
You may, perhaps, ask what were the Verses that I thank'd him for? I would refer you to the Book it self,
only I happen to remember some of them. If you like these, they will engage you to look out the rest.
He addresses himself to the Muse to make a Visit to my House in the Esquiliæ,
and orders her to do it with a great deal of Deference and good Manners.
But O, take Heed my gentle Muse,
That you a happy Minute chuse,
And unoppress'd by Bacchus Weight,
Affront not Pliny's learned Gate.
For he gives all his studious Days,
To sullen Philosophic Lays;
And fond of pleasing listning Rome
Both in this Age, and all to come,
Composes Books in such a Vein,
As dare to vie with Tully's strain;
Better to go (by Martial's Warning)
At the late Lamp or early Morning;
Your Hour is when the Bottle passes,
When all's Perfume, and Noise, and Glasses,
Then is the Moment when they need me,
Then let their very Cato's read me.
Was I in the right in parting in the most indearing manner with a Man who wrote this of me,
and whom I now bewail as dearly?
He gave me all in his Power, and would have given me more, had he more to give.
Tho' between Friends, what greater Gift can be bestowed than Praise, Honour and Eternity.
But it may be objected his Writings will not be eternal, perhaps not,
but he wrote them as if they were to be so. Adieu.
