For what cou'd Nero's self have acted worse,
To aggravate the wretched Nation's Curse?

These are the blest Endowments, Studies, Arts,
Which exercise our mighty Emperor's Parts:
Such Frolicks with bis Roving Genius fuit,
On 33 Foreign Theatres to profitute
His Voice and Honour, for the

poor

Renown
Of putting all the Grecian Actors down,
And winning at a Wake their Parsley-Crown.
Let 33 this Triumphal Chaplet find fome Place
Among the other Trophies of thy Race;
By thee Domitii's Statues shall be laid,
The Habit and the Mask in which you play'd
Antigone's, or bold Thyeftes' Part,
(While your wild Nature little wanted Art)
And on the Marble Pillar Mall be hung
The Lute to which the Royal Madman Sung.

Who, 36 Catiline, can boast á nobler Line,
Than thy lewd Friend Cethegus his, and thine?
Yet you took Arms, and did by Night conspire
To set our Houses and our Gods on Fire:
(Aa Enterprise which might indeed become
Our Enemies, the Garls, not Sons of Rome,

36 Catiline's Conspiracy is dertaking some desperate De a Story too well known to be fign: He therefore entred into infifted on: Hewas of a Noble a Conspiracy with Cethegus, len Family, but by kis Extrava. sulos, and other Senators, and gancies had reduced himself to Persons confiderable by their great Want, which engaged Births and Employments, to him in bad Pra&ices. The Re- make themselves absolute Ma. tran Armies were then pursuing Aers of their Country, by seizing Conquests in remote Provincess, the Senate, plundering the which Cariline judg'd the most Treasury, and burning the Ciry. Teasonable Opportunity for wa

TO

To recompenee whose Barbarous lotent
Pitch'd 37 Shirts wou'd be too mild a Punishment)
But 38 Tully, our wise Consul, watch'd the Blow,
With Care discover'd, and disarm'd the Foe:
Tully, the humble Mushroom, scarcely known:
The lowly Native of a Country Town,
(Who till of late cou'd never reach the height
Of being honour'd as a Roman Knight)
Throughout the trembling City plac'd a Guard,
Dealing an equal fhare to every Ward,

37 Incendiaries by the Romantime) who assembled the seLaw were wrap, in a Pitch'd nace, and by a severe Oration Coat (which they cail'd Tunica accused and convi&ed Catiline : Molefta) and Burnt alive; As However he, with a few of his we see by Tacitus Ann. Se&.44. Party, found means to make Where Nero after having set his Escape towards Tuscany, Rome on Fire, lays the Blame and put himself at the Head. and Punishment on the Chri- of some Troops which Manhians, by ordering them, with lius had got together in those a Cruel Jef, to be Light up, Parts, threatning publickly and serve as Torches, when it that he wou'd put out the Fire was dark.

of the City by the Ruins of 38 One Fulvia (whom Livy ic. In the mean time Cethegus, calls a Common Whore, tho' Lentulus, and several other

Plutarch makes her pass for a complices, were seized and į Lady of Quality) came to have frangled in Prison by order

fame knowledge of this En. of the Senate, at Cato's Pera resprize, and discover'd it 10 Luasion : And Caius Antoniks Cicero, (a Person whom Pater. Nepos, who was joint Consul culus elegantly calls. Virum No- with Tully, marched with what vitatis Nobilissima; since he Forces he could raise against was a Man of mean Paren Catiline, who in a Mharp Battage bom at Arpinum, an in- tel was kill'd upon the spot, conliderable Town among with moft of his Followers, the Volscians, but by his Elo- and (as Paterculus observes) qucace rais'd himself to the Quem fpiritum fupplicio debuia chief Dignities of State, and erat, pralio reddidit. happened to be Conful at that

1

And

And by the peaceful Robe got more Renown
Within our Walls, than Young Odavius won
By 3) Victories at Adium, or the Plain
Of Theffaly 40 discolour'd by the Slain:
Him thereføre Rome in gratitude decrced
The Fa: her of his Country, which he freed.

Marius 41 (another Consul we admire)
In the fame Village born, first Plow'd for Hire;
His next Advance was to the Soldiers Trade,
Where, if he did not nimbly ply the Spade,
His Surly Officer ne'er fails to crack
His Knotty Cudgel on bis tougher Back.
Yet he alone fecur'd the tote’ring State,
Withstood the Cimbrians, and redeemi'd our Fate;
So when the Eagles to their Quarry flew
(who never such a Goodly Banquet kaew)
Only a second Laurel did adorn
His Collegue Catulus, tho' Nobly Born;
He shar'd the Pride of the Triumphal Bay,
But Marius won the Glory of the Day.

39 A Promontory of Epirus, on him) the Cimbrians attempnear the inand Leucas, where ted to make an Excursion into Antony and Cleopatra were Italy: But he kill'd 140000 of ruin'd by a Famous Sea Fight. of them, and made 60000 Prie

40 The Fields near Philippi roners: For which Vi&ory a in Thefaly, were Brutus and Triumph was ordain'd him by Caffius were defeated. the Senate; but to decline

41 Caius Marius, was like the Envy which mighé be wise born at Arpin um, and of rais'd by his good fortune, fuch poor Parents, that he was he follicited that 2. Luitarius firft a Plowman, then a Com Catulus, his Collegue, who was mon Soldier, yet at last by of a Noble Family, might be his Merit arrived to the high- permitted to Triumph with ef Employments. Once while him, tho' he had no Marc in he was Conful (for that Ho- the action. bour was seven timnes conferid

From

From 42 a mean Stock the Pious Decii came;
Small their E tates, and Vulgar was their Name;
Yet such their Virtues, that their Loss alone
For Rome and all our Legions did Attone;
Their Country's Doom, they by their own retriev'd,
Themselves more worth than all the Host they fav’d.
The 43 laft good King whom willing Rome obey'd,
Was the poor Offspring of a Captive Maid;
Yet he those Robes of Empire juftly bore
Which Romulus, our facred Founder, wore:

Nicely

42 Among the Romans there killed, and the Roman Army was a Superstition, that if their gain'd the Battel. His son General would consent tobe Died in the same manner in Devoted, or Sacrificed to Jupiter, the Wars againft the Gauls, Mars, the Earth, and the In- and the Romans likewise obfernal Gods, ali the Misfor- tain'd the Victory. tunes which otherwise might 43 Servius Tullius was Son. bave happened to his Party, to Oriculans, whom Juvenal would by his Death be trans- calls a Serving-Maid, bur Livy ferred on their Enemies. This supposes her to have been Opinion was confirmed by se- wife to a Priuce of Corniche veral successful Ioftances, par- lum, who was kill'd at the ticularly two, in the Persons taking of the Town, and his of the Decii, the Father and wife was carried away Capo 'Son here mentioned. The first tive by Tarquinus Priscu!, and being Consul with Manlius in presented as a slave to his the Wars against the Latins, Wife Tanaquil, in whose Serand perceiving the Left Wing, vice she was delivered of this which he Commanded, give Tullius. The Family had a back, he called out to Vale- great Respect for the Child, rius the High Priest to perform because of a Lambent Fire on him the Ceremony of Con- they observed to play about secration, (which we find de- his Head while he Nept, which ferib'd by Livy in his 8th Book) was interpreted as an Omen and immediately fpurr'd his of his future Greatness; thereHorfe into the thickest of his fore Care was taken of his Enemies Forces, where he was / Education, and at last he was

COS

}

}

Nicely he gain'd, and well pofleft the Throne,
Not for his Father's Merit, but his own,
And reign'd, himself a family alone.

When 44 Tarquin, his proud Succeffor, was quelld,
And with him Lul and Tyranny expelld;
The Conful's 45 Sons (who for their Country's Good,
And to inhaunce the Honour of their Blood,
Shou'd have asserted what their 46 Father won;
And, to confirm that Liberty, have done
A&tions which 47 Cocles might have wish'd his own ;
What might to 48 Mutius wonderful appear;
And what bold 49 Clelia might with Envy hear)
Open'd the Gates, endeavouring to restore
Their banith'd King, and arbitrary Power.
Whilft a poor so Slave, with fcarce a Name, betray'd:
The horrid Ills these well-born Rogues had laid
Who therefore for their Treason juftly bore
The Rods and Ax, ne'er us'd in Rome before.
IE

you have Strength Achilles' Arms to bear,
And Courage to sustain a Ten Years War;
Tho' foul s1 Therfites got thee, thou fhalt bc"
More loved by all, and more esteem'd by me,
Than if by Chance you from some Hero came,
In nothing like your Father but his Name.

Boast then your Blood, and your long Lineage Atretci
As high as Rome, and its great Founders reach;
You'll find, in these Hereditary Tales,.
Your Ancestors the s2 Scum of brokca Jayles:
And 53 Romulus, your Honour's ancient Source,
But a poor Shepherd's Boy, or fomething worse,

Contraded to the King's fearing his Marriage might Daughter : Whereupon Ancus "hinder their Succelion, hired Martius his two Sons (who were two Shepherds to affaslinate the true Heirs of As Crown) | Tarquinins, which they under

look,