For what cou'd Nero's felf have acted worse,
To aggravate the wretched Nation's Curfe?
These are the bleft Endowments, Studies, Arts,
Which exercife our mighty Emperor's Parts:
Such Frolicks with his Roving Genius fuit,
On 33 Foreign Theatres to prostitute

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 Domitiï's Statues shall be laid,

The Habit and the Mask in which you play'd
Antigone's, or bold Thyeffes' Part,

(While your wild Nature little wanted Art)
And on the Marble Pillar fhall be hung
The Lute to which the Royal Madman Sung.
Who, 36 Catiline, can boast a nobler Line,
Than thy lewd Friend Cethegus his, and thine?
Yet you took Arms, and did by Night confpire
To fet our Houses and our Gods on Fire:
(An Enterprise which might indeed become
Our Enemies, the Gauls, not Sons of Rome,

36 Catiline's Confpiraey is a Story too well known to be infifted on: He was of a Noble Family, but by his Extravagancies had reduced himself to great Want, which engaged him in bad Practices. The Roman Armies were then pursuing Conquefts in remoreProvinces, which Catiline judg'd the moft seasonableOpportunity for un

dertaking fome defperate Defign: He therefore entred into aConfpiracy with Cethegus, Lentulus, and other Senators, and Persons confiderable by their Births and Employments, to make themselves abfolure Mafters of theirCountry,byfeizing the Senate, plundering the Treasury, and burning theCity.

Το

whofe Barbarous Intent

:

To recompence
Pitch'd Shirts wou'd be too mild a Punishment)
But 38 Tully, our wife Conful, watch'd the Blow,
With Care discover'd, and difarm'd the Foe:
Tully, the humble Mushroom, fcarcely 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 share to every Ward,

37 Incendiaries by theRoman Law were wrapt in a Pitch'd Coat (which they call'd Tunica Molefta) and Burnt alive: As we fee by Tacitus, Ann. Sect. 44. Where Nero after having fet Rome on Fire, lays the Blame and Punishment upon the Chriftians, by ordering them, with a Cruel Jeft, to be Light up, and ferve as Torches, when it was dark.

38 One Fulvia (whom Livy calls a Common Whore, tho' Plutarch makes her pass for a Lady of Quality) came to have fome knowledge of this Enterprize, and discover'd it to Cicero, (a Perfon whom Paterculus elegantly calls Virum Novitatis Nobiliffima; fince he was a Man of mean Paren

tage born at Arpinum, an inconfiderable Town among the Volfcians, but by his Eloquence rais'd himself to the chief Dignities of State, and happened to be Conful at that

time) who affembled the Senate, and by a fevere Oration accused and convicted Catiline : However he, with a few of his Party, found means to make his Efcape towards Tuscany, and put himself at the Head of fome Troops which Manlius had got together in those Parts, threatning publickly that he wou'd put out the Fire of the City by the Ruins of it. In the mean time Cethegus, Lentulus, and feveral other Complices, were feized and ftrangled in Prifon by order of the Senate, at Cato's Perfuafion: And Caius Antonius Nepos, who was joint Conful with Tully, march'd with what Forces he could raise against Catiline, who in a fharp Battel was kill'd upon the Spot, with moft of his Followers, and (as Paterculus obferves) Quem Spiritum fupplicio debuerat, pralio reddidit.

And by the peaceful Robe got more Renown
Within our Walls, than Young Octavius won
By 39 Victories at Actium, or the Plain
Of Theffaly 4° discolour'd by the Slain :
Him therefore Rome in gratitude decreed
The Father of his Country, which he freed.
Marius 41 (another Conful we admire)
In the fame Village born, first Plow'd for Hire
His next Advance was to the Soldier's Trade,
Where, if he did not nimbly ply the Spade,
His Surly Officer ne'er fail'd to crack
His Knotty Cudgel on his tougher Back.
Yet he alone fecur'd the tott'ring State,
Withstood the Cimbrians, and redeem'd our Fate :
So when the Eagles to their Quarry flew
(Who never fuch a Goodly Banquet knew)
Only a fecond Laurel did adorn

His Collegue Catulus, tho' Nobly Born;
He fhar'd the Pride of the Triumphal Bay,
But Marius won the Glory of the Day.

39 A Promontory of Epirus, near the Inland Leucas, where Antony and Cleopatra were ruin'd by a Famous Sea Fight.

40 The Fields near Philippi in Theffaly, where Brutus and Caffius were defeated.

41 Caius Marius, was likewife born at Arpinum, and of fuch poor Parents, that he was firft a Plowman, then a Common Soldier, yet at laft by his Merit arrived to the higheft Employments. Once while he was Conful (for that Honour was feven times conferr'd

on him) the Cimbrians attempred to make an Excurfion into Italy: But he kill'd 140000 of them, and made 60000 Prifoners: For which Victory a Triumph was ordain'd him by the Senate; but to decline the Envy which might be rais'd by his good Fortune. he folicited that 2. Lutatius Catulus, his Collegue, who was of a Noble. Family, might be permitted to Triumph with him, tho' he had no share in the Action,

From

From 42 a mean Stock the Pious Decii came;
Small their Eftates, and Vulgar was their Name;
Yet fuch their Virtues, that their Lofs alone
· For Rome and all our Legions did Atone;
Their Country's Doom they by their own retriev'd,
Themselves more worth than all the Hoft they fav'd.
The 43 laft good King whom willing Rome obey'd,
Was the poor Offspring of a Captive Maid;
Yet he thofe Robes of Empire justly bore
Which Romulus, our facred Founder, wore:

Nicely

killed, and the Roman Army gain'd the Battel. His Son Died in the fame manner in the Wars against the Gauls, and the Romans likewise obtain'd the Victory.

43 Servius Tullius was Son to Oriculana, whom Juvenal calls a Serving-Maid, but Livy fuppofes her to have been Wife to a Prince of Cornicu

42 Among the Romans there | was a Superftition, that if their General would confent to be Devoted, 01 Sacrificed to Jupiter, Mars, the Earth, and the Infernal Gods, all the Misfortunes which otherwife might have happened to his Party, would by his Death be tranfferred on their Enemies. This Opinion was confirmed by feveral successful Inftances, par-lum, who was kill'd at the ticularly two, in the Perfons of the Decii, the Father and Son here mentioned. The firft being Conful with Manlius in the Wars against the Latins | and perceiving the Left Wing, which he commanded, give back, he called out to Valerius the High Prieft to perform on him the Ceremony of Confecration, (which we find defcrib'd by Livy in his 8thBook) and immediately fpurr'd his Horfe into the thickest of his Enemies Forces, where he was

taking of the Town, and his Wife was carried away Captive by Tarquinius Prifcus, and prefented as a Slave to his Wife Tanaquil, in whofe Service he was delivered of this Tullius. The Family had a great Refpect for the Child, because of a Lambent Fire they obferved to play about his Head while he slept, which was interpreted as an Omen of his future Greatness; therefore Care was taken of his Education, and at last he was G 4

Con

1

Nicely he gain'd, and well poffeft 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 quell'd, And with him Luft and Tyranny expell'd;

The Conful's Sons (who for their Country's Good,
And to inhance the Honour of their Blood,
Shou'd have afferted what their 46 Father won;
And, to confirm that Liberty, have done

Actions which + Cocles might have wish'd his own;
What might to 48 Mutius wonderful appear;
And what bold +9 Clelia might with envy hear)
Open'd the Gates, endeavouring to restore
Their banish'd King, and arbitrary Power.
Whilft a poor so Slave, with scarce a Name, betray'd
The horrid Ills thefe well born Rogues had laid;
Who therefore for their Treason juftly bore
The Rods and Ax, ne'er us'd in Rome before.
If you have Strength Achilles' Arms to bear,
And Courage to 'uftain a Ten Years War;
Tho' foul Therfites got thee, thou shalt be
More lov'd by all, and more efteem'd by me,
Than if by Chance you from fome Heroe came,
In nothing like your Father but his Name.

}

Boaft then your Blood, and your long Lineage stretch
As high as Rome, and its great Founders reach ;
You'll find, in these Hereditary Tales,

Your Ancestors the 52 Scum of broken Jayles:
And 3 Romulus, your Honour's ancient Source,
But a poor Shepherd's Boy, or fomething worse,

Contracted to the King's
Daughter: Whereupon Ancus
Martius bis two Sons (who were
the true Heirs of the Crown)

fearing his Marriage might hinder their Succeffion, hired two Shepherds to affaffinate Tarquinius, which they under

took,