CHAP. IX.

[321]diventáre

[322]sprezzábile

[323]scelleratézza

[324]abbandonáto

[325]cercáto

[326]castigáto

[327]eseguíre

[328]carnéfice

[329]uffício

[330]regno

[331]C. Giúlio Vindíce

[332]propretóre

[333]apertaménte

[334]ribellársi

[335]persuadére

[336]governatóre

[337]farsi

[338]méttere

[339]vécchio

[340]adottáto

[341]proclamáto

[342]confidársi

[343]legióne

[344]comandáre

[345]qualità

[346]consoláre

[347]luogotenénte

[348]préndere

[349]nome

[350]sconfíggere

[351]combattiménto

[352]Bebríaco

[353]stanco

[354]succedúto

[355]mandáto

[356]reprímere

[357]Giudéo

[358]giustízia

[359]cleménza

[360]promotóre

[361]sciénza

[362]sapiénte

[363]biasimáto

[364]cupidígia

[365]scusáre

[366]allegáre

[367]povertà

[368]erário

[369]Giudéa

[370]termináto

[371]già

[372]detto

[373]principiáto

[374]sedizióso

[375]gente

[376]comandáto

[377]gran sacerdóte

[378]prendere

[379]pretésto

[380]religióne

[381]luogotenénte

[382]assediáre

[383]Gierusalémme

[384]rispínto

[385]stráge

[386]vincitóre

[387]ritórno

[388]scégliere

[389]Giuséppe

[390]Máttia

[391]portáre

[392]pigliáre

[393]comandánte

[394]prédire

[395]elevazióne

[396]gettársi

[397]metrópoli

[398]nazióne

[399]cagionáre

[400]rovína

[401]calamità

[402]violento

[403]miséria

[404]soffríre

[405]differénte

[406]visíbile

[407]puníto

[408]orréndo

[409]omicídio

[410]unigénito

[411]terríbile

[412]fame

[413]forzáre

[414]assediáto

[415]vívere

[416]carne

[417]mangiáre

[418]persóna

[419]sentíto

[420]períre

[421]assédio

[422]finalménte

[423]spianáto

[424]trionfáre

[425]chiúdere

[426]témpio

[427]Giáno

[428]moríre

[429]consoláto

[430]dare

[431]udiénza

[432]ambasciadóre

[433]succédere

[434]meritaménte

[435]annoveráto

[436]imperatóre

[437]arriváre

[438]império

[439]credúto

[440]natúra

[441]aváro

[442]sensuále

[443]avanzaménto

[444]cambiáto

[445]meritáre

[446]títolo

[447]delízia

[448]génere umáno

[449]notábile

[450]benignità

[451]piacevolézza

[452]rimandare

[453]malconténto

[454]ricordársi

[455]cena

[456]fatto

[457]benefício

[458]perdúto

[459]spaventévole

[460]eruzione

[461]fiámma

[462]cénere

[463]Monte Vesúvio

[464]spargersi

[465]Ercoláno

[466]affátto

[467]distrútto

[468]succedúto

[469]età

[470]sospétto

[471]avvelenáto

[472]fratéllo

[473]compianto

[474]afflizióne

[475]accresciúto

[476]successóre

[477]precedere

[478]seguíre

[479]mostra

[480]cleménza

[481]giustízia

[482]scopríre

[483]natúra

[484]imitáre

[485]crudeltà

[486]rapína

[487]lussúria

[488]farsi

[489]chiamáre

[490]uccíso

[491]cospirazióne

(Of Rome, 836—Of Christ, 96.)

[1]Cocceius Nerva succeeded Domitian in the empire. He reigned but one year, four months, and eleven days; an[2]excellent prince, but[3]despised for his age. He[4]annulled all the[5]acts of Domitian, and[6]restored what had been[7]taken from the people by[8]violence and[9]injustice: but he[10]wanted[11]authority to[12]keep the soldiers within[13]due bounds; wherefore those who were[14]concerned in the death of Domitian, from whom he had[15]received the empire, were[16]killed by the[17]guards,[18]in spite of all he could do to[19]prevent it. He made Trajan,[20]lieutenant of Germany, his[21]adopted son, with whom he lived three months.

Trajan[22]took upon him the[23]government of the empire at[24]Cologn, being then in the 42nd year of his age; and a man[25]excellently[26]skilled in the[27]military art. He was likewise a person of great prudence,[28]moderation, and[29]meekness of[30]temper; so that he was thought by all to[31]deserve the[32]surnameof[33]Optimus. He[34]added Dacia to the empire, and,[35]marching into the[36]East,[37]subdued the[38]Armenians, the[39]Iberians, the[40]Colchians, the[41]Sarmatians, the[42]Osrhoenians, the[43]Arabians, and the[44]Bosphoranians. He likewise[45]fell upon the Parthians, and[46]took the cities Seleucia,[47]Ctesiphon, and[48]Babylon, with several others. But upon his[49]taking a voyage in the[50]Red Sea, almost all those nations[51]rose in rebellion. He, however,[52]quickly[53]reduced them either in person or by his[54]lieutenants. There was in his time a great[55]earthquake, which[56]ruined the city of[57]Antioch: it[58]happened in the year of Christ 115, in the[59]consulship of Messala and Pedo, the latter of whom was[60]buried in the[61]ruins of the[62]place, and Trajan was[63]drawn through a[64]window, and had[65]much ado to[66]escape. The Jews of[67]Syrene[68]took up arms, and[69]exercised all manner of[70]cruelty upon the Romans and Greeks throughout[71]Egypt and[72]Cyprus. Trajan[73]suppressed this rebellion with infinite[74]slaughter, by his lieutenant Martius Turbo.[75]Whilst he was[76]preparing to march against the Parthians, who were up in arms, having[77]forced from amongst them the king that had been[78]given them by the Roman emperor; this excellent prince[79]fell ill, and[80]died at[81]Selinus in Cilicia. Hereigned nineteen years, six months, and fifteen days.

[82]Ælius Hadrianus, Trajan’s[83]cousin and[84]countryman,[85]obtained the empire after him, by the[86]favour of Plotina, Trajan’s wife; a man very[87]fickle in his[88]temper and[89]genius,[90]equally[91]formed for virtue and[92]vice. He[93]went through all the[94]provinces of the empire, so that nobody had ever[95]travelled over so much of the[96]world as he. After the death of Trajan, he[97]abandoned Armenia, Syria, and Mesopotamia, to the Parthians, and[98]intended likewise to[99]leave Dacia, had he not been[100]apprehensive of[101]ruining the many thousands of Romans that were there.

He[102]rebuilt Jerusalem, which he[103]called Ælia Capitolina, and[104]settled a colony there; and in the same place where the[105]temple had[106]stood,[107]built another in[108]honour of[109]Jupiter; which so[110]provoked the Jews, that,[111]taking up arms, they[112]carried on the war with more[113]fury than ever, under the[114]conduct of Barchochebas; against whom, amongst other[115]skilful generals that he[116]employed, Hadrian[117]sent for Julius Severus out of[118]Britain, by whom the Jews were by[119]degrees[120]suppressed and utterly[121]destroyed; there being no less than 50,000 slain in that war, besides an[122]innumerable[123]multitude that were[124]consumed by[125]famine,[126]pestilence,and[127]fire; so that[128]Palestine became almost a[129]wilderness. After that time, the Jews were[130]forbidden,[131]under pain of death, to come to Jerusalem, unless one day in a year to[132]lament their[133]misery.

At last Hadrian[134]growing old and[135]infirm, having no[136]children of his own,[137]adopted[138]Arrius Antoninus, who was afterwards[139]surnamed[140]Pius,[141]upon condition that he should adopt Annius Verus, son of Ælius Verus, and[142]M. Aurelius Antoninus. After which he died at Baiæ, in the year of Christ 138, having lived sixty-two years, and reigned twenty-one and eleven months.

Antoninus Pius, adopted by Hadrian,[143]governed the Roman empire with so much virtue and[144]goodness, that he[145]surpassed all[146]example; for he[147]managed the[148]commonwealth rather with the[149]affection of a father, than with the authority of a prince, and[150]kept the world in[151]peace during his whole reign, for which[152]reason he was[153]compared to Numa.[154]Foreign and[155]remote princes and[156]nations[157]feared him to that degree, that they[158]referred the[159]decision of their[160]controversies to him. He[161]forbade any[162]scrutiny to be made after those, who had[163]entered into a[164]plot against his[165]life. He died in the seventieth year of his age, and twenty-fourth of his reign.

After him reigned M. Antonius Verus,[166]son-in-law of Pius; for he had married his daughter Valeria Faustina. He had from[167]his youth been[168]educated as well in the[169]knowledge of other[170]arts as the[171]studies of[172]wisdom, which he[173]made appear no less in his life and[174]conduct, than his[175]words and[176]professions. In the[177]beginning of his reign, he made L. Ælius Verus his[178]partner of the empire, to whom he married his daughter Lucilla. They reigned together eleven years, being of very[179]different[180]inclinations; for Verus was of a[181]listless,[182]luxurious, and[183]morose temper, but was[184]kept within[185]bounds through the[186]respect he had for his father-in-law; by whom he was[187]sent against the Parthians, and[188]carried on the war[189]successfully for four years, by his lieutenants; wherefore they both[190]triumphed over the Parthians. Afterwards they[191]undertook an[192]expedition against the Marcomanni, but upon their[193]march, Verus was[194]seized with an[195]apoplexy, between Concordia and[196]Altinum, and died. M. Aurelius carried on the war for three years against the Marcomanni, to whom the Quadi,[197]Vandals,[198]Sarmatians, and Suevi,[199]joined themselves. His army in[200]want[201]of water, was[202]relieved by a[203]legion of[204]Christians that was in it, who, by their[205]prayers[206]procured[207]rain from[208]heaven, according to[209]Eusebius. The[210]exchequer being quite[211]exhausted by the great[212]expense of the war, that he might not[213]burthen the people with[214]taxes, he[215]produced all the imperial[216]furniture and[217]sold it; and after the victory[218]restored the[219]price to those[220]purchasers who[221]were willing to[222]part with what they had[223]bought. Avidius Cassius, upon[224]false advice that he was[225]dead,[226]seized the[227]government, and was slain three months after. M. Aurelius died at Vienna, after a reign of nineteen years, and eleven months.

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