flew open the tribune stood in silence before her; but the freedman upbraided her with many and insolent reproaches, characteristic of the slave. 38. Then for the first time she became deeply sensible of her condition, and laying hold of the steel, applied it first to her throat, then to her breast, with trembling and irresolute hand, when the tribune ran her through. Her corpse was granted to her mother. Tidings were then carried to Claudius "that Messalina was no more;" without distinguishing whether by her own or another's hand; neither did he inquire; but called for a cup of wine, and proceeded in the usual ceremonies of the feast: nor did he, indeed, during the following days, manifest any symptom of disgust or joy, of resentment or sorrow, nor, in short, of any human affection; not when he beheld the accusers of his wife exulting at her death; not when he looked upon her mourning children. The senate aided in effacing her from his memory, by decreeing "that from all public and private places her name should be razed, and her images removed." To Narcissus were decreed the decorations of the quæstorship; a very small reward indeed, considering his towering elevation; for he was more influential than Pallas and Callistus.1 BOOK XII. 1. UPON the death of Messalina, the imperial palace was torn with a contest among the freedmen. The question was, which of them should choose a wife for Claudius; who was impatient of a single life, and submitted to be ruled by the partners of his bed. Nor were the ladies animated by an emulation less ardent, each maintaining her superiority in rank, beauty, and wealth, and displaying her pretensions to 1 Claudius contracted an incestuous marriage with the daughter of his brother Germanicus; Agrippina destroyed the emperor's son Britannicus, and afterward dispatched Claudius himself, to open the road to empire for her son Nero, who, it is well known, was guilty of parricide; and Narcissus, the favorite freedman, ended his days in a dungeon. Annals, book xiii. 1. c. 3.] AGRIPPINA CHOSEN EMPRESS. 273 the exalted connection. But the competition lay principally between Lollia Paullina, daughter of Marcus Lollius, a man of consular rank, and Julia Agrippina, daughter of Germanicus; the latter supported by the interest of Pallas, the other by that of Callistus. But Ælia Petina, of the Tuberonian family, had the countenance of Narcissus. Claudius, who was sometimes hot upon one, at other times upon another, according as he was persuaded by his several advisers, summoned his discordant counselors to deliberate on the point, desiring them to deliver their opinions and support them by arguments.1 2. Narcissus recommended "his former wife Petina, by whom he had a daughter (for Antonia was her daughter), and argued that by resuming his old connection, he would introduce into his family no innovation; but a woman who would never exhibit the spirit of a step-mother toward Britannicus and Octavia, as they were closely allied to her own children." Callistus urged "that she had been long divorced, in consequence of the emperor's disapprobation of her, and if she were taken back again, that very circumstance would inflame her pride: Lollia would be a much more eligible match; who, having no issue of her own, was free from every motive of emulation, but would treat her step-children with the tenderness of a parent." Pallas chiefly recommended Agrippina from the consideration, "that she would bring with her the grandson of Germanicus, who was in every view worthy of the imperial fortune: herself of noble descent, and a fit bond of union to the posterity of the Claudian family, provision ought to be made that a woman who had shown herself fruitful, and was still in the freshness of youth, should not transfer the splendor of the Cæsars to another house." 3. The reasonings of Pallas prevailed, enforced as they 1 Suetonius gives an account of the wives of Claudius in regular succession. His first wife was Plautia Urgulanilla. Being in a short time divorced from her, he married Ælia Petina, descended from a father of consular rank: by her he had a daughter named Antonia. Claudius was divorced from his second wife. He then married Messalina, and by her had a daughter, Octavia, and a son named Britannicus. Lollia Paulina, who aspired on the present occasion to the imperial bed, had been married to Caligula, and was soon divorced. Agrippina, the successful candidate, was the daughter of Germanicus, the brother of Claudius. For the whole transaction as here related by Tacitus, see Suet. in Claud. s. 26. were by the fascinations of Agrippina; who under color of relationship, was assiduous in her visits to her uncle, and won him so effectually, that she was preferred to the others, and though not yet his wife, already exercised the influence belonging to that relation. For when secure of her own marriage, she began to concert further plans of ambition, and concoct a match between Domitius,1 her son by Cneius Ahenobarbus, and Octavia the emperor's daughter: a design which could not be accomplished without the grossest iniquity, as the emperor had betrothed Octavia to Lucius Silanus, whom, when a youth and otherwise celebrated, Claudius had recommended to the favor of the people by presenting him with splendid triumphal ornaments, and by a magnificent exhibition of gladiators in his name. But nothing appeared insurmountable which depended on the will of a prince, who had neither preference nor aversion, but such as were infused and directed by others. 4. Vitellius, therefore, who could vail his fraudulent servility with the name of censor, foreseeing who would carry all before them in the strife of power, sought to ingratiate himself with Agrippina, by entering into her plans, and laid the foundations of charges against Silanus, whose sister, Junia Calvina, beautiful indeed but imprudent, had been not long before the daughter-in-law of Vitellius. Hence he took occasion for the accusation, and construed into infamy a fraternal affection not incestuous, but unguarded; and the emperor listened to the charge, as his affection for his daughter rendered him the more prone to entertain suspicions against his son-in-law. As for Silanus, unapprised as he was of the plot, -and he happened to be prætor that year, he was suddenly degraded from the rank of a senator, by an edict of Vitellius, notwithstanding the senate had been recently reviewed and the lustrum closed: Claudius, at the same time, annulled the connection; Silanus was compelled to renounce his magistracy; and for the unexpired day of his prætorship, the office was conferred upon Eprius Marcellus. 5. During the consulship of Caius Pompeius and Quintus Veranius, the marriage previously agreed upon between Claudius and Agrippina, was now ratified by the public voice and their own criminal commerce. They dared not, however, to 'Domitius, the son of Agrippina, was afterward Nero the emperor. c. 6.] DISCUSSION ON THE EMPEROR'S MARRIAGE. 275 celebrate the nuptials, as there was no precedent of an uncle's taking to wife his brother's daughter. Besides, the con nection was incestuous; and if that were disregarded, it was apprehended that it might issue in some public calamity. This hesitation continued till Vitellius undertook to accomplish the business by methods of his own. He asked the emperor whether he would submit to the sense of the people, and the authority of the senate?” Claudius answered, "that he himself was one of the people, and could not withstand the consentient voice of them all :" Vitellius then desired him to wait the issue within the palace, and went himself to the senate; where after a solemn declaration, that he had somewhat to communicate of the highest importance to the commonwealth, he obtained leave to be heard before any other; when he commenced by saying, "that the overpowering labors of the prince, in governing the world, called for support and assistance, in order that, relieved from domestic cares, he might attend the interests of the public. Moreover, what more honorable alleviation of the cares which oppress the mind of a censor, than to take a wife who might share his good fortune and his distresses, to whom he might commit his most secret thoughts and the care of his little ones, unhabituated as he was to luxury and voluptuousness, but accustomed to yield obedience to the laws from his earliest years?" 6. After thus prefacing his object in a speech calculated to win applause, and which was followed by many expressions of servile acquiescence from the fathers, beginning afresh, he said, "that seeing. they all were of opinion that the prince should marry, it became necessary that a lady should be selected who was distinguished by family, the fertility of her womb, and unblemished purity of manners. Nor had they long to search before they would find that Agrippina stood pre-eminent for the splendor of her lineage; had given proofs of her fruitfulness; and came up to their requirements in virtuous accomplishments: it was, indeed, a singularly happy circumstance, that, through the providence of the gods, she was a widow, and might be united with a prince who had ever confined himself to his own wives. They had heard from their fathers, nay, themselves had seen, that wives were ravished from their husbands, at the lawless caprice of the Ca sars: a proceeding far from the moderate spirit of the present ruler; nay, rather a precedent was being established which might guide an emperor in taking a wife. But, among them it seemed an innovation to marry their brother's daughter; a usage frequent in other nations, nor by any law forbidden. The intermarriage of cousins-german was a practice long unknown, yet in time became frequent: customs were to be suited to exigencies; and this very novelty was one of those things which would soon be followed and practiced." 7. There were several senators who declared with emulous zeal, "that if the emperor lingered longer, they would compel him," and rushed out of the senate. A promiscuous multitude likewise assembled, and proclaimed with shouts, "that the same was the voice and demand of the Roman people." Nor did Claudius delay any further, but proceeded to the forum, to receive in person their greetings and acclamations; and entering the senate, required "a decree to legalize forever the marriages between uncles and their brothers' daughters." But no man, however, was found who desired this kind of alliance, except Titius Alledius Severus, a Roman knight; and he, as many believed, urged to it by the influence of Agrippina. From this moment the city assumed a different character, and a woman had the control of every thing who, however, did not, like Messalina, mock and trample upon the interests of the state in the extravagance of her lewdness. The despotism exercised was as strict as though it were under the direction of a man; in her public conduct she was grave and rigid, frequently haughty and overbearing; no departure from chastity was observable in her domestic deportment, unless it were necessary to support her power; while an insatiable thirst for money was vailed under the pretext of its uses in maintaining the imperial authority. 8. On the day of the nuptials, Silanus slew himself; whether it was that up to that time he had entertained hopes of life, or chose that day to increase the odium the deed would excite. His sister Calvina was banished Italy; and to her sentence Claudius added an injunction to the pontiffs, "that, according to the institution of king Tullus, they should offer sacrifices and atonements at the grove of Diana;" a proceeding which was treated with universal derision, that |