Exercises upon the Different Parts of Italian Speech, with References to Veneroni's Grammar / to which is added an abridgement of the Roman history, intended at once to make the learner acquainted with history, and the idiom of the Italian language

CHAP. IX.

(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]surname of [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. He reigned 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.