an uncommonly loud noise, he shouted out this half line of the emperor's, while those who were there for the same purpose took to their heels:

"You might suppose it thundered 'neath the earth.”

He also tongue-lashed not only the emperor but also his most powerful friends in a scurrilous poem. Finally he came out almost as the ringleader in the conspiracy of Piso, publicly making great talk about the glory of tyrannicides, and full of threats, even going to the length of offering Caesar's head to all his friends. But when the conspiracy was detected, he showed by no means equal firmness of purpose; for he was easily forced to a confession, descended to the most abject entreaties, and even named his own mother among the guilty parties, although she was innocent, in hopes that this lack of filial devotion would win him favour with a parricidal prince. But when he was allowed free choice of the manner of his death, he wrote a letter to his father, containing corrections for some of his verses, and after eating heartily, offered his arms to a physician, to cut his veins. I recall that his poems were even read in public, while they were published and offered for sale by editors lacking in taste, as well as by some who were painstaking and careful.

Literally, standard-bearer.

That is, lectured on by grammarians; see Gr. i,

VITA PLINII SECUNDI1

cum

PLINIUS SECUNDUS Novocomensis equestribus militiis industrie functus procurationes quoque splendidissimas et continuas summa integritate administravit, et tamen liberalibus studiis tantam operam dedit, ut non temere quis plura in otio scripserit. Itaque bella omnia, quae unquam Germanis gesta sunt, XX 3 voluminibus comprehendit, itemque "Naturalis Historiae' XXXVII libros absolvit. Periit clade Campaniae; cum enim Misenensi classi praeesset et flagrante Vesubio ad explorandas propius causas liburnica 5 pertendisset," nec adversantibus ventis remeare posset, vi pulveris ac favillae oppressus est, vel ut quidam existimant a servo suo occisus, quem aestu deficiens ut necem sibi maturaret oraverat.7

=

4

1 Mss. various manuscripts of Pliny, dating from the eleventh to the fifteenth century. V cod. Vaticanus, 1951, fifteenth century; T cod. Toletanus, thirteenth century. 2 umquam] undique, V. XX], the mss. have XXXVII. clade, Hermolaus Barbarus; gades (gadis, V) or grades,

m88.

3

THE LIFE OF PLINY THE

ELDER

PLINIUS SECUNDUS of Novum Comum, after performing with energy the military service required of members of the equestrian order, administered several important stewardships in succession with the utmost justice. Yet he gave so much attention to liberal studies, that hardly anyone who had complete leisure wrote more than he. For instance, he gave an account in twenty volumes of all the wars which were ever carried on with Germany, besides completing the thirty-seven books of his "Natural History." He lost his life in the disaster in Cam- 79 A.D. pania. He was commanding the fleet at Misenum, and setting out in a Liburnian galley a during the eruption of Vesuvius to investigate the causes of the phenomenon from nearer at hand, he was unable to return because of head winds. He was suffocated by the shower of dust and ashes, although some think that he was killed by a slave, whom he begged to hasten his end when he was overcome by the intense heat.

α

5 laburnica, T; the other mss. have liburnicas (V) or liburnicam. 6 pertendisset, Burmann; praetendisset, mss. 7 oraverat, mss. ; oraverit, Vinetus.

a See Calig. xxxvii. 2.

VITA PASSIENI CRISPI 1

PASSIENUS 2 CRISPUS, municeps Viselliensis,3 tirocinio suo in senatu ita coepit: "Patres conscripti et tu Caesar! propter quod simulata oratione 4 plenissime a Tiberio conlaudatus est.5 Plurimas sponte causas apud centumviros egit, pro qua re in basilica Iulia eius statua posita est. Consulatus duos gessit. Uxores habuit duas, primam Domitiam, deinde Agrippinam, illam amitam, hanc matrem Neronis Caesaris. Possedit bis milies sestertium. Omnium principum gratiam adpetivit, sed praecipue. C. Caesaris, quem iter facientem secutus est pedibus. Hic nullo audiente ab Nerone7 interrogatus, haberetne sicut ipse cum sorore germana consuetudinem, "Nondum" inquit, quantumvis decenter et caute, ne aut negando 8 eum argueret aut adsentiendo 9 semet mendacio dehonestaret. Periit per fraudem Agrippinae, quam heredem reliquerat, et funere publico elatus est.

1 Sigla: P= cod. Montepessulanus, 125, formerly Pithoeanus, ninth century; S= cod. Sangallensis, 870, ninth century.

2 Passienus, added by Reiff.

3 municeps Viselliensis, omitted by Reiff.

4 simulata oratione, Jahn; simuloratione, PS; simulatione, Pithoeus. 5 est, added by Jahn. 6 C., added by Lipsius. 7 Caesare, Reif.; the reference is to Gaius Caligula. 8 negando, Lipsius; negantem, PS: negans, Pithoeus.

THE LIFE OF PASSIENUS

CRISPUS

PASSIENUS CRISPUS, a native of Visellium, began his first speech in the senate with these words: "Conscript fathers and you, Caesar," and was in consequence highly commended by Tiberius, though not sincerely. He voluntarily pleaded a number of cases in the court of the Hundred," and therefore his statue was set up in the Basilica Julia. He was twice consul. He married twice: first Domitia and then Agrippina, respectively the aunt and the mother of the emperor Nero. He possessed an estate of two hundred million sesterces. He tried to gain favour with all the emperors, but especially with Gaius Caesar, whom he attended on foot when the emperor made a journey. When he was asked by Nero in a private conversation whether he had commerce with his own sister, as the emperor had with his, he replied "Not yet"; a very fitting and cautious answer, neither accusing the emperor by denying the allegation, nor dishonouring himself with a lie by admitting it. He was slain by the treachery of Agrippina, whom he had made his heir, and was honoured with a public funeral.

9adsentiendo, Lipsius; adsentientem, PS; adsentiens,

Pithoeus.

a See note on Aug. xxxvi.

• Gaius is obviously intended, instead of Nero.

In the Roman Forum.