16), warned by the
tered the inhabitants, sparing neither woman nor losses he had recently sustained from the deficiency
child, and then returned to the Rhine.
tered the inhabitants, sparing neither woman nor losses he had recently sustained from the deficiency
child, and then returned to the Rhine.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - b
)
apud Fabric. vol. xii. p. 70, &c. ; Panzer, Annales GERMANICUS CAESAR, the elder, a son of
Typographici. )
Nero Claudius Drusus, was nephew of the emperor
49. X IPHILINUS. (XIPHILINUS. )
Tiberius, and brother of the emperor Claudius. His
50. ZEGABENUS. [ZEGABENUS. ) [J. C. M. ] birth was most illustrious. From his father and
GEPHYRAEI (requpañol), an Athenian fa- paternal grandmother (the empress Livia), he in-
mily or clan, to which Harmodius and Aristogeiton herited the honours of the Claudii and the Drusi,
belonged. (Herod. v. 55. ) The account they gave while his mother, the younger Antonia, was the
of themselves was that they came originally from daughter of the triumvir Antony, and the niece of
Eretria Herodotus believed them to be of Phoe the emperor Augustus. (See the genealogical
nician descent, and to have been of the number of table, Vol. I. p. 1076. ) He was born in B. c. 15,
those who followed Cadmus into Boeotia. He probably in September, for his son Caligula named
states (comp. Strab. ix. p. 404) that they ob- that month Germanicus, in honour of his father.
tained the territory of Tanagra for their portion, (Suet. Cal. 1, 15. ) His praenomen is unknown;
and that being driven thence by the Boeotians, nor can his original cognomen be ascertained, for
they came to Athens, where they were admitted to the imperial family began now to be above the
the rights of citizenship, subject only to a few ordinary rules of hereditary name. By a decree of
trifling disqualifications (Herod. v. 57 ; Suid. s. v. the senate, the elder Drusus, after his death, re-
reoupís. ) The place of their settlement was on the ceived the honourable appellation Germanicus,
banks of the Cephisus, which separated the terri- which was also granted to his posterity. (Dion
tory of Athens from that of Eleusis, and their Cass. lv. 2. ) It seems at first to have been ex-
Taine, according to the Etymologicon Magnum, was clusively assumed by the elder son, who afterwards
VOL. II.
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258
GERMANICUS.
GERMANICUS.
ment
earned an independent title to it by his own the pay of the soldier, to shorten bis period of
achievements. When Augustus, in A. D. 4, adopted service, to mitigate the hardship of his military
Tiberius, and appointed him successor to the em- tasks, and to take revenge on his old enemy, the
pire, the young Germanicus had already, by his centurion. Germanicus was in Gaul, employed in
promising qualities, gained the favour of the em- collecting the revenue, when the tidings of the dis-
peror, who recommended Tiberius to take him as a turbance reached him. He hastened to the camp,
son. (Suet. Cul. 4; Tac. Ann. i. 3 ; Zonar. 2. 36. ) and exerted all his influence to allay discontent
In subsequent inscriptions and coins he is styled and establish order. He was the idol of the army.
Germanicus Caesar, Ti. Aug. F. Divi Aug. N. ; His open and affable manners contrasted remark-
and in history the relationships which he acquired ably with the hauteur and reserve of Tiberius ;
by adoption are often spoken of in place of the and like his father, Drusus, he was supposed to be
natural relationships of blood and birth. Upon his an admirer of the ancient republican liberty. Some
adoption into the Julia gens, whatever may have of the troops interrupted his harangue, by declaring
been his formal legal designation, he did not lose their readiness to place him at the head of the em-
the title Germanicus, though his brother Claudius, pire ; whereupon, as if contaminated by the guilty
as having now beconie the sole legal representative proposal, he jumped down from the tribunal whence
of his father, chose also to assume thai cognomen. he was speaking, declared that he would rather die
(Suet. Claud. 2. )
than forfeit his allegiance, and was about to plunge
In A. D. 7, five years before the legal age (Suet. his sword into his breast, when his attempt was
Cal. 1), he obtained the quaestorship; and in the forcibly stayed by the bystanders. (Tac. Ann.
same year was sent to assist Tiberius in the war i. 35. )
against the Pannonians and Dalmatians. (Dion It was known that the army of the Upper Rhine
Cass. lv. 31). After a distinguished commence (consisting of four legions, the 2nd, 13th, 16th,
his military career, he returned to Rome in and 14th, which were left in the charge of Si-
A. D. 10, to announce in person the victorious lius), was tainted with the disaffection of the
termination of the war, whereupon he was honoured troops under Caecina, and from motives of policy
with triumphal insignia (without an actual triumph), it was thought necessary to comply with the de
and the rank (not the actual office) of praetor, with mands of the soldiers. A council was held, and a
permission to be a candidate for the consulship be- feigned letter from Tiberius was concocted, in
fore the regular time. (Dion Cass. lvi. 17. ) which, after 20 years of service, a full discharge
The successes in Pannonia and Dalmatia were was given; and, after 16 years, an immunity from
followed by the destruction of Varus and his military tasks, other than the duty of taking part
legions. In A. D. 11, Tiberius was despatched to in actions. (Missio sub vesillo. ) The legacy left
defend the empire against the Germans, and was by Augustus to the troops was to be doubled and
accompanied by Germanicus as proconsul. The discharged. To satisfy the requisition of the 21st
two generals crossed the Rhine, made various in- and 5th legions, who demanded immediate par-
cursions into the neighbouring territory, and, at ment, Germanicus exhausted his own purse, and
the beginning of autumn, re-crossed the river. his friends were equally liberal. Having thus
(Dion Cass. Ivi. 25. ) Germanicus returned to quelled the disturbances in the lower army, by
Rome in the winter, and in the following year dis almost unlimited concession, he repaired to the
charged the office of consul, though he had never four legions on the Upper Rhine ; and though they
been aedile nor praetor. In the highest magistracy, voluntarily took the military oath of obedience, he
he did not scruple to appear as an advocate for the prudently granted them the same indulgence which
accused in courts of justice, and thus increased that had been conferred on their disorderly comrades.
popularity which he had formerly earned by plead- The calm was of short duration. Two legions of
ing for defendants before Augustus himself. Nor the Lower Rhine (the 1st and 20th) had been
was he above ministering to the more vulgar plea- stationed for the winter at Ara Ubiorum (between
sures of the people, for at the games of Mars, he Bonn and Cologne). Hither two deputies from
let loose two hundred lions in the Circus ; and the senate arrived with despatches from Ger-
Pliny (H. N. ii. 26) mentions his gladiatorial manicus ; and the conscience-stricken soldiers
shows. On the 16th of January, in A. D. 13, Tibe. imagined that they were come to revoke the con-
rius, having returned to Rome, celebrated that cessions which had been extorted by fear. A
triumph over the Pannonians and Dalmatians, formidable tumult again arose, and (according to
which had been postponed on account of the cala- the account of Tacitus) it was only on the de
mity of Varus ; and Germanicus appears, from the parture of Agrippina, the wife of Germanicus, car-
celebrated Gemma Augustea (as explained by Mon- rying in her bosom her young boy Caligula, the
gez, Iconographie Romaine, Paris, 1821, p. 62), to darling of the camp, and attended by the wives of
have taken a distinguished part in the celebration. her husband's friends, that the refractory legious
(Suet. Tib. 20. )
were smitten with pity and shame. They could
Germanicus was next sent to Germany with the not bear to see so many high-born ladies seek in
command of the eight legions stationed on the the foreign protection of the Treveri that security
Rhine ; and from this point of bis life his history which was denied to them in the camp of their
is taken up by the masterly hand of Tacitus. Upon own general ; and were so far worked upon by
the death of Augustus, in August, A. D. 14, an the feelings which this incident occasioned as to
alarming mutiny broke out among the legions in inflict summary punishment themselves on the
Germany and Illyricum. In the former country leaders of the revolt. (Tac. Ann. i. 41; comp.
the mutiny commenced among the four legions of Dion Cass. Ivii. 5 ; Zonar. xi. 1. )
the Lower Rhine (the 5th, 21st, 1st, and 20th), The other two legions of the Lower Rhine, the
who were stationed in summer quarters upon the 5th and 21st, with whom the mutiny began, re
borders of the Ubii, under the charge of A. Cae- mained in a state of discontent and ferment in their
cina. The time was come, they thought, to raise winter quarters at Castra Vetera (Xanten). Ger-
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GERMANICI'S.
259
GERMANICUS.
-
manicus sent word to Caecina, that he was coming thence up the Ems. In the vicinity of this river
with a strong force, and would slaughter them in the three divisions formed a junction. Germani-
discriminately, unless they anticipated his purpose cus ravaged the country between the Ems and
by themselves punishing the guilty. This object the Lippe, and penetrated to the Saltus Teuto-
was accomplished in an effectual, but revolting bergiensis, which was situate between the sources
manner, by a secret nocturnal massacre of the dis- of those two rivers. In this forest the unburied
affected ringleaders. Germanicus entered the camp remains of Varus and bis legions had lain for
while it was still reeking with camage, ordered six years blenching in the air. With feelings
the corpscs to be buried, and shed many tears on of sorrow and resentment, the Roman army
witnessing the sad spectacle. His cmotion at sight gathered up the bones of their ill-fated comrades,
of the result was accompanied by disapprobation of and paid the last honours to their memory. Ger-
the means, which he designated as more befitting manicus took part in the melancholy solemnity,
the rudeness of the butcher than the skill of the and laid the first sod of the funeral mound. (Tac.
physician. (Tac. Ann. i. 49. )
Ann. i. 57—62 ; Dion Cass. lvji. 18. ) Arminius,
The soldiers were now anxious to be led to the in the mean time, had assembled his forces, and
field, that by the wounds they received in battle retiring into a difficult country, turned upon tho
they might appease the manes of their brethren in pursuing troops of the Romans, who would have
arms; and their general was not unwilling to sustained a complete defeat had not the legions of
satisfy this desire. He crossed the Rhine, and fell Germanicus checked the rout of the cavalry and
upon the villages of the Marsi, whom he surprised subsidiary cohorts. As it was, the general thought
and slaughtered by night, during a festive cele- it prudent to retreat in the same three-fold division
bration. He then laid waste the country for fifty in which he had advanced. Pedo, with the cavalry,
miles round, sparing neither age nor sex, levelled was ordered to keep the coast, and Caecina, with
to the ground the celebrated temple of Tanfana, all speed, to get across the Pontes Longi, a mounded
and, on his way back to winter quarters, pushed causeway leading over the marshes between Cösfeld
his troops successfully through the opposing tribes and Velen, and along the banks of the Yssel
(Bructeri, Tubantes, Usipetes,) between the Marsi (Ledebur, Land und Volk der Bructerer, Berlin,
and the Rhine. (Tac. Ann. i. 48–51; Dion Cass. 1827). Caecina, in whose division Agrippina tra-
lvii. 3—6 ; Suet. Tib. 25; Vell. Pat. ii. 125. ) velled, was obliged to fight his way hardly (AGRIP-
The intelligence of these proceedings affected PINA). Germanicus himself returned to the sta-
Tiberius with mingled feelings — pleasure at the tion on the Rhine by water, and, in a gusty night,
suppression of the mutiny among the German was well nigh losing the 2nd and 14th legions,
legions, anxiety on account of the indulgences by who, under the command of P. Vitellius, marched
which it was bought, and the glory and popularity along a dangerous shore, exposed to the wind and
acquired by Germanicus. While he regarded his tide, for the sake of lightening the burden of the
nephew and adopted son with suspicion and dis transport vessels. The greater part, nevertheless,
like, he commemorated his services in the senate in after many difficulties and adventures, succeeded in
tenns of elaborate, but manifestly insincere praise. making their way to the river Unsingis (Hunse),
The senate, in the absence of Germanicus, and where they rejoined the flotilla, and were taken on
during the continuance of the war, voted that he board. When the army arrived at its destination,
should have a triumph.
Germanicus visited the sick and wounded, and
In the beginning of spring, A. D. 15, he fell upon contributed from his own purse to the wants of the
the Catti, burnt their chief town Mattium (Maden soldiers.
near Gudensberg), devastated the country, slaugh- In the next year (A. D.
16), warned by the
tered the inhabitants, sparing neither woman nor losses he had recently sustained from the deficiency
child, and then returned to the Rhine. Soon of his feet, he gave orders for the building of a
afterwards a deputation arrived from Segestes thousand vessels, and appointed as the place of
applying for the assistance of the Roman general
. rendezvous that part of the Batavian island where
Segestes had always espoused the cause of the the Vahalis (Waal) diverges from the Rhine.
Romans, and had quarrelled with his son-in-law, With such aid, he hoped to facilitate the transport
Arminius, the conqueror of Varus. He was now of men and provisions, and to avoid the dangerous
blockaded by his own people, who despised him necessity of marching through bogs and forests.
for his servile truckling to foreign domination. In the meantime, hearing that Aliso, a castle on
Germanicus hastened to his rescue, overcame the be- the Lippe, was besieged, he hastened to its de-
siegers, and not only liberated Segestes, but gained fence ; but on his arrival, found that the besiegers
possession of his daughter, Thusnelda (Strab. bad dispersed. However, he was not left without
vii. p. 292), a woman of lofty spirit, who sym- employment. The mound erected to the memory
pathised with the patriotic feelings of her husband of the legions of Varus had been thrown down by
Arminius. Again Germanicus conducted the army the Germans ; and an ancient altar, built in honour
victoriously back to its quarters, and, at the direc- of his father, was in a state of dilapidation. These
tion of Tiberius, took the title of Imperator. he restored and repaired. The causeways between
Arminius, enraged beyond endurance at the cap Aliso and the Rhine were in want of new moats
tivity of his wife, who was then pregnant, roused and landmarks. These works he completed.
to war not only the Cherusci, but all the adjoining The fleet being now ready, he entered the canal
tribes. Germanicus made a division of his forces, of his father, Drusus, whom he invoked to favour
in order to divide the force of the enemy. The his enterprise ; and after sailing through the Zuy-
infantry were conducted by Caecina through the dersee to the ocean, landed at Amisia, a place near
Bructeri, the cavalry by Pedo through the borders the mouth of the river Amisia (Ems), on the left bank.
of Friesland, while Germanicus himself, with four He then marched upward along the course of the
legions, embarked in a flotilla, and sailed by the river, leaving his feet behind. Arminius was on
Lacus Flevus (the Zuydersee) to the Ocean, and the further side of the Weser, in command of the
62
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GERMANICUS.
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1
Cherusci; and, in order to get to the Weser, it Germanicus had some time previously received
was necessary to cross the Ems. The delay occa- intimation of the wish Tiberius to remove him
sioned by the necessity of forming a bridge across from Germany, and to give him command in the
the Ems, and the difficulty of the passage, made East, where Parthia and Armenia were in commo-
Germanicus feel his error in landing on the left tion on account of the dethronement of Vonones.
bank, and leaving his galleys at Amisia. He had Knowing that his time was short, he hastened his
still greater difficulty in effecting the passage of the operations; and upon his return to winter quarters,
Weser in the face of the enemy. Seeing now that felt convinced that another campaign would suffice
an important action was at band, he determined to for the successful termination of the war. But the
ascertain for himself the temper and feelings of the summons of Tiberius now grew pressing. He
troops. Accordingly, in the beginning of the night, invited Germanicus to come home, and take the
accompanied by a single attendant, he went secretly triumph which had been voted to him, offered him
into the camp, listened by the side of the tents, a second consulship, suggested that more might
and enjoyed his own fame. He heard the praise now be gained by address than by force of arms,
of his graceful form, his noble birth, his patience, reminded him of the severe losses with which his
his courtesy, his steady consistency of conduct. He successes were purchased, and appealed to his
found that his men were eager to show their modesty by hinting that he ought to leave an op-
loyalty and gratitude to their general, and to slake portunity to his adoptive brother, Drusus, of ac-
their vengeance in the field of battle. His sleep quiring laurels in the only field where they could
that night was blessed by a dream of happy omen, now be gathered. This touched one of the true
and, on the next day, when the troops were all reasons of his recal, for the emperor, though willing
ready for action, eight eagles were seen to enter to play him off against Drusus, had no desire that
the woods. Germanicus cried out to the legions, his popularity should throw Drusus completely into
“ Come on, follow the Roman birds, your own the sbade. (DRUsus, No. 11. ) Germanicus
divinities. ” A great victory was gained with little had petitioned for another year, in order to com-
loss to the Romans, Arminius having barely plete what he had begun, but he could not resist
escaped, after smearing his face with his own the mandate of Tiberius, though he saw that envy
blood, in order to disguise his features. His uncle, was the real cause of withdrawing from his grasp
Inguiomar, had an equally narrow escape. This an honour which he had already earned. (Tac.
battle was fought upon the plain of Idistavisus Ann. ii. 26. )
(between Rinteler and Hausberg), and was cele On his return to Rome he was received with
brated by a trophy of arms erected upon the spot. warm and enthusiastic greeting, the whole popu-
A second engagement took place soon afterwards, lation pouring forth to meet him twenty miles from
in a position where the retreat of both parties was the city, and on the 26th of May, A. D. 17, he cele-
cut off by the nature of the ground in their rear, brated bis triumph over the Cherusci, Catti, An-
80 that the only hope consisted in valour - the grivarii, and other tribes, as far as the Elbe. His
only safety in victory. The result was equally five children adorned his car, and many of the most
successful to the Romans. In the heat of action illustrious Germans ministered to the pomp of their
Germanicus, that he might be the better known, conqueror. Among others, Thusnelda, the wife of
uncovered his head, and cried out to the troops" to Arminius, followed in the procession of captives.
keep on killing and take no prisoners, since the Tac. Ann. ii. 41 ; Suet. Cal. i. ; Vell. Pat ii. 129;
only way to end the war was to exterminate the Euseb. Chron. No. 2033 ; Oros. vii. 4. ) Medals
race. " It was late at night before the legions are extant which commemorate this triumph. (See
ceased from their bloody task. In honour of this the cut below. )
second victory a trophy was erected, with the in- The whole of the Eastern provinces were as-
scription : "The army of Tiberius Caesar, having signed, by a decree of the senate, to Germanicus,
subdued the nations between the Rhine and the with the highest imperium ; but Tiberius placed
Elbe, dedicates this monument to Mars and Ju- Cn. Piso in command of Syria, and was supposed
piter, and Augustus. " No mention was made of to have given him secret instructions to check and
the name of Germanicus,
thwart Germanicus, though such instructions were
The summer was already far advanced, when scarcely wanted, for Piso was naturally of a proud
Germanicus, with the greater part of the troops, and rugged temper, unused to obedience. His
sailed back by the Ems to the Ocean. During the wife Plancina, too, was of a haughty and domineer-
voyage a terrific storm occurred: several of the ing spirit, and was encouraged by Livia, the em-
ships were sunk; and Germanicus, whose vessel press-mother, to vie with and annoy Agrippina.
was stranded on the shore of the Chauci, bitterly In A. D. 18, Germanicus entered upon his second
accused himself as the author of so gross a disaster, consulship at Nicopolis, a city of Achaia, whither
and could scarcely be prevented by his friends from he had arrived by coasting the Illyrian shore, after
finging himself into the sea, where so many of his a visit to Drusus in Dalmatia He then surveyed
followers had perished. However, he did not yield the scene of the battle of Actium, which was pe
to inactive grief. Lest the Germans should be en- culiarly interesting to him, from his family con-
couraged by the Roman losses, he sent Silius on an nection with Augustus and Antony. He had an
expedition against the Catti, while he himself at- anxious desire to view the renowned sites of ancient
tacked the Marsi; and, by the treacherous informa- story and classic lore. At Athens he was wel-
tion of their leader, Malovendus, recovered one of the comed with the most recherché honour, and, in
eagles which had belonged to the legion of Varus. compliment to the city, went attended with a single
Emboldened by success, he carried havoc and deso- lictor. At llium, his memory reverted to Homer's
lation into the country of the enemy, who were poem, and to the origin of the Roman race. At
struck with dismay when they saw that shipwreck, Colophon he landed, to consult the oracle of the
and hardship, and loss, only increased the ferocity Clarian Apollo, and it is said that the priest darkly
of the Romans.
foreboded his early fate.
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GERMANICUS. .
20 = .
At Rhodes he fell in with Piso, whom he saved of Germanicus, half-burnt ashes moistened with
from danger of shipwreck, but Piso, not appeased by putrid blood, and other sorceries by which lives are
his generosity, hurried on to Syria, and, by every ar- said to be devoted to the infernal deities, were
tifice and corruption, endeavoured to acquire favour found imbedded in the walls and foundations of
for himself, and to heap obloquy on Germanicus. his house. Feeling his end approaching, he sum-
Plancina, in like manner, cast insult and reproach moned his friends, and called upon them to avenge
on Agrippina. Though this conduct did not escape his foul murder. Soon after, he breathed his last,
the knowledge of Germanicus, he hastened to fulfil on the 9th of October, A. D. 19, in the thirty-
the object of his mission, and proceeded to Ar- fourth year of his age, at Epidaphne near Antio-
menia, placed the crown upon the head of Zeno, cheia. (Tac. Ann. ï. 72, 83; Kal. Antiat. in
reduced Cappadocia to the form of a province, and Orelli
, Inscript, vol. ii. p. 401 ; Dion Cass. Ivii. 18;
gave Q. Servaeus the command of Commagene. Seneca, Qu. Nut. i. 1; Zonar. xi. 2; Joseph.
(Joseph. Ant. Jud. xviii. 25. ). He then spent the Ant. Jud. xviii. 2, 5; Plin. H. N. xi. 37, 71;
winter in Syria, where, without any open and Suet. Cal. 1. ). His corpse was exposed in the
violent rupture, he and Piso scarcely attempted to forum at Antiocheia, before it was burnt, and
conceal in each other's presence their mutual feel- Tacitus candidly admits (ii. 73) that it bore no
ings of displeasure and hatred. (Tac. Ann. ii. 57. ) | decisive marks of poison, though Suetonius speaks
In compliance with the request of Artabanus, king of livid marks over the whole body, and foam at
of the Parthians, Germanicus removed Vonones, the mouth, and goes on to report that, after the
the deposed monarch, to Pompeiopolis, a maritime burning, the heart was found unconsumed among
town of Cilicia. This he did with the greater the bones, — a supposed symptom of death by
pleasure, as it was mortifying to Piso, with whom poison.
Vonones was an especial favourite, from his presents Germanicus, as he studiously sought popularity
and obsequious attention to Plancina.
by such compliances as lowering the price of corn,
In the following year, A. D. 19, Germanicus walking abroad without military guard, and con-
visited Egypt, induced by his love of travel and forming to the national costume, so he possessed in
antiquity, and ignorant of the offence which he was
an extraordinary degree the faculty of winning
giving to Tiberius ; for it was one of the arcana of human affection. The savageness of his German
state, established by Augustus, that Egypt was not wars fell heavily upon the barbarians, with whom
to be entered by any Roman of high rank without he had no community of feeling. To those who
the special permission of the emperor. From Ca- came into personal communication with him, he
nopus, he sailed up the Nile, gratifying his taste was a mild-mannered man. Tacitus, whose ac-
for the marvellous and the old. The ruins of counts of his campaigns are full of fire and sword,
Thebes, the hieroglyphical inscriptions, the vocal of wide desolation and unsparing slaughter, yet
statue of Memnon, the pyramids, the reservoirs of speaks of his remarkable mansuetudo in hostes. In
the Nile, excited and rewarded his curiosity. He governing his own army his discipline was gentle,
consulted Apis as to his own fortunes, and received and he was evidently averse to harsh measures.
the prediction of an untimely end. (Plin. H. N. He had not that ambition of supreme command,
vii. 46. )
which often accompanies the power of commanding
On his return to Syria, he found that every thing well, nor was he made of that stern stuff which
had gone wrong during his absence. His orders, would have enabled him to cope with and control
military and civil, had been neglected or positively a refractory subordinate officer with the cleverness
disobeyed. Hence arose a bitter interchange of and activity of Piso. He was a man of sensitive
reproaches between him and Piso, whom he ordered feeling, chaste and temperate, and possessed all
to depart from Egypt. Being soon after seized the amiable virtues which spread a charm over
with an attack of illness, he attributed bis dis- social and family intercourse. His dignified per-
temper to the sorcery practised against him by son, captivating eloquence, elegant and refined
Piso. In accordance with an ancient Roman cus- taste, cultivated understanding, high sense of ho
tom, which required a denunciation of hostility nour, unaffected courtesy, frank munificence, and
between private individuals as well as between polished manners, befitted a Roman prince of his
states, in order that they might be fair enemies, exalted station, and seemed to justify the general
Germanicus sent Piso a letter renouncing his friend hope that he might live to dispense, as emperor,
ship. (Suet. Cal. 1 ; Tac. Ann. Ü. 70. ) It is re- the blessings of his government over the Roman
markable that a similar custom existed in the world. He shines with fairer light from the dark
middle ages, in the diffidatio or defiance of feudal atmosphere of crime and tyranny which shrouds
chivalry, preparatory to private war. (Allen, On the the time that succeeded his death. The comparison
Royal Prerogative, p. 76. ) Whether there were between Germanicus and Alexander the Great,
real ground for the suspicion of poisoning which which is suggested by Tacitus (Ann. ii. 73), pre-
Germanicus himself entertained against Piso and sents but superficial resemblances. Where can we
Plancina, it is impossible now to decide with cer- find in the Roman general traces of that lofty
tainty. Germanicus seems to have been of a ner daring, those wide views, and that potent intellect
vous and credulous temperament. He could not which marked the hero of Macedon?
bear the sight of a cock, nor the sound of its crow. The sorrow that was felt for the death of Ger-
(Plut. de Inrid. et Od. 3. ) Wherever he met with manicus was intense. Foreign potentates shared
the sepulchres of illustrious men, he offered sacri- the lamentation of the Roman people, and, in token
fices to their manes. (Suet. Cal. 1. ) The poisoning of mourning, abstained from their usual amuse-
which he now suspected was not of a natural kind: ments. At home unexampled honours were de-
it was a veneficium, partaking of magic, if we may creed to his memory. It was ordered that his name
judge from the proofs by which it was supposed to should be inserted in the Salian hymns, that his
be evidenced :-pieces of buman flesh, charms, and curule chair, mounted with crowns of oak leaves,
maledictions, leaden plates inscribed with the name should always be set in the public shows, in the
83
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262
GERMANICUS.
GERMANUS.
SWC
space reserved for the priests of A pollo, that his toire de Caesar Germanicus, 12mo.
apud Fabric. vol. xii. p. 70, &c. ; Panzer, Annales GERMANICUS CAESAR, the elder, a son of
Typographici. )
Nero Claudius Drusus, was nephew of the emperor
49. X IPHILINUS. (XIPHILINUS. )
Tiberius, and brother of the emperor Claudius. His
50. ZEGABENUS. [ZEGABENUS. ) [J. C. M. ] birth was most illustrious. From his father and
GEPHYRAEI (requpañol), an Athenian fa- paternal grandmother (the empress Livia), he in-
mily or clan, to which Harmodius and Aristogeiton herited the honours of the Claudii and the Drusi,
belonged. (Herod. v. 55. ) The account they gave while his mother, the younger Antonia, was the
of themselves was that they came originally from daughter of the triumvir Antony, and the niece of
Eretria Herodotus believed them to be of Phoe the emperor Augustus. (See the genealogical
nician descent, and to have been of the number of table, Vol. I. p. 1076. ) He was born in B. c. 15,
those who followed Cadmus into Boeotia. He probably in September, for his son Caligula named
states (comp. Strab. ix. p. 404) that they ob- that month Germanicus, in honour of his father.
tained the territory of Tanagra for their portion, (Suet. Cal. 1, 15. ) His praenomen is unknown;
and that being driven thence by the Boeotians, nor can his original cognomen be ascertained, for
they came to Athens, where they were admitted to the imperial family began now to be above the
the rights of citizenship, subject only to a few ordinary rules of hereditary name. By a decree of
trifling disqualifications (Herod. v. 57 ; Suid. s. v. the senate, the elder Drusus, after his death, re-
reoupís. ) The place of their settlement was on the ceived the honourable appellation Germanicus,
banks of the Cephisus, which separated the terri- which was also granted to his posterity. (Dion
tory of Athens from that of Eleusis, and their Cass. lv. 2. ) It seems at first to have been ex-
Taine, according to the Etymologicon Magnum, was clusively assumed by the elder son, who afterwards
VOL. II.
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GERMANICUS.
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earned an independent title to it by his own the pay of the soldier, to shorten bis period of
achievements. When Augustus, in A. D. 4, adopted service, to mitigate the hardship of his military
Tiberius, and appointed him successor to the em- tasks, and to take revenge on his old enemy, the
pire, the young Germanicus had already, by his centurion. Germanicus was in Gaul, employed in
promising qualities, gained the favour of the em- collecting the revenue, when the tidings of the dis-
peror, who recommended Tiberius to take him as a turbance reached him. He hastened to the camp,
son. (Suet. Cul. 4; Tac. Ann. i. 3 ; Zonar. 2. 36. ) and exerted all his influence to allay discontent
In subsequent inscriptions and coins he is styled and establish order. He was the idol of the army.
Germanicus Caesar, Ti. Aug. F. Divi Aug. N. ; His open and affable manners contrasted remark-
and in history the relationships which he acquired ably with the hauteur and reserve of Tiberius ;
by adoption are often spoken of in place of the and like his father, Drusus, he was supposed to be
natural relationships of blood and birth. Upon his an admirer of the ancient republican liberty. Some
adoption into the Julia gens, whatever may have of the troops interrupted his harangue, by declaring
been his formal legal designation, he did not lose their readiness to place him at the head of the em-
the title Germanicus, though his brother Claudius, pire ; whereupon, as if contaminated by the guilty
as having now beconie the sole legal representative proposal, he jumped down from the tribunal whence
of his father, chose also to assume thai cognomen. he was speaking, declared that he would rather die
(Suet. Claud. 2. )
than forfeit his allegiance, and was about to plunge
In A. D. 7, five years before the legal age (Suet. his sword into his breast, when his attempt was
Cal. 1), he obtained the quaestorship; and in the forcibly stayed by the bystanders. (Tac. Ann.
same year was sent to assist Tiberius in the war i. 35. )
against the Pannonians and Dalmatians. (Dion It was known that the army of the Upper Rhine
Cass. lv. 31). After a distinguished commence (consisting of four legions, the 2nd, 13th, 16th,
his military career, he returned to Rome in and 14th, which were left in the charge of Si-
A. D. 10, to announce in person the victorious lius), was tainted with the disaffection of the
termination of the war, whereupon he was honoured troops under Caecina, and from motives of policy
with triumphal insignia (without an actual triumph), it was thought necessary to comply with the de
and the rank (not the actual office) of praetor, with mands of the soldiers. A council was held, and a
permission to be a candidate for the consulship be- feigned letter from Tiberius was concocted, in
fore the regular time. (Dion Cass. lvi. 17. ) which, after 20 years of service, a full discharge
The successes in Pannonia and Dalmatia were was given; and, after 16 years, an immunity from
followed by the destruction of Varus and his military tasks, other than the duty of taking part
legions. In A. D. 11, Tiberius was despatched to in actions. (Missio sub vesillo. ) The legacy left
defend the empire against the Germans, and was by Augustus to the troops was to be doubled and
accompanied by Germanicus as proconsul. The discharged. To satisfy the requisition of the 21st
two generals crossed the Rhine, made various in- and 5th legions, who demanded immediate par-
cursions into the neighbouring territory, and, at ment, Germanicus exhausted his own purse, and
the beginning of autumn, re-crossed the river. his friends were equally liberal. Having thus
(Dion Cass. Ivi. 25. ) Germanicus returned to quelled the disturbances in the lower army, by
Rome in the winter, and in the following year dis almost unlimited concession, he repaired to the
charged the office of consul, though he had never four legions on the Upper Rhine ; and though they
been aedile nor praetor. In the highest magistracy, voluntarily took the military oath of obedience, he
he did not scruple to appear as an advocate for the prudently granted them the same indulgence which
accused in courts of justice, and thus increased that had been conferred on their disorderly comrades.
popularity which he had formerly earned by plead- The calm was of short duration. Two legions of
ing for defendants before Augustus himself. Nor the Lower Rhine (the 1st and 20th) had been
was he above ministering to the more vulgar plea- stationed for the winter at Ara Ubiorum (between
sures of the people, for at the games of Mars, he Bonn and Cologne). Hither two deputies from
let loose two hundred lions in the Circus ; and the senate arrived with despatches from Ger-
Pliny (H. N. ii. 26) mentions his gladiatorial manicus ; and the conscience-stricken soldiers
shows. On the 16th of January, in A. D. 13, Tibe. imagined that they were come to revoke the con-
rius, having returned to Rome, celebrated that cessions which had been extorted by fear. A
triumph over the Pannonians and Dalmatians, formidable tumult again arose, and (according to
which had been postponed on account of the cala- the account of Tacitus) it was only on the de
mity of Varus ; and Germanicus appears, from the parture of Agrippina, the wife of Germanicus, car-
celebrated Gemma Augustea (as explained by Mon- rying in her bosom her young boy Caligula, the
gez, Iconographie Romaine, Paris, 1821, p. 62), to darling of the camp, and attended by the wives of
have taken a distinguished part in the celebration. her husband's friends, that the refractory legious
(Suet. Tib. 20. )
were smitten with pity and shame. They could
Germanicus was next sent to Germany with the not bear to see so many high-born ladies seek in
command of the eight legions stationed on the the foreign protection of the Treveri that security
Rhine ; and from this point of bis life his history which was denied to them in the camp of their
is taken up by the masterly hand of Tacitus. Upon own general ; and were so far worked upon by
the death of Augustus, in August, A. D. 14, an the feelings which this incident occasioned as to
alarming mutiny broke out among the legions in inflict summary punishment themselves on the
Germany and Illyricum. In the former country leaders of the revolt. (Tac. Ann. i. 41; comp.
the mutiny commenced among the four legions of Dion Cass. Ivii. 5 ; Zonar. xi. 1. )
the Lower Rhine (the 5th, 21st, 1st, and 20th), The other two legions of the Lower Rhine, the
who were stationed in summer quarters upon the 5th and 21st, with whom the mutiny began, re
borders of the Ubii, under the charge of A. Cae- mained in a state of discontent and ferment in their
cina. The time was come, they thought, to raise winter quarters at Castra Vetera (Xanten). Ger-
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GERMANICUS.
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manicus sent word to Caecina, that he was coming thence up the Ems. In the vicinity of this river
with a strong force, and would slaughter them in the three divisions formed a junction. Germani-
discriminately, unless they anticipated his purpose cus ravaged the country between the Ems and
by themselves punishing the guilty. This object the Lippe, and penetrated to the Saltus Teuto-
was accomplished in an effectual, but revolting bergiensis, which was situate between the sources
manner, by a secret nocturnal massacre of the dis- of those two rivers. In this forest the unburied
affected ringleaders. Germanicus entered the camp remains of Varus and bis legions had lain for
while it was still reeking with camage, ordered six years blenching in the air. With feelings
the corpscs to be buried, and shed many tears on of sorrow and resentment, the Roman army
witnessing the sad spectacle. His cmotion at sight gathered up the bones of their ill-fated comrades,
of the result was accompanied by disapprobation of and paid the last honours to their memory. Ger-
the means, which he designated as more befitting manicus took part in the melancholy solemnity,
the rudeness of the butcher than the skill of the and laid the first sod of the funeral mound. (Tac.
physician. (Tac. Ann. i. 49. )
Ann. i. 57—62 ; Dion Cass. lvji. 18. ) Arminius,
The soldiers were now anxious to be led to the in the mean time, had assembled his forces, and
field, that by the wounds they received in battle retiring into a difficult country, turned upon tho
they might appease the manes of their brethren in pursuing troops of the Romans, who would have
arms; and their general was not unwilling to sustained a complete defeat had not the legions of
satisfy this desire. He crossed the Rhine, and fell Germanicus checked the rout of the cavalry and
upon the villages of the Marsi, whom he surprised subsidiary cohorts. As it was, the general thought
and slaughtered by night, during a festive cele- it prudent to retreat in the same three-fold division
bration. He then laid waste the country for fifty in which he had advanced. Pedo, with the cavalry,
miles round, sparing neither age nor sex, levelled was ordered to keep the coast, and Caecina, with
to the ground the celebrated temple of Tanfana, all speed, to get across the Pontes Longi, a mounded
and, on his way back to winter quarters, pushed causeway leading over the marshes between Cösfeld
his troops successfully through the opposing tribes and Velen, and along the banks of the Yssel
(Bructeri, Tubantes, Usipetes,) between the Marsi (Ledebur, Land und Volk der Bructerer, Berlin,
and the Rhine. (Tac. Ann. i. 48–51; Dion Cass. 1827). Caecina, in whose division Agrippina tra-
lvii. 3—6 ; Suet. Tib. 25; Vell. Pat. ii. 125. ) velled, was obliged to fight his way hardly (AGRIP-
The intelligence of these proceedings affected PINA). Germanicus himself returned to the sta-
Tiberius with mingled feelings — pleasure at the tion on the Rhine by water, and, in a gusty night,
suppression of the mutiny among the German was well nigh losing the 2nd and 14th legions,
legions, anxiety on account of the indulgences by who, under the command of P. Vitellius, marched
which it was bought, and the glory and popularity along a dangerous shore, exposed to the wind and
acquired by Germanicus. While he regarded his tide, for the sake of lightening the burden of the
nephew and adopted son with suspicion and dis transport vessels. The greater part, nevertheless,
like, he commemorated his services in the senate in after many difficulties and adventures, succeeded in
tenns of elaborate, but manifestly insincere praise. making their way to the river Unsingis (Hunse),
The senate, in the absence of Germanicus, and where they rejoined the flotilla, and were taken on
during the continuance of the war, voted that he board. When the army arrived at its destination,
should have a triumph.
Germanicus visited the sick and wounded, and
In the beginning of spring, A. D. 15, he fell upon contributed from his own purse to the wants of the
the Catti, burnt their chief town Mattium (Maden soldiers.
near Gudensberg), devastated the country, slaugh- In the next year (A. D.
16), warned by the
tered the inhabitants, sparing neither woman nor losses he had recently sustained from the deficiency
child, and then returned to the Rhine. Soon of his feet, he gave orders for the building of a
afterwards a deputation arrived from Segestes thousand vessels, and appointed as the place of
applying for the assistance of the Roman general
. rendezvous that part of the Batavian island where
Segestes had always espoused the cause of the the Vahalis (Waal) diverges from the Rhine.
Romans, and had quarrelled with his son-in-law, With such aid, he hoped to facilitate the transport
Arminius, the conqueror of Varus. He was now of men and provisions, and to avoid the dangerous
blockaded by his own people, who despised him necessity of marching through bogs and forests.
for his servile truckling to foreign domination. In the meantime, hearing that Aliso, a castle on
Germanicus hastened to his rescue, overcame the be- the Lippe, was besieged, he hastened to its de-
siegers, and not only liberated Segestes, but gained fence ; but on his arrival, found that the besiegers
possession of his daughter, Thusnelda (Strab. bad dispersed. However, he was not left without
vii. p. 292), a woman of lofty spirit, who sym- employment. The mound erected to the memory
pathised with the patriotic feelings of her husband of the legions of Varus had been thrown down by
Arminius. Again Germanicus conducted the army the Germans ; and an ancient altar, built in honour
victoriously back to its quarters, and, at the direc- of his father, was in a state of dilapidation. These
tion of Tiberius, took the title of Imperator. he restored and repaired. The causeways between
Arminius, enraged beyond endurance at the cap Aliso and the Rhine were in want of new moats
tivity of his wife, who was then pregnant, roused and landmarks. These works he completed.
to war not only the Cherusci, but all the adjoining The fleet being now ready, he entered the canal
tribes. Germanicus made a division of his forces, of his father, Drusus, whom he invoked to favour
in order to divide the force of the enemy. The his enterprise ; and after sailing through the Zuy-
infantry were conducted by Caecina through the dersee to the ocean, landed at Amisia, a place near
Bructeri, the cavalry by Pedo through the borders the mouth of the river Amisia (Ems), on the left bank.
of Friesland, while Germanicus himself, with four He then marched upward along the course of the
legions, embarked in a flotilla, and sailed by the river, leaving his feet behind. Arminius was on
Lacus Flevus (the Zuydersee) to the Ocean, and the further side of the Weser, in command of the
62
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Cherusci; and, in order to get to the Weser, it Germanicus had some time previously received
was necessary to cross the Ems. The delay occa- intimation of the wish Tiberius to remove him
sioned by the necessity of forming a bridge across from Germany, and to give him command in the
the Ems, and the difficulty of the passage, made East, where Parthia and Armenia were in commo-
Germanicus feel his error in landing on the left tion on account of the dethronement of Vonones.
bank, and leaving his galleys at Amisia. He had Knowing that his time was short, he hastened his
still greater difficulty in effecting the passage of the operations; and upon his return to winter quarters,
Weser in the face of the enemy. Seeing now that felt convinced that another campaign would suffice
an important action was at band, he determined to for the successful termination of the war. But the
ascertain for himself the temper and feelings of the summons of Tiberius now grew pressing. He
troops. Accordingly, in the beginning of the night, invited Germanicus to come home, and take the
accompanied by a single attendant, he went secretly triumph which had been voted to him, offered him
into the camp, listened by the side of the tents, a second consulship, suggested that more might
and enjoyed his own fame. He heard the praise now be gained by address than by force of arms,
of his graceful form, his noble birth, his patience, reminded him of the severe losses with which his
his courtesy, his steady consistency of conduct. He successes were purchased, and appealed to his
found that his men were eager to show their modesty by hinting that he ought to leave an op-
loyalty and gratitude to their general, and to slake portunity to his adoptive brother, Drusus, of ac-
their vengeance in the field of battle. His sleep quiring laurels in the only field where they could
that night was blessed by a dream of happy omen, now be gathered. This touched one of the true
and, on the next day, when the troops were all reasons of his recal, for the emperor, though willing
ready for action, eight eagles were seen to enter to play him off against Drusus, had no desire that
the woods. Germanicus cried out to the legions, his popularity should throw Drusus completely into
“ Come on, follow the Roman birds, your own the sbade. (DRUsus, No. 11. ) Germanicus
divinities. ” A great victory was gained with little had petitioned for another year, in order to com-
loss to the Romans, Arminius having barely plete what he had begun, but he could not resist
escaped, after smearing his face with his own the mandate of Tiberius, though he saw that envy
blood, in order to disguise his features. His uncle, was the real cause of withdrawing from his grasp
Inguiomar, had an equally narrow escape. This an honour which he had already earned. (Tac.
battle was fought upon the plain of Idistavisus Ann. ii. 26. )
(between Rinteler and Hausberg), and was cele On his return to Rome he was received with
brated by a trophy of arms erected upon the spot. warm and enthusiastic greeting, the whole popu-
A second engagement took place soon afterwards, lation pouring forth to meet him twenty miles from
in a position where the retreat of both parties was the city, and on the 26th of May, A. D. 17, he cele-
cut off by the nature of the ground in their rear, brated bis triumph over the Cherusci, Catti, An-
80 that the only hope consisted in valour - the grivarii, and other tribes, as far as the Elbe. His
only safety in victory. The result was equally five children adorned his car, and many of the most
successful to the Romans. In the heat of action illustrious Germans ministered to the pomp of their
Germanicus, that he might be the better known, conqueror. Among others, Thusnelda, the wife of
uncovered his head, and cried out to the troops" to Arminius, followed in the procession of captives.
keep on killing and take no prisoners, since the Tac. Ann. ii. 41 ; Suet. Cal. i. ; Vell. Pat ii. 129;
only way to end the war was to exterminate the Euseb. Chron. No. 2033 ; Oros. vii. 4. ) Medals
race. " It was late at night before the legions are extant which commemorate this triumph. (See
ceased from their bloody task. In honour of this the cut below. )
second victory a trophy was erected, with the in- The whole of the Eastern provinces were as-
scription : "The army of Tiberius Caesar, having signed, by a decree of the senate, to Germanicus,
subdued the nations between the Rhine and the with the highest imperium ; but Tiberius placed
Elbe, dedicates this monument to Mars and Ju- Cn. Piso in command of Syria, and was supposed
piter, and Augustus. " No mention was made of to have given him secret instructions to check and
the name of Germanicus,
thwart Germanicus, though such instructions were
The summer was already far advanced, when scarcely wanted, for Piso was naturally of a proud
Germanicus, with the greater part of the troops, and rugged temper, unused to obedience. His
sailed back by the Ems to the Ocean. During the wife Plancina, too, was of a haughty and domineer-
voyage a terrific storm occurred: several of the ing spirit, and was encouraged by Livia, the em-
ships were sunk; and Germanicus, whose vessel press-mother, to vie with and annoy Agrippina.
was stranded on the shore of the Chauci, bitterly In A. D. 18, Germanicus entered upon his second
accused himself as the author of so gross a disaster, consulship at Nicopolis, a city of Achaia, whither
and could scarcely be prevented by his friends from he had arrived by coasting the Illyrian shore, after
finging himself into the sea, where so many of his a visit to Drusus in Dalmatia He then surveyed
followers had perished. However, he did not yield the scene of the battle of Actium, which was pe
to inactive grief. Lest the Germans should be en- culiarly interesting to him, from his family con-
couraged by the Roman losses, he sent Silius on an nection with Augustus and Antony. He had an
expedition against the Catti, while he himself at- anxious desire to view the renowned sites of ancient
tacked the Marsi; and, by the treacherous informa- story and classic lore. At Athens he was wel-
tion of their leader, Malovendus, recovered one of the comed with the most recherché honour, and, in
eagles which had belonged to the legion of Varus. compliment to the city, went attended with a single
Emboldened by success, he carried havoc and deso- lictor. At llium, his memory reverted to Homer's
lation into the country of the enemy, who were poem, and to the origin of the Roman race. At
struck with dismay when they saw that shipwreck, Colophon he landed, to consult the oracle of the
and hardship, and loss, only increased the ferocity Clarian Apollo, and it is said that the priest darkly
of the Romans.
foreboded his early fate.
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At Rhodes he fell in with Piso, whom he saved of Germanicus, half-burnt ashes moistened with
from danger of shipwreck, but Piso, not appeased by putrid blood, and other sorceries by which lives are
his generosity, hurried on to Syria, and, by every ar- said to be devoted to the infernal deities, were
tifice and corruption, endeavoured to acquire favour found imbedded in the walls and foundations of
for himself, and to heap obloquy on Germanicus. his house. Feeling his end approaching, he sum-
Plancina, in like manner, cast insult and reproach moned his friends, and called upon them to avenge
on Agrippina. Though this conduct did not escape his foul murder. Soon after, he breathed his last,
the knowledge of Germanicus, he hastened to fulfil on the 9th of October, A. D. 19, in the thirty-
the object of his mission, and proceeded to Ar- fourth year of his age, at Epidaphne near Antio-
menia, placed the crown upon the head of Zeno, cheia. (Tac. Ann. ï. 72, 83; Kal. Antiat. in
reduced Cappadocia to the form of a province, and Orelli
, Inscript, vol. ii. p. 401 ; Dion Cass. Ivii. 18;
gave Q. Servaeus the command of Commagene. Seneca, Qu. Nut. i. 1; Zonar. xi. 2; Joseph.
(Joseph. Ant. Jud. xviii. 25. ). He then spent the Ant. Jud. xviii. 2, 5; Plin. H. N. xi. 37, 71;
winter in Syria, where, without any open and Suet. Cal. 1. ). His corpse was exposed in the
violent rupture, he and Piso scarcely attempted to forum at Antiocheia, before it was burnt, and
conceal in each other's presence their mutual feel- Tacitus candidly admits (ii. 73) that it bore no
ings of displeasure and hatred. (Tac. Ann. ii. 57. ) | decisive marks of poison, though Suetonius speaks
In compliance with the request of Artabanus, king of livid marks over the whole body, and foam at
of the Parthians, Germanicus removed Vonones, the mouth, and goes on to report that, after the
the deposed monarch, to Pompeiopolis, a maritime burning, the heart was found unconsumed among
town of Cilicia. This he did with the greater the bones, — a supposed symptom of death by
pleasure, as it was mortifying to Piso, with whom poison.
Vonones was an especial favourite, from his presents Germanicus, as he studiously sought popularity
and obsequious attention to Plancina.
by such compliances as lowering the price of corn,
In the following year, A. D. 19, Germanicus walking abroad without military guard, and con-
visited Egypt, induced by his love of travel and forming to the national costume, so he possessed in
antiquity, and ignorant of the offence which he was
an extraordinary degree the faculty of winning
giving to Tiberius ; for it was one of the arcana of human affection. The savageness of his German
state, established by Augustus, that Egypt was not wars fell heavily upon the barbarians, with whom
to be entered by any Roman of high rank without he had no community of feeling. To those who
the special permission of the emperor. From Ca- came into personal communication with him, he
nopus, he sailed up the Nile, gratifying his taste was a mild-mannered man. Tacitus, whose ac-
for the marvellous and the old. The ruins of counts of his campaigns are full of fire and sword,
Thebes, the hieroglyphical inscriptions, the vocal of wide desolation and unsparing slaughter, yet
statue of Memnon, the pyramids, the reservoirs of speaks of his remarkable mansuetudo in hostes. In
the Nile, excited and rewarded his curiosity. He governing his own army his discipline was gentle,
consulted Apis as to his own fortunes, and received and he was evidently averse to harsh measures.
the prediction of an untimely end. (Plin. H. N. He had not that ambition of supreme command,
vii. 46. )
which often accompanies the power of commanding
On his return to Syria, he found that every thing well, nor was he made of that stern stuff which
had gone wrong during his absence. His orders, would have enabled him to cope with and control
military and civil, had been neglected or positively a refractory subordinate officer with the cleverness
disobeyed. Hence arose a bitter interchange of and activity of Piso. He was a man of sensitive
reproaches between him and Piso, whom he ordered feeling, chaste and temperate, and possessed all
to depart from Egypt. Being soon after seized the amiable virtues which spread a charm over
with an attack of illness, he attributed bis dis- social and family intercourse. His dignified per-
temper to the sorcery practised against him by son, captivating eloquence, elegant and refined
Piso. In accordance with an ancient Roman cus- taste, cultivated understanding, high sense of ho
tom, which required a denunciation of hostility nour, unaffected courtesy, frank munificence, and
between private individuals as well as between polished manners, befitted a Roman prince of his
states, in order that they might be fair enemies, exalted station, and seemed to justify the general
Germanicus sent Piso a letter renouncing his friend hope that he might live to dispense, as emperor,
ship. (Suet. Cal. 1 ; Tac. Ann. Ü. 70. ) It is re- the blessings of his government over the Roman
markable that a similar custom existed in the world. He shines with fairer light from the dark
middle ages, in the diffidatio or defiance of feudal atmosphere of crime and tyranny which shrouds
chivalry, preparatory to private war. (Allen, On the the time that succeeded his death. The comparison
Royal Prerogative, p. 76. ) Whether there were between Germanicus and Alexander the Great,
real ground for the suspicion of poisoning which which is suggested by Tacitus (Ann. ii. 73), pre-
Germanicus himself entertained against Piso and sents but superficial resemblances. Where can we
Plancina, it is impossible now to decide with cer- find in the Roman general traces of that lofty
tainty. Germanicus seems to have been of a ner daring, those wide views, and that potent intellect
vous and credulous temperament. He could not which marked the hero of Macedon?
bear the sight of a cock, nor the sound of its crow. The sorrow that was felt for the death of Ger-
(Plut. de Inrid. et Od. 3. ) Wherever he met with manicus was intense. Foreign potentates shared
the sepulchres of illustrious men, he offered sacri- the lamentation of the Roman people, and, in token
fices to their manes. (Suet. Cal. 1. ) The poisoning of mourning, abstained from their usual amuse-
which he now suspected was not of a natural kind: ments. At home unexampled honours were de-
it was a veneficium, partaking of magic, if we may creed to his memory. It was ordered that his name
judge from the proofs by which it was supposed to should be inserted in the Salian hymns, that his
be evidenced :-pieces of buman flesh, charms, and curule chair, mounted with crowns of oak leaves,
maledictions, leaden plates inscribed with the name should always be set in the public shows, in the
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GERMANUS.
SWC
space reserved for the priests of A pollo, that his toire de Caesar Germanicus, 12mo.
