Of the
epigrams
ascribed to remainder were in a very dissatisfied state.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - b
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.
## p. 261 (#277) ############################################
GERMANICUS.
261
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
## p. 262 (#278) ############################################
262
GERMANICUS.
GERMANUS.
SWC
space reserved for the priests of A pollo, that his toire de Caesar Germanicus, 12mo. Leyden, 1741 ;
statue in ivory should be carried in procession at Caesar Germanicus, ein Historisches Gemälde, 8vo.
the opening of the games of the Circus, and that the Stendal, 1796 ; F. Hoffmann, Die vier Feldzüge
flamines and augure who succeeded him should be des Germanicus in Deutschland, 4to. Götting.
taken from the Julia gens. A public tomb was 1816; Niebuhr, Lect. on the Hist. of Rom. vol. ii.
built for him at Antioch. A triumphal arch was Lect. 61. )
[J. T. G. ]
erected in his honour, on Mount Amanus, in Syria,
with an inscription recounting his achievements,
and stating that he had died for his country; and
GERMANICUS
other monuments to his memory were constructed
CAESAR
at Rome, and on the banks of the Rhine. The
original grief broke out afresh when Agrippina SIGNIS RRO
arrived in Italy with his ashes, which were de DEVICTIST MISGERM
posited in the tomb of Augustus. But the Roman
people were dissatisfied with the stinted obsequies
with which, on this occasion, the ceremony was
conducted by desire of Tiberius. (Tac. Ann. ii.
83, iii. 1-6. )
COIN OF GERMANICUS.
By Agrippina he had nine children, three of
whom died young, while the others survived him. GERMA'NUS. 1. One of the commanders of
(Steinma Drusorum, vol. i. p. 1077 ; Suet. Cal. 7. ) the expedition sent by the emperor Theodosius II. ,
Of those who survived, the most notorious were the A. D. 411, to attack the Vandals in Africa. (Pros-
emperor Caius Caligula, and Agrippina, the mother per. Aquit. Chron. )
of Nero.
2. The patrician, a nephew of the emperor Jus-
He was an author of some repute, and not only tinian I. He was grown up at the time of Justi-
an orator but a poet. (Suet. Cal. 3 ; Ov. Fast. nian's accession (A. D. 527), for soon after that he
i. 21, 25, Er Pont. ii. 5, 41, 53, iv. 8, 68 ; Plin. was appointed commander of the troops in Thrace,
H. N. viii. 42. ) Of the Greek comedies (mentioned and almost annihilated a body of Antae, a Slavonic
by Suetonius) which he composed, we have no nation who had invaded that province. He
fragments left, but the remains of his Latin trans- was sent into Africa on occasion of the mutiny
lation of the Phaenomena of Aratus evince consider of the troops there under Tzotzas, after the re
able skill in versification, and are superior in merit covery of that province from the Vandals by Beli-
to the similar work of Cicero. By some critics the sarius, who had been called away into Sicily by
authorship of this work has been, without sufficient the mutinous temper of the army in that island.
cause, denied to Germanicus. (Barth. Advers. x. Germanus was accompanied by Domnicus, or
21. ) The early scholia appended to this trans- Domnichus, and Symmachus, men of skill, who
lation have been attributed, without any certainty, were sent with him apparently as his advisers.
now to Fulgentius, and now to Caesius or Cal. On his arrival at Carthage (A. D. 534) he found
pulnius Bassus. They contain a citation from that two thirds of the army were with the rebel
Prudentius. We have also fragments of his Dio- Tzotzas (TGórčas, as Theophanes writes the name;
semeia or Prognostica, a physical poem, compiled in Procopius it is Stotzas, E767 čas), and that the
from Greek sources.
Of the epigrams ascribed to remainder were in a very dissatisfied state. By
him, that on the Thracian boy (Mattaire, Corpus his mildness, he assuaged the discontent of his
Poetarum, ii. 1547) has been much admired, but it troops ; and on the approach of Tzotzas, marched
is an example of a frigid conceit. (Burmann. An- out, drove him away, and overtaking him in his
thol. Lat. ii. 103, v. 41 ; Brunck. Analect. vol. ii. retreat, gave him so decisive a defeat at Kandas
p. 285. ) The remains of Germanicus were first Barapas, i. e. Scalas Veteres, in Numidia, as to put
printed at Bononia, fol. 1474, then at Venice, fol. an end to the revolt, and to compel Tzotzas to flee
1488 and 1499, in aedibus Aldi. A very good into Mauritania. A second attempt at mutiny
edition was published by the well-known Hugo was made at Carthage by Maximus ; but it was
Grotius, when he was quite a youth, with plates of repressed by Germanus, who punished Maximus
the constellations, to illustrate the phaenomena of by crucifying or impaling him at Carthage. Ger-
Aratus, 4to, Leyden, 1600. There are also editions manus was shortly after (about A. D. 539 or 540)
in the Carmina Familiae Caesareae, by Schwarz, recalled by Justinian to Constantinople. Imme-
8vo. Coburg, 1715, and by C. F. Schmid, 8vo. Lüne- diately after his return from Africa he was sent to
burg, 1728. The latest edition is that of J. C. Orelli, deſend Syria against Chosroes, or Khosru I. , king of
at the end of his Phaedrus, 8vo. Zurich, 1831. Persia ; but his forces were inadequate for that
The eventful life and tragic death of Germanicus, purpose, and, after leaving a portion of his troops
embellished by the picturesque narrative of Tacitus, to garrison Antioch, which was, however, taken
have rendered him a favourite hero of the stage. by Chosroes (A. D. 539 or 540), he withdrew into
There is an English play, with the title “ Germani- Cilicia. After this Germanus remained for some
cus, a tragedy, by a Gentleman of the University of time without any prominent employment. Either
Oxford,” 8vo. London, 1775. Germanicus also his ill success in Syria involved him in disgrace, or
gives name to several French tragedies—one by he was kept back by the hatred of the empress
Bursault, which was highly prized by Corneille, a Theodora, the fear of whose displeasure prevented
second by the jesuit Dominique de Colonia, a third any of the greater Byzantine nobles from inter-
by Pradon, which was the subject of an epigram by marrying with the children which Germanus had
Racine, and a fourth, published by A. V. Arnault by his wife Passara (Iacoápa); and he was ob-
in 1816, which occasioned some sensation on its liged (A. D. 545) to negotiate a match between his
first representation, and was translated into Eng- daughter, who was now marriageable, and Joannes,
lish by George Bemel. (Louis de Beaufort, His- nephew of Vitalian the Goth, though Joannes
## p. 263 (#279) ############################################
GERMANUS.
263
GERMANUS.
a
1
was of a rank inferior to that of his bride. Even nople. The emperor sent to drag him from his
this match was not effected without much oppo sanctuary, but the resistance of his servants enabled
sition and grievous threats on the part of the em- him to escape to the great church. Maurice then
press. Germanus had another ground of dissatis caused Theodosius to be beaten with rods, on
faction. His brother Borais or Boraides had on suspicion of aiding his father-in-law to escape.
his death left his property to Germanus and his Germanus, it is said, would have given himself up,
children, to the prejudice of his own wife and but the malcontents in the city would not allow
daughter, to whom he bequeathed only so much as him to do 80 ; and he, in anticipation of Maurice's
the law required. The daughter appealed against downfal, tampered with them to obtain the crown.
this arrangement, and the emperor gave judgment Meantime the army under Phocas approached, and
in her favour. Thus alienated from his uncle, Ger-Germanus, probably through fear, went out with
manus and his sons Justin and Justinian, the first others to meet him. Phocas offered him the crown,
of whom had been consul (he is probably the Fla- but he, suspecting the intentions of the rebel, de-
vius Justinus who was consul Å. D. 540), were
clined it. Phocas having himself become enperor,
solicited to join in the conspiracy of Artabanes, and being apprehensive of Germanus, first made
who, after the death of the empress Theodora, was him a priest (A. D. 603), and afterwards (A. D. 605
plotting the murder of the emperor Justinian and or 606), feeling still insecure, put him to death,
his general, Belisarius. But their loyalty was together with his daughter. (Theophan. Chronog.
proof against the solicitation, and they gave in- p. 388, 445-456, &c. ed. Bonn ; Theophyl. Simo-
formation of the plot. Germanus was neverthelesscatta, Hist. viii. 4, 8, 9, 10, and apud Phot,
suspected by the emperor of participation in it, but Bill cod. 65; Zonar. xiv. 13, 14; Cedren. vol. i.
succeeded in making his innocence clear,
p. 710, ed. Bonn. )
In A. D. 550 Justinian appointed Germanus to 5. Governor of Edessa (A. D. 587) in the reign
the command against the Goths in Italy. He of the emperor Maurice, was chosen general by the
undertook the charge with great zeal, and expended troops who guarded the eastern frontier, and who
in the collection of a suitable force a larger amount had, by their mutinous behaviour, put their com-
from his private fortune than the emperor contri- mander, Priscns, to flight. During the reign of
buted from the public revenue. His sons Justin Phocas, we find a Germanus, apparently the same,
and Justinian were to serve under him, and he holding the military command on the same frontier.
was to be accompanied by his second wife, Mata- Narses, a Roman (or Byzantine) general, having
suntha (Matagoûvea), an Ostro-Gothic princess, revolted and taken possession of Edessa, Germanus
widow of the Gothic king Vitiges, and grand was ordered to besiege the town, and was there
daughter of the great Theodoric. His liberality defeated and mortally wounded (A. D. 604) by a
and high reputation soon attracted a large army of Persian army, which Chosroes or Khosru 11. , whose
veterans ; many soldiers formerly in the pay of the assistance the rebel had implored, sent to his relief.
empire, now in that of the Goths, promised to (Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. p. 451, ed. Bonn; Theo-
desert to him, and he had reason to hope that his phylact. Simocat. Hist. iii. 2, 3, and ap. Phot. Bill.
connection with their royal family would dispose cod. 65; Zonar. xiv. 14 ; Cedren. vol. i. p. 710,
the Goths themselves to submit. The mere terror ed. Bonn. )
of his name caused the retreat of a Slavonic horde 6. AUTISSIODORENSIS, or St. GERMAIN of
who had crossed the Danube to attack Thessa- AUXERRE, one of the most eminent of the early
loneica ; and he was on his march, with the bright- saints of the Gallic church, lived a little before the
est prospects, into Italy, when he died, after a overthrow of the western empire. He was born at
short illness, at Sardica in Illyricum. He had, Auxerre, about A. D. 378, of a good family, and at
beside the children above mentioned by his first first followed the profession of the bar. Having em-
wife, a posthumous son by Matasuntha, called, braced the Christian religion, and entered the church,
after him, Germanus. (Procopins, De Bell. Vandal. | he was ordained deacon by Amator, bishop of Aux-
ii. 16–19, De Bello Persico, ii. 6, 7, De Bello erre, and on his death shortly after was unanimously
Gothico, iii. 12, 31-33, 37—40, Hist. Arcana, chosen his successor, and held the see from A. D.
c. 5, with the notes of Alemannus; Theophan. 418 to 449. He was eminent for his zeal against
Chronog. vol. i. p. 316, &c. , ed. Bonn. )
heresy, his success as a preacher, his holiness, and
3. One of the generals of the emperor Tiberius the miracles which he is said to have wrought.
II. The emperor manifested his esteem for him Among the remarkable incidents of his life were
by giving him his daughter Charito in marriage his two visits to Britain, the first in or about a. D.
(A. D. 582), on which occasion he received the title 429 and 430; the second in A. D. 446 or 447,
of Caesar. Another daughter of Tiberius was i shortly before his death, which, according to Bede,
married to Mauricius or Maurice, afterwards em- took place at Ravenna, in Italy, apparently in A. D.
peror. (Theophan. Chronog. p. 388, ed. Bonn ; 448. His transactions in Britain were among the
Zonar. xiv. 11. )
inost important of his life, especially in his first
4. The patrician, contemporary with the emperor visit, when he was sent over by a council, with Lupus
Mauricius or Maurice, is perhaps the same as No. Trecasenus or Trecassinus (St. Loup of Troyes),
2. Theodosius, the son of Maurice, married his as his associate, to check the spread of Pelagianism.
daughter A. D. 602. During the revolt which closed He was successful not only in the main object of
the reign and life of Maurice, Theodosius and Germa- his mission, but also in repelling in a very remark-
nus left Constantinople on a hunting excursion, and able manner an incursion of the Saxons, who were
while absent had some communication with the re struck with panic by the Britons (who, under the
volted troops under Phocas, who offered the im- guidance of Germanus, were advancing to repel
perial crown to either or both of them (A. D. 602). them), raising a shout of “ Alleluia. " This inci-
On their return to Constantinople, Maurice accused dent occurred before the commencement of the
Germanus of conspiring against him, and Germanus Saxon conquest under Hengist, during the first
in alarm fled to one of the churches in Constanti- | visit of Germanus. The writings of Germanus
S 4
## p. 264 (#280) ############################################
264
GERMANUS.
GERMANUS.
are unimportant. One of them, which is not now he discharged the functions of his office at Nice, in
extant, but which Nennius quotes (c. 50), contained Bithynia, Constantinople itself being then in the
an account of the death of the British king, Guor- hands of the Latins. He was anxious for the
tigirnus or Vortigern. (Nennius, Histor. c. 30— union of the Greek and Latin churches, and wrote
50; Baeda, De Sex Actat. , and Hist. Eccles. to the pope Gregory IX. a letter, of which a Latin
Gent. Anglor. i. c.
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.
## p. 261 (#277) ############################################
GERMANICUS.
261
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
## p. 262 (#278) ############################################
262
GERMANICUS.
GERMANUS.
SWC
space reserved for the priests of A pollo, that his toire de Caesar Germanicus, 12mo. Leyden, 1741 ;
statue in ivory should be carried in procession at Caesar Germanicus, ein Historisches Gemälde, 8vo.
the opening of the games of the Circus, and that the Stendal, 1796 ; F. Hoffmann, Die vier Feldzüge
flamines and augure who succeeded him should be des Germanicus in Deutschland, 4to. Götting.
taken from the Julia gens. A public tomb was 1816; Niebuhr, Lect. on the Hist. of Rom. vol. ii.
built for him at Antioch. A triumphal arch was Lect. 61. )
[J. T. G. ]
erected in his honour, on Mount Amanus, in Syria,
with an inscription recounting his achievements,
and stating that he had died for his country; and
GERMANICUS
other monuments to his memory were constructed
CAESAR
at Rome, and on the banks of the Rhine. The
original grief broke out afresh when Agrippina SIGNIS RRO
arrived in Italy with his ashes, which were de DEVICTIST MISGERM
posited in the tomb of Augustus. But the Roman
people were dissatisfied with the stinted obsequies
with which, on this occasion, the ceremony was
conducted by desire of Tiberius. (Tac. Ann. ii.
83, iii. 1-6. )
COIN OF GERMANICUS.
By Agrippina he had nine children, three of
whom died young, while the others survived him. GERMA'NUS. 1. One of the commanders of
(Steinma Drusorum, vol. i. p. 1077 ; Suet. Cal. 7. ) the expedition sent by the emperor Theodosius II. ,
Of those who survived, the most notorious were the A. D. 411, to attack the Vandals in Africa. (Pros-
emperor Caius Caligula, and Agrippina, the mother per. Aquit. Chron. )
of Nero.
2. The patrician, a nephew of the emperor Jus-
He was an author of some repute, and not only tinian I. He was grown up at the time of Justi-
an orator but a poet. (Suet. Cal. 3 ; Ov. Fast. nian's accession (A. D. 527), for soon after that he
i. 21, 25, Er Pont. ii. 5, 41, 53, iv. 8, 68 ; Plin. was appointed commander of the troops in Thrace,
H. N. viii. 42. ) Of the Greek comedies (mentioned and almost annihilated a body of Antae, a Slavonic
by Suetonius) which he composed, we have no nation who had invaded that province. He
fragments left, but the remains of his Latin trans- was sent into Africa on occasion of the mutiny
lation of the Phaenomena of Aratus evince consider of the troops there under Tzotzas, after the re
able skill in versification, and are superior in merit covery of that province from the Vandals by Beli-
to the similar work of Cicero. By some critics the sarius, who had been called away into Sicily by
authorship of this work has been, without sufficient the mutinous temper of the army in that island.
cause, denied to Germanicus. (Barth. Advers. x. Germanus was accompanied by Domnicus, or
21. ) The early scholia appended to this trans- Domnichus, and Symmachus, men of skill, who
lation have been attributed, without any certainty, were sent with him apparently as his advisers.
now to Fulgentius, and now to Caesius or Cal. On his arrival at Carthage (A. D. 534) he found
pulnius Bassus. They contain a citation from that two thirds of the army were with the rebel
Prudentius. We have also fragments of his Dio- Tzotzas (TGórčas, as Theophanes writes the name;
semeia or Prognostica, a physical poem, compiled in Procopius it is Stotzas, E767 čas), and that the
from Greek sources.
Of the epigrams ascribed to remainder were in a very dissatisfied state. By
him, that on the Thracian boy (Mattaire, Corpus his mildness, he assuaged the discontent of his
Poetarum, ii. 1547) has been much admired, but it troops ; and on the approach of Tzotzas, marched
is an example of a frigid conceit. (Burmann. An- out, drove him away, and overtaking him in his
thol. Lat. ii. 103, v. 41 ; Brunck. Analect. vol. ii. retreat, gave him so decisive a defeat at Kandas
p. 285. ) The remains of Germanicus were first Barapas, i. e. Scalas Veteres, in Numidia, as to put
printed at Bononia, fol. 1474, then at Venice, fol. an end to the revolt, and to compel Tzotzas to flee
1488 and 1499, in aedibus Aldi. A very good into Mauritania. A second attempt at mutiny
edition was published by the well-known Hugo was made at Carthage by Maximus ; but it was
Grotius, when he was quite a youth, with plates of repressed by Germanus, who punished Maximus
the constellations, to illustrate the phaenomena of by crucifying or impaling him at Carthage. Ger-
Aratus, 4to, Leyden, 1600. There are also editions manus was shortly after (about A. D. 539 or 540)
in the Carmina Familiae Caesareae, by Schwarz, recalled by Justinian to Constantinople. Imme-
8vo. Coburg, 1715, and by C. F. Schmid, 8vo. Lüne- diately after his return from Africa he was sent to
burg, 1728. The latest edition is that of J. C. Orelli, deſend Syria against Chosroes, or Khosru I. , king of
at the end of his Phaedrus, 8vo. Zurich, 1831. Persia ; but his forces were inadequate for that
The eventful life and tragic death of Germanicus, purpose, and, after leaving a portion of his troops
embellished by the picturesque narrative of Tacitus, to garrison Antioch, which was, however, taken
have rendered him a favourite hero of the stage. by Chosroes (A. D. 539 or 540), he withdrew into
There is an English play, with the title “ Germani- Cilicia. After this Germanus remained for some
cus, a tragedy, by a Gentleman of the University of time without any prominent employment. Either
Oxford,” 8vo. London, 1775. Germanicus also his ill success in Syria involved him in disgrace, or
gives name to several French tragedies—one by he was kept back by the hatred of the empress
Bursault, which was highly prized by Corneille, a Theodora, the fear of whose displeasure prevented
second by the jesuit Dominique de Colonia, a third any of the greater Byzantine nobles from inter-
by Pradon, which was the subject of an epigram by marrying with the children which Germanus had
Racine, and a fourth, published by A. V. Arnault by his wife Passara (Iacoápa); and he was ob-
in 1816, which occasioned some sensation on its liged (A. D. 545) to negotiate a match between his
first representation, and was translated into Eng- daughter, who was now marriageable, and Joannes,
lish by George Bemel. (Louis de Beaufort, His- nephew of Vitalian the Goth, though Joannes
## p. 263 (#279) ############################################
GERMANUS.
263
GERMANUS.
a
1
was of a rank inferior to that of his bride. Even nople. The emperor sent to drag him from his
this match was not effected without much oppo sanctuary, but the resistance of his servants enabled
sition and grievous threats on the part of the em- him to escape to the great church. Maurice then
press. Germanus had another ground of dissatis caused Theodosius to be beaten with rods, on
faction. His brother Borais or Boraides had on suspicion of aiding his father-in-law to escape.
his death left his property to Germanus and his Germanus, it is said, would have given himself up,
children, to the prejudice of his own wife and but the malcontents in the city would not allow
daughter, to whom he bequeathed only so much as him to do 80 ; and he, in anticipation of Maurice's
the law required. The daughter appealed against downfal, tampered with them to obtain the crown.
this arrangement, and the emperor gave judgment Meantime the army under Phocas approached, and
in her favour. Thus alienated from his uncle, Ger-Germanus, probably through fear, went out with
manus and his sons Justin and Justinian, the first others to meet him. Phocas offered him the crown,
of whom had been consul (he is probably the Fla- but he, suspecting the intentions of the rebel, de-
vius Justinus who was consul Å. D. 540), were
clined it. Phocas having himself become enperor,
solicited to join in the conspiracy of Artabanes, and being apprehensive of Germanus, first made
who, after the death of the empress Theodora, was him a priest (A. D. 603), and afterwards (A. D. 605
plotting the murder of the emperor Justinian and or 606), feeling still insecure, put him to death,
his general, Belisarius. But their loyalty was together with his daughter. (Theophan. Chronog.
proof against the solicitation, and they gave in- p. 388, 445-456, &c. ed. Bonn ; Theophyl. Simo-
formation of the plot. Germanus was neverthelesscatta, Hist. viii. 4, 8, 9, 10, and apud Phot,
suspected by the emperor of participation in it, but Bill cod. 65; Zonar. xiv. 13, 14; Cedren. vol. i.
succeeded in making his innocence clear,
p. 710, ed. Bonn. )
In A. D. 550 Justinian appointed Germanus to 5. Governor of Edessa (A. D. 587) in the reign
the command against the Goths in Italy. He of the emperor Maurice, was chosen general by the
undertook the charge with great zeal, and expended troops who guarded the eastern frontier, and who
in the collection of a suitable force a larger amount had, by their mutinous behaviour, put their com-
from his private fortune than the emperor contri- mander, Priscns, to flight. During the reign of
buted from the public revenue. His sons Justin Phocas, we find a Germanus, apparently the same,
and Justinian were to serve under him, and he holding the military command on the same frontier.
was to be accompanied by his second wife, Mata- Narses, a Roman (or Byzantine) general, having
suntha (Matagoûvea), an Ostro-Gothic princess, revolted and taken possession of Edessa, Germanus
widow of the Gothic king Vitiges, and grand was ordered to besiege the town, and was there
daughter of the great Theodoric. His liberality defeated and mortally wounded (A. D. 604) by a
and high reputation soon attracted a large army of Persian army, which Chosroes or Khosru 11. , whose
veterans ; many soldiers formerly in the pay of the assistance the rebel had implored, sent to his relief.
empire, now in that of the Goths, promised to (Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. p. 451, ed. Bonn; Theo-
desert to him, and he had reason to hope that his phylact. Simocat. Hist. iii. 2, 3, and ap. Phot. Bill.
connection with their royal family would dispose cod. 65; Zonar. xiv. 14 ; Cedren. vol. i. p. 710,
the Goths themselves to submit. The mere terror ed. Bonn. )
of his name caused the retreat of a Slavonic horde 6. AUTISSIODORENSIS, or St. GERMAIN of
who had crossed the Danube to attack Thessa- AUXERRE, one of the most eminent of the early
loneica ; and he was on his march, with the bright- saints of the Gallic church, lived a little before the
est prospects, into Italy, when he died, after a overthrow of the western empire. He was born at
short illness, at Sardica in Illyricum. He had, Auxerre, about A. D. 378, of a good family, and at
beside the children above mentioned by his first first followed the profession of the bar. Having em-
wife, a posthumous son by Matasuntha, called, braced the Christian religion, and entered the church,
after him, Germanus. (Procopins, De Bell. Vandal. | he was ordained deacon by Amator, bishop of Aux-
ii. 16–19, De Bello Persico, ii. 6, 7, De Bello erre, and on his death shortly after was unanimously
Gothico, iii. 12, 31-33, 37—40, Hist. Arcana, chosen his successor, and held the see from A. D.
c. 5, with the notes of Alemannus; Theophan. 418 to 449. He was eminent for his zeal against
Chronog. vol. i. p. 316, &c. , ed. Bonn. )
heresy, his success as a preacher, his holiness, and
3. One of the generals of the emperor Tiberius the miracles which he is said to have wrought.
II. The emperor manifested his esteem for him Among the remarkable incidents of his life were
by giving him his daughter Charito in marriage his two visits to Britain, the first in or about a. D.
(A. D. 582), on which occasion he received the title 429 and 430; the second in A. D. 446 or 447,
of Caesar. Another daughter of Tiberius was i shortly before his death, which, according to Bede,
married to Mauricius or Maurice, afterwards em- took place at Ravenna, in Italy, apparently in A. D.
peror. (Theophan. Chronog. p. 388, ed. Bonn ; 448. His transactions in Britain were among the
Zonar. xiv. 11. )
inost important of his life, especially in his first
4. The patrician, contemporary with the emperor visit, when he was sent over by a council, with Lupus
Mauricius or Maurice, is perhaps the same as No. Trecasenus or Trecassinus (St. Loup of Troyes),
2. Theodosius, the son of Maurice, married his as his associate, to check the spread of Pelagianism.
daughter A. D. 602. During the revolt which closed He was successful not only in the main object of
the reign and life of Maurice, Theodosius and Germa- his mission, but also in repelling in a very remark-
nus left Constantinople on a hunting excursion, and able manner an incursion of the Saxons, who were
while absent had some communication with the re struck with panic by the Britons (who, under the
volted troops under Phocas, who offered the im- guidance of Germanus, were advancing to repel
perial crown to either or both of them (A. D. 602). them), raising a shout of “ Alleluia. " This inci-
On their return to Constantinople, Maurice accused dent occurred before the commencement of the
Germanus of conspiring against him, and Germanus Saxon conquest under Hengist, during the first
in alarm fled to one of the churches in Constanti- | visit of Germanus. The writings of Germanus
S 4
## p. 264 (#280) ############################################
264
GERMANUS.
GERMANUS.
are unimportant. One of them, which is not now he discharged the functions of his office at Nice, in
extant, but which Nennius quotes (c. 50), contained Bithynia, Constantinople itself being then in the
an account of the death of the British king, Guor- hands of the Latins. He was anxious for the
tigirnus or Vortigern. (Nennius, Histor. c. 30— union of the Greek and Latin churches, and wrote
50; Baeda, De Sex Actat. , and Hist. Eccles. to the pope Gregory IX. a letter, of which a Latin
Gent. Anglor. i. c.
