--The
friendship
that subsisted
between Tacitus and the younger Pliny is well known.
between Tacitus and the younger Pliny is well known.
Charles - 1867 - Classical Dictionary
The
first was that originally colonized and fortified by the
Corinthians under Archias; and being then an island,
and most of it rocky and of difficult approach, it must
. save been very strong. It is now about two miles in
circumference, and probably obtained its name from
the abundance of quails there, (oprof, "a quaiV'). In
process of time the city extended to the continent,
and a suburb vas added, called Achradina, probably
from the rockiness of tho ground. This, in time, oc-
cupied all the lower part of that peninsula between the
Portus Laccius and the Portus Trogitiorum, and was,
next to Ortygia, the best peopled, though not, perhaps,
in proportion to its extent. A wall was then drawn in
a straight line from the Portus Trogiliornm to tho
docks at Syracuse, and this was for some lime the lim-
its of the city. Afterward, however, were added no
less than three suburbs, Tyca, Temenites (subsequent-
ly Neapolis), and Epipolas. Temenites and Tyca were
so called from the temples of Apollo and of Fortune sit-
uated there, and of which the rfftevn, or sacred closes,
no doubt, originally occupied a great part of their sites.
Tvxn was probably Syracusan for rixi ("fortune").
Neapolis was of later foundation, and occupied the site
of Temenites. These several parts were all gradual-
ly surrounded by walls, and included in the city; and
thus, in the end, Syracuse became one of the most ex-
tensive cities in Europe. Ortygia, being the original
city, was called the citadel, or the city, xar' l^oxnv.
The Epipolae, which was north of Temenites and Tyca,
and of a triangular figure, derived its name from its
elevated site, now called Behedtre; the highest parts
of which were occupied by the Syracusan castles of
Euryalus and Labdalum. (Compare Gollcr, de situ
st origine Syracusarum, Lips. , 1818, 8vo. --Bloom-
Held ad Thucyd. , 6, 75; vol. 3, p. 118, in notis. )--
Syracuse had two harbours, formed by the island of
Ortygia: one called the smaller harbour, and also
? ? Portus Laccius, between the upper side of Ortygia
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? SY R
Ic admit of passages into the side aisles, which consist
jf the north and south porticoes of the ancient peri-
ityle. Cicero is diffuse in his description of this an-
cient edifice, which, though spared bv Marcellus, was
stripped to the bare walls of all its splendid ornaments
fcv >h<< infamous Verres Upon the summit of its roof
mere was elevated an enormous gilded shield, that
was consecrated to Minerva. This object, which was
risible a great way nil in the reflection of the sun,
was beheld with religious respect; and the mariner at
tea made an offering when he took leave of its last
glimmerings. In that quarter of the city which was
called Achradina there are also vestiges of the walls
once defended by the genius of Archimedes. Here
and there the rock itself is chiselled into battlements;
and, wherever there are remains of gateways, they are
found so placed that they must have obliged the as-
sailant to approach them for a great length of way with
his unshielded right side unprotected. The Hexapy-
lon of Syracuse was not, as many commentators on
Livy have supposed, a mere part of the wall, but a
noble fortress, constructed with such consummate
sk'ill as to have excited the admiration of the beJf
modern judges of military architecture. Its ruins still
exhibit the size and extent of its subterranean passa-
ges, whence both infantry and cavalry might make
their sallies, and retreat again under protection of the
fort; the huge, square towers of its solid masonry are
still to be traced; and the ground is strewn with the
vast blocks of parapets, which are bored with grooves
for pouring melted pitch and lead on the heads of the
assailants. Such was ancient Syracuse. The fullest
? ympathy need not prevent our repeating a doubt as
to the vast population of old ascribed to it. True,
the circuit of its walls was twenty-two miles; and
Thucydides, long before its-era of prosperity under
Dionysius, allows that it was equal to Athens; but
the increase of its population after Thucydides' time
is merely conjectured, and the inhabitants of all At-
tica scarcely exceeded half a million/'
SYRIA, a country of Asia, bounded on the east by
the Euphrates and a small portion of Arabia, north by
the range of Taurus, west by the Mediterranean, and
south by Arabia. The name Syria has been trans-
mitted to us from the Greeks. Pococke conjectures
that it might possibly come from Sur, the ancient name
of Tyre, the chief city of the whole country. It is
more natural, however, to suppose that the name
Syria is a corruption or abridgment of Assyria, and
that the form in. question was first adopted by the
lonians, who frequented these coasts after the Assyri-
ans of Nineveh had made this country a part of their
empire, about 750 B. C. (Afannert, Geogr. , vol. C, pt.
1, p. 432, ? ? >? "/'/)--It was divided into several districts
and provinces, including, besides Syria Proper, Phceni-
cia, Palestine, and, according to Pliny, Mesopotamia
and Babylonia. Syria is called in Scripture Aram,
and the inhabitants Aramaeans, a name derived from
Aram, the fifth son of Shem, the father of the Syrians
Mesopotamia is also called Aram in the sacred text;
but the appellation Naharim, i. e. , between the rivers,
is always added, for distinction' sake, to the latter.
The name transmitted to us by the Greeks is, as
above stated, a corruption or abridgment of Assyria.
The Greeks, however, were not unacquainted with the
term Aramaeans, but they gave it a wide appellation,
making it comprehend the Syrians, the inhabitants of
Mesopotamia, the Assyrians, and the White Syrians,
? ? or Leuco-Syrii, as far as Pontus, because they saw
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? TA B
T AC
neighbourhood of Damascus and Mo'um Libanus. The
Arabic predominates both in the country and the
towns. A corrupt mixture of Syriac and Chaldee is
spoken in aome parts by the peasantry, while the Turk-
ish is spoken by the Osmanlis and the nomade hordes
of the north. These various nations and tribes will
come more particularly under our notice in describing
the districts to which they respectively belong. The
most natural division of the country is that which cor-
responds to its present political distribution into pa-
shalics, to which we shall accordingly adhere. The
coast from Akka to Djebail. with the mountains in-
habited by the Druses, is comprehended under the
pashalic of Seidc and Akka. Near Djebail, the pa-
shalic of Tarabolos (Tripoli) begins, a/id extends along
the coast to Latikia. The north ol Syria, from the
Levant to the Euphrates, is includod within that of
Haleb (Aleppo). The remainder of the country, in-
cluding by far the largest territory, is the viceroyalty
of the Pacha of Sham (Damascus). {Mod. Trav. , pt.
3, p. 1. )
SYRINX, a nymph of Arcadia, daughter of the river
Ladon. (Kid. 'Pan, page 967, col. 2. )
SYROS, an island in the yEgean Sea, one of the Cyc-
ladcs, situate between Cythnus and Khenea. It was
celebrated for having given birth to Pherecydes, the
philosopher, a disciple of Pittacus. (Diog. Laert. , 1,
119. -- Strabo, 487. ) It is singular that Strabo should
affirm that the first syllable of the word Syros is pro-
nounced long, whereas Horncr, in the passage which
he quotes, has made it short. (Od. , 15, 402. ) Syros,
now Syra, is said by Pliny to be twenty miles in cir-
cumference. (Pliny, 4, 12. -- Cramer's Anc. Greece,
Yol. 3, p. 409. )
SYRTBS, two gulfs on the northern coast of Africa,
One called Syrtis Minor, on the coast of Byzaciurn, and
now the Gulf of Cabcs; the other called Syrtis Ma-
jor, on the coast of Cyrena'ica, now the Gulf of Sidra.
The former is supposed to derive its modern name
from the city of Tacapc, which was at the head of it.
The latter is called by the natives Syrle-al-KMer, i.
>>. , " The great Syrtis," which the sailors have cor-
rupted into Sidra. The Syrtis Minor is about 45
geographical miles in breadth, and runs up into the
continent about 75 miles. It is still an object of ap-
prehension to sailors, in consequence of the variations
and uncertainties of the tides on a flat and shelvy
coast. The Syrtis Major is about 180 geographical
miles between the two capes, and penetrates 100 miles
into the land. The name Syr/is is generally derived
I'rom the Greek <ri>pu, " to drag," in allusion to the agi-
tation of the sand by the force of the tides. (Com-
pare Satlust, Bell. Jug. , c. 78. ) It is more than prob-
able, however, that the appellation is to be deduced
from the term Scrt, which still exists in Arabic as the
name for a desert trect or region: for the term Syrtis
does not appear to have been confined to the mere
gulfs themselves, but to have been extended also to
the desert country adjacent, which is still, at the pres-
ent day, called Sert. (Ritler, Erdkunde, vol. 1, p.
929. 2d til )
T.
. TiiiKi. r. Asi/K LEGES, laws passed at various times
for the purpose of enabling the Roman commons to
rote by ballot, and no longer viva voce. The object of
jhese laws was to diminish the power of the nobility.
Voting by ballot was allowed by the Gabinian law,
? ? A. U. C. 614, in conferring honours; two years after,
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? TACITUS.
TACITUS.
be ascertained; but as Pliny the Younger informs us
;hat he and Tacitus wero nearly of the same age, it is
? supposed that Tacitus was born A. U. C. 809 or 810,
about the sixth year of Nero's reign. The place of his
nativity is nowhere mentioned, but it is generally
tnought to have been Interamna (now Terni), in Um-
bria. He was the son of Cornelius Tacitus, a procu-
rator appointed by the prince to manage the imperial
revenue and govern a province in Belgic Gaul. The
person so employed was, by virtue of his office, of
equestrian rank. The place where Tacitus received
his education, Massilia, now Marseille, was at that
time the seat of literature and polished manners.
Agricola was trained up there; hut there is no reason
to think that Tacitus formed and enlarged his mind at
the same place, since, when he relates the fact about
his father-in-law, he is silent respecting himself. If
be was educated at Rome, we may be sure that it
was a method very different from the fashion then in
vogue. Tacitus, it is evident, did not imbibe the
smallest tincture of that frivolous science and that
vicious eloquence that debased the Roman genius.
He most probably had the good fortune to be formed
upon the plan adopted in the time of the republic ; and
with the help of a sound scheme of home discipline,
and the best domestic example, he grew up, in a course
of virtue, to that vigour of mind which gives such an-
imation to his writings. It is reasonable to suppose
that he attended the lectures of Quintilian, who, in op-
position to the sophists of Greece, taught for more
than twenty years the rules of that manly eloquence
which is so nobly displayed in his Institutes. Some
critics have applied to Tacitus the passage in which
Quintilian, after enumerating the writers who flourish-
ed in that period, says, "There is another person who
gives additional lustre to the age; a man who will de-
serve the admiration of posterity. I do not mention
bira at present: his name will be known hereafter" (10,
1). -- If this passage relates to Tacitus, the prediction
has been fully verified. When Quintilian published his
great work, in the reign of Domitian, Tacitus had not
then written his Annals or his History. Those im-
mortal compositions were published in the time of Tra-
jan. --The infancy of Tacitus kept him untainted by
the vices of Nero's court. He was about twelve
years old when that emperor finished his career of guilt
and folly; and in the tempestuous times that ensued, he
was still secured by hi<< tender years. Vespasian re-
stored the public tranquillity, revived the liberal arts,
and gave encouragement to men of genius. Our au-
thor's first ambition was to distinguish himself at the
bar. --Agricola was joint consul with Domitian, A. U. C.
830, for the latter part of the year. Tacitus, though
not quite twenty, had given such an earnest of his fu-
ture fame, that Agricola chose him for his son-in-law.
Thus distinguished, our author began the career of
civil preferment. Vespasian had a just discern-
ment of men, and was the friend of rising merit.
Rome at length was governed by a prince who bad
the good sense and virtue to consider himself as the
chief magistrate, whose duty it was to redress all
grievances, restore good order, and give energy to the
laws. In such times, the early genius of Tacitus at-
tracted the notice of the emperor. The foundation of
bis fortune was laid by Vespasian. Tacitus does not
ten tue particulars, but it is probable that he began
with the functions of the Vigintivirate; a body of
? ? tweaty men commissioned to execute an inferior ju-
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? TACITUS.
TACITUS
? ecr. r. d consulship of Trajan 's mentioned ii. tin; tract
(c. 37), snd that was A. U. C. 851, iu conjunction with
iVerva, who died before the end of January. It is
therefore certain that the description of Germany saw
the light in the course of that year. --In this treatise
bu'. little reliance can be placed on the geographical
net'ecs of Tacitus, which are very defective. His re-
marks on the manners, usagbs, and political institu-
tions of this people are, on the other hand, peculiarly
valuable. The historian is supposed by the best crit-
ics to have derived his principal information relative
to the Germans from persons who had served against
them, and, in particular, from Virginius Rufiis, who,
as we learn from the Letters of Pliny, was the friend
of Tacitus. The great work, also, of the elder Pliny
on Germany, now lost, must have been an important
aid. As to the object of the historian in composing
this work, some have even gone so far as to suppose
teat his sole intention was to satirize the corrupt mor-
n's of his contemporaries, by holding forth to view an
ideal and highly-coloured picture of barbarian virtue.
According to these same writers, his object was to bring
back his countrymen to their ancient simplicity of man-
ners, and thus oppose an effectual barrier to those en-
emies who menaced the safety of their descendants.
But a perusal of the. work in question destroys all this
facciful hypothesis. The analogy between many of
the rude manners oS the early Germans and those of
the aborigines of North America at once stamps the
work with the seal of truth. What if Tacitus dwells
with a certain predilection upon the simple manners
of Germany 1 It surely is natural in one who had be-
come disgusted with the excesses of Italy. We are
not to suppose, however, that this work of Tacitus is
free from errors. The very manner in which he ac-
quired his information on this subject must have led
to misconceptions and mistakes. Religious prejudi-
ce! also served occasionally to mislead the historian,
wito beheld the traces of Greek and Roman my t hoi*
gy even in the North.
--The friendship that subsisted
between Tacitus and the younger Pliny is well known.
It was founded on the consonance of their studies and
their virtues. They were both convinced that a stri-
king picture of former tyranny ought to be placed in
contrast to the felicity of the times that succeeded.
Pliny acted up to his own idea of this in the panegyric
on Trajan, where we find a vein of satire against Domi-
tian running throughout the whole piece. It appears
in his letters that he had some thoughts of writing a
history on the same principle ; but he had not resolu-
tion to undertake that arduous task. Tacitus had
more vigour of mind; he thought more intensely, and
with deeper penetration than his friend. We find
that he had formed, at an early period, the plan of his
History, and resolved to execute it in order to show
the horrors of slavery, and the debasement of the Ro-
man people through the whole of Domitian'a reign.
(Vit. Agr. , c. 3. ) He did not, however, though em-
ployed in a great and important work, renounce im-
mediately all his practice in the forum, but continued
to be employed there until the trial of Marius Priscus,
who had been proconsul of Africa, and stood im-
peached before the senate at the suit of the province.
Priscus had presented a memorial, praying to be tried
by a commission of select judges. Tacitus and Pliny,
by the special appointment of the fathers, were advo-
cates on the part of the Africans. They thought it
? ? their duty to inform the house that the crimes alleged
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? TACITUS
. omperate: every phrase ia a maiim; the narra-
tive goes on with rapidity; the author ia sparing of
words, and prodigal of sentiment; the characters are
ilrawn with a profound knowledge of human natuh:,
and when we see them figuring on the stage of public
business, we perceive the internal spring of their ac-
tions; we see their motives at work, and, of course,
are prepared to judge of their conduct. The Annals,
as well as the History, have suffered by the barbarous
rage and more barbarous ignorance of the tribes that
overturned the Roman empire. Of the sixteen books
which originally composed the Annals, the following
are lost: % part of the fifth, from the seventh to the
tenth both inclusive, the beginning of the eleventh, and
the end of the sixteenth. We miss, therefore, three
years of Tiberius, the entire four years of Caligula, the
first six of Claudius, and the last two of Nero. And,
on the other hand, we have the history of the reign of
Tiberius, with the exception of the three years just
mentioned, the latter years of Claudius, and the his-
tory of Nero down to AD. 67. --We find that Taci-
tus intended, if his life and health continued, to re-
view the reign of Augustus (Ann. , 3, 24), in order to
detect the arts by which the old constitution was over-
turned, to make way for the government of a single
ruler. This, in the hands of such a writer, would have
been a curious portion of history; but it is probable he
did not live to carry his design into execution. The
time of his death is not mentioned by any ancient au-
thor. It seems, however, highly probable that he died
in the reign of Trajan, and we may reasonably conclude
that he survived his friend Pliny. Those two writers
were the ornaments of the age; both men of genius;
both encouragers of literature; the friends of liberty
and virtue. The esteem and affection which Pliny
cherished towards our author is evident in many of
hia letters, but nowhere more than in the following pas-
sage: "I never was touched with a more sensible
pleasure than by an account which I received lately
from Cornelius Tacitus. He informed me that, at the
last Circensian games, he sat next to a stranger, who,
after much discourse on various topics of learning,
asked V. n if he was an Italian or a Provincial. Ta-
rituc replied, 'Your acquaintance with literature must
Cave informed you who I am. ' 'Ay! ' said the man;
'pray, then, is it Tacitus or Pliny I am talking with V
I cannot express how highly I am pleased to find that
our names are not so much the proper appellations of
men as a kind of distinction for learning itself. " (Ep. ,
10,23. ) Had Pliny been the surviver, he, who la-
mented the loss of all his friends, would not have fail-
ed to pay the last tribute to the memory of Tacitus.
The commentators assume it as a certain fact that
>ur author must have left issue; and their reason is,
because they find that M Claudius Tacitus, who was
created emperor A. D. 276, deduced his pedigree from
the great historian. (Vopisc, Vit. Toe. ) That ex-
cellent prince was only shewn to the world. He was
snatched away by a fit of illness at the end of six
months, having crowded into that short reign a num-
ber of virtues. Vopiscus tells us that he ordered the
-mage of . Tacitus, and a complete collection of his
works, to be placed in the public archives, with a spe-
cial direction that ten copies should be made every
year at the public expense. But, when the mutilated
atate in which our author has come down to posterity
is considered, there is good reason to believe that the
crders of the prince were never executed. --Tacitus
? ? has well deserved the appellation that Ins been be-
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? TACITUS.
TACITUS.
manner, and, it may be added, the omissions of the
copyists, have occasioned some difficulties;-but he
who has made himself familiar with the peculiarities
of his style wilt not be much embarrassed. B ;* atill
it may be said that, in ao I >ng a work, one continued
? tram of studied brevity fatigues the ear, and tires the
reader by an unvaried and disgusting monotony. Va-
riety, it must be admitted, would give new graces to
the narrative, and prevent too much uniformity. The
celebrated Montaigne observes, that Tacitus abounds
with strong and vigorous sentences, often constructed
with point and subtlety, agreeably to the taste of the
ige, which delighted in the gay and brilliant; and
when those were not in the thought, the writer was
? ure to find an antithesis in the expression. And yet
it is remarkable that the same writer, who owns that
for twenty years together ho read by fits and starts,
tells us himself that he read Tacitus a second time in
one regular train, without interruption. -- A third alle-
gation of the critics is, that Tacitus was a misanthrope,
who beheld human nature with a malignant eye, and,
always suspecting the worst, falsified facts, in order
to paint men worse than they were. The answer is
obvious: Tacitus was fallen on evil times; he says,
"A black and evil period lies before me. The age
was sunk to the lowest depth of sordid adulation, in-
somuch that not only the most illustrious citizens, in
order to secure themselves, were obliged to crouch in
bondage; but even men of consular and praetorian
rank, and the whole senate, tried, with emulation, who
should be the most obsequious of slaves. " {Ann. ,
H, 65. ) In such times, who could live free from suspi-
cion 1 Tacitus knew the" character of Tiberius; he
was an accurate observer of mankind: but he must
hare been credulous indeed, or the willing dupe of a
profligate court, if he had not laid open the secret mo-
tives of all, and traced their actions to their first prin-
ciple". At the head of the critics who have endeav-
oured to enforce the charge of falsehood and malevo-
lence stands Famianus Strada, the elegant author of
the well-known I'rolusiones Acadcmicct, and tho wars
in Holland, entitled De Bella Bclgico: but it will be
suiScient, in answer to his laboured declamations, to
amy with Lord Bolingbroke, "He was a'rhetor, who
condemned Tacitus, and presumed to write history
himself. "--The imputation of atheism, which has been
urged by critics of more piety than discernment, is
easily refuted. Whatever were our author's doubts
concerning fate, free-will, and the influence of the
planets, let the fine apostrophe to the departed spirit
of Agricola be perused with attention, and every sen-
timent will discover a mind impressed with the idea
of an overruling Providence. There are many pas-
sages in the Annals and the History to the same ef-
fect: but more on this head is unnecessary. Nor
does the paradox suggested by Boccalini deserve a
longer discussion. That author gives it as his opin-
ion, that the whole design of the Annals was to teach
the art of despotism: it may, with as good reason, be
said, that Lord Clarendon wrote the history of the
Grand Rebellion with intent to teaji schismatics,
Puritans, and Republicans how to murder the king.
(Murphy, Essay on the Life and Genius of Tacitus,
^. 10, seqq. )--There has come down to us a dialogue
entitled De claris oratoribus, sive de causis corruptee
tloqucnties. The manuscripts and old editions name
Tacitus as the author of this production; a great
? ? number of commentators, however, ascribe it to Quin-
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? TACITUS.
fast sij. hooks of the Annals Iiad not then been found.
Ueo X. promised a pecuniary recompense and indulgen-
ces to any one who should find the lost portions of
the work. One of his agents, Angelo Arcomboldi,
discovered in the monastery of Corvey, in Westpha-
lia, a manuscript which had belonged to Anschaire,
the founder of the convent, and a bishop of the church.
It contained the first five books of the Annals, the last
book imperfect. Beroaldus published them at Rome,
in 1515, by order of the pope. --Among the numerous
editions of Tacitus, the following may be mentioned
is the best: that of Gronovius, L. Bat. , 1731, 2 vols.
tto; that of Brotier, Para, 1776, 7 vols. 12mo (re-
printed by Valpy, Land. , 1823, 4 vols. 8vo); that of
Ernesti, Lips. , 1760, 2 vols. 8vo; that of Oberlinus,
Lips. , 1801,2 vols. 8vo, in four parts, reprinted at Ox-
ford in 1813, 4 vols. 8vo; that of Walther, Hal. Sax. ,
1831-3, 4 vols. Svu; and that of Naudet, forming part
of Lemaire's collection, Paris, 1819-20, 5 vols. 8vo.
(Scholl, Hist. Lit. Ram. , vol. 2, p. 366, segg. --Bahr,
Gesch. Rom. Lit. , p. 311, seqq. )--II. M. Claudius, a
Roman, elected emperor by the senate after the death
. if Aurelian. The assassination of Aurelian had so
much enraged the army, that the soldiers were more
intent, for a time, on bringing his murderers to condign
punishment than on providing a successor. Even
after they had recovered from tho first paroxysm of
wrath, they hesitated whether they should immediately
exercise the right which long custom had placed in
their hands, or wait for the advice and concurrence of
the senate in choosing a head for the empire. Upon a
short deliberation, they adopted the latter alternative,
and resolved to write, or else to send a deputation to
Kome. The senators, long unused to such deference,
knew not how to act when the message came; and,
unwilling to incur responsibility, referred the matter
back to the legions. But the army, actuated by a very
uncommon degree of moderation, renewed their re-
quest to the civil authorities to supply them with a
genera! and ruler; and it was not until this reciprocal
compliment was urged and rejected three times that
'he senators agreed to assemble and discharge their
duty to the empire. Meanwhile, six or seven months
had insensibly passed away; an amazing period, it has
been remarked, of tranquil anarchy, during which the
Korean world remained without a sovereign, without
a usurper, and without a sedition. (Vopisc. , Vit.
Tacit. , c. 1. ) On the 25th of September, A. D. 275,
the senate was convoked to exercise once more the
valuable prerogative with which the constitution of
Rome had invested their order. The individual whom
they elected inherited the name and the virtues of
Tacitus, the celebrated historian, and was, besides, re-
spected for his wisdom, his experience in business, and
liis mild benevolence. This venerable legislator had
already attained his 75th year, a circumstance which
he urged, with a great show of reason, for declining the
honour which was now assigned him. But his objec-
tions were repelled by the most flattering encomiums,
<<nd his election was confirmed by acclamation among
both citizens and soldiers. It was the wisdom not
less than the inclination of the aged emperor that in-
duced him to leave much of the supreme power in the
hands from which he received it. He encouraged the
senate to resume their wonted authority; to appoint
proconsuls in all the provinces, and to exercise all the
other privileges which had been conferred upon them
by Augustus. His moderation and simplicity were
? ? not affected by the change of his condition; the only
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? TAM
lam>>. s could be ascertained, wiA Pausanias's descrit-
non of Ca:nepohs. (Cramer'* Arte. Greece, vol. 3,'p.
188. )
Taubs, an Etrurian divinity or Genius, said to hare
come forth from a clod of earth, an infant in form, but
*ith all the wisdom and experience of an aged person.
He first appeared, according to the legend, unto a
husbandman near the city of Tarquinii, while the lat-
ter was engaged in ploughing. (Cic, Die. , 2, 23. --
Creuxcr, et Moser, ad he. --Istdor. , Orig. , 8, 9, p.
. 174, ed. Arevall. -- Lydus, de Ostentis, p. 6, seqq. ,
id. Hate. ) According to the last of the authorities
just cited, the individual labouring in the field when
Tages appeared was Tarchon, the founder of Tar-
quinii, and the principal hero of Etrurian mythology.
(Compare Miiller, Etrusk. , vol. 2, p. 26. ) Another
account made Tages the son of Genius, and grandson
of Jupiter; and it was he that instructed the twelve
communities of Etruria in the art of predicting future
events by the inspection of victims. (Festus. p. 557,
ed. Daeier. )--The form of this in. 'ant deity, his birth,
and his attributes, all carry us back to the telluric di-
vinities of Samotlirace and Lemflbs, and the mystic
religion of the Pelasgi. The books, or, rather, oracles
of 1'ages are frequently mentioned by the ancient
writers, and were originally in verse. The Romans
are said to have translated a part of them into prose.
{Lydus, de Mens. , p. 130, ed. Schaw. ; de Ostent.
first was that originally colonized and fortified by the
Corinthians under Archias; and being then an island,
and most of it rocky and of difficult approach, it must
. save been very strong. It is now about two miles in
circumference, and probably obtained its name from
the abundance of quails there, (oprof, "a quaiV'). In
process of time the city extended to the continent,
and a suburb vas added, called Achradina, probably
from the rockiness of tho ground. This, in time, oc-
cupied all the lower part of that peninsula between the
Portus Laccius and the Portus Trogitiorum, and was,
next to Ortygia, the best peopled, though not, perhaps,
in proportion to its extent. A wall was then drawn in
a straight line from the Portus Trogiliornm to tho
docks at Syracuse, and this was for some lime the lim-
its of the city. Afterward, however, were added no
less than three suburbs, Tyca, Temenites (subsequent-
ly Neapolis), and Epipolas. Temenites and Tyca were
so called from the temples of Apollo and of Fortune sit-
uated there, and of which the rfftevn, or sacred closes,
no doubt, originally occupied a great part of their sites.
Tvxn was probably Syracusan for rixi ("fortune").
Neapolis was of later foundation, and occupied the site
of Temenites. These several parts were all gradual-
ly surrounded by walls, and included in the city; and
thus, in the end, Syracuse became one of the most ex-
tensive cities in Europe. Ortygia, being the original
city, was called the citadel, or the city, xar' l^oxnv.
The Epipolae, which was north of Temenites and Tyca,
and of a triangular figure, derived its name from its
elevated site, now called Behedtre; the highest parts
of which were occupied by the Syracusan castles of
Euryalus and Labdalum. (Compare Gollcr, de situ
st origine Syracusarum, Lips. , 1818, 8vo. --Bloom-
Held ad Thucyd. , 6, 75; vol. 3, p. 118, in notis. )--
Syracuse had two harbours, formed by the island of
Ortygia: one called the smaller harbour, and also
? ? Portus Laccius, between the upper side of Ortygia
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? SY R
Ic admit of passages into the side aisles, which consist
jf the north and south porticoes of the ancient peri-
ityle. Cicero is diffuse in his description of this an-
cient edifice, which, though spared bv Marcellus, was
stripped to the bare walls of all its splendid ornaments
fcv >h<< infamous Verres Upon the summit of its roof
mere was elevated an enormous gilded shield, that
was consecrated to Minerva. This object, which was
risible a great way nil in the reflection of the sun,
was beheld with religious respect; and the mariner at
tea made an offering when he took leave of its last
glimmerings. In that quarter of the city which was
called Achradina there are also vestiges of the walls
once defended by the genius of Archimedes. Here
and there the rock itself is chiselled into battlements;
and, wherever there are remains of gateways, they are
found so placed that they must have obliged the as-
sailant to approach them for a great length of way with
his unshielded right side unprotected. The Hexapy-
lon of Syracuse was not, as many commentators on
Livy have supposed, a mere part of the wall, but a
noble fortress, constructed with such consummate
sk'ill as to have excited the admiration of the beJf
modern judges of military architecture. Its ruins still
exhibit the size and extent of its subterranean passa-
ges, whence both infantry and cavalry might make
their sallies, and retreat again under protection of the
fort; the huge, square towers of its solid masonry are
still to be traced; and the ground is strewn with the
vast blocks of parapets, which are bored with grooves
for pouring melted pitch and lead on the heads of the
assailants. Such was ancient Syracuse. The fullest
? ympathy need not prevent our repeating a doubt as
to the vast population of old ascribed to it. True,
the circuit of its walls was twenty-two miles; and
Thucydides, long before its-era of prosperity under
Dionysius, allows that it was equal to Athens; but
the increase of its population after Thucydides' time
is merely conjectured, and the inhabitants of all At-
tica scarcely exceeded half a million/'
SYRIA, a country of Asia, bounded on the east by
the Euphrates and a small portion of Arabia, north by
the range of Taurus, west by the Mediterranean, and
south by Arabia. The name Syria has been trans-
mitted to us from the Greeks. Pococke conjectures
that it might possibly come from Sur, the ancient name
of Tyre, the chief city of the whole country. It is
more natural, however, to suppose that the name
Syria is a corruption or abridgment of Assyria, and
that the form in. question was first adopted by the
lonians, who frequented these coasts after the Assyri-
ans of Nineveh had made this country a part of their
empire, about 750 B. C. (Afannert, Geogr. , vol. C, pt.
1, p. 432, ? ? >? "/'/)--It was divided into several districts
and provinces, including, besides Syria Proper, Phceni-
cia, Palestine, and, according to Pliny, Mesopotamia
and Babylonia. Syria is called in Scripture Aram,
and the inhabitants Aramaeans, a name derived from
Aram, the fifth son of Shem, the father of the Syrians
Mesopotamia is also called Aram in the sacred text;
but the appellation Naharim, i. e. , between the rivers,
is always added, for distinction' sake, to the latter.
The name transmitted to us by the Greeks is, as
above stated, a corruption or abridgment of Assyria.
The Greeks, however, were not unacquainted with the
term Aramaeans, but they gave it a wide appellation,
making it comprehend the Syrians, the inhabitants of
Mesopotamia, the Assyrians, and the White Syrians,
? ? or Leuco-Syrii, as far as Pontus, because they saw
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? TA B
T AC
neighbourhood of Damascus and Mo'um Libanus. The
Arabic predominates both in the country and the
towns. A corrupt mixture of Syriac and Chaldee is
spoken in aome parts by the peasantry, while the Turk-
ish is spoken by the Osmanlis and the nomade hordes
of the north. These various nations and tribes will
come more particularly under our notice in describing
the districts to which they respectively belong. The
most natural division of the country is that which cor-
responds to its present political distribution into pa-
shalics, to which we shall accordingly adhere. The
coast from Akka to Djebail. with the mountains in-
habited by the Druses, is comprehended under the
pashalic of Seidc and Akka. Near Djebail, the pa-
shalic of Tarabolos (Tripoli) begins, a/id extends along
the coast to Latikia. The north ol Syria, from the
Levant to the Euphrates, is includod within that of
Haleb (Aleppo). The remainder of the country, in-
cluding by far the largest territory, is the viceroyalty
of the Pacha of Sham (Damascus). {Mod. Trav. , pt.
3, p. 1. )
SYRINX, a nymph of Arcadia, daughter of the river
Ladon. (Kid. 'Pan, page 967, col. 2. )
SYROS, an island in the yEgean Sea, one of the Cyc-
ladcs, situate between Cythnus and Khenea. It was
celebrated for having given birth to Pherecydes, the
philosopher, a disciple of Pittacus. (Diog. Laert. , 1,
119. -- Strabo, 487. ) It is singular that Strabo should
affirm that the first syllable of the word Syros is pro-
nounced long, whereas Horncr, in the passage which
he quotes, has made it short. (Od. , 15, 402. ) Syros,
now Syra, is said by Pliny to be twenty miles in cir-
cumference. (Pliny, 4, 12. -- Cramer's Anc. Greece,
Yol. 3, p. 409. )
SYRTBS, two gulfs on the northern coast of Africa,
One called Syrtis Minor, on the coast of Byzaciurn, and
now the Gulf of Cabcs; the other called Syrtis Ma-
jor, on the coast of Cyrena'ica, now the Gulf of Sidra.
The former is supposed to derive its modern name
from the city of Tacapc, which was at the head of it.
The latter is called by the natives Syrle-al-KMer, i.
>>. , " The great Syrtis," which the sailors have cor-
rupted into Sidra. The Syrtis Minor is about 45
geographical miles in breadth, and runs up into the
continent about 75 miles. It is still an object of ap-
prehension to sailors, in consequence of the variations
and uncertainties of the tides on a flat and shelvy
coast. The Syrtis Major is about 180 geographical
miles between the two capes, and penetrates 100 miles
into the land. The name Syr/is is generally derived
I'rom the Greek <ri>pu, " to drag," in allusion to the agi-
tation of the sand by the force of the tides. (Com-
pare Satlust, Bell. Jug. , c. 78. ) It is more than prob-
able, however, that the appellation is to be deduced
from the term Scrt, which still exists in Arabic as the
name for a desert trect or region: for the term Syrtis
does not appear to have been confined to the mere
gulfs themselves, but to have been extended also to
the desert country adjacent, which is still, at the pres-
ent day, called Sert. (Ritler, Erdkunde, vol. 1, p.
929. 2d til )
T.
. TiiiKi. r. Asi/K LEGES, laws passed at various times
for the purpose of enabling the Roman commons to
rote by ballot, and no longer viva voce. The object of
jhese laws was to diminish the power of the nobility.
Voting by ballot was allowed by the Gabinian law,
? ? A. U. C. 614, in conferring honours; two years after,
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? TACITUS.
TACITUS.
be ascertained; but as Pliny the Younger informs us
;hat he and Tacitus wero nearly of the same age, it is
? supposed that Tacitus was born A. U. C. 809 or 810,
about the sixth year of Nero's reign. The place of his
nativity is nowhere mentioned, but it is generally
tnought to have been Interamna (now Terni), in Um-
bria. He was the son of Cornelius Tacitus, a procu-
rator appointed by the prince to manage the imperial
revenue and govern a province in Belgic Gaul. The
person so employed was, by virtue of his office, of
equestrian rank. The place where Tacitus received
his education, Massilia, now Marseille, was at that
time the seat of literature and polished manners.
Agricola was trained up there; hut there is no reason
to think that Tacitus formed and enlarged his mind at
the same place, since, when he relates the fact about
his father-in-law, he is silent respecting himself. If
be was educated at Rome, we may be sure that it
was a method very different from the fashion then in
vogue. Tacitus, it is evident, did not imbibe the
smallest tincture of that frivolous science and that
vicious eloquence that debased the Roman genius.
He most probably had the good fortune to be formed
upon the plan adopted in the time of the republic ; and
with the help of a sound scheme of home discipline,
and the best domestic example, he grew up, in a course
of virtue, to that vigour of mind which gives such an-
imation to his writings. It is reasonable to suppose
that he attended the lectures of Quintilian, who, in op-
position to the sophists of Greece, taught for more
than twenty years the rules of that manly eloquence
which is so nobly displayed in his Institutes. Some
critics have applied to Tacitus the passage in which
Quintilian, after enumerating the writers who flourish-
ed in that period, says, "There is another person who
gives additional lustre to the age; a man who will de-
serve the admiration of posterity. I do not mention
bira at present: his name will be known hereafter" (10,
1). -- If this passage relates to Tacitus, the prediction
has been fully verified. When Quintilian published his
great work, in the reign of Domitian, Tacitus had not
then written his Annals or his History. Those im-
mortal compositions were published in the time of Tra-
jan. --The infancy of Tacitus kept him untainted by
the vices of Nero's court. He was about twelve
years old when that emperor finished his career of guilt
and folly; and in the tempestuous times that ensued, he
was still secured by hi<< tender years. Vespasian re-
stored the public tranquillity, revived the liberal arts,
and gave encouragement to men of genius. Our au-
thor's first ambition was to distinguish himself at the
bar. --Agricola was joint consul with Domitian, A. U. C.
830, for the latter part of the year. Tacitus, though
not quite twenty, had given such an earnest of his fu-
ture fame, that Agricola chose him for his son-in-law.
Thus distinguished, our author began the career of
civil preferment. Vespasian had a just discern-
ment of men, and was the friend of rising merit.
Rome at length was governed by a prince who bad
the good sense and virtue to consider himself as the
chief magistrate, whose duty it was to redress all
grievances, restore good order, and give energy to the
laws. In such times, the early genius of Tacitus at-
tracted the notice of the emperor. The foundation of
bis fortune was laid by Vespasian. Tacitus does not
ten tue particulars, but it is probable that he began
with the functions of the Vigintivirate; a body of
? ? tweaty men commissioned to execute an inferior ju-
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? TACITUS.
TACITUS
? ecr. r. d consulship of Trajan 's mentioned ii. tin; tract
(c. 37), snd that was A. U. C. 851, iu conjunction with
iVerva, who died before the end of January. It is
therefore certain that the description of Germany saw
the light in the course of that year. --In this treatise
bu'. little reliance can be placed on the geographical
net'ecs of Tacitus, which are very defective. His re-
marks on the manners, usagbs, and political institu-
tions of this people are, on the other hand, peculiarly
valuable. The historian is supposed by the best crit-
ics to have derived his principal information relative
to the Germans from persons who had served against
them, and, in particular, from Virginius Rufiis, who,
as we learn from the Letters of Pliny, was the friend
of Tacitus. The great work, also, of the elder Pliny
on Germany, now lost, must have been an important
aid. As to the object of the historian in composing
this work, some have even gone so far as to suppose
teat his sole intention was to satirize the corrupt mor-
n's of his contemporaries, by holding forth to view an
ideal and highly-coloured picture of barbarian virtue.
According to these same writers, his object was to bring
back his countrymen to their ancient simplicity of man-
ners, and thus oppose an effectual barrier to those en-
emies who menaced the safety of their descendants.
But a perusal of the. work in question destroys all this
facciful hypothesis. The analogy between many of
the rude manners oS the early Germans and those of
the aborigines of North America at once stamps the
work with the seal of truth. What if Tacitus dwells
with a certain predilection upon the simple manners
of Germany 1 It surely is natural in one who had be-
come disgusted with the excesses of Italy. We are
not to suppose, however, that this work of Tacitus is
free from errors. The very manner in which he ac-
quired his information on this subject must have led
to misconceptions and mistakes. Religious prejudi-
ce! also served occasionally to mislead the historian,
wito beheld the traces of Greek and Roman my t hoi*
gy even in the North.
--The friendship that subsisted
between Tacitus and the younger Pliny is well known.
It was founded on the consonance of their studies and
their virtues. They were both convinced that a stri-
king picture of former tyranny ought to be placed in
contrast to the felicity of the times that succeeded.
Pliny acted up to his own idea of this in the panegyric
on Trajan, where we find a vein of satire against Domi-
tian running throughout the whole piece. It appears
in his letters that he had some thoughts of writing a
history on the same principle ; but he had not resolu-
tion to undertake that arduous task. Tacitus had
more vigour of mind; he thought more intensely, and
with deeper penetration than his friend. We find
that he had formed, at an early period, the plan of his
History, and resolved to execute it in order to show
the horrors of slavery, and the debasement of the Ro-
man people through the whole of Domitian'a reign.
(Vit. Agr. , c. 3. ) He did not, however, though em-
ployed in a great and important work, renounce im-
mediately all his practice in the forum, but continued
to be employed there until the trial of Marius Priscus,
who had been proconsul of Africa, and stood im-
peached before the senate at the suit of the province.
Priscus had presented a memorial, praying to be tried
by a commission of select judges. Tacitus and Pliny,
by the special appointment of the fathers, were advo-
cates on the part of the Africans. They thought it
? ? their duty to inform the house that the crimes alleged
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? TACITUS
. omperate: every phrase ia a maiim; the narra-
tive goes on with rapidity; the author ia sparing of
words, and prodigal of sentiment; the characters are
ilrawn with a profound knowledge of human natuh:,
and when we see them figuring on the stage of public
business, we perceive the internal spring of their ac-
tions; we see their motives at work, and, of course,
are prepared to judge of their conduct. The Annals,
as well as the History, have suffered by the barbarous
rage and more barbarous ignorance of the tribes that
overturned the Roman empire. Of the sixteen books
which originally composed the Annals, the following
are lost: % part of the fifth, from the seventh to the
tenth both inclusive, the beginning of the eleventh, and
the end of the sixteenth. We miss, therefore, three
years of Tiberius, the entire four years of Caligula, the
first six of Claudius, and the last two of Nero. And,
on the other hand, we have the history of the reign of
Tiberius, with the exception of the three years just
mentioned, the latter years of Claudius, and the his-
tory of Nero down to AD. 67. --We find that Taci-
tus intended, if his life and health continued, to re-
view the reign of Augustus (Ann. , 3, 24), in order to
detect the arts by which the old constitution was over-
turned, to make way for the government of a single
ruler. This, in the hands of such a writer, would have
been a curious portion of history; but it is probable he
did not live to carry his design into execution. The
time of his death is not mentioned by any ancient au-
thor. It seems, however, highly probable that he died
in the reign of Trajan, and we may reasonably conclude
that he survived his friend Pliny. Those two writers
were the ornaments of the age; both men of genius;
both encouragers of literature; the friends of liberty
and virtue. The esteem and affection which Pliny
cherished towards our author is evident in many of
hia letters, but nowhere more than in the following pas-
sage: "I never was touched with a more sensible
pleasure than by an account which I received lately
from Cornelius Tacitus. He informed me that, at the
last Circensian games, he sat next to a stranger, who,
after much discourse on various topics of learning,
asked V. n if he was an Italian or a Provincial. Ta-
rituc replied, 'Your acquaintance with literature must
Cave informed you who I am. ' 'Ay! ' said the man;
'pray, then, is it Tacitus or Pliny I am talking with V
I cannot express how highly I am pleased to find that
our names are not so much the proper appellations of
men as a kind of distinction for learning itself. " (Ep. ,
10,23. ) Had Pliny been the surviver, he, who la-
mented the loss of all his friends, would not have fail-
ed to pay the last tribute to the memory of Tacitus.
The commentators assume it as a certain fact that
>ur author must have left issue; and their reason is,
because they find that M Claudius Tacitus, who was
created emperor A. D. 276, deduced his pedigree from
the great historian. (Vopisc, Vit. Toe. ) That ex-
cellent prince was only shewn to the world. He was
snatched away by a fit of illness at the end of six
months, having crowded into that short reign a num-
ber of virtues. Vopiscus tells us that he ordered the
-mage of . Tacitus, and a complete collection of his
works, to be placed in the public archives, with a spe-
cial direction that ten copies should be made every
year at the public expense. But, when the mutilated
atate in which our author has come down to posterity
is considered, there is good reason to believe that the
crders of the prince were never executed. --Tacitus
? ? has well deserved the appellation that Ins been be-
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? TACITUS.
TACITUS.
manner, and, it may be added, the omissions of the
copyists, have occasioned some difficulties;-but he
who has made himself familiar with the peculiarities
of his style wilt not be much embarrassed. B ;* atill
it may be said that, in ao I >ng a work, one continued
? tram of studied brevity fatigues the ear, and tires the
reader by an unvaried and disgusting monotony. Va-
riety, it must be admitted, would give new graces to
the narrative, and prevent too much uniformity. The
celebrated Montaigne observes, that Tacitus abounds
with strong and vigorous sentences, often constructed
with point and subtlety, agreeably to the taste of the
ige, which delighted in the gay and brilliant; and
when those were not in the thought, the writer was
? ure to find an antithesis in the expression. And yet
it is remarkable that the same writer, who owns that
for twenty years together ho read by fits and starts,
tells us himself that he read Tacitus a second time in
one regular train, without interruption. -- A third alle-
gation of the critics is, that Tacitus was a misanthrope,
who beheld human nature with a malignant eye, and,
always suspecting the worst, falsified facts, in order
to paint men worse than they were. The answer is
obvious: Tacitus was fallen on evil times; he says,
"A black and evil period lies before me. The age
was sunk to the lowest depth of sordid adulation, in-
somuch that not only the most illustrious citizens, in
order to secure themselves, were obliged to crouch in
bondage; but even men of consular and praetorian
rank, and the whole senate, tried, with emulation, who
should be the most obsequious of slaves. " {Ann. ,
H, 65. ) In such times, who could live free from suspi-
cion 1 Tacitus knew the" character of Tiberius; he
was an accurate observer of mankind: but he must
hare been credulous indeed, or the willing dupe of a
profligate court, if he had not laid open the secret mo-
tives of all, and traced their actions to their first prin-
ciple". At the head of the critics who have endeav-
oured to enforce the charge of falsehood and malevo-
lence stands Famianus Strada, the elegant author of
the well-known I'rolusiones Acadcmicct, and tho wars
in Holland, entitled De Bella Bclgico: but it will be
suiScient, in answer to his laboured declamations, to
amy with Lord Bolingbroke, "He was a'rhetor, who
condemned Tacitus, and presumed to write history
himself. "--The imputation of atheism, which has been
urged by critics of more piety than discernment, is
easily refuted. Whatever were our author's doubts
concerning fate, free-will, and the influence of the
planets, let the fine apostrophe to the departed spirit
of Agricola be perused with attention, and every sen-
timent will discover a mind impressed with the idea
of an overruling Providence. There are many pas-
sages in the Annals and the History to the same ef-
fect: but more on this head is unnecessary. Nor
does the paradox suggested by Boccalini deserve a
longer discussion. That author gives it as his opin-
ion, that the whole design of the Annals was to teach
the art of despotism: it may, with as good reason, be
said, that Lord Clarendon wrote the history of the
Grand Rebellion with intent to teaji schismatics,
Puritans, and Republicans how to murder the king.
(Murphy, Essay on the Life and Genius of Tacitus,
^. 10, seqq. )--There has come down to us a dialogue
entitled De claris oratoribus, sive de causis corruptee
tloqucnties. The manuscripts and old editions name
Tacitus as the author of this production; a great
? ? number of commentators, however, ascribe it to Quin-
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? TACITUS.
fast sij. hooks of the Annals Iiad not then been found.
Ueo X. promised a pecuniary recompense and indulgen-
ces to any one who should find the lost portions of
the work. One of his agents, Angelo Arcomboldi,
discovered in the monastery of Corvey, in Westpha-
lia, a manuscript which had belonged to Anschaire,
the founder of the convent, and a bishop of the church.
It contained the first five books of the Annals, the last
book imperfect. Beroaldus published them at Rome,
in 1515, by order of the pope. --Among the numerous
editions of Tacitus, the following may be mentioned
is the best: that of Gronovius, L. Bat. , 1731, 2 vols.
tto; that of Brotier, Para, 1776, 7 vols. 12mo (re-
printed by Valpy, Land. , 1823, 4 vols. 8vo); that of
Ernesti, Lips. , 1760, 2 vols. 8vo; that of Oberlinus,
Lips. , 1801,2 vols. 8vo, in four parts, reprinted at Ox-
ford in 1813, 4 vols. 8vo; that of Walther, Hal. Sax. ,
1831-3, 4 vols. Svu; and that of Naudet, forming part
of Lemaire's collection, Paris, 1819-20, 5 vols. 8vo.
(Scholl, Hist. Lit. Ram. , vol. 2, p. 366, segg. --Bahr,
Gesch. Rom. Lit. , p. 311, seqq. )--II. M. Claudius, a
Roman, elected emperor by the senate after the death
. if Aurelian. The assassination of Aurelian had so
much enraged the army, that the soldiers were more
intent, for a time, on bringing his murderers to condign
punishment than on providing a successor. Even
after they had recovered from tho first paroxysm of
wrath, they hesitated whether they should immediately
exercise the right which long custom had placed in
their hands, or wait for the advice and concurrence of
the senate in choosing a head for the empire. Upon a
short deliberation, they adopted the latter alternative,
and resolved to write, or else to send a deputation to
Kome. The senators, long unused to such deference,
knew not how to act when the message came; and,
unwilling to incur responsibility, referred the matter
back to the legions. But the army, actuated by a very
uncommon degree of moderation, renewed their re-
quest to the civil authorities to supply them with a
genera! and ruler; and it was not until this reciprocal
compliment was urged and rejected three times that
'he senators agreed to assemble and discharge their
duty to the empire. Meanwhile, six or seven months
had insensibly passed away; an amazing period, it has
been remarked, of tranquil anarchy, during which the
Korean world remained without a sovereign, without
a usurper, and without a sedition. (Vopisc. , Vit.
Tacit. , c. 1. ) On the 25th of September, A. D. 275,
the senate was convoked to exercise once more the
valuable prerogative with which the constitution of
Rome had invested their order. The individual whom
they elected inherited the name and the virtues of
Tacitus, the celebrated historian, and was, besides, re-
spected for his wisdom, his experience in business, and
liis mild benevolence. This venerable legislator had
already attained his 75th year, a circumstance which
he urged, with a great show of reason, for declining the
honour which was now assigned him. But his objec-
tions were repelled by the most flattering encomiums,
<<nd his election was confirmed by acclamation among
both citizens and soldiers. It was the wisdom not
less than the inclination of the aged emperor that in-
duced him to leave much of the supreme power in the
hands from which he received it. He encouraged the
senate to resume their wonted authority; to appoint
proconsuls in all the provinces, and to exercise all the
other privileges which had been conferred upon them
by Augustus. His moderation and simplicity were
? ? not affected by the change of his condition; the only
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? TAM
lam>>. s could be ascertained, wiA Pausanias's descrit-
non of Ca:nepohs. (Cramer'* Arte. Greece, vol. 3,'p.
188. )
Taubs, an Etrurian divinity or Genius, said to hare
come forth from a clod of earth, an infant in form, but
*ith all the wisdom and experience of an aged person.
He first appeared, according to the legend, unto a
husbandman near the city of Tarquinii, while the lat-
ter was engaged in ploughing. (Cic, Die. , 2, 23. --
Creuxcr, et Moser, ad he. --Istdor. , Orig. , 8, 9, p.
. 174, ed. Arevall. -- Lydus, de Ostentis, p. 6, seqq. ,
id. Hate. ) According to the last of the authorities
just cited, the individual labouring in the field when
Tages appeared was Tarchon, the founder of Tar-
quinii, and the principal hero of Etrurian mythology.
(Compare Miiller, Etrusk. , vol. 2, p. 26. ) Another
account made Tages the son of Genius, and grandson
of Jupiter; and it was he that instructed the twelve
communities of Etruria in the art of predicting future
events by the inspection of victims. (Festus. p. 557,
ed. Daeier. )--The form of this in. 'ant deity, his birth,
and his attributes, all carry us back to the telluric di-
vinities of Samotlirace and Lemflbs, and the mystic
religion of the Pelasgi. The books, or, rather, oracles
of 1'ages are frequently mentioned by the ancient
writers, and were originally in verse. The Romans
are said to have translated a part of them into prose.
{Lydus, de Mens. , p. 130, ed. Schaw. ; de Ostent.
