[ " ] 



light, the deadly vifage of the tyrant, but thofe whofe horrors of 

 his crimes and terror of his wickednefs raifed on every occafion 

 the imperial phantom before their alarmed imaginations. Let 

 us not fear that by deduding this little burthen of guilt we fhall 

 leave too fmall a portion of infamy to fatiate refentment and 

 deter imitation. The bloody roll of Nero's crimes will fcarcely 

 appear diminifhed by expunging this inferior title to abhorrence. 



It is an inferior circumftance, yet not entirely unworthy of 

 note, that the rumours which had reached the ears of the two 

 hiftorians, as to Nero's condud, effentially varied. To the one 

 he had been reprefented as going openly and publicly to the 

 fummit of Maecenas's tower to fmg the fate of Troy, while to 

 the other he was depided as retiring into his private apartments 

 (in domejlicam fcenam), there fecretly to enjoy the devaftation of 

 his groaning country. Uncertainty and contradidion are the 

 filters of unfounded report. 



From the account given us of this event by Tacitus, we find 

 that the Emperor's objed, in at length leaving Antium to go to 

 Rome, was to fave his palace. Now in this he did not fucceed. 

 The palace was deftroyed, and yet he is afterwards accufed of 

 conftruding a new palace of wonderful magnificence, out of the 

 ruins of his country (JJfus ejl patr'ia ruinis, fays Tacitus), not 

 without infinuation that fuch might have been partly the objed 

 of the antecedent devaftation. There is nothing in his previous 

 condud to fupport the fufpicion, for he was anxious to fave his 

 former refidcnce, and to prevent the neceflity of ereding a new 



one. „ 



( B 2 ) The 



