1803.] MagnanimUy of the EmperorTiherlus.-^^EngUJh OrHhography, 423 



educstion, and which is received as the 

 ftaiiilard of grammatical precifion, (hould 

 be free from inaccuracies and ambiguities 

 tven of a trifling nature. 



I am. Sir, &c. M. N. 



Poplar, Ni'V. 13, 1805. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIK, 



THE chirafter of the Emperor Tibe- 

 rius became lo odious to pofteiity, 

 and we receive it with fuch unfavourable 

 prepofTcflTions, th^t whatever there was 

 in his condvift which in another prince 

 would have commanded our applauf-', is 

 either to:ally forgotten, or viewed Vp-itli 

 fufpjcion and diflike. To this muft be 

 atiributed the little notice we find taken 

 by the colle6}ors > i hidoricai beauti-s of 

 an incident which, had it happened nniier 

 a better reig", miglit have bef.. painted as 

 one of the fine!^ and moft affefVing Irenes 

 in the R man hiftory. I fhall give a 

 fimjjle relation of it, as recorded by Taci- 

 tus, an author certainly not too favour- 

 able to the memory of Tiberius. 



On the death of his only Ion Drufus, 

 with whom he appears always to have 

 lived on the terink of parental affcflion, 

 before the corrfe was yet buried. Tiberius 

 entered he ftnate-houll- with a firm and 

 ereft mi.n, and reminding the confuls of 

 their dignity, who h.-id quit'ed their chairs 

 of (tate in rokeo of grie!, he told the aflem- 

 bly, " That he was fenfible he might in- 

 cui bi^me byafipearing before them whiie 

 thecau eof his lorro-v wps o recent ; that it 

 wasini'eed the ufual pradlice lor niouineis 

 fcarcely to be fcen by theirneare.f rrlatioi s, 

 ftill IcIh by (he public ; — a pra£fice he 

 did not mean to cenfiire as unmanly ; but 

 that for liis own pai t he fought more effec- 

 tual co.'.folation in the bofbm of his fcl!o.v- 

 citizens."' Then, exprefling his melan- 

 choly feelings on account of the extreme 

 old age of Aiigurta (Livia), h's giand- 

 chiidren's tendrr ye^r», and his own de- 

 cliijing health, he dcfired that the children 

 of Germanicus, the only h ipe in the pre- 

 fent calamity, might be introduced. The 

 confuls accircfingly Went out, ard, after 

 preparing the yo nhs for the iblcmii ((.-ene, 

 bioiight them in and phced them brfoie 

 the Empeior. He to; kthem by the hand, 

 and thu» a idrefTcd the Sen«te : — " Con- 

 ftnpt Father*, thele you'hs, after the lol's 

 ol ri.eir parent, 1 comndtted to the care of 

 their uticle, and befought him, though he 

 was not without childien of his own, that 

 he wnuld educate tlirni in the Came man- 

 net as it they were hii own blood, and 



form them to virtue f jr their own fakes, 

 and that of pofterity. Now that Druihs, 

 too, is taken away from them, I .urn to 

 you, and adjure you, bv the facrcd names 

 of the gods and your country, that you 

 would rt-ctive to yourhofoms thele liefcen- 

 dants of Auguf^us, thefe youths of the no- 

 blelf blood Take them, be their guar- 

 di.ins, fu;jo!y both my place and your own. 

 Thefe, Nero and Drufus, are hencef jrth 

 to be regarded by vcu as your parents.— 

 Your bii th and tank arefuch, that nothing 

 good or evil can happen to you but at the 

 fame time it mult afFed the common- 

 wealth," 



The hifrorian fells us that the wliole aC 

 fembly bur.'t into tears, intermixed with 

 the molt ardent vows for the profpeiiry 

 and welfare of the iiluftrious broihers 

 committed to their charge. Their father, 

 Germanicus, had been the favourite of the 

 whole Romin peoi^le ; and if genuine na- 

 tural lenfations can ever be excited in a 

 political aflttmhly, the prelent fcene was 

 furdy calculated to awaken them. That 

 Tiberius was a hypocrite in this moft fo- 

 lemn and well fupported piece of aftion i« 

 fcarcely credible ; nor can it eafily be 

 (hewn what motive he cotiM havp to be- 

 come fuch. Many inilatices of his right 

 feeli"g aie given by the lame hil^orfan itj 

 the annals of the early part of his reign, 

 and it was only un<)er the influence of jea- 

 loufy and fuipition thst he a£led the ty. 

 rant. Your's, &c. N. N. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



UNIFORMITY of orih-graphy is 

 necellary to the perfeflion of lan- 

 guage. The Engl Ih tongue is indeed, 

 in this refpeft, in t;eneral lutiicieMly regu- 

 lar and precile ; and yet a few words oc- 

 cur, concerning wh'ch a difFtrence of 

 ul'ige prevails amcngll modem writers.— 

 I allude, in particular, to feme of thofe 

 which are derived from the fecond and 

 third conjugations of Latin verbs, and 

 whicli I'erni to havedefcendecl to us through 

 a Fiench medium. In thele ivoids fbmc 

 writers adhere to the Lr^tin mode of termi- 

 nation, and f me adopt the French ; for 

 indance, dependent, Lat., def'tndant, Ft. ; 

 rejijience, Lat., refijhmce, Fr., &c. In 

 all loch calls would it no: be preferable to 

 foilaw the Latin ortliogiap'ny, which 

 would aff.'cd onir uniforai rule, aid which, 

 to the cli>fiical Icholar, would always prove 

 an eafy and familiar guide, 



1 am. Sir, &c. W. SiNRLETON. 

 Hanjlope, Nov. iz, 1005. 



T, 



