POISONING. 



745 



out bringing on a speedy dissolution. Claudius 

 finding unexpected relief from some medical appli- 

 cations, Agrippina was terrified; but the court 

 physician, Xenophon by name, Grceculus esuriens, 



assisted the agonizing monarch to a bolus of 



sharper efficacy, and soon sent him on that ana- 

 basis, from which there is no return. Locusta de- 

 served well of Nero, and was entitled to the con- 

 tinued patronage of the imperial family. Nero 

 was unwilling that the engines of the government 

 should rust by disuse. As Claudius had been re- 

 moved for fear he should raise Brittanicus, his son, 

 to the throne, it occurred to Nero that the work 

 would be more effectually performed if himself 

 were put out of the way. Locusta was again con- 

 sulted, and prepared a grace-cup for the doomed 

 prince. Locusta was tender of her character; like 

 lord Bacon, she was a friend of moderate counsels, 

 and she gave the son of Claudius, as she had given 

 his father, a slow and wasting draught. Nero 

 called the considerate sorceress into his imperial 

 presence, taunted her with having the fear of the 

 Lex Julia before her eyes, and enjoined a more 

 vigorous practice; and by way of impressing his 

 advice, beat her with his "own august fists, and or- 

 dered her to prepare a more active poison in his 

 sight. It was given to a kid; the animal lan- 

 guished five hours. New threats and blows. The 

 poison is boiled down to twice its former thickness, 

 and being tried upon a pig produced instant death. 

 That, indeed, was drink for none but kings; it was 

 served to Brittanicus by order of Nero, in his own 

 presence and with instant effect. Locusta was 

 pardoned the crimes of which she stood convicted, 

 richly endowed with lands and gold, and entrusted 

 with disciples, whom she might train up, to be- 

 come engines of the government, as useful as her- 

 self. Dr Guillotin, who invented the machine, 

 which so agreeably perpetuates his name, is said to 

 have made personal trial of its efficacy. Phalaris, 

 when the brazen bull was brought him, compli- 

 mented its contriver with a roast in it, as the per- 

 son best entitled to make the first experiment of 

 its admirable construction. Locusta appeared to 

 think, that as Nero had directed her kind offices to 

 others, he was entitled to them himself; but she 

 failed in the attempt ; an attempt, it need not be 

 said, which no one fails in twice. But she will 

 live immortal in Tacitus and Juvenal, as long as 

 flesh knows how to creep, or blood to curdle. 



Aulus Gellius has preserved a tradition, touch- 

 ing the fortitude and magnanimity of Regulus, as 

 he found it in an ancient author now lost. The stan- 

 dard writers do not confirm it ; but it ought to be 

 true, for it is incontestably the most striking illus- 

 tration of Punic faith, which history has preserved. 

 The common version of the history runs, that the 

 Carthaginians, placing full reliance on the honour 

 of Regulus, whom they had made captive, senl 

 him to Rome, to propose an exchange of prisoners, 

 on the condition, that, if the Romans did not con- 

 sent, he would return to his captivity, in Carthage 

 Cicero thought he gave Regulus credit for sufficiem 

 magnanimity, in making him counsel the senate not 

 to consent to exchange him, aged and worn out as 

 he was, for the young African chieftains, who were 

 capable of living to make battle for years. The 

 senate takes the advice of the poor old consul, am 

 sends him back to Carthage to be tortured. Bu 

 Tuditanus, the lost author cited by Aulus Gellius 

 ascribes to the Carthaginians a villany of most ex 

 quisite texture. They administered to the Roman 



veteran a secret poison, calculated to take effect in 

 a few months; so that if the Romans agreed to 

 the exchange, they would get nothing but a 

 poisoned old consul, in return for a half score of 

 iervid young Africans. This was pretty well; but 

 unluckily for the fraud, Regulus detected it ; he 

 was determined to nip the treason in the bud, and 

 dropping a hint of it t the senate, put them on their 

 guard against being taken in. 



The curious reader may again ask, of what these 

 poisons were compounded. Unfortunately for the 

 inquiry, the school of Locusta perished with her, 

 and we have none but vague surmises and down- 

 right fables. Juvenal intimates that a red-breasted 

 toad, a fourlegged ruddock, yielded a very suit- 

 able essence, to be administered by a noble Roman 

 dame to her thirsty lord: 



"molle Callenum 

 Porrectura, viro miscet sitiente rubetam." 



But the venom of the toad is as fabulous as his 

 jewel. Ugly he is, but an innocent, timid, useful 

 reptile, who has earned a bad name, from an un- 

 sightly figure. 



The sea-hare, lepus marinus, was a favourite dish 

 with the ancient poisoner. It is the aplysia de- 

 pilans of Linnaeus. Philostratus pronounces its 

 venom more deleterious than that of any other 

 animal in the sea or on land. Nero frequently 

 served it up to his guests, and Domitian treated 

 Titus to the same dainty fare. With the more 

 virulent mineral poisons of the modern pharma- 

 copeia, the ancients were not acquainted ; and the 

 best praise we can give the Roman or the Grecian 

 venefica is, that she did her best with the means 

 which the state of the arts afforded her. 



But at length every thing like regular practice 

 broke down. The empire became degenerate; re- 

 peated invasions of barbarians, bringing their own 

 uncouth Scythian venoms with them, destroyed 

 every thing like classical poisoning. It was no 

 longer taught in regular institutions, like that of 

 the discreet Locusta; nor were its professors set 

 apart, among the engines of government, as under 

 the venerable Claudius and the amiable Nero. In 

 the ages of barbarism, the dark, dreary, and illi- 

 terate ages of the empire of the Fast, and the em- 

 pire of the "West, there was an unrecorded, pro- 

 miscuous, vulgar practice of all the arts of assassi- 

 nation; an unlicensed and empiric use of the bowl 

 and the dagger, which really affords nothing on 

 which a scientific curiosity can repose with pleasure. 



But Leo's golden days arrive. With the other 

 sister arts, that of poisoning started into life, and 

 not only, like eloquence, " shook the poppies from 

 her brow," but began to concoct them into a quiet- 

 ing draught for her neighbour's lip. Pope Alex- 

 ander VI. and his son Caesar Borgia, invited nine 

 newly created cardinals to dinner, with a view of 

 despatching them by poisoned wine. By the error, 

 or possibly the design, of the attendants, the wine 

 was served to the pope and his son. The latter 

 by superior strength of constitution escaped; Alex- 

 ander died. Pope Sistus V. is supposed to have 

 been poisoned. He was a contemporary with 

 Philip II. of Spain, who was wont to call the poi- 

 son, of which he commonly made use, his requies- 

 cat in pace. Sistus used to say to Philip s ambas- 

 sador at Rome, " know Mr Ambassador, that we 

 fear nothing from your master, but one of his re- 

 quiescats in pace." He had reason to fear them, 

 for he died their victim. 



But the mistress of this art, did not make her 



