BOOK VII. XII. 56-xiii. 60 



brothers, whereas (he said) to find natives of difFerent 

 races so precisely alike in appearance was something 

 above all appraisal ; and this produced in Antony so 

 convenient a feeUng of admiration that the great 

 inflictor of outlawry, who had just been in a fury of 

 threats and abuse, considered that no other property 

 that he possessed was more suited to his station ! 



XIII. Particular individuals may have a certain Exceptionai 

 physical incongruity between them, and persons whose f^tiiiiy^ eu. 

 union is infertile niay have children when they form 

 other connexions — for instance Augustus and Livia, 

 and similarly others. Also some women have only 

 female or only male children, though usually the 

 sexes come alternately — for instance in the case of 

 the mother of the Gracchi this occurred twelve times, 

 and in that of Germanicus's wife Agrippina nine 

 times ; some women are childless in youth ; on some 

 parentage is bestowed once in a hfetime ; certain 

 women are always deUvered prematurely, and those 

 of this class, if ever they succeed in overcoming this 

 tendency by the use of drugs, usually bear a female 

 child. One of the many exceptional circumstances 

 connected with his late Majesty Aiigustus is that he 

 Uved to see his daughter's grandson, Marcus Silanus, 

 who was born in the year of his death ; Silanus, 

 after succeeding the emperor Nero as consul, held 

 the province of Asia, and during his office Nero 

 despatched him by poison. Quintus Metellus 

 Macedonicus, leaving six children, left eleven grand- 

 childrcn, but including daughte«s-in-law and sons-in- 

 law the total of those who greeted him by the title 

 of father was twenty-seven." In the annals of the 

 period of his late Majesty Augustus is found a 

 statement that in his twelfth consulship,'' when 



545 



