ADR 



ADR 



oiTcncos ; and tliofc who had been liii cncmiis when he was 

 in a private" ilatioii, l>ad no occafioii to fear him when 

 he was an emperor. When he arrived at tiic fovereign 

 j>owcr, he faul to one of thofe from whom lie had re- 

 fei%ed the moll convincing proofs of his hatred, " Behold 

 yourfelf in perfcA fal'cty." His vanity, however, was 

 ■ always predominant ; and he v:as often induced, by the fear 

 of infamy, or the defire of applaufe, to preiene at lead the 

 appearances of virtue. In his plans of pu^ilic improvement, 

 he was comprehenlive and liberal, even to the extreme of 

 iicedlefs mavjnilicence and ciil])able profufion. There was 

 fca/ce a province, or a city, in which he did not leave fub- 

 flantial proofs of his attention to the benefit and convenience 

 -of its inhabitants. lie repaired old edifices, and built new 

 ones, baths, aquednfts, and harbours : and he expended 

 large fums in einbelliniing the monuments of thofe whp had 

 diilinguilhcd themfelves in former times, as in the cafe of 

 Epaminondas's tomb at Mantinea, and in the honour he 

 paid to Pompey's remains. To Greece he was particularly 

 favowable ; and from the Greeks he received many expref- 

 fions of gratitude. And yet diilipated and extravagant as 

 he was in his private expences, and in his public ditburfe- 

 ments, he is faid never to have unjuftly feized any man's 

 property, nor did he ever receive legacies from perfons who 

 were not known to him, or from any of his friends who had 

 children. 



In his vo) ages, when he w<?s at any city, he adminiftered 

 juftice to all who applied to him, or fought the afTiftance 

 of the ableft lawyers. Adrian, indeed, dcfcn-es to be par- 

 ticularly recornizcd for the adminiilration of juftice, and 

 the wifdom of his laws, for eiVablidiing and maintaining 

 peace among the citizens. He confidered the termination 

 of difputes, by equitable decifions, as one of tlie principal 

 duties of a fovereign, and he was affiduous in difcharging it. 

 His zeal for juftice and good order led him to keep a ftrift 

 eye over thole who governed provinces under his authority; 

 and he knew how to difcover truth through all the afts of 

 diflimulation. At Rome he made a very important reforma- 

 tion in the adminiftration of juftice. See J'eif:'lual Edict. 



He foftentd the rigour of fervitude, and deprived maf- 

 ters of the arbitrary power of life and death over their 

 flaves : he prohibited the fale of them, and their beino- 

 rendered, according to their fex, viclims of proftitntion, or 

 gladiators, without tiie authority of the judge ; and he for- 

 bade the ufe of private prifons. From an attention to de- 

 cency, he likewife prohibited the promifcuous ufe of baths 

 for both fexes. He is aUb faid tohave renewed the an- 

 cient fumptuaiy laws enafted by Auguftus ; and he forbade 

 the abominable cuftom of human facrifices, thonrh in the 

 cafe of Antinons he feems to have violated his own law. He 

 punilhcd fraudulent bankrupts with feverity, and ordered 

 them to be whipped. He reformed the police in many in- 

 ftances witii judgment ; and the alterations he introduced 

 in the general conduft of the em.pire, in the fervice of the 

 palace, in the militan/ difeipline, and in the government of 

 the empire, was confirmed by pradlice, and continued even 

 to the reign of Conftantine. To his foldiers he fet an ex- 

 ample of fimplicity and felf-denial ; and by his attention to 

 them in various refpefts, he gained their love and confi- 

 dence. He preferred none but men of courage, ftrength, 

 and good charader, faying, " fuch as the officers are, fuch 

 will the foldiers foon be." Thus 'he revived the ancient 

 militarj' difeipline, which, by the negligence of many 

 princes, had been decaying fince the time of Auguftus. 

 It may be obferved in general, that the Roman empire was 

 happy under his government. The maxim which he in- 

 £ulcated in the ailembly of the people, and in the fenate, de- 



feiTCs to be recorded. " I propofe to myfelf (fays he) fo 

 to govern the commonwealth, as to fhev7 1 never forget it is 

 not my own property, and that I am no more than admi- 

 niftratorfor tlie public." A<irian'8 government would have 

 been praifed, if he had fucceeded Domitian, but it was liis 

 misfortune to have Nerva and Trajan for his predeccffors, and 

 for his fueceflbrs Antoninus and Marcus Anrclius. 



Adrian appears to have been too much addicled to every 

 kind of fuperftition. He was fond i>f the Greek worfhip, 

 and paid little attention to the religion of Ir.jfe nations 

 wliom the Romans and Greeks confidered as barbarians ; 

 and therefore the templei, which he is faid to have ercdled 

 in honour oi Jefus Chrift, were intended cnl-.^-r for himfelf, 

 and for his own proper worfhip, or in conformity to the 

 dodrine of Numa and Pythagoras, as places wh.re the gods 

 might be worlhlppcd without images. The Chriftians he 

 confidered as enemies to the idolatrous worlliip ot his gods ; 

 yet it is thought, that upon the whole he was moderate to 

 them, more efpecially when it is confidered how much the 

 populace, inftigated by the priefts, wiihed and endeavoured 

 to deftroy them. Eufebiiis has pielerved a refcript, which 

 orders that they ftiould be regularly profecuted, and con- 

 demned if convifted of a breach of the law ; but, on the 

 other hand, if the charge brought againft them fliould not 

 be proved, their accufers fhotild be punifhed. The modera- 

 tion of this edift has been afcribed by fome to the admirable 

 apologies of Qiiadratus and Ariftides in favour of the Chrif- 

 tians. Adrian's conduft to the Jews was very rigorous, 

 though their repeated infurreftions and rebellion might fur- 

 nlfii lome apology for his feverity. He forbade them even 

 the fight of Jerufalem, into which they were not permitted 

 to enter, except in one day of the year, which was the an- 

 niverfaiy of the deftruilion of the city. He fent a Roman 

 colony into the holy city, and called it ./Elia Cap'tlolina, 

 that it might bear his family name, and that of Jupiter, to 

 whom he had erefted a temple in the place where that of 

 the true God ftood. He ftudioufly profaned all the places 

 which had been moft revere 1 by tiie Jews, with buildings 

 fet apart for the worfiiip of idols : he placed a hog of 

 marble upon the gate of the city which led towards Bethle- 

 hem'; he erefted in the place where Jefus was crucified, a 

 ftatue of Venus ; and in that where he arofe from the dead, 

 a ftatue of Jupiter ; and in the grottos at Bethlehem, 

 where our Saviour was born, he eftablilhed the worfliip of 

 Adonis. 



In this prince, fnys Crevier, there centered veiy oppofite 

 qualities : he was gay and grave, haughty and i'lflable, im- 

 petuous and circumfpeft, frugal even to avarice and liberal, 

 cruel and merciful. It is diflicult to make an entire piece 

 of fuch difcnrdant parts ; but we fliall not be niiftaken, if 

 we confider his vices as real, his virtues as fiftitious. Politi- 

 cal intereft and vanity were the principles of all the good 

 he did ; and thefe motives, affilted with an uncommon 

 genius, improved with the moft ufcful parts of knowledge, 

 were fnfficient to render him a prince whofe government was 

 for the good of the people in general, whilft hisperfonal con- 

 duct made him a fco\irge to thofe who were near him. 



Tlie following verfes adureded to his foul, \\hich he com- 

 pofed, and uttered not long before he expired, exprefs, 

 amidll great doubts and uncertainty, fome general appre- 

 henfions concerning a future ftate. , 



Animula, vagula, blandula, 

 Holpes, comefque corporis, 

 Qiia; nunc abibis in loca 

 Palliduhi, rigida, nudula ? 

 Nee, ut foles, dabis jocos. 



Poor 



