A G R 



feinionr.tcly attzclicd, and to give him the prerogative of an 

 eider brother. On tliis occafion Agr:ppi;:a hcvielf received 

 an additional honour in the furname of Augiifta. Britan- 

 nicuo was deprived of every opportunity of rccommcndintj 

 himfeif lo his father, and reduced by the arts of t!ie cmprels 

 to ti-;e mod deprefled condit.'on. Agrippina ollentatioufiy 

 exercifed licr authority in eftabhihing a colony at the capital 

 of the Ubii, where fhc was born, and in giving it the name 

 of Colonia Agr'ipp'ina, or j'l^rij>[>iiievjis ; but it has been 

 for many ages called Cologne, and tlie name of Agrippina 

 has been fupprefTed. Her vanity alio led her to obtain leave 

 to enter the capital in a car, Lkc thofe in which tlie prielts 

 were carried, and on which all facred things were depofited. 

 1ti order to gratify her avai-ice, as well as her pride, (lie 

 caul'cd Slatihus Taurus to be accufcd, and provoked him 

 by falle charges to fuicide, that Ihe might get poUcnion of 

 his fine gardens. At length, Claudius began to be fenlible 

 of the crimes of Agrippina ; and after drinkijig freely he 

 happened to drop an cxpreiTiun, which alarmed her, •vit. 

 that it was his fate tiril to bear the wickcdnefs of his wives, 

 and then to punilh them. She had alfo a rival in Doniitia 

 Lepida, Nero's aunt, a woman no lels unjirincipicd and de- 

 bauched than herfelf ; and (lie contrived, by aecurmg her of 

 forcery and magic and oth.cr crimes, to deftroy her. She then 

 ilireftcd the efforts of her malice againlt Narcillhs, wlio was 

 the declared friend of Britannieus and a powerful freedman ; 

 and fucceeded firft in driving him from court, and at length 

 in procuring his death, is well as tiiat ot Julitis Silanus, 

 who was of high rank, and a defeendantof Auguftus. In 

 the mean while, having removed Nareiflus, the vigilant guar- 

 dian of Claudius's life, Ihe determined to facrihee the em- 

 peror himfeif. His attachment to Britannieus was undif- 

 guifed ; and he rcfolved upon foou giving him the toga 

 viriUs, " that Rome, as he faid, may at lall have a true 

 Cxfar." Agrippina's fears accelerated her purpofe ; and 

 fhe apphed to Locuila, who had been lately condemned for 

 adminillering poifon after ihe had been long fpared as the 

 ufeful inftrument of tyranny, to prepare the poilon by whicii 

 /he defigned to get rid of the emperor. The poilon was 

 mixed with muflirooms, a favourite di(h of Claudius, and 

 very fpeedlly produced efTeft. Having difpatched the em- 

 peror, A. D. 54, flie pretended forrow on the occafion ; and 

 affecting tendernefs for Britannieus, whom flic kept in a ftatc 

 of retirement, (he caufcd Nero, accompanied by Burrhus, 

 to appear before the foldiers, and to be acknowledged as 

 emperor. 



The enormities with which Nero's reign commenced were 

 fanftioned by her example, and encouraged by her authority. 

 To her Nero paid great refpeft and deference, calling lier 

 " the beft of mothers ;" and the fenate granted her the pri- 

 vilege of being preceded by two lifters, and the dignity of 

 prieilefs of Claudius, whom flie had poifoned. Theie tokens 

 of refpeft ferved only to inflame the ambition of Agrippina, 

 whofe defign it was to reign under her fon's name. Accord- 

 ingly (lie privately and by concealment attended the debates 

 of the fenate, and at a public audience of ambaffadors, (lie 

 attempted to afcend the throne with her fon ; but was fea- 

 fonably reftrained by the fuggellion of Seneca, that he fhould 

 defcend and meet lier. But ihe foou perceived that her 

 power began to dechne, and this was a mortification, which 

 her proud and violent ipirit could not well bear. To divert 

 the evil, (lie at one time raved and menaced, and at another 

 recurred to every complying and ioothing mcafure. The 

 difgrace of Pallas was very hoftile to her influence ; and her 

 fon's refpeft diminiflied in proportion to the degree in which 

 his independent power was eilabh(hed by the removal and 

 deatlt of Britannieus, and liis confequent refcuc from the 



A G R 



danger of a rival. When fhe attempted to pay court to the 

 folditrs and nobles, Nero deprived her of her guards and 

 honours, excluded iier from the palace, and obliged her to 

 retire, folitary and neglefted, to lier own palace. Never- 

 thelefs, flie was again reflorcd to favour, which ihe endea- 

 voured to fecure by various artifices ; and, as it is faid, by 

 fome compliances, wliich are the moll odious and reproachful 

 that can be conceived of in the relation of a mother and Ton. 

 Poppoea's influence over Nero foou became paramount to 

 every other ; nor was it reftrained even by the guilt of par- 

 ricide, to which Ihe ftimulatcd him. But how to perpetrate 

 this horrid deed, witiiout expofing himfeif to public de- 

 teitation, was a fubjeft of fcrious dcliberalion. At length 

 a galley was prepared by Anieetus, commander of his fleet, 

 v.hith miglit ealily ac^mit water, niid founder ; and Agrip- 

 pina was enticed on board in the Baian bay. The ft;-atagem, 

 however, did not fncceed ; for though Aceronia, the com- 

 panion of Agrippina, loll her life, Agrippina herfelf got fafc 

 to fliore. The crime could no longer be concealed ; and it 

 became nectlTary to complete what had been begun. Ac- 

 cordingly Anieetus, witii a body of mariners, Turrounded 

 tlie houie where Ihe had taken refuge ; and entering her 

 chamber, difpatched her witli many wounds, A. i). 59. 

 To the affaliins, it is faid, fhe prefented her womb, and bade 

 their, llrike that part which liad liarboured fuch a m.onlien 

 She was buried the fame night without any ceremony, and 

 had no tomb whilli Nero lived ; but after his death fome of 

 her furviving fervants ereftcd a mean monument over her 

 remains, near the liigh road from Ronie to Mifenum. Nero 

 affeftcd contrition alter the event ; but afterwards wrote a 

 letter to the fenate, or rather procured cnie to be written by 

 Seneca, for which he has been much blamed, aeculiiig Ik r 

 of many crimes, and charging her with a confpiracy, whieli 

 rendered her death a fortunate event to the Roman people. 

 The fenate fer^'ilely decreed thanks to tlie gods for his efcapc, 

 and the day on which Agrippina was bora to be marked in 

 the calendar as an inaufpicious day. Her crimes were of the 

 moft atrocious kind, and her memory has been execrable. 

 Neverthelefs Ihe is faid to have been a prineefs of fome 

 learning, and to have written memoirs of her life, referred 

 to by Tacitus and the elder Pliny. Suetonius in Calig. Claud, 

 and Nevo. Tacit. Anual. lib. xii. 14. Crcvier's Hill. 

 Rom. Emp. vol. iii. and iv. Vols, de Hid. I.,at. 



AGRIPPINIANS, in CImnh H[jlury, the followers of 

 Agrippinus, biihop of Carthage, in the third century, who 

 firil introduced and defended the praftice of rcbaplizalion. 

 Arnd. Lex. Ant. Eccl. p. 465. 



Agris, or Agrifd, in Ancient Geogrnphy, the name of a 

 town of Carmania, between the mouth of the Sams and 

 the flrait that leads to the Perfian gulph. Long. 96" 30' ; 

 and lat. 23°, according to Ptolemy. 



AG R I US, in Entomolo^^y, a fpecies of the vSphinx 

 Zygieiia, which is black, with wings pointed v.-ith green ;' 

 the primores black, and the poflerior blue ; found in Su- 

 rinam. 



AGRIZAIjA, a town of Alia Minor, belonging to 

 the Teftofagi of Galatia. Long. 2°. Lat. 41'' 30', ac« 

 cording to Ptolemy. 



AGRIUM, in the MiMrria M.iliett of the Ancients, a 

 name given to an impurer fort of nutnim. The purer fort 

 of this fait they call hcilmyrhn^^a, and the coarfer and dirtier 

 kind agrhim. Tiic former ot tliefe they had from Media, 

 the latter from Thrace. 



AGROIRA, a name which fome have givca to AitoLa 

 of Lydia. 



AGROCA Roiul, in Geography, lies to the weft of tlw 

 Bal\imeBto3, near Portobcllo, on Uie Spanifli main, and Ij 



well 



