C A L 



ms-t; nor vv.v ho wan'.in- in l.is enlnvoiirs to kcxncthc 

 increit of ail who luid accels to his gra.idfai her. As a 

 c..i...t-rb:<hnce to the power of S-.janu;., who had funk m 

 the clllniati.>n of Tiberius, and \vhon he determined to dil- 

 ernce, ho rtfo!v;-d to advance his obfcqiiioiis grandlon ; and 

 havinf silovved hi-n to afTiimc the " toga vinlis," he in- 

 vellcfhim with the di'^aitv of pontiff, and mtirtiated to the 

 fcnate hi= dtHgn of appointinii h'm his ruccefTor to the em- 

 pire Tiberius, however, well knew the natural ferociimr- 

 ueh of his terripsr; bnt he hoped that his paffion for mudc 

 aod dmwn-', and the dcbauchtry to which he was aod dec', 

 w -uld b: the means of foftenin.r his favage difpofition. His 

 hopes indeed were dehifive ; and he tliereforc angiired the 

 injuries he would comn.it, and called him a public pell, tliat 

 lived to plague him and mankind. To this purpofe he de- 

 feribed hin° as " a fcrpent that would be fatal to the Ro- 

 mans, and a Phaeton that would fet fire to the ur.iverfe." 

 In a convtrlation about Sylla, when young Caius ridiculed 

 his characler, Tiberius, wliofe natural penetration ltd him 

 into a thorough acquaintance with his charafter, obferved 

 to him ; " You will have all Sylla's vices, and not one of his 

 virtues." And, on another occal'ion, when he had his two 

 gi-andfons before him, he embrjiced Gemellus, with te:irs in 

 his eyes, and faid to Caius, whofe countenance manifellcd 

 difpleafurc, " You will flay him, and another fhall flay you." 

 Tiie firll wife of Caius was Claudia, the daughter of Marcus 

 Silanus, a fenaior of diftind^ion ; but his debauchery in liis 

 yout'.i was fuch, that he w:is dcteitcd by his grandmother 

 Antonia. in fcandalous familiarities with his own filter Dru- 

 filla. UjV'.n the death of Claudia, he intrigued with Ennia, 

 the wife of Macro the pratorian prefeft, who concurred in 

 this infamous bufinefs, and, in confequence of it, aflifted him 

 by his infl-ieice in fccuring the fucccffion. Although Tibe- 

 rius, notwithllanding his declared intention, hefitated about 

 the appointment of a fuceeflbr, iufomuch that he is faid by 

 will to have joined with Caius his other graudfou Tiberius 

 Gemellus, as co-heir ; Caius was acknowledged and pro- 

 claimed emperor immediately on the death of his grandfather 

 by the Prretorian guards, and Macro was fent to the fenate 

 with Tiberius's will in order to have it annulled. In order 

 to accomplifh this purpofe, he vcprefented, on the part of 

 Caius, that Tiberius was not found in his underftanding 

 wlien he made it, and that this plainly appeared by his ap- 

 pointing a child to govern them, who was not yet old enough 

 to fit among them. The feiiators who hated Tiberius 

 thought ihefe reafons fufficient, and accordingly fet afide the 

 will. This event happened A. U. C. 790, A.D. 37. The 

 fequel of this reign was marked with a variety of tranfac- 

 tions, which indicated abfolute infanity. At its commence- 

 ment, indeed, it was the occafion of univerfal joy and con- 

 gratulation ; Co that in three months after the accclTion of 

 Caius to the empire, no lefs than 160,000 viflims were 

 facrificed in thankfgiving to the gods ; and nothing was 

 I'een for feveral months but feafting and rejoicing through the 

 whole extent of the Roman empire. Caius began his reign 

 by feveral popular atls, which fetmed to encourage thefe 

 high expcftations. He profeffed great refpeiil for the fe- 

 nate« rtleafed ail that had been imprifoned by the orders of 

 Tiberius, recalled all e>iiles, abolifhcd for the time to come 

 all accufations pf high treafon, and put a flop to all proceed- 

 ings that had already began. He pretended to burn all 

 papers relating to charges of this kind, left by Tiberius; 

 but in the iffiie it appeared, that, v.-hiUl he preferved the ori- 

 ginals, he burnt only copies. He alfo difplayed a pious and 

 atltc^ionate rcfpeft to the memory of all his deceafed rela- 

 tions, and treated thofe who furvived with every token of 

 honour. He uifchar^ed all the legacies that bad been be- 



5 



C A L 



qneathed bf Tiberius and Livia ; and exhibitrd his genero- 

 fity, as it was called, in largeflVs to the people, and in pub!'c 

 fpeftacles which were conduced with extraordinary fplcn- 

 dour and magnificence. He even aiTecied a regard for 

 liberty, by relloring to the people the right of eledion to 

 certain offices of which Tiberius had deprived thcra, and by 

 allowing the works of feveral patriotic writers to be freely 

 circulated ; and \vii\\ a pretended zeal for morals, he bar.iflied 

 all t!ie minifters of the infamous debaucheries of his prcde- 

 ctffi'i-. This condufi; was in a high degree gratifying to the 

 people ; and a dancjerousillntfs, with which the emperor was 

 attacked at this period, caufed general alarm and proc^uctd 

 txpreflions of concern and wiflies for his recovery. As foon 

 as he was reflored to his ufual health, his coiiduei appeared 

 to be quite changed, and to mark a characler the m- ft de- 

 praved and deteftable. The firfl aft by which he difcovercd 

 his natural ferocity was the death of the young and incffen- 

 live Gemellus ; and this was foon fucceeded by that of his 

 father-in-law Silanus, and of his benelaflors Macro and his 

 v.-ife. Many fer.ators and perfons of dillindiou were alfo 

 facrillced to his political jealoufy ; and others became vic- 

 tims either to the mere wantonntfs of fport, or his innate 

 love of crueltv. Of his. incefluous paiTion he gave proof by 

 marrying his fi.ler DrufiUa, on occafion of whofe dri.th he 

 abandoned himfelf to the phrenzy of grief. As an iulhince 

 of his inianity, wc may mention his claim of divine honours, 

 together with his inftitution of priefts and creftion of tem- 

 ples for the worfliip of his own divin:ty ; whilll he hurled 

 defiance again'.l Jupiter. Similar to this and m.ore extravpj. 

 gant in degree was the h"nour he paid to his horfe " Incf- 

 tatus ;" for which he eredted a palace, afligned domellics, 

 and a public table, a-.d cordlniCied a marble liable and ivory 

 rack, giving him gilt barley and wine out of a golden cup, 

 and fwearing bv his health and fortune ; and, bcfidcs, he is 

 faid to have dcfigned him for conful. He married and re- 

 pudiated feveral wives, and at lc!:gth his attachment was per- 

 manently fixed to Ciefonia, who, without youth and beauty, 

 and although fhe had been the mutlKr of three children by 

 another huiband, contrived to engage h>6 affcftion by a cor- 

 refponding difiolutenefs of manners. Notwithllanding innu- 

 m.erable enormities, which rendered him the jufl ohjcft of de- 

 teftation, and for which the only plea t<iu!'l be that of in- 

 fanity, the Roman fenate and people dif^raced themfelvcs 

 by their bafe adulation and fervile fubmiiuon. Such was 

 the degree of infatuation and depravity which this monfter 

 of folly and iniquity difplayed on a variety of occafions, that 

 he fcemcd to have loft all fenfe of ihamc ; and to have mani- 

 fclled, without difgnife, his hatred of all human kind. He 

 even lamented that his reign was not diftinguifhed by any 

 of thofe public calamities, which had happened under his 

 predcceffors ; and he openly uttered that moft execrable vviila 

 " tiiat the Roman people had but a fingle neck, which he 

 might cut off at a blow." 



His public tranfa&ions correfponded in the train tenor of 

 them with his private conduft. In i riitation of Xerxes, the 

 eaftern dcfpot, he caufed to be built, at an immenfe expence, 

 - a bridge of boats acrofs the neck of the bay from Baiae to 

 Puteoli. When he had twice triumphantly palfed it at the 

 head of his troops, the whole ftrudure was demoliflied. 

 Refolving on an expedition into Gaul and Germany, he 

 all'embled a large asmy ; but having pafled the Rhine, and 

 marched a few miles into Germany, he hallily returned, and 

 under an apprehenfion of danger, which was altogether un- 

 founded, he was conveyed over the heads of the crowd that 

 covered the bridge, and thus reached the other fide in faftty. 

 On another o'ccafion he caufed his troops to found a falfe 

 alarm, and f.inying to the foreft from which the noife pro- 



ccedtd> 



