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rhetoric, his reputation at maturity was fo well etlabliflied, 

 that he was permitted by Julius A^rricola, at the expiration 

 of his confuhte, which occurred ui the year 77, to form 

 a matrimonial conneAion with his daughter. Thus intro- 

 ducfd into public life, he was honoured by the patronage of 

 Vcfpafian, Titus, and Domitian. Having diicharged the 

 office of pnetor, ho withdrew from the capital for four 

 years ; and on his return he found the latter emperor exer- 

 cifing a tyranny which he bitterly lamented. His profpeAs, 

 however, were brightened by the acceflion of Nerva to the 

 confullhip, in the year 97 ; and as his aflbciate Verginius 

 Rufus died before the termination of his office, Tacitus was 

 appointed to be his fucceffor, and commenced his literary ca- 

 reer, if the " Dialogue concerning Orators" be not his com- 

 pofition, with an eloquent oration at the funeral of Verginius, 

 of whom Pliny fays that he " crowned the felicity of his life 

 by polTeffing the moft eloquent of eulogifts at his death." 

 In the early part of Trajan's reign, he concurred with his friend 

 Pliny the Younger, in the accufation of Marcus Prifcus for 

 the crimes with which he was chargeable during his procon- 

 fulate of Africa. The condud of Tacitus and Pliny on this 

 occafion was honoured by the encomium of the fenate in 

 their fentence and condemnation of the culprit. The future 

 circumftances of his Ufe, and the precife time of his death, 

 are unknown ; but as he makes no allulion to the reign of 

 Adrian, it is moft probable that he did not furrive that of 

 Trajan. 



The principal works of Tacitus were his " Annals," and 

 his " Hiftory." The former compreliended the Roman 

 affairs from the death of Auguihis to that of Nero ; but it 

 has been tranfmitted to us in a very mutilated ftate. The 

 latter comprifed the period from the end of Nero to the 

 death of Domirian ; and now exifts in an imperfeft ftate, as 

 the narrative does not extend far beyond the acceflion of Vef- 

 pafian. His other works are, a " Life of Agricola," and a 

 treatife " On the Manners of the Germans." The ftyle of 

 his writings is fingularly concife, abrupt, and elliptical, fo 

 that the reader is often at a lofs to comprehend his meaning. 

 His aim feems to have been to comprize much in a fmall 

 compafs, and he has thus furnifhed a great variety of politi- 

 cal m-dxims, which, by the brevity with which they are ex- 

 prelTed, are peculiarly adapted to imprefs the memory. It 

 is obferved, however, by one of his biographers, that he 

 occafionally difcovers " an affeftation of converting com- 

 mon remarks into aphorifms, and of philofophizing when 

 he was only required to narrate." Neverthe!-fs, as the fame 

 author remarks, " no profc writer in any language furpafles or 

 perhaps equals him in force of defcription, and the choice 

 of circumftances by which he dramatizes a fcene, and brings 

 it before the eyes of his reader ; and Jio want of perfpicuity 

 appears in his ftyle when employed in the relation of ftriking 

 events." The writer whom we are now citing extols the 

 moral merits of Tacitus as an hiftorian, and gives him his 

 full fhare of praife for inculcating the nobleft principles of 

 aftion, both public and private, and difplaying the evils 

 arifing from uncontrolled power, united, as it generally 

 muft be, with vice and tyranny. " He was guarded," fays 

 the biographer, " by philofophy againft credulity, and by 

 the love of truth againft calumny." He adds, " upon the 

 whole, whatever defeAs may be juftly imputed to him, his 

 works can never fail to keep a d'ttingui(hed place among the 

 moft valuable treafures which antiquity has bequeathed to 

 us." The following editions of the works of Tacitus are 

 thofe which are held in the higheft eftimation : viz. Ryckii, 

 Lugd. Bat. 1687, 2 vols. i2mo.; Gronovii, Traj. 1721, 

 2 vols. 4to. ; Ernefti, Lipf. 1752 and 1772, 2 vols. 8vo.; 

 Brotier, Paris, 1771, 4 vols. 4to, and 1776, 7 vols. i2rao. 



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Many tranflations in different languages are extant. Bro- 

 tier Praf. Gen. Biog. 



Tacitus, M. Claudius, an emperor of Rome, who 

 was advanced to thin eminence from the rank of fenator, to 

 which he belonged at the time of Aurelian's death, A.D. 

 275. He was then about 75 years of age, having been 

 conful twice, bearing the charaAer of diftingui{hed wifdom 

 and moderation, and enjopng a patrimony valued at between 

 two and three millions fterling. An interregnum took place 

 in confeq'u'nce of the refufal of the army and fenate to nomi- 

 nate an emperor, and had lafted nearly eight months. Tacitus 

 wifhed to refer the choice to the army ; but finding that he 

 was the perfon to whom the attention of the public was di- 

 reAed, he withdrew to his country feat in Campania, and 

 ctjntinued there two months. At length, the conful con- 

 voked the fenate, and Tacitus appeared in the aftembly. 

 Being aflced his opinion on the fubjeA that had occafioned 

 delay, he arofe to reply ; but he was immediately faluted, 

 amid general acclamations, with the titles of Auguftus and 

 emperor. The plea of his age and infirmities was of no 

 avail ; conftrained to accept the high honour on Sept. 25, 

 A.D. 275, he entered on his office ; the Roman people and 

 the praetorian guards approving and confirming his eleAion. 

 His firft objeA was to reftore to the fenate rights and privi- 

 leges, which ferved to render the conftitution a limited mo- 

 narchy. After thus gratifying the fenators, he proceeded to 

 regulate and reform the public morals ; exhibiting in his 

 own conduA an example of fimpUcity and frugality, whilft 

 he was unufually munificent in his attention to public objeAs. 

 To hterature he was a diftinguiflied patron ; and he paid 

 particular refpeA to his anceftor, the hiftorian Tacitus, di- 

 reAing ten copies of his works to be annually depofited in 

 the public libraries. In order to fecure the attachment of 

 the army, he vifited the camp at Thrace at the commence- 

 ment of the yeai- 276, promifed the ufual donative, and in- 

 fliAed punidiment on the principal perfons who had been 

 concerned in the murder of Aurehan. In procefs of time, 

 diflentions broke out amongft the troops, and the malcon- 

 tents being joined by the murderers of Aurelian, who had 

 made their efcape, either by direA violence, or by the vexa- 

 tion which they occafioned to the aged emperor, terminated 

 his life at Tyana, in Cappadocia, after a reign of 200 days^ 

 Crevier. Gibbon. 



TACK, in Sail-Mahing, the foremoft lower comer of all 

 fore and aft fails. 



Tack, a rope ufed to confine the clues of the main and 

 fore courfes forward occafionally in a fixed pofition, and 

 alfo to confine the tacks of ftay-fails, boom-fails, and fore- 

 fails of floops ; and the outer lower corners of ftudding- 

 fails. The tacks of the main and fore courfes are ropes 

 cable-laid, and made tapering, having a large wall-knot at 

 one end, which prevents its drawing through the clue of the 

 fail. 



Tack is alfo applied by analogy to that part of any fail 

 to which the tack is ufually faftened. A fhip is faid to be on 

 the ftarboard or larboard tack when (he is clofe -hauled, with 

 the wind upon the ftarboard and larboard fide : and in this 

 fenfe, the diftance which ftie fails in that pofition is confidered 

 as the length of the tack ; although this is more frequently 

 called a board. Falconer. 



Tack, To, in Sea Language, is to change the courfe from 

 one board to another, or to turn about the (hip from the 

 ftarboard to the larboard tack, in a contrary wind. 



Tacking is alfo ufed, in a more enlarged fenfe, to fignify 

 that manoeuvre in navigation, by which a fhip makes an 

 oblique progreffion to the windward, in a zigzag direAion. 

 Tliis, however, is more ufually called beating, or turning to 



windward. 



