40 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



customs, to maintain themselves. But Arminius (better known as Herr- 

 mann, a young prince of the Cherusci, educated at Kome, placed himself 

 at the head of the Germans, aad destroyed three Roman legions under 

 Varus, who fell by his own hand. This took place 9 A.D., in the Teuto- 

 burg Forest, a mountain ridge in IS'orthern Germany (now in Westphalia). 



Germanicus, the son of Drusus, 14-16 A.D., achieved several important 

 victories over the Marsi, Catti, and Cherusci, when the jealous Tiberius 

 recalled him, and sent him to Syria, abandoning the design of conquering 

 Germany. Augustus died 14 A.D. His son Tiberius, already co-regent, 

 succeeded to the throne. With him begins a line of tyrants, in the worst 

 sense of the term. The whole reign of Tiberius (15-37 A.D.) presents 

 little more than a constant display of cruelty, dissimulation, and rapacity. 



After his assassination, Caius Caligula reigned four years (37-41 A.D.), 

 in whose disposition the height of cruelty was combined with unparalleled 

 folly. As an example, we may mention his attempt to appoint his favorite 

 horse to the consulship. Like his predecessor, he was assassinated. 



Claudius succeeded to the throne. Murder constituted his amusement, 

 and he loved to protract the sufferings of the dying. His wives and 

 liberated slaves reigned more than himself. He was poisoned by his own 

 wife Agrippina, 54 A.D. , ^n 



He was, if possible, surpassed in cruelty by his successor ITero, 54-68 

 A.D., who murdered his own mother, persecuted and destroyed the 

 Christians, and set fire to Rome for his own amusement, in order 

 to enjoy the sight of unusual distress. With his cruelty he combined 

 a ridiculous degree of vanity. At length the people rose against him in 

 open rebellion, when he fled, and ordered one of his liberated slaves to 

 inflict upon him a mortal wound. 



During a period of less than two years, 68-69 A.D., three emperors, 

 Galba, Otho, and Yitellius, succeeded each other, all of whom met with 

 violent deaths. 



Flavins Yespasian, 69-79 A.D., restored order and security, increased 

 the dignity of the senate, retrenched public expenditure, and appropriated, 

 in spite of his uncommon economy, money to the rebuilding of public 

 edifices, promoted arts and sciences, and reduced rebellious provinces to 

 subjection. After Augustus, he was the first emperor who met a natural 

 death. 



Titus Flavius Yespasian ascended in. peace the throne of his father^ 

 73-81 A.D. His reign, though short, was blissful. 



Yery different in character was his brother Domitian, 81-96 A.D. He 

 was a monster of vice and cruelty, and was murdered. 



He was succeeded by l^erva,- 96-98. He is the first of a succession of 

 the noblest emperors: — Trajan, A.D. 98-117; Adrian, A.D. 117-138; 

 Antoninus Pius, 138-161 A.D. ; and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, 161-180 

 A.D. 



During his administration, the southern Germans (the Marcomanni) 

 poured in great numbers into Italy. The empire was at that time suffering 

 from pestilence; many legions were destroyed, and it became necessary 

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