OF FRIENDSHIP 65 



down in his testament for heir in remainder after his 

 nephew. And this was the man that had power with him 

 to draw him forth to his death. For when Caesar would 

 have discharged the senate, in regard of some ill presages, 

 and specially a dream of Calpurnia ; this man lifted him 

 gently by the arm out of his chair, telling him he hoped he 

 would not dismiss the senate till his wife had dreamt a 

 better dream. And it seemeth his favour was so great, as 

 Antonius, in a letter which is recited verbatim in one of 

 Cicero's Philippics, calleth him venefica^ ' witch ' ; as if he 

 had enchanted Caesar. Augustus raised Agrippa (though 

 of mean birth) to that height, as when he consulted with 

 Maecenas about the marriage of his daughter Julia, Maecenas 

 took the liberty to tell him, ' that he must either marry his 

 daughter to Agrippa, or take away his life : there was no 

 third way, he had made him so great/ With Tiberius 

 Caesar, Sejanus had ascended to that height, as they two 

 were termed and reckoned as a pair of friends. Tiberius 

 in a letter to him saith, Jiaec pro amidtia nostra non 

 occultavi; and the whole senate dedicated an altar to 

 Friendship, as to a goddess, in respect of the great dearness 

 of friendship between them two. The like or more was 

 between Septimius Severus and Plautianus. For he forced 

 his eldest son to marry the daughter of Plautianus ; and 

 would often maintain Plautianus in doing affronts to his 

 son ; and did write also in a letter to the senate, by these 

 words : * I love the man so well, as I wish he may over-live 

 me/ Now if these princes had been as a Trajan or a Marcus 

 Aurelius, a man might have thought that this had pro- 

 ceeded of an abundant goodness of nature ; but being men 

 so wise, of such strength and severity of mind, and so 

 extreme lovers of themselves, as all these were, it proveth 

 most plainly that they found their own felicity (though as 

 great as ever happened to mortal men) but as an half piece, 

 except they mought have a friend to make it entire; and 

 yet, which is more, they were princes that had wives, sons, 

 nephews ; and yet all these could not supply the comfort 

 of friendship. 



It is not to be forgotten what Commineus observeth of his 



