THE FIRST BOOK 211 



which age, for temporal respects, was the most happy and 

 flourishing that ever the Roman empire (which then was a 

 model of the world) enjoyed : a matter revealed and pre- 

 figured unto Domitian in a dream the night before he was 

 slain ; for he thought there was grown behind upon his 

 shoulders a neck and a head of gold, which came accordingly 

 to pass in those golden times which succeeded : of which 

 princes we will make some commemoration ; wherein 

 although the matter will be vulgar, and may be thought 

 fitter for a declamation than agreeable to a treatise infolded 

 as this is, yet because it is pertinent to the point in hand, 

 neque semper arcum tendit Apollo, and to name them only 

 were too naked and cursory, I will not omit it altogether. 



The first was Nerva; the excellent temper of whose 

 government is by a glance in Cornelius Tacitus touched to 

 the life : Postquam divus Nerva res olim insociabiles miscuisset, 

 imperium et libertatem. And in token of his learning, the 

 last act of his short reign left to memory was a missive to 

 his adopted son Trajan, proceeding upon some inward 

 discontent at the ingratitude of the times, comprehended 

 in a verse of Homer's ; 



Felts, Phoebe^ tuis lacrymas ulciscere nostras. 



Trajan, who succeeded, was for his person not learned : 

 but if we will hearken to the speech of our Saviour, that 

 saith, < He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a 

 prophet, shall have a prophet's reward,' he deserveth to be 

 placed amongst the most learned princes : for there was not 

 a greater admirer of learning or benefactor of learning ; a 

 founder of famous libraries, a perpetual advancer of learned 

 men to office, and a familiar converser with learned pro- 

 fessors and preceptors, who were noted to have then most 

 credit in court. On the other side, how much Trajan's 

 virtue and government was admired and renowned, surely 

 no testimony of grave and faithful history doth more 

 lively set forth, than that legend tale of Gregorius Magnus, 

 bishop of Rome, who was noted for the extreme envy he 

 bare towards all heathen excellency : and yet he is reported, 

 out of the love and estimation of Trajan's moral virtues, 



