The world: historical and actual . his latest consort, Agripina. Thisson was the famous Nero, the pupil of Seneca; a young man of whommuch good was expect-ed, but who proved theproverbial type of tyr-anny. This emperorkilled his own mother,and was accused of set-ing fire to Rome forthe excitement of wit-nessing the conflagra-tion. Under him be-Nero- . gan the persecution of the Christians. Having reigned wisely and mod-erately for five years, his character seemed to under-go a radical and detestable change, ami at the ageof thirty he died, having been on the throne four-teen years, during whic
The world: historical and actual . his latest consort, Agripina. Thisson was the famous Nero, the pupil of Seneca; a young man of whommuch good was expect-ed, but who proved theproverbial type of tyr-anny. This emperorkilled his own mother,and was accused of set-ing fire to Rome forthe excitement of wit-nessing the conflagra-tion. Under him be-Nero- . gan the persecution of the Christians. Having reigned wisely and mod-erately for five years, his character seemed to under-go a radical and detestable change, ami at the ageof thirty he died, having been on the throne four-teen years, during which time he succeeded in effect-ually obliterating all the honors he had won in theearly years of his reign. Among the victims of hismurderous malice was his tutor, Seneca. Such alife was fitly terminated by the hand of an assassin,his atrocities being unbearable by those within tin1le of his immediate influence. Thai was inA. D. (38. Nero died childless, and a recent writer, in com-menting upon the situation at that point,observes:. The stock of Julii refreshed in vain by grafts fromthe Octavii, the Claudii, and the Domitii, had beenreduced to a single branch, and with Nero the adop-tive race of the great Dictator was first of the Caesars had married four times, thesecond thrice, the third twice, the fourth thrice also,the fifth six times, and the sixth thrice. Of theserepeated unions a large number had borne offspring,yet no descendants of any had survived. A few hadreached old age, many had reached maturity, somewere cut off by early sickness, the end of others waspremature and mysterious; but of the whole num-ber a large proportion were undoubted victims ofpolitical jealousy. Such was the price paid by theusurpers family for their splendid inheritance ; butthe people accepted it in exchange for internaltroubles and promiscuous bloodshed; and thoughmany of the higher classes of citizens had becomethe victims of Cassarian tyranny, yet order andprosperity had re
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectworldhistory, bookyea
