The annales of Cornelius Tacitus. The description of Germanie

II. Anicetus worketh a meanes how to make away Agrippina Neroes mother.

ANicetus a freed man, captaine of the nauie at Misenum, one which had brought vp Nero in his childhood, hating, and hated of Agrippina, found out an inuention for the purpose: which was, that there might a gallie be made loose by arte in the bottome, that should let her fall into the sea when she suspected least. There is nothing more subiect to chance then the sea, and if she should perish by shipwrack, who is so vnreasonable as to ascribe that to any vngracious inuen∣tion, which was the fault of the windes and waues? And to colour the matter with∣all, the Prince should build a temple in honor of the dead, erect altars, and institute other ceremonies, to shew a loue and reuerence towards her. This subtile inuen∣tion pleased the Princes humor, and fell out at a fit time, because Nero then cele∣brated the feast of Minerua fiue dayes together at Baias. Thither by faire words he brought his mother; affirming, that the displeasure of parents was to be borne with, and meanes to be sought to pacifie their anger: which hee did to giue out a reconciliation betweene them, and so receiue Agrippina (as women by kinde are of easie beliefe) willing enough to see the sport. Then going to meete her on the shore of Antium, tooke her by the hand and embraced her, and lead her to Baulos, which was a countrey house betwixt the promontorie of Misenum and the Baian lake, hard by the sea side, where a gallie trimmer than the rest was readie prepared, as a thing among others to honour his mo∣ther: for she had beene accustomed to the gallie, and to be carried by force of ro∣wers. After that, she was inuited to a banket, bicause the night might the better cloke the deuice. But sure it was some one or other had bewraied the plot, and Agrippina vnderstanding the practise, and doubtfull whether she should beleeue it, caused herselfe to be carried to Baias in a bearing-chaire: there Neroes caresses lessened her feare, being courteously entertained, and placed aboue him; entertay∣ning her with much communication; somtimes with a youthfull familiaritie, againe as it were recalling himselfe, and interlacing it with serious talke, made the banket holde a long time: and his eies fixed on her as she departed, embraced her more streightly then he was accustomed; either because he would omit no complement of dissimulation; or else because the last sight of his mother euen readie to perish, did mollifie his hart though fell and cruell. A bright star-light night and quiet with a calme sea, as it were to manifest the wicked practise, the gods themselues did yeeld. The gallie not farre gone, and Agrippina hauing onely two of her owne persons with her, the one Crepereius Gallus, which stood not far from the sterne, & Aceronia lying at Agrippinaes feete, with great ioy discoursed of her sonnes re∣pentance, and the fauour she had recouered. But the watch-woord being giuen the

couering of the place heauily loaden with lead, fell downe vpon Crepereius and prest him to death immediately. Agrippina and Aceronia, the vppermost bearing of the couering, by fortune being stronger then the rest though it shrunke with the waight, were saued, & the vessel not loosed asunder: all being amazed, and some which were ignorant of the practise, hindered others which were priuie to it. Then the rowers thought best to way the gallie on one side, and so to sincke her. Yet they could not agree vpon so sudden an aduise; but some swaying to the contrary way, caused the vessell not to sinke on the sudden, but by little and little. But Aceronia vnaduisedly crying that she was Agrippina, and that they should helpe the Princes mother, with poles and oares, and such implements in the gallie as came first to hand, was slaine. Agrippina not speaking a word, therefore not knowen, receiued onely one wound in the shoulder: then swimming towards the banke, was succoured by small barkes, and carried by the lake Lucrinus to her owne house. There casting in her mind how she had beene sent for by craft and false letters, entertained with especiall honour: how the vessell neither tossed by winds, nor carried vpon rockes, the vp∣per part fell as it had beene a land-frame: noting Accroniaes death, and beholding hir own wound, thought it the only remedy against the treachery, to make as though she perceiued it not. And thereupon sent Agerinus a freed man to tell her sonne, how by the goodnes of the gods and his good fortune, she had escaped a great dan∣ger: and prayed him that although he were affrighted with his mothers daunger; yet that he would forbeare a time from visiting her, bicause that for the present she had need of rest. And in the meane while making shewe of securitie, healeth her wound, and chearisheth hir bodie. And commaunded Aceroniaes testament to be sought for, and her goodes to be sealed vp, which was the onely thing wherein she shewed no dissimulation. But whilest Nero expected messengers to certifie him that his plot had taken effect; tidings cam that she had escaped lightly wounded, but passed through great dāger, the author therof not once doubted. Nero stroken dead with feare, and crying she would reuenge out of hand, either by arming her slaues, or sturring vp the soldiers, or run to the Lords of the Senat, or people, there cōplaine of the shipwrack, her wound, & the murder of her friends; knew no shift, vnles Burrhus & Seneca would bestur themselues, whom immediatly he sent for, doubtful whether they had vnderstoode the matter before or not. They stoode mute a long time, fea∣ring least their perswasions should take no effect; in the end concluded, that vnlesse Agrippina were preuented, Nero should perish. Then Seneca hitherto forwarder of the two, looked vpon Burrhus, as though he should haue asked, whether the souldier should be commaunded to execute the murder? but he answered, that the gard be∣ing bound to all Caesars house, and so mindfull of Germanicus, would not vndertake so cruell an enterprise against his progenie, and that Anicetus should accomplish his promise. He nothing at all staggering, demandeth the whole charge of the exe∣cution. At which speech, Nero professed openly, that that day the Empire was be∣stowed vpon him, and that the author of so great a gift was his freed man; and therefore that he should make speede, and take with him such as were readiest to fulfill his commaundement. He hearing that Agerinus, Agrippinaes messenger was come, maketh a colour of his enterprise in this sort: Whilest Agerinus deliuered his message, Anicetus let fall a sword betweene his legs, and as it were taking him in the manner, as though he had come to kill the Prince, commaundeth him to be cast in prison, that he might make the world beleeue that the mother had pretended her sonnes death, and killed her selfe, for shame that the plot was discouered. In the meane season, Agrippinaes danger being spread abroad, as though it had hapned

by chance, euery man as he vnderstoode it, ranne to the sea shore; some clammered vp the sea dammes, some gate into the next boates, some waded as farre as they could into the sea, some stretched out their hands to her. The coast was filled with complaints, vowes, and cries, of such as either asked diuers questions, or answered doubtfully. And a great multitude flocked thither with torches, who vnderstanding that she was escaped, set themselues in a readines, as it were to haue welcomed her, vntill they were dispersed by the sight of a threatning armed companie of souldiers. Anicetus besetteth her house with a gard, and hauing broken the gate, layeth hand on all the seruants he meeteth, vntill he came to the chamber dores, where there stoode but a few, the residue terrified with those which burst in. There was but little light in the chamber, and one mayde only, Agrippina more and more perplexed that she heard not from her sonne, no nor of Agerinus. The face of the shore was now almost quite changed, euery man gone, and on the sudden a great noise, and tokens of extreme danger. Then that one mayde going away, speaking these words, Thou doest also for sake me, she espieth Anicetus, accompanied with Herculeus cap∣taine of the gallie, and Oloaritus a Centurion of sea souldiers, vnto whom she sayd, that if he came to visit her, he should go and say that she was well recouered; if to execute any villanie she suspected her sonne no way, and that the parricide was not by him commanded. The murderers came about her bed, and the captaine of the galley first stroke her on the head with a cudgell. For to the Centurion drawing his weapon to kill her, thrusting out her belly she cried; strike my belly, and so hauing re∣ceiued many wounds, she was slaine. Thus many report with one cōsent. Whether that Nero beheld his mother when she was dead, & praised the feature of her bodie, some there are which affirme, some which denie. She was burnt the same night in a banketting bed with base funerals; and whilest Nero raigned, neuer buried. Not long after by the care of her friends, she had a tombe of small expenses neere the Miseni∣an way, and Caesar the Dictators house, which from a high place looked vpon a gulphe of the sea vnderneath. When the funerall fire was kindled, Mnester her freed man thrust himselfe thorough; but whether for loue of Agrippina, or feare of death, doubtfull. That this should be her ende Agrippina many yeeres before did beleeue, but contemned it. For consulting of Neroes fortune, the Chaldaeans tolde her that he should be Emperour, and kill his mother: and she aunswered, let him kill her, so as he be Emperour.