§. II. Meanes thought, and agreed-vpon for the secret de∣struction of Agrippina.

THe execution was vndertaken by ANI∣CETVS, who hauing beene a bondman, & put about NERO to teach him GREEK, was afterwards manumitted by him, and created Admirall of the ROMAN nauie at MISENVM. The plague of planting seruile natures about young Lords, and noble persons, to forme their first educations (a thing most worthely noted by QVINCTILIAN, in his conference of Ora∣tors, Page  27 as a pestilent errour) fell vpon the empresse AGRIPPINA not vniustly. That execution neuerthelesse was not needing to be by him vn∣dertaken, till three seuerall attempts to poison her, had first miscarried; her prouisions, and discoue∣ries more actiue, then their practises auaileable. Open force was with one consent condemned as improper, and dangerous. From thence it grew that drugs were employd about the vvorke, and vvhen they returned vaine, their vtmost consul∣tations could propound nothing for the purpose, but if there might bee somevvhat deuised vvhich should resemble, or imitate a casualtie. There vvere therefore vvho in her ovvne house contri∣ued a loose or hanging roofe, vvhich falling in a moment should pash, and oppresse her in her bed. A most villanous deuice, but hauing chincks to come out at, she escaped. After this, and vvhile in∣uention stuck, it hapned, that among the shovves, and amphitheatral pageants, a kind of ship-vvork, or nauall frame vvas presented to the people (vvho vvere courted by their princes, and greatest magistrates vvith such like toyes) so cunningly ioincted, that the hold or body thereof sodenly flying open, did put forth certaine vvilde beasts a∣liue, at the discretion of their maister, and readily closed againe. This originall produced vpon drie land, vvas reputed a patterne most fit to be tran∣slated to their vses at sea, for effecting, and colou∣ring the accidentall drovvning of AGRIPPI∣NA. For it might vvell passe (the secret being kept smotherd among themselues) vvithout any proba∣ble scandal, then onely that vvhich the common fortune of that vnstable element vvould both handsomly beare, and ansvver. And novv there Page  28 wanted nothing but conuenient time, and place, to conspire for their ends with the vse of this per∣nicious engine.