IX. THE SENATS VSE OF SENECA'S OFFICES, AT NERO'S ENTRANCE.

BVt the Senate discouerd no such iudgment of this course, for it greatly conduced to their ends, as men who affected censureship ouer their princes, & to remaine the arbiters of things. SENECA therefore, not without some suspition of vanitie on his part (as TACITVS obserueth) had the glory of witt, and eloquence, in the grace Page  11 of his scholers vtterance, and their lord-ships en∣acted, that the last oration, because it contained the picture of the NERONIAN commonweale as there it was described, should bee cut in a co∣lumne of siluer, for euerlasting remembrance, and yeerely bee read in full court, vpon the Kalends of IANVARIE, when the new Consuls tooke their oathes. And this was done (saith DIO in effect) that NERO who gaue them the hope, should giue them the fulfilling also. A prouision worthy of their wisdome, the commoditie where∣of beeing put into their hands by SENECA, did causefully ennoble, & endear him to the publicke. And though NERO afterwards spoild all, by his incredible excesses, yet the oration remained still, an euidence of his engagement, a touchstone of his actions, and by the disparitie of premises, and sequels, did draw the greater foulnesse vpon his deformities. NERO'S faire ouertures for winning goodwill at first, remaine estreated in that most steddie author, CORNELIVS TACITVS, though the oration it selfe (for what moniments will not massie siluer betray?) be quite consumed. The generall notion of the speeches fabrick was, to giue hope, that all those things should bee auoided which had beene of∣fensiue before. Of this poinct the ITALIAN author of the famous RAGVALIAS of PAR∣NASSVS makes vnfriendly vse, in the imagina∣ry inauguration of CORNELIVS TACI∣TVS, to the fained kingdome of LESBOS, smal∣ly to the honor of TACITVS, whom hee makes throwne out againe for affectation of ty∣ranie.