Romæ antiquæ descriptio a view of the religion, laws, customs, manners, and dispositions of the ancient Romans, and others : comprehended in their most illustrious acts and sayings agreeable to history / written in Latine by ... Quintus Valerius Maximus ; and now carefully rendred into English ; together with the life of the author.

CHAP. IV. Of things gravely said or done.

ROMANS.

• 1. T. Manlius Torquatus.
• 2. P. Scipio Aemilianus.
• 3. C. Popilius Laenas.
• 4. P. Rutilius Rusus.
• 5. M. Junius Brutus Pro∣consul.

FORREIGNERS.

• 1. The Cinninienses.
• 2. Socrates the Athenian.
• 3. Alexander the Great.
• 4. The Lacedaemonians.
• 5. Paedaretus the Spar∣tan.

TEnacious Memory keeps in strict remembrance the great and most excellent part of applause which those things deserve among renowned men, which were gravely said or done by them. Among the plentiful Examples whereof, let us select, neither with too sparing or too liberal a hand, those which may rather satisfie than satiate expectation.

1. When our City was in a st••ange confusion upon the Overthrow of Cannae, when the Safety of the Commonwealth hung with a slender thread upon the fidelity of our Allies; That they might continue the more stedfast in the defence of the Roman Empire, the greatest part of the Senate moved, that the Princes of the Latins might be admitted among them. As Annius formerly and the Campanians avert'd, that one of the Consuls ought to belong to Capua, and the other to Rome: so sick was then the condition of the Roman Empire. Then Manlius Torquatus, of the race of him who had overthrown the Latins, near the River

Veseris in a memorable Battle, with a loud voice de∣clared, That if any of the Associates durst come to give his vote among the Conscript Fathers, he would kill him with his own hand. The threats of this one single person, both restor'd the pristine heat to the languishing spirits of the Romans, and hinder'd Italy from ad∣vancing themselves to equal Priviledges with our City. For as before they were broken by the Arms of the Roman People, so now they gave over, vanquish'd by this mans words.

Equal to this was the Gravity of Manlius: For when the Consulship was conferr'd upon him by the consent of all men, and that he refus'd it by reason of the In∣firmity of his Eyes, yet sor all that was vehemently urged to accept it; Choose, said he, some other person upon whom to confer this Honour; for if ye compel me to take it upon me, neither shall I endure your Customes, neither will you endure the Severity of my Government. If the voice of a private person was so heavy, what would the Fasces of the Consul have bin?

2. No less mean was the Gravity of Scipio Aemilia∣nus, both in the Court, and in his Assembly-Speeches: Who, when Mummius was his companion in the Cen∣sorship, though noble, yet effeminate and weak, de∣clar'd in a publick Speech before the Rostra, that he would have acted for the Majesty of the Common∣wealth, whether his Citizens had given him a Com∣panion or not.

The same person, when Ser. Sulpiciu•• Galba and Aurelius Cotta, Consuls, contended in the Senate whether of the two should be sent against Viriatus in∣to Spain, and that there hapned to be a great dissen∣tion among the Fathers, while they all expected him to declare his opinion; I think it not fit that either of them should be sent, said he, in regard the one has no∣thing, and the other never knows when he has enough.

Be••ieving, that want and covetousness were Mistresses both alike unfit to teach good government. By which saying he obtain'd that neither were sent into the Pro∣vince.

3. But C. Popilius being sent Embassadour to An∣tiochus, to command him to surcease the War which he wag'd against Ptolomy; when he came to him, and that the King with a chearful and friendly Counte∣nance held him out his right Hand, he would not give him his own again, but deliver'd him the Senates Letters: which when Antiochus had read, he told him, he would consult his Friends. But Popilius incens'd at his delay, Before thou goest out of this circle, said he, give me the answer which I shall return to the Senate. You would not have thought him an Embassadour that spoke, but the whole body of the Senate: For immediately the King affirm'd, that he would give no farther occasion for Ptolomie, to complain. And then at length Popilius took him by the hand as an Asso∣ciate. Behold the force of a concise and efficacious Gravity of Min•• and Speech! At the same time it terrified the Kingdom of Syria, and protected Egypt.

4. But I cannot tell whether I should first consider the Words of Deeds of P. Rutilius, for there lies an admirable stress in both. When he withstood the urgent request of a certain Friend, and the other very much offended upraided him in these words, What need have I then of thy friendship, if thou wilt not do for me what I desire? made this answer, What need I of thine, if for thy sake I should do any unhandsome action? To these words were agreeable those deeds, when rather through the dissention of the two Orders, than for any fault of his own, he was arraign'd, he neither put on forry Cloaths▪ nor laid aside the Sena∣torian Ornaments, nor made any Supplication to the Judg••s, nor spoke any thing unworthy the splendour

of his past years: But so order'd it, that his Tryal was rather an Experiment, than any Impediment of his Gravity. And when Sylla's Victories gave him li∣berty to return into his own Countrey, he rather chose to tarry in Banishment, than to do any thing against the Laws. And therefore more justly might we have given the Title of Happy to the Manners of so grave a Man, than to the prosperous Arms of the other more potent Conquerour. Which Sylla usurp'd, but Ruti∣lius deserv'd.

5. M. Brutus, the Murtherer of his own Virtues, be∣fore he was the Parricide of the Parent of his Countrey (for by one foul deed he overthrew them all, and de∣fil'd his memory with an unexpiable detestation) as he was goingin to his last Battle, to some that told him it was not convenient to fight: Boldly, said he, I go in∣to the Battle; for this day either all things will be well, or I shall have nothing to care for. For he presum'd he could not live without Victory, nor dye without Secu∣rity.

FORRAIGNERS.

1. The person beforementioned puts me in mind to relate what was said to Decius Brutus in Spain. For when all Lusitania had surrendred it self to him, and only the City of Cinninia obstinately held out, and that the Consul thought to have bought them out, they presently made answer to his Commissioners, That their Ancestors had only left them their Swords to defend their City, but no Money to purchase their Liberty from a covetous General. A Saying more noble for Romans to have spoken, than to have heard from others.

2. Nature led them into these paths of Severity. But Socrates, the most famous Pillar of the Grecian Learn∣ing, when he was to plead his own Cause at Athens,

and that Lycias had repeated to him an Oration com∣pos'd by himself, for him to make use of in the Court of Judicature, humble, suppliant, and accommodated to the danger that threatned him; Take it away, said he, for if I could be brought where I might repeat it, in the farthermost deserts of Scythia, there I should think I deserved death. He contemn'd Life, that he might not want Gravity▪ choosiing rather to dye like Socrates, than to live like Lysias.

3. As great as he in Wisdome, Alexand••r, as great in War, shewed himself to be of the same mind. For Darius having tried his force in two Battles, and there∣fore offering him a part of his Kingdome, and his Daughter in Marriage with Ten Hundred thousand Talents; when Parmenio told him, that if he were Alexander he would accept the Condition: He made answer, And so would I, were I Parmenio. An ex∣pression worthy of the two Victories, and deserving the third which he obtain'd.

4. This was the effect of a magnanimous Minde in Prosperity; That more generous, whereby the Lacedaemonian Ambassadors testified to his Father the miserable condition of their fortune. For when he impos'd most intolerable Burthens upon their City, they made him answer, That if he should persist to command them things more grievous than Death, they would prefer Death before his Commands.

5. No less grave was the Saying of that Spartan, who excelling both in Nobility and Sanctity of Mind, being put by the Magis••racy which he peti••ion'd for; I rejoyce exceedingly, said he, that my Countrey pro∣duces men more worthy than my self. By which Speech he equall'd the honour he was put by.