To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
MAXIMIN the Second, or the Younger, and the Son of the fore∣going, was a Youth of that extra∣ordinary Beauty, that generally the Ladies of Wit were in Love with him: some of them even wished themseves a part in his Caresses, and to have Children by him. He
was so Tall, that had he lived, it is probable, he would have reach'd the heighth of his Fa∣ther. But he dyed in the Flower of his Youth, in his one and twentieth Year, or, as some say, in his eighteenth. He had learn'd the* 1.1 Greek and Latin Languages to a Perfection. In the Greek his Master was Fabilius, who hath several Epigrams in the Greek, yet extant; and particularly some that he made upon the Picture of his Scholar. In the Latin he had the Grammarian Philemon, Modestinus the Law∣yer, and Titianus the Orator. The Father of which last was he, who hath written a Choro∣graphy of the Provinces of the Roman Empire, and was called the Ape of his Age; because he Imitated all things. He had a Greek Rheto∣ri••ian called Eugenius, who was Famous in his time. Junia Fadilla, a Daughter of the Fa∣mily of the Princes, the Antonini, was Con∣tracted to him; who afterwards was Married to Toxotius, a Senator of the same Family, who dyed after his Praetorship, and hath written some Poems, which we have at this day. The Presents which were given to her by Maximin when he Contracted her, are particularly re∣counted by Aelius Cordus. A Locket of nine great Pearls, a Head set with eleven Emeralds, a Bracelet of four Jacynths, Garments of Cloth of Gold, and all the Ornaments of Princely Attire, which were fit for a New Spouse.
As this Maximin was very Beautiful, so he carried a Pride to the highest degree: he kept himself Sitting, when his Father, as Cruel as he was, many times rose to Persons of Honour,
that came to wait upon him. He was of a gay Humour, Drank little, but loved good Eating, especially of the wild Creatures of the Field; the Wild Boar, Duck, Crane, and the like, were his constant Dishes. Those of the Party of the Emperors Maximus, Balbinus, and Gordianus, and particularly the Senators, were willing to slander him because of his great Beauty: Pretending, that it was im∣possible, that so charming a Gift of the Gods could be kept uncorrupt. So also, when he went about the Walls of Aquileia, in Com∣pany with his Father, to persuade that City to a Surrender. All that they pretended to object against him, was, the matter of Un∣cleanness, because of his tempting Beauty, which however was very far from him. He was so Proper in his Cloaths, that no Lady in the World could be more. He was extreamly Obsequious to such as were of his Father's Friends; that is, so far as to give them what was in his power, and make them Largesses. But when they paid their Reverences to him, he received them in a manner, which was again as high. He gave them his Hand to kiss; he suffered them to kiss his Knees, and sometimes his Feet: which his Father would never do; who said, The Gods forbid, that any free-born Man should lay his Lips to my Feet. Having mention'd his Father, I desire to in∣sert one pleasant Passage of him. He was, as I have observed before in his Life, Eight Foot and almost a half high. Therefore his Shoe, or Royal Buskin, was given by some,
to be seen publickly, in a Religious House in a Grove, which is betwixt the City Aquileia, and a place called Arzia: which Shoe, it is certain, is bigger by a Foot, than the Mea∣sure of any other Man: And hence it is be∣come a Proverb to say of one, who is of an extraordinary Height, without much Wit, Ca∣liga Maximini. i. e. He is the Print of Maxi∣min; He treads in his Shoe. But I return to speak of the Son.
The Emperor Alexander Severus in a Letter to his Mother Mammaea, appears to have had some thoughts of Matching this Maximin to his own Sister Theoclia. The Letter was this.
Madam,
I Would propose to you, to Marry your Daughter Theoclia to the younger Maximin, did not his Father, who is a Commander in our Forces, and I assure you a very good one, retain some∣thing in him, that savours of the Barbarian. I fear my Sister, who is so acquainted with all the Politeness of the Grecian Education, will not en∣dure a Father in Law of that Nature. Other∣wise, as for the Youth himself, he is Beautiful and Ingenious, and seems to be bred, and polished to the Mode of the Grecians too: This is what I think. You may please to consider with your self, whether you will rather choose to have to be your Son in-Law Him, or Messala; who is of an Ho∣nourable Family, and a very Powerful Orator, a Learned Man, and who, if I mistake not, would make a good Soldier, if he was put to the War.
Thus that Prince speaks of the Younger Maximin. I have little more to add concern∣ing him, besides a Letter of his Father's, ex∣pressing the Reasons of his creating him Em∣peror in conjunction with himself.
I, says he, have permitted my Son Maximin to be made Emperor together with me, both out of the Affection which a Father owes to a Son, and also because the People of Rome and that Antient Senate may see, and swear, That they never had a more Beautiful Prince in their lives.
His Coat of Mail was all of Gold, after the Example of the Ptolomies of Egypt. He had another all of Silver. His Shield was of Gold, enriched with Precious Stones, and his Javelin of Gold; he had Swords of Silver, and others of Gold He neglected nothing that could serve to assist his Beauty. His Helmets were set with Jewels and Embossed. As for what concerns his Pleasures and his Amours, with which Aelius Cordus asperses him, I must refer the Reader, if he desires to know them, rather to that Author, than delay my prosecution of the Lives of the other Princes that follow, in obedience to the Commands which I have received.
The Omens of his Reign were these: A* 2.1 Serpent came and twined it self about his Head as he slept. A Vine which he Planted, produced at the end of the Year large Grapes, of the colour of Purple, and grew to a won∣derful greatness. His Shield burnt by being exposed to the Sun. His Javelin was cleft
perfectly in two from the top to the bottom, by Lightning. Which the Soothsayers remark'd as an Omen, that there should arise Two Emperors upon the Throne of the same House and the same Names, but that they should not long Reign. When he was under his Master that taught him Grammar, a Lady his Rela∣tion presented him with a Homer in Purple, written in Characters of Gold. Being invited, when a little Youth, by the Emperor Alexan∣der Severus to Supper, out of respect to his Fa∣ther, and wanting the proper Vest to sit down in, that Prince furnish'd him with one of his own. As a Chariot of the Emperor Antoninus Caracallus passed the Streets empty, immediate∣ly he leapt into it, and sat himself down, and was with much ado, prevailed to come out a∣gain. Caracallus was told of it, and withal desired to have a care of such an Auspicious Boy. Nay, says Caracallus, He is a great way off of being my Successor: For at that time he was too inferior for that Matter, by his Qua∣lity, as well as his Years.
The Omens of his Death were these: As* 2.2 he and his Father were on their March against the Emperors Maximus, Balbinus, and Gordia∣nus, a Woman met them with her Hair all disheveled, and in a mournful figure, crying, The Maximins, the Maximins, the Maximins; as if she meant to say, Help: But she could speak no more, and dyed. The second days March, at Night, above a dozen Dogs set up a most miserable Howling about his Tent, and in the morning were found dead. Five hundred
Wolves together entred into the City of He∣mona after him: that is, the same, which up∣on his arrival was deserted by all its People. But it would take me up too much time to re∣cite all the things of this nature. He who is so over-curious to desire to know them, I would wish him only to read Aelius Cordus, who lets nothing escape him, even to a Fable. There are no Sepulchres of the Maximins extant. Their Bodies were thrown into a River, and their Heads burnt in the Field of Mars, with great Insults and Rejoycings of the People.
I am not however to omit an Observation of Aelius Sabinus. He says, The Younger Maximin had a Face so fine and so well made, that after his Head was cut off, as much as it was macerated, blackened and besineared with Gore, any one might see, that it was the Face of one, who had been an extraor∣dinary beautiful Person: and therefore when the Head of the Father was carried about upon a Spear, and great Joy made to see it; People were almost as much on the contrary troubled, to see the Head of the Son served so too. A Greek Historian Dexippus adds, that the Son, together with the Captain of the Guards, Anolinus, was killed in the sight of the Father. Others say, that after the Father had seen his Son killed before his eyes, he with his own Hand killed himself, to avoid the Treatment of his Enemies. However that is, we cannot forbear to re∣member the extraordinary Firmness of the City of Aquileia to the Interests of the Senate
against the Maximins. They maintain'd the Siege with that Obstinacy, that when they* 2.3 wanted Strings for their Bows, they served themselves of the Womens Hair, to make Strings of: which had been sometime done before by the City of Rome. In Memory whereof, and to the Honour of the Ladies, the Senate there Dedicated a Temple to Venus with this Title, Veneri Calvae; To Venus the Bald.
His Lear∣ning and Masters.
His Ad∣vance∣ment fore∣shew'd.
Presages of his Death.
Womens Bravery.