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The account, which one of the commentators gives us of JUBENTIUS CELSUS the prætor, is worthy of notice : he tells us, that CELSUS being engaged in a plot against DoMITIAN, and not only accused, but condemned, had recourse to an excellent illufion, by which he faved his life. As foon as he was feized, and while the officers were preparing to bind him, he entreated to fpeak with DOMITIAN in private, whom, in the most fuppliant manner, he addreffed by the highest titles, and invoked as a God, declaring, that he himself was not guilty of any crime against the emperor; but if he might obtain his liberty for a little while, he would difcover the whole affair, and would convict many perfons, although he was not one of their confpiracy. He obtained his liberty, but, upon his dismission, made not the least discovery; always deferring his confeffion from time to time, upon fome pretence or other, until DoMITIAN was murdered by PARTHENIUS, and others of his own houfhold. It is impoffible, on this occafion, not to recollect a remarkable cafe, which happened in the reign of the late King WILLIAM, when a nobleman was tried, and found guilty of high treafon : after his condemnation he gave broad hints, if not promises, of important discoveries, and dangerous fecrets, which he was not only able, but willing to lay open to the King and his minifters: He was liftened to with great attention: But he added, that as his teftimony, in his prefent circumftances, could be of no validity, he fhould defer giving it, till he was pardoned. A pardon under the great feal was obtained for him; as foon as he had received it, he declared, (holding the pardon in his hand) that all the infinuations, which he had thrown out before, were to fave his life; and that he abfolutely knew not any one circumftance, or fecret, against the government, whatever, except that, for which he had already been condemned.

2 CATANEUS.

The emperor affumed to himself divine honours, and the people ftiled him, our Lord and our God.

EPISTLE

I

EPISTLE VI.

PLINY to MINUTIUS FUNDANUS..

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Was never more defirous to fee you at Rome, than at prefent, and I entreat you to be here, as foon as you can. I want a friend, to fecond my intentions, and divide my prefent labour, and care. JULIUS NASO is a candidate for an office of much honour ; his competitors are many, and of good character, in overcoming whom, the difficulty is not lefs, than the glory. I am therefore in fuch fufpenfe, and am fo much agitated between hope and fear, that I forget I have been a conful. For I appear to myself again a candidate for those very employments, through which I have already paffed. NASO's long attachment to me deferves fuch attention. A friendship between me and his father could not be indeed, upon account of my age; but his father has been reprefented to me, when I was a young man, as a person of high reputation. He had not only an esteem for learning, but for learned men, and came almost every day to hear QUINTILIAN and NICETES the priest, whofe declamations I then constantly attended. He was a man, befides, highly refpected, and of great dignity, and whofe memory ought to be ferviceable to his fon on all occafions; but there are many fenators, who were unacquainted with the father, and many, who knew him well these latter only honour a man, while living therefore the struggle and difficulty will be the greater burthen upon my friend, as his interest is not yet well established. For although he must always derive much honour from his father's great character, yet that will be of little use to him in his present purfuit. He feems to have been sensible of this, and has acted accordingly, by making and cultivating friendfhips, as if he had forefeen this particular time. He

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chofe me as worthy of his affection and imitation, as foon as his years permitted him to form a judgement : He always has been affiduous at my pleadings, and at my rehearsals; he has been the earliest in attendance upon all my little performances, even at their very first appearance: of late, alone; heretofore, with his brother, whose charge, as he is now dead, I ought to undertake, and whofe place I ought to fupply; for I am grieved at the unhappy and undeserved fate of the one, and that the other fhould want the affistance of the best of brothers, and be left to depend entirely friends; for which reasons, I infist upon your upon coming and joining your intereft with mine. It is much to my advantage, that you should shew yourfelf, and accompany me, while I am canvaffing. Your authority is fo great, that I believe, I can even ask my own friends with more certainty of fuccefs. Break any engagements, that may retain you. My circumftances, my friendship, and my station require this. I have undertaken to folicit for him, and my undertaking is univerfally known. The application is mine, the hazard is mine. In fhort, if NASO fucceeds, the honour is his own; if he is defeated, the difgrace is mine. Adieu.

OBSERVATIONS.

There are three letters extant from PLINY to MINUTIUS FUNDANUS. The ninth epiftle of the first book, which treats of common occurrences; the fifteenth epistle of the fourth book, which contains not only a character of AsiNIUS RUFUS, but an earnest request to FUNDANUS, who was then conful elect, to chufe RUFUS, as his quæftor; and this epiftle, in favour of JULIUS NASO. From all thefe epiftles it appears, that FUNDANUS was the particular friend of PLINY. The account given of him by CATANEUS is in these words. Eruditus fuit, ut qui fe, ab ineunte ætate, altioribus ftudiis dederat : ex duabus natis, alteram vix pubertatem ingreffam amifit. Proconful Afiæ ex ADRIANI refcripto monitus, ne fine objectu criminum ChriftiVOL. II.

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ftianos condemnaret: auctores EUSEBIUS, et OROSIUS: "He "was a man of great learning, and had applied himself early in life to the deepest ftudies: He had two daugh"ters, one of whom he loft in her tender years. He was "proconful in Afia, and, as EUSEBIUS and OROSIUS tell "us, was ordered by a mandate from the emperor ADRIAN, "not to condemn the Chriftians, except they were accused "of of crimes against the state." To fupport this affertion, let us remember, that ADRIAN himself was in Afia. He made a confiderable stay at Athens: He affumed to himself the honour of Archon, and established many new laws and privileges in the city: He was admitted into the Eleufnian myfteries, and was conftantly prefent at the folemn fports of the Athenians. The pagan zeal and fuperftition of ADRIAN occafioned a fresh perfecution of the Chriftans; but by the apologies of QUADRATUS, bishop of Athens, and ARISTIDES, a Chriftian Philofopher, the emperor was prevailed upon to write to the governors of provinces ; That the Chriftians fhould not be punished for the future, except they had manifeftly tranfgreffed the laws of the empire. It is probable, that FUNDANUS was one of the proconfuls written to upon this occafion; at least, we are certain, that in TRAJAN's reign, he was a man of confiderable power and dignity in the state.

Dicenti mihi follicitè adfiftit, affidet recitanti. This fentence fhews the difference between dicere and recitare. "JULIUS "NASO, fays PLINY, always ftood close to me, when I was speaking as a lawyer, in the courts: He fat close to "me, when I was rehearfing any of my works." While the Roman lawyers pleaded (dum dicebant) before the fenate, or in the courts of judicature, the judges only fat down; the pleaders, or, to ufe a modern expreffion, the council on both fides, ftood up; their friends and intimate acquaintance ftood near them, or walked indiscriminately about the court: Thus, in the laft epiftle, PLINY tells us, prout hic vel ille diceret, cupiditate audiendi curfitabant. But at rehearsals (dum recitabant) as of poems, funeral orations, or panegyricks, the audience fat down, and the perfon, who rehearfed, ftood up alone; his friends ufually fat as near him as poffible and therefore PLINY acknowledges the obligations he owes to JULIUS NASO in both these cafes. a Not. 8. in ep. 9. Lib. 1. p. 33. editio CORTII, & LONGOb Chief magiftrate of Athens.

LII.

:

Sufcepi

As

Sufcepi candidatum: "I have undertaken to act the part of "a candidate." The candidates affumed their name, a togâ candida, "from a white gown," which they wore. The toga candida differed very much from the toga alba a. They were both white gowns: The latter had only the natural whiteness of the wool; the former, worn by candidates for employments, had an artificial white dye, or, if that could not be procured, chalk was used, to encrease the whiteness of the garment. Intendenda albedinis caufâ cretam addiderant: To augment the whitenefs, they added chalk.” if artifice was the way to preferment, the part to be acted by the candidate was difficult in every particular: He was to make a circuit round the city very often: He was to call every individual perfon by his name: But in this part of the labour he had an affiftant, a nomenclator, who whispered the name in his ear, and he was to behave himself with the utmoft address, and civility, to the meanest and most inconfiderable citizen. Is it laziness or pride, that prompts a man of a retired nature to imagine, there is fcarce any employment in the world, either fufficiently lucrative or honourable to make amends for fuch needlefs industry?

a The toga alba was the gown ordinarily worn by the Roman citizens.

b The candidates always wore their gowns open and ungirted. ROSINI antiquitates, Lib. 5. Cap. 33. ex ISIDORO.

PLINY in his 9th ep. B. 2. hath this expreffion upon the fame occafion, prenfo amicos, fupplico, ambio domos, ftationefque circumeo, which explains in general the duty of a candidate.

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EPISTLE VII.

PLINY to CALPURNIA.

OUR letter tells me how deeply you were affected by my abfence, and that you often place my writings near you, as your only comfort. I am much pleased to find, that I am fo often in your

a In veftigio meo colloces. This fentence is explained by BUCHNERUS the commentator, in a manner, that muft make us fmile. He fays, fpeaking as in the perfon of PLINY, (in veftigio) ea lecti parte, quâ aliàs cubare foleo præfens.