Claudius Nero, Caligula’s uncle, and the son of Drusius [214]reigned after him, [215]naturally no bad man, but [216]senseless and foolish. He was not naturally [217]cruel, but only so when [218]instigated by others, [219]especially by his [220]freedmen and his [221]wives, into whose hands he [222]gave up himself and his [223]affairs. His first lady was Messalina, whose [224]depravity and [225]dissoluteness every body [226]knew but himself; till at last [227]venturing to [228]marry one Silius, a knight, she was by her [229]husband’s order slain, together with her [230]paramour, at the [231]instigation of [232]Narcissus, who with [233]Pallas, another of his [234]freedmen, [235]ruled him entirely.
Another [236]instance of his [237]folly is, that after Messalina was [238]put to death, by whom he had his son [239]Britannicus, and Octavia, he married Agrippina Germanicus his brother’s daughter, the mother of Nero by [240]Domitius, in the ninth year of his reign, by the [241]advice of Pallas: at whose and Agrippina’s [242]request, he [243]adopted Nero, and [244]passing by Britannicus, [245]designed him for his [246]successor. He [247]banished the [248]Jews from Rome, and the [249]mathematicians out of Italy: and [250]undertaking an [251]expedition into [252]Britain, he [253]subdued it all in sixteen days time, as Dio says, in the third year of his reign. He died in the year of Christ 54, by [254]poison [255]put in a [256]mushroom by Agrippina. He reigned thirteen years eight months and twenty days, and lived sixty-four years.
Domitius Nero, [257]mounted the throne after the death of his [258]step-father, being then seventeen years of age. He at first, [259]behaved himself in such a manner, that he might be [260]reckoned among the best of [261]princes; that is, as long as he [262]listened to the [263]precepts of his [264]master Seneca. Afterwards, being [265]corrupted with [266]luxury and [267]flattery, he [268]became more like a [269]monster than a man. He [270]stopped the progress of the Parthians, who had [271]over-run Armenia, by Corbulo, a [272]gallant [273]commander, and a person of great [274]virtue and [275]authority, who [276]recovered Armenia, in the ninth year of Nero, and [277]obliged [278]Tiridates, Volegesis king of the Parthians brother, to [279]come to Rome, and to [280]beg his [281]crown of Nero, in the thirteenth year of Nero’s reign; in which year he [282]recalled Corbulo, and put him to death. He [283]destroyed Britannicus by [284]poison in the very [285]beginning of his reign. He likewise [286]ordered his mother Agrippina to be put to death, after having first [287]disgraced and [288]banished her from the [289]court, which [290]parricide, that nothing might be [291]wanting to [292]complete the [293]unhappiness of the times, the Senate [294]approved of. Afterwards having married Poppæa, whom he [295]took from Otho, he [296]banished Octavia, and at last put her to death. Upon the [297]discovery of a [298]plot, which Piso, and some others had [299]laid against him; he put to death the [300]poet Lucan, and Seneca the philosopher, with several others, in the year of Christ 65, and the same year he [301]kicked his wife Poppæa, when [302]pregnant, [303]to death. He had the [304]impudence to [305]appear upon the [306]stage, and [307]act amongst the [308]players and [309]harpers, and [310]ride [311]chariot-races at the [312]Circensian games; and to [313]represent for his [314]diversion the [315]appearance of [316]Troy in [317]flames, he [318]set fire to the city, and [319]imputed it to the [320]Christians. He [321]became so odious and [322]contemptible by his [323]villanies, that he was [324]forsaken by all, and being [325]sought for in order to be [326]punished, he [327]performed the [328]executioner’s [329]office upon himself, in the 14th year of his [330]reign, and 68th of our Lord.
A little before Nero’s death, [331]C. Julius Vindex, who was [332]proprætor of Gaul, [333]openly [334]rebelled, and [335]persuaded Sergius Galba, [336]governor of Spain, to [337]set up for emperor, which he accordingly did, and [338]put Vindex to death presently after. He reigned about seven months, being very [339]old. He was slain together with Piso, whom he had [340]adopted, after M. Silvius Otho was [341]proclaimed emperor; he reigned only about three months.
In the mean time, Vitellius [342]trusting to the [343]legions of Germany, which he [344]commanded in [345]quality of a [346]consular [347]lieutenant-general, [348]took upon him the [349]name of emperor, and [350]defeated Otho’s army in a [351]rencounter near [352]Bebriacum, who being [353]weary of a civil war, killed himself.
Vitellius reigned eight months after Otho, and was [354]succeeded by Vespasian, who had been [355]sent by Nero to [356]quell the [357]Jews. He reigned ten years with the greatest [358]justice and [359]clemency. He was a great [360]encourager of [361]learning and [362]learned men. The only thing that was [363]blamed in him, was his [364]covetousness, which he used to [365]excuse, by [366]alleging the [367]emptiness of the [368]Exchequer.
The war in [369]Judea was [370]finished in his time, to which he was sent by Nero, as we have [371]already [372]said. It was [373]begun by some [374]seditious [375]people that were [376]headed by Eleazar, the son of Ananias, the [377]high-priest, who [378]took up arms against the Romans, under the [379]pretence of [380]religion. Cestius Gallus, [381]lieutenant of Syria, [382]laid siege to [383]Jerusalem, but was [384]beaten off with great [385]slaughter in the 12th year of Nero. The [386]victorious Jews upon their [387]return to Jerusalem, amongst other generals, [388]made choice of [389]Josephus, the son of [390]Matthias for one. In the year of Christ 67, Vespasian, [391]carrying his arms through Galilee and Judea, [392]took, besides most of their towns, Josephus their [393]commander, who [394]foretold his [395]rise. At last, he [396]fell upon Jerusalem, the [397]metropolis of the [398]nation, which was taken by his son Titus, in the second year of his reign.
This [399]proved the [400]ruin of the nation, and of the very name of the Jews. The [401]calamity was indeed so [402]violent, and the [403]miseries they [404]suffered so [405]various, that it was [406]visible they were [407]punished for the [408]horrid [409]murder of the [410]only begotten son of God; for a [411]dreadful [412]famine [413]forced the [414]besieged to [415]live on human [416]flesh; mothers to [417]eat their own children; and eleven hundred thousand [418]persons (a thing hardly ever [419]heard of before), [420]perished in that [421]siege. The city was [422]finally [423]razed to the ground. Vespasian, in the third year of his reign [424]triumphed, with his son Titus, over the Jews; upon which he [425]shut up the [426]temple of [427]Janus. He [428]died in his ninth [429]consulship whilst he was [430]giving [431]audience to some [432]ambassadors, having lived sixty-nine years, one month and seven days, and reigned eight years.