[From the Louvre. Full of the character of the man—bloated and debased. He is said to have spent nine millions of sesterces in suppers.]
42. Nerva—Marcus Cocceius. Roman Emperor, A.D. 96-98.
[Born at Narnia, in Umbria, A.D. 32. Died at Rome, A.D. 98. Aged 64.]
Pliny says that the commencement of the reign of Nerva was the era of returning freedom; and Tacitus praises the same Emperor, for reconciling supreme authority with the liberty of the citizen. He succeeded the Emperor Domitian, who was murdered, and his first care was to restore tranquillity, and to repair the effects of his predecessor’s tyranny. He put an end to the persecution of the Christians, attended to the wants of the poor, and exercised a rigid economy. Gentleness and goodness were marked features in his character.
[From the gallery of the Emperors in the Capitoline Museum at Rome.]
43. Titus—Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus. Roman Emperor, A.D. 79-81.
[Born at Rome, A.D. 40. Died at Cutiliæ, in the country of the Sabines, A.D. 81. Aged 41.]
Elder son of the Emperor Vespasian, and one of the best of the Roman emperors. It was he who besieged and destroyed Jerusalem (A.D. 70); he also completed the Coliseum at Rome, and during his reign Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (A.D. 79). As a soldier and general, his conduct marked by great humanity and bravery. As Emperor, administered the laws justly and improved the condition of his people by whom he was beloved. “The being beloved,” to use the words of Voltaire, constituted his greatest glory. Possessed great intellectual refinement and delicacy of feeling. It is said that he was poisoned by his brother Domitian, who was impatient to succeed to the empire.
[From the marble in the Capitoline Museum at Rome. Busts of Titus are not common: yet his statues were in every house, on account of his popularity. For an engraving of one, see Handbook of Roman Court and Nave.]
44. Domitian—Titus Flavius Sabinus. Roman Emperor, A.D. 81-96.