"our friend HoMULUS." The epiftle not only fhews to what a height of corruption the Roman people were arrived, but in what manner, and by what stratagems the laws against bribery in elections were evaded. Thofe laws were very numerous they were revived, amended and repeated from. time to time; and were originally in themfelves fufficient, if they had been put into full force, and vigoroufly, and righteously executed, They were diftinguished by the names of the confuls, or tribunes, in whofe magiftracy, or by whofe authority, they were enacted: and MANUTIUS, in fpeaking of the various additions and alterations made to them, tells us the reafon, qua non ideo alia poft aliam late funt, ut priorem legem pofterior abrogaret; fed, vel ut corrigetur aliquid, vel, ut novum jus, utile civitati, adfcifceretur ; vel ut, moribus ad deteriora quotidie magis inclinantibus, pœna gravior irrogaretur: "Thefe laws were not published one after the other, that the last might invalidate the other; "but that, either fomething might thereby be corrected; or that fomething new, and of advantage to the city might "be inferted; or that an heavier penalty might be exacted, as the morals of the people were every day growing worfe " and worse." Candidati ne conviventur: "That the candidates fhould "make no feafts." By the lex ACILIA CALPURNIA, which was enacted during the confulfhip of M. ACILIUS GLABRIO, and C. CALPURNIUS Piso, thofe perfons, who were convicted of finifter means in canvaffing, were to be fined, and rendered incapable of bearing office, or of being elected into the fenate. To elude this prohibition, and to ufe effectual, although not illicit means, to attain their ends, the candidates made great entertainments for their electors. They feafted them into their intereft: yet who can call an entertainment a bribe? In law, perhaps it cannot be deemed as fuch; but in effect, it is the moft prevalent bribe poffible; for the lower claffes of people are more influenced by the drink, and mirth appendant to public feafts, than by money itself. Ne mittant munera. Although the plain conftruction of this fentence is a prohibition against making presents, yet it may be conftrued, "Let not the candidates entertain their electors with fhews." The munerariia, were the per • Thracem mirmilloni parem, munerario imparem. SUETON. DOMITIANUS, cap. 10. fons, fons, who, at their own expence, exhibited to the populace various kinds of entertainments: the Latin word munus fignifies a fhew of gladiators, of wild beafts, or of any of those kind of diverfions, in which the Roman people took particular delight. Thus JUVENAL, Munera nunc edunt, et verfo pollice vulgi "Now they give fhews, and popularly flay, 1 And again, we meet with it in SUETONIUS, Beftias quo que ad munus populi comparatas contrucidaverat : "He had "alfo killed beafts, that had been provided for the diverfion " of the people." Ne pecunias deponant. It appears by this prohibition, that one of the methods of evading the laws against bribery was a depofit, and fecurity of a certain fum of money, to be paid to the electors, after they had given their votes according to their bargain. It is a melancholy truth, that the utmoft abilities of honesty are inferior to the more fubtil powers of vice. Corruption is of as penetrable a nature as lightning; it pervades every pore of government, and darts through the ftrongeft fortifications of virtue: nor can human wisdom devife laws, which human cunning fhall not be able to elude. Among all the leges de ambitu, I cannot recollect any provifion against this particular fubterfuge: fo that it feems to have been an artifice invented, and put in execution, fince the reign of AUGUSTUS, who, SUETONIUS fays, comitiorum priftinum jus reduxit, multiplici poenâ coercito ambitu: "He reeftablished the original inftitution of "elections, the laws againft bribery being reftrained." PLINY here fpeaking of these inhibitions to candidates, fays, "They were occafioned by the open, and avowed "practice of treats, and prefents, and by the no less fre"quent, but more clandeftine methods of pecuniary depo"fits." In fuch a state of depravity was the Roman government, at the beginning of TRAJAN's reign. JUVENAL Sat. 3. ✯. 36. b SUETON. JUL. CÆSAR. Cap. 75. * SUETON. AUG. CESAR. cap. 40. D 2 EPISTLE EPISTLE XX. PLINY to CORNELIUS TACITU S. · You OU tell me, that my former letter, which, at may uncle's death, has tempted you to enquire, not only into the terrors, but the diftrefs I fuffered, while I was left at Mifenum: for, with that particular, my letter concluded. I will restrain my tears, and briefly tell, When my uncle was gone from us, I employed my time (having staid behind for that purpose) at my studies. I bathed; went to fupper; and had a very imperfect and restless fleep. We had for feveral preceding days together felt an earthquake, which being common in Campania, did not much alarm us; but the fhocks were fo violent this particular night, that all things around us were not only moved, but feemed upon the brink of deftruction. My mother haft-. ened into my bed-chamber, at the moment of time when I was rifing, with an intention to awaken her, if I had found her fleeping. We retired into a little court, which lay between the house, and the fea. I am in doubt, whether my conduct ought to be called fortitude, or thoughtlesness upon this occafion; for I was then but eighteen years of age. I called for a Livy, and read it, as if I had been quite at ease; and in the manner I had begun, went fo far as to felect paffages from that author. A friend of my uncle's, who had lately come out of Spain, on purpose to fee him, finding my mother, and me, fitting thus together, and taking notice, that I was reading, reproved the patience of her temper, and the indifference of * DRYDEN Æneid. 2. y. 15. mine. However, I ftill continued intent upon my book. It was now fix o'clock in the morning; yet there was but a faint and glimmering light. The house shook violently; and though we were in an open court, yet, as it was very narrow, and built almoft all round, we were certainly in great danger. We then thought it expedient to leave the town; the people diftracted with fears followed us, and (fuch is the nature of fear, which embraces, as moft prudential, any other dictate in preference to its own,) they preffed upon us, and drove us forward. When we were out of reach of the buildings, we stopped: our aftonishment was great, nor were our apprehenfions lefs; for the carriages, which we had ordered out of the town, were fo violently fhaken from fide to fide, although upon plain ground, that they could not be kept in their places, even when propped by heavy ftones. The fea too feemed to be forced back upon itself, repelled, as it were, by the ftrong concuffions of the earth. It is certain, that the fhore was greatly widened, and many fea animals were left upon the ftrand. On the land fide, a dark and horrible cloud, charged with combuftible matter, fuddenly broke, and fhot forth a long trail of fire, in the nature of lightning, but in larger flashes. Then my uncle's friend, the fame who came out of Spain, faid to us with great vehemence and eagerness," If your brother, and 66 your uncle, be ftill living, his wifhes are employed "for your fafety: If he has loft his life, he was de"firous yours might be faved. Why then will you "not immediately leave this place ?" We anfwered, that we were not fo folicitous for our own, as for my uncle's prefervation. He then haftily withdrew, running with the utmoft expedition from danger. Not long after, the cloud defcending covered the whole bay; and we could no longer fee the island of Caprea, or the promontory of Mifenum. My mother P 3 now now began to befeech, advise, and command me to make my escape in any manner I could. She obferved, that as I was young, I might eafily take my flight; but that the, who was in years, and lefs active, could patiently refign herself to death, in cafe fhe was not the occafion of my deftruction. My an fwer was, "I will never attempt at fafety, if we are "not together." And then leading her by the hand, I affifted her to go fafter: fhe yielded with regret, ftill angry at herself for delaying me. The afhes now fell upon us; however, in no great quantities. I looked back. A thick dark vapour, juft behind us, rolled along the ground like a torrent, and followed us. I then faid, "Let us turn out of 量 this road, whilft we can see our way, left the peo"ple, who croud after us, trample us to death." We had fcarce confidered what was to be done, when we were furrounded with darkness, not like the darkness of a cloudy night, or when the moon difappears, but fuch as is in a close room, when all light is excluded. You might then have heard the fhrieks of women, the moans of infants, and the outcries of men; fome were calling for their parents, fome for their children, fome for their wives: their voices only made them known to each other. Some bewailed their own fate; others the fate of their relations, There were fome, who even from a fear of death, prayed to die, Many payed their adorations to the Gods; but the greater number were of opinion, that the Gods no longer exifted, and that this night was the final and eternal period of the world. There were others, who magnified the real dangers, by imaginary and false terrors. Some affirmed, that Mife num was burnt to the ground: the report, although not true, gained credit. A little gleam of light now appeared. It was not day-light, but a forewarning of the approach of fome fiery vapour; which, however, difcharged itself at a distance |