Agrippina, the mother of Nero. On the death | of Augustus (A. D. 14) Germanicus and his wife were with the army, on the banks of the Rhine, where they had much difficulty in restraining the mutinous soldiery from proclaiming Germanicus in opposition to his uncle. On this occasion Agrippina, by her resolution and courage, showed herself worthy of her descent from Augustus; and the following year she exhibited the same qualities, in repressing a general panic that had seized on the soldiers during her husband's absence, and preventing them from disgracing themselves. Agrippina was with her husband, in Syria, when he fell a victim to the arts of Piso and Plancina. Her resentment at this treatment was such as to draw upon her the anger of Tiberius; and when, after a widowhood of seven years, she requested him to give her a husband, he evaded her petition, knowing well that the husband of Agrippina would be a dangerous enemy. At length she so offended the emperor, by showing him that she suspected him of an intention to poison her, that he banished her to the island of Pandataria, and at last closed her life by starvation, October 13, A. D., 33. The rage of Tiberius was not appeased by the death of Agrippina; he had injured her too deeply to forgive himself, and so he sought to appease his hatred by persecuting her children- and her two eldest sons were his victims.

The character of Agrippina presents some of the strongest points, both of the good and bad, in Roman life. She was frank, upright, sternly courageous, and unimpeachably virtuous. She was faithful and loving to her husband, watchful and anxious for her children. Yet with all this, she was excessively proud of her noble descent; fiery and impetuous in passion, indiscreet in speech, and imprudent in conduct. This is a mixed character, but a shining one. It was one which fell short of Cornelia, but excelled all common fame. Compared with Tiberius, she was an angel in conflict with a demon.

AGRIPPINA,

JULIA, great-granddaughter of Augustus, and daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina, was born

amidst the excitement of war, in a Roman camp, on the shores of the Rhine, - and reared under the laurels of her father's conquests, and the halo of her mother's grandeur. Her father's death occurring at a very early period of her life, her first perception of the career opened to her might have been derived from the sympathy and respect accorded by the Roman people to her family, even in the presence of her father's murderers.

Some historians have attributed to her a spirit of vengeance, which, though the accusation is not well substantiated, might indeed have been fostered by the trials of her life, commencing with her early estrangement from her glorious mother, which was followed by her persecution, first by the infamous Sejanus, and after the death of her husband Domitius, by her brother Caligula-who accused her before the senate, of participation in a conspiracy, forced them to condemn her, and had her driven into exile, where she remained in constant fear of a violent death.

On the death of Caligula, Agrippina, recalled from exile, was married to the consul Crispinus, whose sudden death was ascribed by her enemies to poison administered by his wife. Five years after this, Pallas proposed her to Claudius as the successor of Messalina, and after the interval of a year, during which Agrippina had much to contend with from rivalry and intrigue, the obstacle opposed to this marriage by the ties of consanguinity was relieved by a special law, and the daughter of Germanicus ascended the throne of Augustus, and ruled the empire, from that moment, in the name of her imbecile husband. Under her brilliant and vigorous administration, faction was controlled, order re-established, and that system of espionage abolished which had filled Rome with informers and their victims. The reserve and dignity of her deportment produced a reform in the manners of the imperial palace, and her influence over her husband was of a most salutary nature.

Tacitus has loaded the memory of Agrippina with the imputation of inordinate ambition, and, though there is probably considerable calumny in these charges, it may be supposed that a temperament like hers did not shrink from the arbitrary and cruel acts which might be thought necessary to her safety or advancement. Still, the woman must be judged by the circumstances under which she lived, and with reference to the morality of her contemporaries; and, so judged, she rises immeasurably superior to the greatest men associated with her history.

Agrippina was the first woman who acquired the privilege of entering the capitol in the vehicle assigned to the priests in religious ceremonies, and on all public occasions she took an elevated seat reserved for her, near the emperor.

On the occasion of the adoption of her son to the exclusion of the emperor's own child by Messalina, the infant Britannicus, she received the cognomen of Augusta; and to the prophetic augur who bade her "beware, lest the son she had so elevated might prove her ruin," she replied, "Let me perish, but let Nero reign." In this answer

we have the secret of her great actions, and the motive for all her imputed crimes. Amidst all her lofty aspirations, her indomitable pride, her keen sense of injuries inflicted, her consciousness of power acquired, there was one deep and redeeming affection; this brilliant despot, the astute politician of her age, was still, above all and in alla mother!

The marriage of her son to Octavia, the emperor's daughter, consummated the hopes and views of Agrippina, and relieving her from maternal anxiety, allowed her to give up her mind entirely to the affairs of state; and owing to her vigorous guidance of the reins of government, the last years of the reign of Claudius were years of almost unequalled prosperity in every respect—and this indolent and imbecile emperor died while the genius and vigour of his wife were giving such illustrations to his reign.

Agrippina has been accused of poisoning her husband, but on no sufficient grounds - his own gluttony was most probably the cause of his death. But that Agrippina's arts seated her son on the throne of the Cæsars, there can be no doubt.

In all this great historical drama, who was the manager, and most efficient actor? woman, or man? Whose was the superior mind? who was the intellectual agent? Was it the wily Seneca? the ductile Burrhus? the sordid army? the servile senate? the excitable people? or the consistent, concentrated Agrippina; who, actuated by one all-absorbing feeling, in the pursuit of one great.object, put them all in motion? that feeling was maternal love, that object the empire of the world!

Nero was but eighteen years old when he ascended the throne; and, grateful to her whose genius had placed him there, he resigned the administration of affairs into her hands, and evinced an extraordinary tenderness and submission to his august mother. The senate vied with him in demonstrations of deference to her, and raised her to the priesthood, an assignment at once of power and respect.

The conscript fathers yielded to all her wishes; the Roman people had already been accustomed to seeing her on the imperial tribunal; and Seneca, Burrhus, and Pallas became but the agents of her will. In reference to the repose and prosperity of the empire under her sway, Trajan, in after years, was wont to compare the first five years of Nero's reign with those of Rome's best emperors.

Agrippina must have early discovered Nero's deficiency in that physical sensibility, and those finer sympathies which raise man above the tiger and vulture. She is reported to have said, "The reign of Nero has begun as that of Augustus ended; but when I am gone, it will end as that of Augustus began:"- the awful prophecy was soon accomplished. The profound policy by which she endeavoured to prolong her own government, and her watchfulness over the young Britannicus, are sufficient evidences that the son so loved in the perversity of maternal instinct must have

eventually laid bare the inherent egotism and cruelty of his nature.

When, on the occasion of a public reception given to an embassy from the East, Agrippina moved forward to take her usual place beside Nero, he, with officious courtesy and ironical respect, sprang forward and prevented the accomplishment of her intention. After this public insult, Agrippina lost all self-control, and uttered passionate and impolitic words that were soon conveyed to the emperor, and by awakening his fears, let loose his worst passions. After murdering Britannicus to frustrate her designs, imprisoning her in her own palace, and attempting to poison her, a reconciliation took place between Nero and Agrippina, of which the mother was the only dupe, for the world understood the hollowness of her son's professions of affection, and all abandoned her.

Nero was now resolved on the death of his mother, and took great pains in arranging an artful scheme to accomplish it-which was frustrated by Aceronia, who voluntarily received the blow intended for her mistress. Agrippina escaped then, but was soon afterwards murdered by Anicetus, who, commissioned by her son, entered her chamber with a band of soldiers and put an end to her life, after a glorious reign of ten years; during which she was distinguished for personal and intellectual endowments, and gave peace and prosperity to the empire she governed. Her faults belonged to the bad men and the bad age in which she lived the worst on record: her virtues and her genius were her own. She inherited them from Agrippa, the friend and counsellor of Augustus, and from Agrippina, the wife of Germanicus.

The mind of this extraordinary woman was not wholly engrossed by the arts of intrigue or the cares of government; she found time to write her own Memoirs or Commentaries on the events of her time, of which Tacitus availed himself for his historical works. Pliny also quotes from her writings.

ALCESTE,

DAUGHTER of Pelias, and wife of Admetus, king of Thessaly. Her husband was sick, and, according to an oracle, would die, unless some one else made a vow to meet death in his stead. This was done secretly by Alceste, who became ill as Admetus recovered. After her death, Hercules visited Admetus, and promised his friend that he would bring back his wife from the infernal regions. He compelled Pluto to restore Alceste to her husband. Euripides has made this story the subject of a tragedy.

ALCINOE,

DAUGHTER of Polybius the Corinthian, and wife of Amphilochus, fell in love with one Xanthus of the Isle of Samos, who lodged at her house. This is not the strangest thing in the story of her life; the subject of surprise is to see that it was Minerva who inspired her with this disease of love, to punish her because she had not paid

all she had promised to a poor woman who had worked for her. This woman prayed to Minerva to avenge her, and behold her prayers were heard. Alcinoe, by the care of this goddess, became so desperately in love with her lodger, that she left her home and little children, and embarked with him. But during the voyage she reflected upon her conduct; and as she called to mind her young husband and her children, she wept in despair. All the promises of Xanthus to marry her were of no avail to console her grief,—and she threw herself into the sea. This story shows that the ancient heathen had a true sense of the great importance of being just to the poor.

ALEXANDRA,

QUEEN of Judea, widow and successor of Alexander Jannæus, a wise and virtuous princess, who, contrary to the example of her husband, studied to please her subjects, and preserved peace and prosperity during her reign of seven years. She died in the seventy-third year of her age, B. C. 70. She was the mother of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, and the latter years of her reign were disturbed by the attempt of her younger son, Aristobulus, to obtain the sovereignty, as he had been exasperated by the favour his mother showed to the sect of the Pharisees, and the authority she allowed them.

ALEXANDRA,

DAUGHTER of Hyrcanus, and mother of Aristobulus and Mariamne, wife of Herod the Great, was a woman of superior powers of mind. When Herod appointed Ananel, a person of obscure birth, high-priest, instead of her son Aristobulus, who had a right to that office, her spirited conduct caused him to depose Ananel in favour of Aristobulus. Herod, displeased at her interference, had her confined and guarded in her own palace; but Alexandra, receiving an invitation from Cleopatra to come to Egypt, with her son, attempted to escape with him, in two coffins; they were discovered, however, and brought back. | Herod, jealous of the affection of the Jews for Aristobulus, had him drowned, which so much affected Alexandra, that she at first resolved on committing suicide; but finally decided to live, that she might revenge herself on the murderer. She interested Cleopatra in her cause, who induced Anthony to send for Herod to exculpate himself from the charge, which, by presents and flattery, he succeeded in doing. And when Herod returned he again ordered Alexandra to be confined. But Alexandra showed great terror, if the account be true, and cowardice, when the jealousy of Herod induced him to order the death of his wife Mariamne. Though she knew the innocence of her daughter, she was so much alarmed for fear she should share the same fate, that she sought every opportunity of traducing her, and praising the justice of Herod.

After the death of Mariamne, Herod's grief so overcame him, that he lost his health, and was

THE name of the sibyl of Cuma, who is said to have offered to Tarquin II., or, The Proud, king of Rome, B. C. 524, nine books, containing the Roman destinies, and demanded for them three hundred pieces of gold. He derided her, for supposing that he would give so high a price for her books; she went away and burning three of them, returned and asked the same price for the other six; this being again denied, she burnt three more, and offered the remaining three, without lessening her demand. Upon which Tarquin, consulting the pontiffs, was advised to buy them. These books, called the "Sibylline Oracles," were in such esteem, that two magistrates were created to consult them upon extraordinary occasions. The books, and the story about them, were probably fabrications of the priests of Rome, to impose on that superstitious people, and increase their own importance, by occasionally quoting and interpreting these oracles. The story is also of importance in showing the spiritual influence the mind of woman exerted over that proud nation which owed its greatness to the sword. Even there the strength of man was fain to seek aid from the quicker intellect and more refined moral sense of woman.

ANCHITA,

WIFE of Cleombrutus, king of Sparta, was mother of Pausanias, who distinguished himself at the battle of Platea. Afterwards, he disgusted his countrymen by his foolish and arrogant conduct, whom he also agreed to betray to the Persian king, on condition of receiving his daughter in marriage. His treason being discovered, he took refuge in the temple of Minerva, from which it was not lawful to force him. His pursuers therefore blocked up the door with stones, the first of which, in the proud anguish of a Spartan mother, was placed by Anchita. Pausanias died there of hunger, B. C. 471.

ANDROCLEA,

CELEBRATED for her love to her country, was a native of Thebes in Boeotia. That state was at war with the Orchomenians, and the oracle declared that they would be victors if the most noble among them would suffer a voluntary death. Antioponus, father of Androclea, the most illustrious person in Thebes, was not disposed to sacrifice himself. Androclea and her sister Alcis fulfilled this duty in their father's stead; and the grateful Thebans erected the statue of a lion to their memory in the temple of Diana.

ANDROMACHE,

WIFE of the valiant Hector, son of Priam king of Troy, and the mother of Astyanax, was daughter of Eetion, king of Thebes, in Cilicia. After the death of Hector, and the destruction of Troy, B. C. 1184, she was given to Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, and one of the most celebrated Greek warriors, who married her. Helenus, son of Priam, was also a captive to Pyrrhus, and having given him advice, which resulted favourably, Pyrrhus bestowed Andromache upon him, with part of the country of Epirus. She had children by Pyrrhus; and some authors are of opinion that all the kings of Epirus, to that Pyrrhus who made war against the Romans, were descended from a son of Andromache. This princess had seven brothers, who were killed by Achilles, together with their father, in one day. One author tells us, that she accompanied Priam when he went to desire Achilles to sell him the body of Hector; and that to move him to greater compassion, she carried her son with her, who was an infant. She was of a large stature, if the poets are good authority; but though her beauty of person would never have made her celebrated like Helen, the purity of her mind and the beauty of her character have given her a much nobler celebrity. The tragedy of Euripides is a monument to her memory; and her dialogue with Hector in the Sixth Book of the Iliad is one of the most beautiful parts of that poem.

ANDROMEDA,

WAS daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia and of Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia having boasted that her daughter surpassed the Nereides, if not Juno herself, in beauty, the offended goddesses called on Neptune, their father, to revenge the insult. He not only inundated the territory of Ethiopia, but sent a horrid sea-monster which threatened universal destruction. The oracle declared that the wrath of Neptune could be appeased only by the delivery of Andromeda to the monster. In this extremity Perseus beheld her when he was returning from his victory over Me

ANTIGONE,

WAS daughter of Edipus, king of Thebes, by his sister Jocasta. This incestuous union brought a curse on the innocent Antigone; yet she never failed in her duty to her father, but attended him in his greatest misfortunes. She was slain by the usurper Creon, whose son Hæmon, being in love with her, killed himself upon her tomb. Her death was avenged on Creon by Theseus, and her name has been immortalized in a tragedy by Sophocles. She lived about, B. C. 1250.

ANTONIA MAJOR,

THE eldest daughter of Marc Antony and Octavia, sister to Augustus, was born B. C. 39. She married L. Domitius. Some of the most illustrious persons in Rome were descended from her. Also it was her misfortune that the infamous Messalina and Nero were her grandchildren.

ANTONIA MINOR,

SISTER of the preceding, was born B. C. 38 or 37. She married Drusus, brother of Tiberius, whose mother, Livia, had married the emperor Augustus. After a victorious campaign in Germany, Drusus died when on his way to Rome to receive the reward of his exploits. The despair of Antonia at this affliction knew no bounds. Their union and virtues, in a dissolute court, had been the admiration of Rome. Three children, Germanicus, Claudius, afterwards emperor, and Livilla, were the fruits of this marriage.

Antonia, though widowed in the bloom of beauty and the prime of life, refused all the splendid connections which courted her acceptance; and, rejecting the solicitations of Augustus to reside at his court, she passed her time in retirement, and in educating her children. She gained the respect and confidence of Tiberius, who had succeeded Augustus, by informing him of a conspiracy formed by his favourite Sejanus against his life.

Domestic calamities seemed to pursue this prin

of the emperor. Agrippina, wife of Germanicus,

returned to Rome, bearing in an urn the ashes of her husband, and joined with Antonia in demanding, but in vain, vengeance of the Senate.

Claudius, her younger son, dishonoured the family by his stupidity and vices; and Livilla was convicted of adultery and the murder of her husband. She was given up by Tiberius to Antonia, who, with the spirit of the ancient Romans, confined her in a room and left her to perish of hunger.

Antonia died in the early part of the reign of her grandson Caligula, who, by his neglect and open contempt, is supposed to have hastened her death. She was probably about seventy-five when she died. Of her private life little is known. She was celebrated for her beauty, chastity, and integrity. Pliny speaks of a temple dedicated to her.

ARETAPHILA,

OF Cyrene, wife of Phædimus, a nobleman of that place, lived about, B. C. 120. Nicocrates, having usurped the government of Cyrene, caused Phædimus to be slain, and forcibly espoused his widow, of whose beauty he had become enamoured. Cyrene groaned under the cruelty of the tyrant, who was gentle and kind only to Aretaphila. Determined to free her country from this cruel yoke, Aretaphila obtained several poisons in order to try their strength. Her drugs were discovered, and her design suspected. Calbia, mother of Nicocrates, insisted that she should be tortured, and after some delay Nicocrates consented. But even in the extremity of her anguish, Aretaphila persisted in her first explanation, that the drugs were intended merely to compose love philters for the preservation of his affections. Nicocrates afterwards entreated her forgiveness, but she remained inexorable.

Aretaphila had one daughter by her first marriage, whom she had united to Lysander, brother of Nicocrates, and through whom she persuaded Lysander to rebel against the tyrant. He was successful in his attempt, and Nicocrates was deposed and assassinated. But after Lysander's accession to the throne, he neglected Aretaphila's advice, and imitated the cruelties and the tyranny of his brother.

Disappointed in her son-in-law, she sent secretly to Anabus, a prince of Lybia, to ask him to invade Cyrene, and free it of its oppressors. When Anabus had arrived near Cyrene, Aretaphila, in a secret conference with him, promised to place Lysander in his hands, if he would retain him prisoner as a tyrant and usurper. For this service, she promised him magnificent gifts and a present in money. She then insinuated into the mind of Lysander, suspicions of the loyalty of his nobles and captains, and prevailed on him to seek an interview with Anabus, in order to make peace.

Lysander and Aretaphila accordingly set forward unarmed and unattended to the camp of Anabus. When they approached it, Lysander's courage failed him, and he would have retreated. But his mother-in-law urged him on, saying,

"Should you now return, you would be stamped as a coward and a traitor; as a man who, faithless, perfidious himself, was incapable of a generous confidence."

Again, when on the point of meeting Anabus, Lysander hesitated; but Aretaphila seized his hand, and drawing him forward, gave him up to Anabus.

The tyrant was detained in the camp till the stipulated presents arrived. The people of Cyrene, when they learned what had happened, flocked in crowds to the camp of Anabus, and throwing themselves at the feet of Aretaphila, they acknowledged her as their saviour and their queen. Lysander was taken back to the city, fastened in a leather bag, and thrown into the sea; and Calbia was burnt at the stake. It was then decreed that the administration of the government should be given to Aretaphila, assisted by a council of the nobles. But she declined the honour, preferring the privacy of domestic life. She retired to her own habitation amidst the prayers and blessings of the people.

ARETE,

WAS the daughter of Aristippus of Cyrene, who flourished about, B. C. 380, and was the founder of the Cyrenaic system of philosophy. Arete was carefully instructed by her father; and after his death she taught his system with great success. She had a son, Aristippus, to whom she communicated the philosophy she received from her father.

ARSINOE,

DAUGHTER of Ptolemy I., son of Lagus, king of Egypt, and of Berenice, was married to Lysimachus, king of Thrace. Lysimachus fell in battle in Asia, and his kingdom of Macedonia was taken possession of by Seleucus. Seven months afterwards, Seleucus was assassinated by Ptolemy Ceraunus, elder brother of Ptolemy Philadelphus, who also put to death the two children of his halfsister Asinoe, after he had inveigled her into a marriage with him. Their mother he then banished to the island of Samothracia, where she remained till she was summoned to Egypt to become the second wife of her brother, Ptolemy II. Philadelphus, king of that country, who reigned from B. C. 284 to 276. This is the first instance of the unnatural custom of incestuous marriages which prevailed among the Greek kings of Egypt. Though Arsinoe was now quite advanced, her brother was much attached to her, and called one of the districts of Egypt after her. She is said to have founded a city, called by her own name, on the banks of the Achelous, in Ætolia.

ARSINOE,

A DAUGHTER of Lysimachus, king of Thrace, was the first wife of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, by whom she had three children, Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Berenice. Suspecting her of plotting against his life, Ptolemy banished her, and she fled to Cyrene, where she was kindly received by Magas, half-brother of the king of