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AGBIPPΛ⅛ AND AUGUbTUfe' FAMILIES.
to have lost a great consolation, Agrippa was recalled to Rome
and appointed praefect of the city; and in order to raise him
still more, Augustus gave him his daughter Julia, the widow
of Marcellus, for his wife. This alliance might have secured
to Agrippa and his sons the succession to the empire; but the
dissolute conduct of his wife, embittered his last years, though
he did not complain of her, in order not to dissolve his connexion
with the family of Augustus, who loved Julia tenderly until her
disgraceful Conductbecame known to him. ButAgrippa died be-
fore that event, and left three sons, Caius and Lucius Caesar, and
Agrippa Postumus, and two daughters, Julia and Agrippina the
latter of whom was afterwards married to Germanicus; she had
the pride and the noble qualities of her father and the virtues of
Octavia, and was altogether a venerable woman. Her two elder
brothers Caius and Lucius had been adopted by Augustus even
before Agrippa’s death, and they thus grew up in the house of the
emperor, Caius being destined to succeed Augustus. After the
death OfAgrippajAugustusgave his daughter Julia, Agrippa’s
widow, in marriage to Tiberius Claudius Nero (afterwards the
Emperor Tiberius) his eldest step-son by Livia. Tiberius had all
the peculiarities of the Claudian family: he was exceedingly
proud of his noble descent, and looked upon Augustus himself as
in reality nothing but a municipal upstart ofVelitrae, who had
been adopted into the Julian family, which he certainly thought
inferior to that of the Claudii; accordingly he regarded his
own marriage with Juliaas one of disparagement In addition
to this he saw her dissolute life, which offended him deeply
But the influence of his mother Livia and his fear of Augustus
were so great, that all his objections to the marriage had been
silenced. At this time no member of the family of Augustus
yet ventured openly to complain of Julia, and Tiberius was
for a long time not on good terms with Augustus. He there-
fore withdrew to Rhodes, and thus leaving the field to
Agrippa’s family, he remained absent from Rome for upwards
of seven years. During his absence, the conduct of Julia
became known; she was exiled by Augustus to Pandataria
and cruelly treated. Tiberius now returned to Rome, but
Augustus had taken such offence at his retirement from Italy,
that Livia was unable for a long time to soothe his anger.
Drusus, the younger brother of Tiberius, had died in Germany,
even before Tiberius went to Rhodes, and Augustus now
Augustus’ Impbovement oe bome. 153
employed C. and L. Caesar. L. Caesar had been sent to Gaul and
Spain, to regulate the registration of landed property, and
C. Caesar to Armenia. The latter executed some commission
in Asia, and was afterwards treacherously wounded by an
Asiatic, who had probably been hired for the purpose by the
king of the Parthians. The wound could not be healed, and
the general opinion of antiquity is, that it was poisoned by
Livia.12 This may be a prejudice, but is nevertheless very
possible. A year before this event, L. Caesar had died at Mar-
seilles; and the general belief which was probably true, was that
he too had fallen a victim to the ambitious schemes of Livia.
Tibcrius on his return was thus at once placed at the head of
the family of Augustus. Of Agrippa’s children only Agrippa
Postumus and Agrippina survived; Tiberius and Agrippa
Postumus were adopted by Augustus at the same time, in the
year 754: and from that moment Tiberius, who was soon
afterwards invested with the tribunician power, was the de-
clared successor of Augustus. Agrippa Postumus was then only
a boy, and throughout his life remained an insignificant person,
who was no obstacle in the way of Tiberius. Such was the
state of Augustus’ family during the latter years of his life.
LECTURE CIX.
It is well known that Augustus said he had found Rome a
city of bricks and left it a city of marble ; and this was not,
indeed, saying too much, for the number of buildings which
he erected is enormous; their remains justify his expression,
and he gave Rome quite a new character. His buildings were
still in the ancient style, which afterwards disappeared. The
three colossal columns which were formerly believed to have
belonged to the temple of Jupiter Stator, have been shown by
the intelligent Stefano Piali to be remnants of the curia Julia.
12 Vcllcius Paterculus (ii. 102) might easily misrepresent an occurrence like
this, on account of his Obsequiousncssto Tiberius; but the manner in which he
speaks of C. Caesar, makes rne conclude that he was not worth much, and that
if he had returned and succeeded Augustus, the Roman empire would have been
no better off than it was under Tiberius. — N