Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-11-04

saVe himself from stf1e puplC vSu3SeaiSe'
I Yes-after prescribing ali merit and worth
after bursting al tie ties OF nature and
patriotisnl---after tranpling upon pahlic de-
cencv and prostrating the national honor
!. after he had brought Rome to theveiy door
s Of destruction, he hoped to escape the IN
dignation of the people, by sneaklng away
into oEscurity andretirenent. He stoss oD,
says the historian, to Phaon's Villa, four
miles from Rome, mahled up in an Old
cloak, without even a shoe to his foot with
cut even a friend 10 attend or pity him, or
even an enemy to relieve him by poison or
the sword. There, crawling into hole, n.
lag down covered 7tiittf ss7ls.iit and reacise--
bewailine bis miserable lot, and breathing
out this wrctehsd, contemplate exclarsaa-
ton, Courts Artifcx pereo." (27)
Let us now look to the empire. Just be
fore Eero's FIJI, when it was foreseen that
he must inepitebly retreat, there appeared
two competitors tor the throne. NymlpIi-
dius, Nuo's treeanan(2s) and oia Gaia,
s'ouer1aor ct Sfa'a. (sa)
Galba had alrived at that period Of life
when ambition is usually frozen along with
the osher passions. He was seventY years
old (ao3-But he was prevailed upon By a
yoang nan Of head strong ambition to sui
fer himself 10 be proposed for the throne.
(31) This was not, however, until Gual
had declared against Nero, and the propre-
ator himself had called TIE emperor a,pi-
tifnl harper" (32) Cid men are always
cautious: sometimes taey are cunning. -
Even then old Galba lid not come ont O.
penly. although the soldiers saluted him
emperor. he still declared that he w:,s only
lieutenant Of the S4natea and neopie of Rome.
(33J Nay, he waited till tic last moment ];
pntll the contest was actually decided by t!le
defeat Of Nynaphid;a,s, before he would as
tune the Tc2a. (3A) Nor was this ali.----
Re even tried TO eicirasld time. For rot
outstanding he was SO feeble and dccripit
as 10 sink down unller the weight OF his
own armof, (55) Yet, when his looks were
complme!lted as still ford and vigorous,
he assumed youthful air, and replied in a
short GIesk verse, "my strength as yet
feels no decay" (oo)
With such craft, With SO much sifnu'ati-
ON and dissmuiation, had Old Galba been a
few wears Younger, he must not oniv KAYE
secured the empire to himself, but have
left lis. }oporit.' firm On TIC tl,lone. BUT it
WAS now his ..--.:ssio,tune TO be isuplicitlv GO
vesn,d by troo msn, both OF asp!r; :, and
proAgate character, Titus Vinills and Cor
neius .Laco, (57) Men equally obnoxious
to all good citizens by their arrogant and
fierce ambition.
NymphiClus, On the contrary, was IN the
prime of he. He was a freedman Of Nero,
ard By initiating the vices ard the hc!lies OF
his master, had been a greet ,faUoyite at
cart. lie was besides on lite sfot, a d
held o,ae Of The first Offices at Rare $50
All these advantages he possessed over his
rival; he improved them to tie best p,lr-
pose. re to0k Gd0aatage Of ali GATES 49,
scace to coiAt tie sreats. Gave expensive
observation-disclosures some with hopes
Of family aggrc aeliz :,nsrll, and others with
prospects Of great power and wealthT59
The sena.e zuere sncl1aed to tHa0or Npns5lsia1-
rs. Yes. NynphidiGs who, in the better
days Of Rome, says Iacitas, could NOT have
attained tothe rank OF a common centurion,
now, by combining with the profigatc and
desperate, dared 70 aspire to the whole no-
man empire. [Ac] Bat he still feared the lii
fluence OF Galb,.---and was constrained to
couple their names toge4her and pretend
that he and Galba were n alliance & would
share the goveInineas without disEute.T411
To the soldiers, however, he was more
open. For to them he had distributed
largesscs, and was himself commander
of ali the guards. az Whenever they
named old Galba, Nymphidius wotlld
laugh at his grey head, ard w1irkleel face
-artfu!ly acknowledging that g he WAS