Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-11-02
BURNING OF

BURNING or 4,
u As everything eosn6 -
fires has peculiar intsruu =!
time. We reproduce tho !
historian Tacitus Concern - ~zn:
ton which occurred st1
There followed =
whether fortuitously. r.
,contrivance OF the prir p W
determined. for both 6rS - ~
torians-but of all ttax
! sdssF ri. = assa 3ss = ;sl,is|E - -
1t broke out Z that part Of tLe circus
which is cont nous to mounts Palatiue
aud Celius Il where, BY reason Of sAops
in which we kept such goods as minis.
ter aliment % fire. the moment it com.
menced it. acquired strength. and being
accelerated by the wind, It spread at once
through the whole extent of the circus
for neither we're the houses secured by in
closures nor the temples enviroued with
wallis DOR was there any other obstacle
to intercept its progress; but the fame
spreading every way imT e.uously. invaded
first the lower regions of the city. then
mounted to the higher; then again rava-
ging the lower, it batflei every effort to
ex:iaguish it, by the rapidity of its de-
st.uctive course. and from the liability OF
the city to conaagration in consequence Of
the narrow and intricate alleys, and the
iregularity of the streets in ancient Rome.
add to this the wailings of terrified wo-
raen. the iu6rm condition of the aged, and
the helplessncss of childhood such as
strove to provide for themselves, and those
I who labored to assist others; these drag
ging the feeble, those waiting for the- /;
some hurrying, others lingering; alto
gether create a scene Of universal confu-
sion and embarrassment; and while thew
looked back upon the danger in their rear,
they often found themselves besct before
aud on their sides; or if they bad escaped
into the quarters adjoining, these two were
already seized by the deyouring flames ;
even the parts which they believed remote
and exempt were found to be in the same
distress, At last, not knowing what to
shun or where to seek sanctuary, they
crowded the streets and lay along the omen
fields. Some from the loss of their whole
substance, even the means of their daily
sustenance. others from affiiction for their
relations, whom they had not been able
TO snatch from the flames, suffered tlem-
selves to perish in them, though they had
opportunity for escape. Neither dared
any man attempt to check the FIRE, so re-
peatcd were Tie lnsnacss s.Any -sshu
forbade to eytinguish it, and because 9TH
ers openly threw frc-brands, with loud
declarations "that they had one who au-
thorized them;'' whether they did i. that
they might plumber with the less restraint
or in consequence of orders given.
Nero, who was at the jancture sojourn-
ing at Antium, did not return TO the city
till the fire approached that quarter Of his
house which connected the palace with the
gardens Of Mecenas; nor could it, how
ever, be prevented from devouring the
house and palace and everything around.
But, for the relief of the people thus des-
titute and driven from their dwellings, he
opened the field of Mars and the monu.
mental ediices erected by Agrippa, aud
even his own gardens. He likewise rear.
ed temporary houses for the reception Of
the forlorn multitude, and from Ostis
and the ueighboring cities were brought
up the river household necessaries, and
the price Of grain was reduced to three
sesterees the measure. All Of which pro-
ceeding', though of a popular character
were thrown away. because a rumor had
become universally current that at the
very time when the city was in flames,
Nero. going on the stage Of his private
theater, sang the Destruction Of Troy. u
assimilating the present disaster to tha,
catastrophe of ancient times.
At length, on the sixth day the confla-
grafton was stayed at the foot of Esquil;e
by pulling down an immense quantity OF
buildings, SO that an open space, and as
1t were, void air. might check the raging
element BY breaking the continuity. Blu,
ere the CONSERVATION had subsided, the
fire broke out afresh, with no little vio-
lence. but in regions more spacious, aud
therefore with less destruction to human
life. but more extensive havoc was m ade
of the temples and porticos dedicated to
amusement. = Nero seemed &c
aim at the glory of building q new city
and calling it by his own name; for oI
the fourteen sections, into which Rome is
divided, four were still standing entire,
three were leveled with the ground. aud
in the seven others there remained only
here aud there few remnants of houses,
shattered and half consumed.
1t we're no very easy task to recount
the number Of tenements aud temple.
which we're lost, but the following, mos
venerable for antiquity and sancity, wer,
consumcd--that dedics,ed by Servius Tu!
Illus to the moon the temple and grea
altar consecrated by Evander, the Area
dian. to Hercules while present: the chap
el vowed by Romulus to Jupiter Stator
the palace of Numa, with the temple o
yesta. aud in it the tutelar gods Of Rome
moreover the treasures accumulated b,
so many victories, the beautiful produe
tons of Greek artists, ancient writings o
authors celebrated for geaius. and till the,
preserved entire, were consumed an,
though great was the beauty Of the cit
in Its renovated form. the older inhabi
tants remembered many decorations of tn
ancient which coaid not be replaced IN tn
mcaern city.
~The crime of Jerking the hair or