The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-12

new wife and Agrippina Yipsanis, lately his
wife; and Agrippina Julia, daughter of the
former, sister Of the latter, wife Of Germanicus
and mother of Caligula /; and Livia, the aged
wife of Augustus himself, all appeared among
the guests. Chairs and touches had been
placed here and there. Augustus and the
ladies we have mentioned were seated, some
just within, others just without one of the
arcades, between two of its columns, so that
the moonlight fell upon some heads, the lamp
light upon others and q hayward, dubious
mixture of both upon the golden tresses of
Agrippina Julia, and of a beautiful girl near
her, on whom Domitius Afer, the celebrated
orator, was gazing with admiration. But she
when she at last observed his glance, fixed
upon him snch look of combined scorn and
amazement that the advocate WINGED and
became livid. She was destined, one day, to
be the subject of his fatal eloquence, and to
appease by nothing less than her execution the
vindictive vanity of the orator, because she
had spurned the ambitious love of the man.
Tactus alludes to the poor Claudia Pulchra's
brief tale. Quintus Haterius, whose Shakes
peare-like variety of mind and bewitohing
eloquence had, as Ben Jonson implies in q
comparison already cited by us, few rivals, was
seated not far from Augustus. Next sat Livy
Antistius Labio and his rival Domitius Afer,
who now occupied the place and fame in the
forum from which Haterius, on account of his
age, had withwrawn, stood leaning against a
pillar, each with his arms folded. Both these
persons as we'll as Livy and Haterius wore
the toga; the other male guests-except
Tiberius, whose dark purple robe was conspic-
uous, and Germanicus, who was dressed in the
costume of a -chief-wore a
speciessof large tupic, which Contrary to the
taste of tho emperor, and despite of his fire.
quently expressed disapproval) had become
fashionable. The story mentioned by Sueto-
MUS is we'll known. One day Augustus, seeing
numbers of the people wearing this tunic,
asked Indignantly, in line of Virgil's, could
these be Romans, and ordered the ediles to
admit none but toga-wearers into either the
forum or the circus But this was many years
before the evening with which we are now en-
gagged.
Among the groups collected in the Mamur-
ran palace were representatives of the three
great arts, in mastering which the highest
education of classic antiquity was exhausted;
we mean the arts of politics, of public speak
ing, and of strategy-government, eloauence,
and war. They were all represented each of
them had its proper image in the groups we
have described. AS those pursuits constituted
the favorite intellectual sphere, and compre-
hended all the fields of ambition, to be eminent
in any one of them was to succeed in life, and
to be adopted into that class of society of
which SO many distinguished members were
entertained in the Formian palace on the
night at which our tale has arrived.
If man excelled, like julius Cesar, in all
the three arts named, he could revolutionize
the world. The mechanic arts, the fine arts,
philosophy, physical science, m mathematics, at
tracted individual votaries indeed; but were
by the Incidence of many.
The mention of physical studies recalls
Strabo, the geographer, who was among the
guests this evening at the palace.
Many others who were there we need not
enumerate but some will claim word and
a glance. When Dionysius arrived, and intro
duced Paulus to the aged knight, Mamurra,
the company was already numerous. Mamurra
patted Paulus on the shoulder, and said
although the other day in the road he had NOT
at once recalled old times, he remembered
Paulus's brave father very well at the battle
of Phiiippi; and that he, Mamurra, had seer
| him and Agrippa Vipsanius together, rallyinl
the wing which Mark Antony had broken, ani
that he himself had charged with the cavalr.
to help him. This speech was very gracious
! and our hero, who we'll know it to be true
blushed with pride and pleasure. While tn
glow of this natural and honorable emotio,
was still covering his young face, as he bowe,
to Mamurra, the latter took him by the arm
| and said in low voice
Come, let an old soldier present the son O
a former comrade, whose life was honorable
and whose memory was glorious, to the maste
for whom they both fought with equal zeaI
although unequal fortune"
Augustus returned Paulus's low salutatio
with faint yet not unkindly smile, and the
looked with sort of sleepy steadiness O
Tiberius, who heard Mamurra's words, an
whose face was apparently flaming with
dark red rage. Near Tiberius, who now thre,
himself upon the cushions of couch plate
with gold, just opposite the chair whic
Augustus had selected, stood tall, regular