River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-03-07
The Death of Nero.

Nero wandered out into the streets of
Rome, knocked at the doors of friends
none would answer or let him in. He
came back TO his bedroom, called for
Spicillus, the gladiator, to xii! him, but
Spicillus was gone ''Whatw said he to
Epapdroditus, his Secretary, who had
now joined him, shave neither friend
nor foe?n And he rushed out again to
throw himself into the Tiber; but, his
courage falling him, and, his reason grow
ing clear once more in the face of appal-
ling calamity, he wished for some quiet
place where he might consider his strange
and sudden position, and collect his
thoughts for death. With his head
muflied up, and covering his face with
handkerchief, dressed only in a tunic, with
an eiled cloak thrown over his shoulder,
he trudged along barefoot in the gloom
of the early twilight, accompanied by
Phaon, Sporus and Epaphroditus. As
these four skunk out of the Nomenta re
gate together like common, wayfaring
men, they could hear the soldiers in the
Pretorian camp, on their right, cursing
Nero the beast, and hailing Galba as
Father of his country. "They are in pur-
suit of Nero" said man as he passed
them.
"Any news in the city about Nero27
asked another. There was no time to
spare. They found him a broken down
horse, which he mounted and they hur-
ried on. At last they reached the villa of
Phaon, parched with thirst; the emperor
Tapped up some water with his bands
from a running tank, with the bitter jest;
"This is Nero's distilled water" He crept
quietly into the house ON all Tours, through
a hole in the wall, and threw himself on
the first mattress, PROSTATE with hunger
and fatigue. Then he ordered a grave
to be dug before bis eyes, for he refused
TO fiv. He babe them to pave the pit
with marble, and weeping theatrically, he
prepared, surrounded by his only remain
ing friends, to play his last act. What
an artist is now about to perishla he ex-
claimed. but ere the words left his lips a
dispatch from Rome arrived which he
snatched out of Phaon's hands. He read
it and shuddered. He had been con-
demned by the Senate to be beaten to
death, and dragged by the heels and
flung into the Tiber Selling two dag
gers ne 1eiI lHelE polHtS- Oit1A FSASCS
occurred to him. and he began to
recitc.
He begged Sporus TO set up vail
for him-to kill him-to kill himself
first. At this moment the tramping Of
horses and clash of armed men where
heard below He broke out in verse from
the "Iliad:' 1.-The noise of swift-heeled
steeds assails my ear In another mo-
ment he would be taken alive. Come
then. courage, mani" he cried, and feeb-
Iy pushed the point of the dagger into his
throat. But his nerve was gonc, and
Epaphroditus came to his help and
pressed it home The guards burst in
and would have seized him. " Is this
your fidelityl" he murmured, and ex
pired, with staring eyes, to the terror OF
ali who beheld him. 1t was his last
nose. and. as the end of such a life, It
could not have been outdone. Is this
your hdelitys' He had never made a
better comic hit,n writes u. ReDan.
= Nero uttering melancholy plant over
the wickedness of the age, and the dis
appearance Of good faith and virtue