The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-04-10
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THE EMpRRoR nApRIAN.

Hadrian was man In whom the most
conflicting qualities we're blent. In his
youth and through his whole life he was
passionately fond Of hunting. He was
hardy, and simple in his habits march
ing bareheaded with his legons through
German frost and Nubian heat, sharing
the food of his soldiers, and exercising
the most rigid military discipline, At
the same time he has been aptly describ
ed as the most sumptuous character OF
antiq lity." He filed the cities of the
empire with snowy buildings, and pass
ed his last year in a sort Of classic Mu'
mich, where he had constructed imita'
tions Of every celebrated monument in
Europe He was so fond Of nature that,
anticipating the most recently developed
of modern tastes, he assembled Mt AZ ma
and the Mons Cssius, in order to enjoy
the spectacle Of sunrise.
In his villa at Tivoli he INDUCED a
trivial fancy by christening one garden
Tempe and another the Eiysian fields;
and he had his name carved on the stat
us of the vocal MemnOn, with no less
gusto than modern tourist, dudiUa vOceS
diUinGS His memory was prodigi )us, his
elounence in the Latin language studied
and yet forcible, his knowledge of Greek
literature and philosophy far from con.
temptibe. He enjoyed the society of
sophists and distinguished rhetorCians,
and so far frscied authorship as to win
the unenviable title of Gr@ ulus in his
own life time; yet he never neglected
state affairs. Owing to his untiring en-
ergv and vast capacity for business he
had not only succeeded in reorganiz'ng
every department of the empire, social,
political, fieCal, military and municipal,
but he also held in his own hands the
threads of it complicated machinery.
He was strict in matters of routine,
and appears to hare been martinez
among his legions; yet in social inter
course he lived on terms Of familiarity
with interiors, combining the graces of
elegant conversation with the bonhomie
of boon companionship, displaying ge-
nial nature TO his friends, and Was mag
nificent and generous He restored the
social IS we'll as the military discipline
of the Roman world, and his code Of
laws lasted till the Justinian. Among
many Of his useful measures OF REFORM
he issued DEGREES restricting the power
of masters over their slaves and depriv'
ing them of their old capital jurisdiC-
ton. His biographers find little to &C.
cuse him of beyond singular avidity
for fame, addiction to magic arts, and
luxurious vices; yet they adduce no evil
dence OF his having, at any time before
the date of his final retirement to his
Tiburtine villa, shared the crimes OF a
Nero or a Commodus.
On the whole, we must recognize in
Hadrian nature of extraordinary EN-
ergy, capacity for administrative govern
ment. and mental versatility. A certain
super6ciality, vulgarity and common
placeness seems to have been forced
UPON him by the circumstances Of his
age, no less than by his special tempera'
ment. This quality Of Che immitigable
commonplace is clearly written on his
many portraits Their chief interest Is
fixed expression of fatigue-as though
the man was weary with much seeking
and with little finding, In all things he
was somewhat of diettante; and the
Nemesis Of that .sensihilty to lmpres
siors which distinguishes the dilettante
came upon him ere be died He ended
his drys in an appalling and persistent
paroxysm OF ennui, desiring the death
which would not come to his relief
CornbM U,t1nzing