Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-08
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YdcituS, the iiiSt0ri1n.

lage of Umbria He was fortunate i'll
having virtuous and loving parents
too rarely found in those days--who
protected him from the dangers in
which the degenerate society Of the
time abounded. Never was the in
huence of pure home needed more
than in the days of Nero.
It is probable that Tacitus was edu-
Gated at Rome, and that he studied
under the eminent rhctorician GUM
lillian. The young man showed great
promise in the profession he had
chosen-the law. and under the two
Jmperors, Ncspasian and Titus, he
was given rapid political preferment.
It was about this time that Tacitus be-
came associated with the lawyer and
soldier. Agricola, whose life he has
given us in the biography known as the
Agricola. Agricola was man Of cnl-
ture, an able iurist, and, as events
proved, Il remarkable General. Meet
ing Tacitls often in the law courts lie
admired the young man, and, as a mark
OF esteem, gave him his daughter in
marriage. We are not told whether
Yacitus had expressed any preference
for the young lady, or whether it was
merely q bit of spontaneous generosity
on the part of the father. However,
from Tacitus' letters we may feel as
sured that the marriage was happy
| one.
When Domitian came into power
Tacitus wisely abandoned political
life which the jealous and suspicious
character of the Emperor made a dan
gerous career, and confined himself to
the practice of his profession. II is
said that he wrote a joke-book which
pleased the Emperor exceedingly. 1t
seems hard to imagine the dignihed
and rather melancholy lawyer the
author of sort of comic almanac.
At the death of Agricola in SO AID,
Tacitus left Rome for four years, re-
turning while Neva was Emperor. Vir-
ginius Rufus, prominent citizen, had
just died, and Ticitus was honored with
q commission to prepare the funeral
Grafton. The other important public
event of his life was the trial of Pro
vincial Governor for dishonesty. The
friends, Tacitus and the younger
Pliny. were associated in the prosecu-
ton which was successful. The two
lawyers were publicly thanked by the
Senate for their services. After this
trial Tacitus retired from public life
and gave himself entirely to the literary
work which he had planned, having al
ready published two books. The Life
of Agricola and Treatise on the
Manners and Morals of the Germans.
| The Agricola has special interests for
English readers, because the greater
part of it is description of how Agri-
cola, as a commander, extended the
conquest Of Britain. Agricola, as we
know him from his son-in-law's books,
was remarkable man. Living in q
time when to have q conscience was
folly, and to obey it danger, we find
him upright, honest, and pure, faithful
to an Emperor who was stranger and
an enemy to virtue In Tacitus' adj
miration for Agricola we find keynote
to the formers character Like Juve-
nal, yet in different way, Tacitus
looked back longingly toward the old
days OF Romes vigor, when there was
still some connection between virtue
and distinction. In all his literary work
he shows melancholy feeling about
the degeneracy of the times In his
Germany he describes the simplicity
and virtue of the Teutonic tribes, which
contrasted SO markedly with the vices
of Rome. In his History of Rome,
from the accession of Galba to the
death of Domitian, and in the Annals.
a more popular recital of events from
4-6S A. D., the same dissatisfaction
with the Rome of his time appears.
But he expressed his scorn in digni-
fed yet forcible manner, never adopt-
ing the methods Of Juvenal, who had
an unpleasant way Of making Jokes
which We're more cutting than anus
ing.
Although we know little of Tacitus
as man, we may conclude from his
works that he was aristocratic. austere.
and sarcastic, an earnest and thoucht
: full citizen in the midst of trifliing and
llght-minded seekers of wealth and
pleasure. The very elements of his
character, which would have made him
happy in the days of the republic.
made him melancholy and severe under
the empire. He possessed in large
degree the characteristics of a good
historian accuracy and impartiality,
and though he despised the times
which he felt compelled to chronicle
he has done much for the cause of his.
tory.-lFidc Quake
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