, 1888-07-10
WOMEN IN ANCIENT ROME.
hatrons WIZ Were Not to BE TIihcd
wIth-A Case of Wholesale Poisoning.


The Roman records show that it was
not safe to trifle with the feelings of Ro-
man women. They were, like Roman
men, possessed of great decision Of
character, and when provoked could do
the most daring deeds, reckless of the
consequences. If they were treated
kindly and on equal terms, they were the
best of wives, and | am convinced that
their goodness and firmness were the
most etfectual causes OF the freedom
which they attained. But if husbands
put into force their traditional power
and claimed supreme domination over
them they were exactly the women to
resist. And the history of Rome throws
a lurid light on this aspect Of their char
acter; for occasionally they took stern
and wild vengeance when husbands went
too far in their despotic actions. l will
adduce one or two instances OF this:
In the year 331 B. c. many of the
Roman citizens, and especially many of
the Roman mobiles, were attacked by an
unknown disease, which showed the same
symptoms in all, and nearly all persisted.
h cause was wrapt in obscurity, but
at length n maid servant went to q curule
adile and said she could explain the
origin of the disease, but would not do
so unless security were given her that
she would suffer no harm in consequence
The curule @dile brought the matter be-
fore the %consuls, the consuls consulted
the senate, and a resolution was passed
guaranteeing safety to the maid servant.
Whereupon she declared that the deaths
arose from poison; that the matrons were
in the habit Of compromising drugs, and
she could take the officials tc 4 house in
which they would come upon the matrons
while engaged in the operation.
The officials accepted her offer. fol-
lowed her and found, as she had said,
the matrons compromising drugs. About
twenty of them were conveyed to the
Forum, and were subjected to an ex-
animation on their doings. Two of them,
of o family and with patrician names,
Cornelia and Sergia, affirmed that the
drugs were perfectly wholesome. That
could easily be tested, and the two
matrons were requested to prove their
truthfulness by drinking the MKT
ure. The two 'matrons begged for
"A few moments of private talk
with the rest of their associates, but
within sight Of the people. Perinis-
sion was granted, a few words were ex-
changed, and then all OF the twenty
matrons came back, boldly quaffed the
liquor. and died in consequence. Then
a search was made for all the matrons
who had been engaged In this conspiracy
and 40 were found guilty. The men
explained the occurrence by asserting
that the women were infatuated; out
probably they knew well why recourse
was had TO such violent measures, and
that Roman matrons were not likely to
be subjected to tyranny without making
an effort in one way or another to put
an end TO it.
An occurrence of a similar nature took
place in 1870 b. O. In this case there can
scarcely be n doubt that a real plague
ragged, for it lasted for three years and
decimated Italy. But the women were
enraged with the men for the harsh
measures which had been taken against
them in connection with the Baccha-
nalian mysteries, and they seem to have
regarded the plague as affording a favor
able opportunity for the use of poison.
In $50 b. G. the preetor, the consul and
many other illustrious men died. A
judge was appointed TO inquire into
these deaths, and especially to examine if
poison had been employed. The histori-
ans do not relate the results of this inve5-
tigation. but we are told that the wife of
the consul was tried and condemned to
death.
T~hirty-six years after this two men of
consular rank were poisoned by their
wives. In subsequent times the use of
poison became frequent; and particu-
larly in the early days of the empire the
matrons about the court were accused of
having constant recourse to it to get out
of the way men whom they did not like,
husbands and sons and others connected
with them, al well as strangers. And
one writer remarks that wherever there
were irregularities there were poisonings.
Some historians nave rejected these tales
of poisoning as the inventions of credu-
lous a~nnalists, l think, without good rea-
son. But whether the stories are true
or false the Romans believed them, and
they embody the Roman belief in regard
to what women could do. And it seems
to me that we must regard them as indi-
eating that the Roman matrons felt
sometimes that they were badly treated,
that they ought not to endure the bad
treatment, and that they ought to take
the only means that they possessed of
expressing their feelings and wreaking
their vengeance by employing poison
Principal Donaldson, Ii. D., in Contem-
pOrary Review,