Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-29
D.ss cure Liver Ills; easy to
WHY NERO FIDDLED.
To the State Herald:

Modern research has not only discover
ed that history is not only not infallible,
but that certain we'll defined ideas of
some of the prominent figures of history
are highly erroneous. While it is true
that the last of the Caesars fiddled-ac-
tually sawed on the violin-while his cap
ital city was being laid in ashes, yet re-
cent discoveries have demonstrated be-
yond a doubt that Nero was not the
heartless tyrant that his musical per-
forma noes under such circumstances
would indicate. 1t is now clear that he
was an earnest, though misguided. pa
triot, surrounded by evil counsellors, who
kept from him the real condition of the
empire, which at the time was in the
throes of a tremendous financial panic.
Nero did not know it. He thought the
country was prosperous. He realized
that confidence had been destroyed to
some extent by the demands of the popu-
lists in Gaul for the restoration of the
denarius, the most popular coin of the
empire, to its former legal status prior
TO its debasement under an edict made
by Nero in the early part of his reign.
The Praetorian Guards in Spain were in
open revolt because they objected to re-
ceiving their pay in the debased coin. IT,
gellinus, their commander, who had the
ear of the emperor, persuaded him that
the soldiers were only uneasy and had
lost confidence in the ability of the en-
pire to maintain its credit so long as the
populists were allowed to agitate the
money question. Nero, satisfied of the
wisdom of Tigellinus, sent Rufus Cneidus
of Rhodes with an army of mugwumps
after the populists and resumed his ex-
ercises on the violin, to which he was
deyotedly attached. Meanwhile this
great, but badly advised, emperor was
not permitted by the people nearest to
him to discover the miserable condition
Of the citizens of his empire. In addition
to ponderous backbone, he possessed,
in common with all really great men, a
magnificent and well cultivated egotism.
He prided himself also on his ability as
a fiddler. Seated upon the northern bat
tlement of the imperial palace, under the
mellow glow of the broad-faced Roman
moon, Nero fiddled away, and the seduc-
tive strains of Arkansas Traveller float
ed over the city, mingling with the lurid
glare of the flame ana smoke as it shot
heavenward from the lower end of the
circus. Maximus, Tigellinus, Faenius,
Rufus, Plautus, Laternius, and other
members of his cabinet stood around him
apparently wrapt in ecstacy at the hila-
rious music, but really suffering from
that tired feeling" "See," said Piautus
as Nero temporarily suspended opera
tions in order to rosin his bow. See,
noble father of Rome, the red glow of the
newly lighted fires of our furnaces. Your
noble edict has revived our languishing
industries, the brawny workmen of Rome
have returned with renewed enthusiasm
to their interrupted labor and are al
ready crying out in their joy that Nero
is greater than the most noble Augustus"
A smile of ineffable satisfaction spread
over the imperial countenance "Aht
Plautus. I thought that the wild glow of
the heavens tonight was the reflection
of a huge confiagration and that Rome
was burning. l began to feel uneasy
about our farmers and laboring men, the
first to feel the baneful effects of de-
preciated currency, but you reassure
me. But hold what is that awful noise
over against the Aventine? Methought
heard cries of Distress" Then up spoke
Africanus: That, MASTER is bat the
noisy welcome of the overjoyed populace
to the victorious Rufus Cneidus, who has
just returned from Gaul. He was swiped
the populists. He has licked the eternal
filling out of them. Flavius Sabina, the
postmaster at Massellia. was chairman
of the convention Verify, l remember
me not such a victory since we carried
Morgan county. There is no doubt of it;
we have Gaul." The great man made ma
reply, but his face fairly beamed with
patriotic enthusiasm. He seized the bow
and swept the strings and the wild, sweet
strains of mississippi Wood Sawyer
was waited out on the night. History re-
lates truly that Nero fiddled While Rome
burned, but 1t is silent as to the lofty
patriotism that inspired his music. 1t
leaves the reader tn infer that his fiddling
was but the heartless jubilation of a
merciless tyrant Nero had some grave
faults He murdered his mother, that
thrifty old schemer Agrippina; he adj
ministered sedative to his cousin, Brit
tanicus, the real heir to the imperial
toga. but barring such little irregulari-
ties he was great man, and there is no
doubt but that he would have put up his
fiddle if he had discovered the true con-
dition of things. Neros career did not
exactly end up in a blaze of glory, but
there is no doubt it was attended with
considerable excitement. The populist
Galba was elected emperor and installed
into Office so suddenly that Nero. out of
pure chagrin, committed suicide. and
there is also no doubt that after death
as in life, he became familiar with fire.
Rome went wild with Joy and celebrated
the populist victory with revefry and
dancing. Verify. the conditions were re-
versed Rome fiddled while Nero burned
rr,rx