The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-09-29

with himself. The case of Zimri Is also
told; he was captain of half the chart
OTIS under Elah, the King of Israel.
When Elah had reigned two years in
his capital city, Tirzah, he was on one
occasion engaged in drunken de-
pauch, When Zimri taking advantage
of his helpless condition, stabbed him
and seized the throne. But the army of
israel which was at that time besieg-
ing Philistine town, proclaimed Omri
king, Under this leaders, command the
army abandoned its warfare with the
Phihst1nes and laid siege to Tlrzah.
After vigorous assault the city was
taken, and Zimri, seeing that all was
lost, went into the kings palace and set
1lre TO 1t, perishing In the flames.
lt Is told of Sardanapalus though
thls Is not now considered good history,
that When he was King of Nineveh a
conspiracy was formed against him,
and, taking the field, he gained three
victories, but was finally defeated and
driven into his capital. There he en-
| dured prolonged siege. At last chen
ne saw that the city was to be taken he
ordered pile of wood to be made in his
palace, and setting fire to 1t burned
himself, his women and his treasures,
In ancient times captives We're either
enslaved. degraded or tortured. The
Romans had a special dread of being
compelled to grace triumph, and their
enemies came to have a similar dread.
Tacitus and Dion Cassius tell the story
OF the British Queen BoadiceG, whose
husband, on his death bed, in order to
obtain the protection of Nero for his
family and people, appointed the empe-
ror heir to his treasures, in conjunction
with his own two daughters. But his
wishes We're not respected, and the Off
GERS of Nero seized everything. For
her opposition to these actions orders
were given that Boadicea should be
publicly whipped and her daughters ex-
posed to the soldiers, Upon this Bead
icea headed an army of her people, and
began a massacre of the Romans, She
would have been successful in freeing
her country if it had not been that rein
forcements came for the assistance Of
the Romans. Suetonius Paulinus ar
4 rived from the Isle of Mona with ten
thousand men. A great battle was
fought, the Britons were defeated and
as 1t was we'll known, as Tacitus says,
that the Roman general had this
biSiIiioi VI CudIaClST, llldl HS pIOCGeuSu
always against the vanquished, even
after they surrendered. with excessive
rigor," Boadicea foreseeing that her
fate as captive would be wretched
one, ended her life by a dose of poison.
History affords some instances in
which submission to supposed defeat
was too hasty, and others in which fail
ure at attempted suicide fortunately
enabled the men to live to enjoy the
victory of which they had despaired.
Brutus and Cassius made the last stand
for the Roman republic at Philippi,
and there they were defeated; and
knowing we'll that Anthony would be
no mild judge, they fell upon their
swords. The suicides of Brutus and
Cassius on the battlefield are probably
the best known to the public of all such
occurrences, through the description
given by Shakespeare, whose great
genius saw clearly the dramatic force
of such a situation, and did not let the
opportunity to make much of 1t pass,
Montague very justly said that "Bru-
tus and Cassius threw away the re-
mains of the Roman liberty, of which
they were the sole protectors, by the
precipitation and temerity wherewith
they killed themselves before the due
time and the just OCCASION He adds
II have seen a hundred hares escape
out of the very teeth of the greyhound
He appropriately quotes Seneca's say.
ing. Some have survived their exc
cutioners," and from Virgil, Fortune
J turning, shows a reverse face, an6
J again restores men to prosperity" Al
J the battle of Cerisolles, D'Anguien, be-
Ing on the side of the field where the
fight was. for the time, going against
his party, twice attempted to kill him
self, but fortunately failed, and in g
few hours was rejoicing over grea
, victory. Josephus relates that, wheI
his whole nation had turned agains
him, and there seemed no means of es
cape, friend advised him to dispatch
himself. He rejected the advice, hoping
that affairs would mend themselves
which they shortly afterward did, So
that he was comfortably delivered
: When at one time the city of Epirus
! was besieged by the Romans, and was
! at the last extremity, the chiefs Of tina
I city advised the people to all kill them
selves, but they preferred surrender
and acted upon that idea.
Democritus general of the Aetol
ians, was once taken prisoner to Rome
but escaped. and, being followed and il
danger Of being retaken, he killed him
: self with his sword rather than again
, /, be subjected to captivity. Some Jew
: ish women when their place was be
!. sieged by Antigonus, threw their chill
dren and themselves down precipc
to avoid the cruelty of their conqueror
!. | Nba,, va toll nd ne 1,