New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-05

Grcgoroyius does sufficient justice to this states
manlike activity Of the Emperor But must
confess that he is most interesting In the
sketches he gives OF the lighter side OF Hadrians
Journeys. At times these wore a positively ro-
mantle aspect Witness, for example. the prog
ress up the Nile. during which Antinous. the
young Greek favOrite of the Emperor was
drowned in the mysterious stream. Gregorovius
dwelling the enigma OF the mans death
leaves II where he found f. Whether IL was an
accident. as Hadrian asserted a voluntary or an
involuntary sacrifice. he does not pretend to say
But he gives a realistic and impressive picture
Of the ensuing ceremonies
"Hadrian bewailed Antinous with unmeasured
grief and with 'womansh tears Now he was
Achilles by the corpse of Patrocus now Alex
ander by the funeral pile OF Hephastion. With
great pomp he had the youth buried in Besa-a
scene on the Nile of the most refined fantasy. in
which the sorrowing Emperor Of Rome and the
smiling Augusta. with their respective courts
the actors This. the most extraordinary
episode of any journey the Nile, gave a new
god to the paganism which was fast disappear
ing, and its last ideal figure to ancient art"
That figure. az our historian justly notes is a
torch throwing a baleful light into some Of the
darkest reccsses of Hadriar's character. His
suspicious. showing that Greek corruption had
vitiated the imperial morals But We like also TO
think of the unique beauty Of The favorite and
of Hadran's devotion TO it, He Is imposing ~
he presides the Olympian games. a. he
converses with the literary men and artists Of
his time as he receives the homage OF peoples
who regarded him not only a. the cOnscrvatOr
OF the Empire, but a embodiment of the
adv i'm
pulses. He is even more impressive in that
strange scene on the Nile where he burics not
only vicious favoritc. but an ideal of beauty.
Well might the Greeks and especially the Athe-
mans. erect statues in his honor. for he
lover Of al the finer things that they loved.
The humanzing efforts of mankind were sur, %
appreciation at his hands. ana though he lacked
poets worthy of his reign. ne never failed to
reward those with whom he had to be con
tented Best of all his liberal temperament
urged him to rcformdtory legislation that alone
should keep his fame bright. At the same time
that H. was striving TO make the Empire homo
gencois ne put new heart into every portion of
the fabric by giving il honorable privileges and
RESPONSIBILITIES. He purified far az he was
able the social machinery. improving the condi-
ton Of women and slaves and modifying wisely
the laws of inheritance. The new buildings mat
rose in all quarters Of the Empire at his De-
hest symbozed a spirit of concern for the well
fare of the public which penetrated into IN
mineral bile relations OF life At the end "hen
age and i'll health Slapped his strength, he began
To earn the hatred Of those whom ne had bene-
flied but ne atoned for his errors in handing on
the succession to that noble Antoninus whose
line was TO give the Empire its last years OF
happiness before the coming Of the barbariahs'
1t is difficult 10 summarize his character YET
the final impression that it leaves fingers pleas
antIy in the mind There was abundant good IN
him and the evil. though considerable. was not
enough to place him among the indubllapi!
black figures Of the Empire. Unable to rank MN
either with the Antonines or with the bloody
tyrants in Roman history, one takes refuge IN
convention Of him which is sufficient if it is not
conclusive We may illustrate this conception
by a fragment from the book before Us;
1T has been observed that the busiS 81
Hadrian show a foreign, not a Roman race
possessing neither the Latin beauty 81 th'
Julian family nor the mild gravity Of the ieal-
urcs Of Trajan IT il more finely cut, put IL IL
neither sympathetic nor intellectual ArtH'l'"S
curled hair hangs over n brow when cannon
he called thoughtful. ana the short beard "h'h
was said to have been worn To conceal IA plcHlSh
Is rather Il dlSfsuicH'hl ma" q" VI mum -
the face Hadrian is said 10 nave Jet l gro"
to conceal some scars. This marble face does
not convey tho impression Of all that was con-
tanned in the character Of this stranf" man.
He was "A mass Of contradictions, when II"
single portrait could display For on inc one
hand We find his delight IN the Int'll''' Oh
Greece and i'm Eastern sensuality, his enthus-
astic love of art his sophistical versatility his
sound judgment, his craftsmanship MS humah-
ifv and ,aucrosity But there is also the darker