Evening star., 1903-12-19
Rienzi's Body Burned Here.

Rienzi's Body Burned Here.
Augustus Caesar died at -Nola in the year
IA A. D., and his body was brought to Rome
and burned in the court OF this tomb upon
a funeral pile so gigantic that Livia, his
widow, attended by the Roman senator's
had to watch it for Ave days and nights
before 1t cooled sufficiently for them to col
lect the ashes of the emperor. The moment
it was lighted an eaSle was set free from
the summit Of the pile and Livia paid Nu-
meri,ls Atticus an ofnnaentiaG senator. $780,
600 to swear that he saw the spirit OF Au'
gustus ascend to heaven.
Nero, Drusus, gaius. Cafiguia,.. Tiberius
Claudius Britanicus1 Nerya and others oi
the emperors We're buried here with MEM
bers of their families and their favorites.
and the last cremation. which occurred long
after the mausoleum had fallen into ruins.
was the body of the tribune Rienzl, which,
having hung for two days In the open ar
was ordered by Prince Colonna to be con-
sumed here byea delegation of Jews in a
fire of dry thistles until it was reduced to
ashes. which were then scattered to the
winds. --' -,
The urns which contained the remains OF
the emperors were overturned, many de-
stroyed and others thrown into the Ttber by
the Goths and other barbarian invaders OF
the eternal city. Seven of them are pre-
served at the Vatican Museum. put oniy
one can be identified and is at the Capital
Museum-thats of Agrippina. the mother or
Nero who was starved to death by her son.
During the middle ages it was used as the
standard measure for grain. The urn OF
Augustus has never been identif1ed.
OF the eleven descendants OF Augustus
who were buried there. three were murdered
because they were emperors. hve TO pre-
vent them from becoming emperors and one
was starved to death,
The last of the imperial tombs having
been filed by the ashes Of Nerva~ the re-
mains of Trajan his successor, were placed
in the Forum, which was dedicated TO nim'
and Hadrian, his successor, on the other
side of the Tiber erected for himself tomb
which surpassed that of Augustus In every
respect. in size, in grandeur and In mag
nificence.
Tomb Of Hadrian.
1t was circular structure surmounted by
a roof in the form of a pyramid, and upon
its crest was a chariot of colossal size drawn
by four horses of bronze. The walls are
thirty feet thick and We're faced with slabs
of pure Parian marble inside and outside.
The lid of the sarcophagus in which the
body of Hadrian was laid is now the baptis-
NAL font in st. Peters Cathedral. 1t orig
inally stood in the center of"the rotunda,
but was overturned by the barbarians and
the remains were lost. Beside him and
around him were the tombs of Marcus Au-
reiius, who many think the greatest and the
best of the Roman emperors: Germanicus,
Antonius, Verus, Commodus. Septimius,
SeyeruS ana Cardcdlia, MS SUCCESSORS Win
the members of their families. Until the
erection of the Tai Mahal at Agra, India.
the tomb of the rulers OF the great Mogul
empire. the mausoieum of Hadrian was the
noblest funeral monument in the world.
1t Is now known as the Castle Of ST. An
gelo and is occupied by garrison of italian
troops. The crest of the dome is crowned
with figure of the Archangel Michael in
place of the bronze chariot of Hadrian- Its
history, as some one has said. is the history
of Rome. Excepting st. Peters. 1t is the
most conspicuous building in the eternal
city, and is appears in mest-of the paintings
of the imposing group of buildings that in
close the Tiber at this point. The emperors
we're allowed to sleep peacefully in their
goiden and alabaster coffins until the year
423, when their tomb was utilized for a
fortress. and since tha idats' it has been the
center of the conflicts that have ragged in
Rome. Popes have taken refuge there from
the mobs of the city and the armies of their
enemies and have been imprisoned in it's
dungeons. Several have been murdered
within its walls. and there Beatrice Cenci
whose alleged portrait by Guido REM Is
found in every picture store in the world
was imprisoned and executed.