Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-03-07
DID NERO BURN
ROME?


Did Nero burn Rome, and did he sit,
while all around him were shriekS and
lamentations n amuse himself by
singing THE Destruction of Troy ac-
companying himself on the Tyre? He
Is accused of having been 30 inhuman.
The fire started among the wooden
buildings in the southern end of Rome
and 1T ragged for six days. When it had
finally been gotten under control at this
point. 1T broke out at another place. 1t
was undoubtedly of incendiary origin.
Why was Nero blamed?. Because he
had resorted to every imaginable crime.
He took a great delight in suffering and
bloodshed, and having satisfied his pas
sion in that respect to an almost I'M
imaginable extent, he people believed
that he next desired to see the city
laid in ashes. deriving pleasure from
witnessing the sufferings of his people
and the great devastation of his city.
In just what way he is supposed to
have dictated the city's destruction has
never been told. But reports tell of
men who rushed through the streets
casting lighted torches into houses and
declaring they acted under imperial or
ders. So. for all time, the burning of
Rome has been attributed to Nero. and
he is accused of gloating over his luck
less peoples misfortune. But, as a
matter of fact, there is no reason
whatever for believing that Nero had
anything to do With the fire and there
is every reason to think it was one of
the few crimes of which he was entire
ly innocent.
Through their %counsels the first five
years of Nero's reign were distin-
guished by justice and ~clemency; and
an ancedote is related of him. that hav-
ing an occasion to sign an order for the
execution of a malefactor, he ex-
claimed: Would that l could not
write!" He discouraged public inform
ers. refused the statues of gold and
silver which We're offered him by the
senate and people. and used every part
to ingratiate himself with the latter.
But his mother was enraged to find
that her power over him became weak
err every day. and that he constantly
disregarded her advice and refused her
requests. His neglect of his wife, Oc-
tavia, and his criminal love of Acte, a
woman of low birth. still farther wild
ened the breach between him and his
mother.
The threats of his mother only served
to hasten the death OF Britannicus.
whose murder forms the commence
nent of that long catalog of crime.
which afterwards disgraced the reign
of Nero. But while the management
of public affairs appears from the tes-
timony OF most historians to nave been
wisely conducted by Burrus and SEN
eca, Nero indulged in private in dis
HAPdllOI anu DIOlilSacN. he was lC-
custOmed. in company with other young
men of his own age, to sally into the
streets of Rome at night, in order to
rob and maltreat passenger and even
to break n private houses and carry
off the property of their owners. But
these eXtraNagances We're compar
ativelv harmless. His love for Pop
paea. whom he had seduced from Ohio.
led him into more serious crimes. Pop
paea. who was ambitious of sharing
the imperial throne, perceived that She
could not hope to attain her object
while ~Agrippina was alive, and Accord
ingiy induced Nero to consent to the
murder of his mother.
1t was in the 10th year of his reign
"a. ID. 64). that Rome was almost de-
stroyed by fire. OF the IA districts of
which the city was divided four only
remained entire. It was generally he.
heved that he had set fire to the city
himself. but from many circumstances.
however. 1T appears improbable that
Nero was guilty of this crime. His
guilt, indeed. is asserted by S%uetonius
and Dio Cassius. but 1'acitus admits
h a he was not able to prove the truth
of the accusation. In order, however,
to remove the suspicious of the peo-
pie. Nero spread a report that the
Christians were the authors of the fire.
and numbers of them were seized and
put to death. Their execution served
as an amusement to the people. Some
were covered with skins of wild beasts
and were torn to pieces by dogs. 9th
ers were crucified: and several were
smeared with pitch and other combust-
lole materials and burned in the im-
perial gardens in the night. Nero was
undoubtedly The Tyrant.' but that he
burned Rome is a mystery that has
never been solved.