GERMANICUS, the father of Caius Caesar, and son of Drusus and the younger
						Antonia, was, after his adoption by
						Tiberius, his uncle, preferred to
					the quaestorship A.U.C. 757 five years before he had
					attained the legal age, and immediately upon the expiration of that office, to
					the consulship. A.U.C. 765 Having been sent to the
					army in Germany , he restored order
					among the legions, who, upon the news of Augustus's death, obstinately refused
					to acknowledge Tiberius as emperor, A.U.C. 770 and
					offered to place him at the head of the state. In which affair it is difficult
					to say, whether his regard to filial duty, or the firmness of his resolution,
					was most conspicuous. Soon afterwards he defeated the enemy, and obtained the
					honours of a triumph. Being then made consul for the second time, A.U.C. 767 before he could enter upon his office he
					was obliged to set out suddenly for the east, where, after he had conquered the
					king of Armenia , and reduced Cappadocia into the form of a province, he
					died at Antioch , of a lingering
					distemper, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, A.U.C.
						771 not without the suspicion of being poisoned. For besides the
					livid spots which appeared all over his body, and a foaming at the mouth; when
					his corpse was burnt, the heart was found entire among the bones; its nature
					being such, as it is supposed, that when tainted by poison, it is indestructible
					by fire. This opinion, like some others which occur in
						Suetonius, may justly be considered as a vulgar error; and if the heart was
						found entire, it must have been owing to the weakness of the fire, rather
						than to any quality communicated to the organ, of resisting the power of
						that element. It was a prevailing opinion that he was taken off by the contrivance of Tiberius
					and through the means of Cneius Piso. This person, who was about the same time
					prefect of Syria , and made no secret of
					his position being such, that he must either offend the fathe ror the son,
					loaded Germanicus, even during his sickness, with the most unbounded and
					scurrilous abuse, both by word and deed; for which, upon his return to
						 Rome , he narrowly escaped being
					torn to pieces by the people, and was condemned to death by the senate. It is generally agreed, that Germanicus possessed all the noblest endowments of
					body and mind in a higher degree than had ever before fallen to the lot of any
					man; a handsome person, extraordinary courage, great proficiency in eloquence
					and other branches of learning, both Greek and Roman; besides a singular
					humanity, and a behaviour so engaging, as to captivate the affections of all
					about him. The slenderness of his legs did not correspond with the symmetry and
					beauty of his person in other respects; but this defect was at length corrected
					by his habit of riding after meals. In battle, he often engaged and slew an
					enemy in single combat. He pleaded causes, even after he had the honour of a
					triumph. Among other fruits of his studies, he left behind him some Greek
					comedies. Both at home and abroad he always conducted himself in a manner the
					most unassuming. On entering any free and confederate town, he never would be
					attended by any of his lictors. Whenever he heard, in his travels, of the tombs
					of illustrious men, he made offerings over them to the infernal deities. He gave
					a common grave, under a mound of earth, to the scattered relics of the
					legionaries slain under Varus, and was the first to put his hand to the work of
					collecting and bringing them to the place of burial. He was so extremely mild
					and gentle to his enemies, whoever they were, or on what account soever they
					bore him enmity, that, although Piso rescinded his decrees, and for a long time
					severely harassed his dependents, he never showed the smallest resentment, until
					he found himself attacked by magical charms and imprecations; and even then the
					only steps he took was to renounce all friendship with him, according to ancient
					custom, and to exhort his servants to avenge his death, if any thing untoward
					should befal him. He reaped the fruit of his noble qualities in abundance, being so much esteemed
					and beloved by his friends, that Augustus (to say nothing of his other
					relations) being a long time in doubt, whether he should not appoint him his
					successor, at last ordered Tiberius to adopt him. He was so extremely popular,
					that many authors tell us, the crowds of those who went to meet him upon his
					coming to any place, or to attend him at his departure, were so prodigious, that
					he was sometimes in danger of his life; and that upon his return from Germany , after he had quelled the mutiny in
					the army there, all the cohorts of the pretorian guards marched out to meet him,
					notwithstanding the order that only two should go; and that all the people of
						 Rome , both men and women, of every
					age, sex, and rank, flocked as far as the twentieth mile-stone to attend his
					entrance. At the time of his death, however, and afterwards, they displayed still greater
					and stronger proofs of their extraordinary attachment to him. The day on which
					he died, stones were thrown at the temples, the altars of the gods demolished,
					the household gods, in some cases, thrown into the streets, and new-born infants
					exposed. It is even said that barbarous nations, both those engaged in intestine
					wars, and those in hostilities against us, all agreed to a cessation of arms, as
					if they had been mourning for some very near and common friend; that some petty
					kings shaved their beards and their wives heads, in token of their extreme
					sorrow; and that the king of kings The magnificent title of
						King of Kings has been assumed, at different times, by various potentates.
						The person to whom it is here applied, is the king of Parthia . Under the kings of Persia , and even under the Syro-Macedonian
						kings, this country was of no consideration, and reckoned a part of
						Hyrcania. But upon the revolt of the East from the Syro-Macedonians, at the
						instigation of Arsaces, the Parthians are said to have conquered eighteen
						kingdoms. forbore his exercise of hunting and feasting with; his
					nobles, which, amongst the Parthians, is equivaleii to a cessation of all
					business in a time of public mourning with us.