[60] Cf.  Tacitus, Ann. xv. 53.

[61] 4tos. losse.

[62] 4tos. soft.

[63] Quy. they.—­The passage, despite its obscurity of expression, seems to me intelligible; but I dare not venture to paraphrase it.

[64] 4tos. are we.

[65] “Call me cut” meant commonly nothing more than Falstaff’s “call me horse”; but as applied to Sporus the term “cutt-boy” was literally correct.  For what follows in the text cf.  Sueton.  Vit.  Ner. cap. 28.

[66] 4to.  Subius, Flavius.

[67] Quy.  “I, [sc. aye] to himselfe; ’twould make the matter cleare,” &c.

[68] 4tos. Gallii.  Our author is imitating Juvenal (Sat. x. ll. 99-102):—­

    “Huius qui trahitur praetextam sumere mavis,
    An Fidenarum Gabiorumque esse potestas
    Et de mensura ius dicere, vasa minora
    Frangere, pannosus vacuis Aedilis Ulubris?”

[69] Cf.  Tacitus, Annals, xv. 59.

[70] 4tos. refuge.

[71] Quy. Euphrates.

[72] According to Tacitus, Piso retired to his house and there opened his veins.  Vid.  Ann. xv. 59.

[73] Cf.  Shakespeare, “Make mad the guilty and appal the free.”  Hamlet, II. 2.

[74] So the 4tos; but Quy.

    “The Emperour’s much pleas’d
    That some have named Seneca.”

[75] Cf.  Tacitus, Ann. xv. 45; Sueton.  Vit.  Ner. 32.

[76] In Tacitus’ account (Ann. xv. 67) the climax is curious:—­ “‘Oderam te,’ inquit; ’nec quisquam tibi fidelior militum fuit dum amari meruisti:  odisse coepi, postquam parricida matris et uxoris, auriga et histrio et incendiarius extitisti.’”

[77] The verses would run better thus:—­

    “A feeling one; Tigellinus, bee’t thy charge,
    And let me see thee witty in’t.

    Tigell.  Come, sirrah;
    Weele see.” &c.

[78] Quy. was oreheard to say.

[79] 4tos. your.

[80] Quy. even skies.

[81] Quy.  I’the firmament.

[82] 4tos. loath by.

[83] Martial, in a clever but coarse epigram (lib. xi. 56), ridicules the Stoic’s contempt of death:—­

    “Hanc tibi virtutem fracta facit urceus ansa,
      Et tristis nullo qui tepet igne focus,
    Et teges et cimex et nudi sponda grabati,
      Et brevis atque eadem nocte dieque toga. 
    O quam magnus homo es, qui faece rubentis aceti
      Et stipula et nigro pane carere potes.
       * * * * *
    Rebus in angustis facile est contemnere vitam: 
      Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest.”

[84] Cf.  Juv.  Sat. v. 36, 37:—­

    “Quale coronati Thrasea Helvidiusque bibebant,
    Brutorum et Cassi natalibus.”

The younger Pliny (Ep. iii. 7) relates that Eilius Italicus religiously observed Vergil’s birthday.

[85] The 4tos. punctuate thus:—­