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larity of fituation ftruck her fo forcibly, as to drive her into an instantaneous "fit of defpair; fo that fhe leaped headlong into a cauldron of melted copper.. "There was an ancient tower, in which was a brazen statue immersed in melted "brass in memory of the fact; and on a pillar near was the following infcrip"tion-" I was wife indeed, but not fortunate."

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A punishment was inflicted on fuicide at Miletus, a city of Ionia, on a certain occafion, which has been tranfmitted to us in the writings [1] of Plutarch and Aulus Gellius. The story as related by Plutarch (on whom Aulus Gellius refts his own account) is as follows. "The Milefian virgins, were at one time pof"feffed with an uncommon rage for fuicide. All defire of life feemed fuddenly "to leave them, and they rushed on death (by the help of the halter) with an impetuous fury. The tears and entreaties of parents and friends (for they were unmarried women) were of no avail; and if they were prevented by force "for a while, they evaded all the attention and vigilance of their obfervers, and. "found means to perpetrate the horrid deed. Some afcribed this extraordinary I fpecies of defperation and phrenfy to certain occult and maddening qualities of "the air at that season, some how or other peculiarly injurious to the "female" "frame and texture both of body and mind (fince the men were not visibly "affected by it); while the fuperftitious confidered it, as a calamity fent from "the Gods, and therefore beyond the power of human remedy." But whatever was the caufe (which feems wholly unknown), the effect was vifible and important, and could not be suffered to rage long without manifeft injury to the state. While fpeculative men therefore were attempting to affign the former, the active magiftrate was endeavouring to deftroy the latter; for which purpose the following decree was iffued. "That the body of every young woman, who hanged herself, fhould be dragged naked through the streets by the "fame rope, with which the had committed the deed." This wife edict had in a fhort time the defired effect, and the Milesian virgins were no longer given to this inordinate fpecies of fuicide. "The fear of fhame and ignominy (adds "Plutarch by way of reflection) is an argument of a good and virtuous mind; "and they who regarded not pain and death, which are usually esteemed the

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[1] See Plutarch's Treatife," Of the Virtues of Women;" and Auli Gellii Noctes Atticæ, L. XV. c. x. "moft

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"most dreadful of evils [K], could not however endure the thoughts of having "their dead bodies exposed to indignity and fhame." This principle of roufing shame in the mind of an intended fuicide, with refpect to the difpofal of the dead body, is an excellent one as far as it goes; and it may be supposed to have a peculiar degree of strength and efficacy over the female breast, as being impressed with nicer feelings of delicacy and fenfibility. It might be powerful also on the minds of fome men in ancient times, not fo much through an excess of decency and modefty, as on account of the fuppofed fufferings that attended the disgraced and unhallowed carcafe in the fhades below. But it is to be feared that this influence alone will prove but weak on the modern unprincipled mind, which discards all hopes and fears of futurity, and whose chief care for the body is to enjoy the good things of life without fear or shame of confequences; and when these enjoyments fail, to plunge into a fuppofed and to them defirable annihilation. But ftill every mark of difgrace and infamy should be practised on the body of every suicide, if it be only to express our horror and indignation at the enormity of the crime.

[K] Sunt qui putant virgines hafce Milefias laborâffe furore uterino. Hippocrates enim «De Virginibus" hoc morbo affectas nonnunquam ob oppreffionem, quæ circa cor eft, fuffocationem fibi parare fefeque ftrangulare fcribit, vel etiam in puteos defilire ac præcipitare; exiftimantes hoc ut præftantiffimum remedium omnemque utilitatem excedere; fic ut voluptas quædam mortis tanquam boni cujufdam expetendæ eas incedat.-AULI GELLII Noctes Atticæ, L. XV. c. x. in notis

ad locum.

The author of the "Hiftorical Effay on old Maids" (Hayley) humourously remarks on this little piece of history—" that as only parents and friends (but neither husbands nor lovers) are named by "Plutarch, as entreating and advifing thefe Milefian women to fpare their own lives; and neither

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men nor married women are mentioned as thus destroying themselves (which must have been the "cafe, had the caufe been an infectious air); therefore they must have been a fet of "antiquated " virgins" only who were driven to final despair.”

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CHAP VII.

it

Suicide from its frequency at Rome often called the Roman Death.-Doubtful whether any actual · law exifted concerning suicide in the earliest ages of Rome, except was contained in the Pontifical Books under the infepulture annexed to a death by hanging."-Tarquinius Prifcus's punishment of it on a particular occafion.-In the early ages of the Roman ftate fuicide was feldom committed, but on grounds of private or public virtue.-Lucretia-Curtius.-The Decii.-A reverence for religion and the Gods withheld the old Romans from felf-murder.-Conduct of Regulus. - Causes of the growth of fuicide in Rome. Corruption of principles and manners. - Introduction of Grecian philofophy.Attempts of Cineas (king Pyrrhus's ambaffadour) to corrupt the principles of the Romans by the introduction of Epicurean philofophy,-unsuccessful at that early period.— Indignation of Fabricius. After the demolition of Carthage and the conqueft of Greece and the Afiatic provinces, foreign luxury and foreign philoSophy corrupted the fimplicity and virtue of the Roman character.—About this period the philofophers and rhetoricians made their first appearance iu Italy.— Decree paffed to banish these from Rome.—Afterwards rhetorical and philofophical ambaffadours were fent from Athens to Rome, whom the Roman youths heard with much attention.-Cato the cenfor's dread of the influx of Grecian learning.—The doctrines of the new Academy introduced at this time into Rome by Carneades did wonderful mischief by unsettling all principles: while the tenets of Epicurus and Zeno (which were also now publickly taught in Rome) highly encouraged the practice of fuicide on different grounds.-The Epicurean doctrines took with the diffipated, the Stoical with the incorrupt Roman ;—and both approved the practice of suicide. The Epicurean philosophy or a contempt of religion and the Gods became familiar in Rome, and confequently produced a great number of fuicides during the latter part of the Roman republic.-Lucretius diffufes the doctrines of the Epicureans by his famous poem "De naturâ rerum."-Stoicifm another great fource of Roman fuicide.-Its tenets calculated to meet the ideas of thofe Romans, who preferved their dignity of character during the general depravity; and particularly its doctrine of fuicide.-The caufe of this traced.-As Epicurean and ftoical maxims·

introduced

introduced the principle, fo the circumstances of the times combined to draw it forth into continual practice.-The rage of fuicide under the firft Roman emperors.— The coolness and intrepidity of fuicides at this time was wonderful; and the methods they used of defroying themfelves required uncommon patience, and perfeverance.— Examples of both fexes.-Rife of the Roman laws against fuicide, which were entirely of a fiscal nature; not to punish it as a crime in itself, but only when it was· detrimental to the state.-Extracts from Juftinian's Digefts.—Summary of what has been advanced concerning Roman fuicide.

TH

HE practice of suicide was fo frequent at Rome, that it has often been called the" Roman Death;' meaning thereby to connect it with that Roman fortitude, which difregarding life led its poffeffor to rush voluntarily on death in a variety of fhapes. But it would be forming a very erroneous and unjuft opinion of the ancient Romans to imagine, that they were equally favourers of fuicide during all the periods of their empire; fince the contrary will eafily appear to have been the cafe, by tracing the rife and progress of this practice among them, together with the laws and cuftoms respecting its commiffion. Whether any ancient laws of Rome exprefsly forbad its practice, is a point not clearly afcertained. There is a paffage in Tully, where speaking of suicide he says; "When "the Deity himself has given any one a just cause of putting an end to his life, "the wife man joyfully accepts it; nor does he then break the bonds of his prifon," which the laws forbid," but quits life as one, who has obtained. permiflion from God [K] as from the magiftrate." Now the laws to which Tully here refers were probably thofe contained in the Pontifical Books, which adjusted all matters relative to religious ceremonies, of which the rites of fepulture [1] made no inconfiderable part. But it appears from thefe, that hanging was an infamous kind of death, and that the bodies of thofe, who died in this manner, were to be caft out without burial. It is not then impoffible, that fuicide might be pointed at under the punishments annexed to this kind of death; fince hanging was fo very usual a method of felf-destruction in ancient times,

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[K] Cum vero caufam juftam Deus ipfe dederit, næ ille vir fapiens, lætus ex his tenebris in lucem illam excefferit; nec tamen illa vincula carceris ruperit-leges enim vetant; fed tanquam a magiftratu aut ab aliquâ poteftate legitima, fic a Deo evocatus atque emiffus exierit.Tufc. Difp. I. 30.[L] Nec cœleftes modò cæremonias, fed jufta quoque funebria placandofque manes, ut idem Pon

tifex edoceret.-Liv. I. 20.

and is continually alluded to as fuch by the writers of antiquity. The infamy then attendant on hanging and its confequent infepulture, might in part at least be defigned for the punishment of fuicide; and with that it has been connected by fome [M] learned men. But whether any actual law existed in ancient Rome for the punishment of fuicide or not (which is a doubtful matter), there seems to have been little neceffity for its exertion during the best days of the republic. One remarkable inftance indeed occurs of the contagion of suicide among the lower orders of the people, as far back as the reign of Tarquinius Prifcus, which as it required, so it received, an effectual check by the spirited introduction of an extraordinary mode of punishment. After this king had employed the Roman people in fuccefsful wars abroad, he filled up their leilure at home in works of lefs apparent honour, though greater utility. Thefe were to cut drains and common fewers of immenfe fize and durability. When the foldiers difdained thefe fervile offices and faw no end of their labours, many of them chose rather to lay violent hands on themselves than to proceed in their work. The contagion of this example fpreading apace, the king ordered the bodies of these self-murderers to be nailed on croffes, and thus exposed as fpectacles to the rest of the citizens, to be left a prey to the fowls of the air; which put an effectual stop to the practice. The influence of shame and horror on the living checked this sudden rage of felf-murder. However this was only a temporary expedient adapted

[M] Purpureos moritura manu difcindit amictus,

Et nodum informis leti trabe nectit ab altâ.

VIRG. Æn. XII. of Amata's hanging herself. Servius's note on this paffage is as follows. Sane fciendum, quod cautum fuerat in Pontificalibus Libris, ut qui laqueo, vitam finiffet infepultus abjiceretur. Unde benè ait, "Informis leti," quafi mortis infamiffimæ. Caffius autem Emina ait Tarquinium Superbum (Prifcum potiùs) cum cloacas populum facere coegiffet & ob hanc injuriam multi fe fufpendio necarent, juffiffe corpora eorum cruci affigi, tunc primùm turpe habitum eft mortem fibi confcifcere: & Varro ait, Sufpendiofis quibus jufta fieri jus non fit; fufpenfis ofcillis velut per imitationem mortis parentari. Docet ergo Virgilius fecundum Varronem & Caffium, quia fe laqueo induerat, leto periffe informi.-Grotius (de Jure Belli & Pacis, L. II. c. xix.) and Bifhop Pearce (in his fermon on felf-murder) quote and follow this opinion of Servius.

Sepulturà prohiberi nifi magnorum fcelerum damnatos (putà parricidii, perduellionis, itemque fufpendiofos) non moris apud prifcos.--LIPSII Com. ad Tac. An. VI.

But "fufpendiofi" often means thofe affixed to croffes by way of punishment, whose bodies were to be a prey to the fowls of the air.

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