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same opinion was entertained of Orfitus* and Rufus.fThese men, after being accused of traiterous designsagainst Domitian , were banished by him to the islands,and NervaJ was ordered not to leave Tarentum. Withthem Apollonius was closely connected all the time Titusreigned with his father, and after his father’s death, whenhe reigned alone. With them Apollonius publickly cor-responded on the subject of morality ; them he attachedto the Emperors interests, on account of their goodcharacters; but he alienated them from Domitian , onaccount of his tyranny and pride, and encouraged themto stand forth in defence of the common liberty. WhilstDomitian lived, he thought it unsafe to carry on anyepistolary correspondence whatever, as it was a fact, thatmany of the most powerful citizens were betrayed bytheir slaves, their friends, and their wives: and in short,that there was not a house to be found possessed of asecret. Apollonius, who was fully apprized of this, chose

* Salvidienus Orfitus, banished by Domitian , quasi molitor rcrumnovarum, as one who designed an insurrection against him.

Suetonius .

He was soon after put to death in the place of his exile.

t Rufus is supposed by Olearius to be Lucius Minucius Rufus, whowas consul with Domitian , in the year of Christ, 88.

+ If Nerva was banished, he returned home the same or the follow-ln g year, for, Dion Cassius says, he was at Rome when Domitian wasmurdered; nay, that writer takes no notice of the banishment ofNerva, which makes us suspect the truth of what Philostratus writes,who is often guilty of very considerable mistakes. Universal History.

Nerva would have been put to death from his horoscope, had notan astrologer, who was his friend, diverted the Emperor from it, bysaying that he had not long to live in the course of nature.

These three senators, Orfitus, Rufus, and Nerva , says Crevier,Were men of great merit, and thought worthy of the empire, whichNerva afterwards obtained. But if we credit Philostratus , adds thesame writer, Domitian ’s distrust of them was not groundless, forthey all held a correspondence with Apollonius, who never ceasedt® exhort them to deliver the world from a tyrant.