THE DECLINE AND FALL

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chap, emperors, Romans, Greeks, Franks, and Ger-

_mans, from the fall of the republic to the present

time. A distinction was, however, soon intro-duced. The sacred title of Augustus was al-ways reserved for the monarch, whilst the nameof Csesar was more freely communicated to hisrelations; and, from the reign of Hadrian atleast, was appropriated to the second person inthe state, who was considered as the presump-tive heir of the empire.

Character The tender respect of Augustus for a free con-o" Angns- y stitution which he had destroyed, can only be‘us. explained by an attentive consideration of thecharacter of that subtle tyrant. A cool head, anunfeeling heart, and a cowardly disposition,prompted him, at the age of nineteen, to assumethe mask of hypocrisy, which he never afterwardslaid aside. With the same hand, and probablywith the same temper, he signed the proscriptionof Cicero , and the pardon of Cinna. His vir-tues, and even his vices, were artificial; andaccording to the various dictates of his interest,he was at first the enemy, and at last the father,of the Roman world.' When he framed theartful system of the imperial authority, his mode-ration was inspired by his fears. He wished to

' As Octavianus advanced to the banquet of the Caesars, his colourchanged like that of the oamelion; pale at first, then red, afterwardsblack; he at last assumed the mild livery of Venus and the graces(Caesars, p. 309). This image, employed by Julian, in his ingeniousfiction, is just and elegant; but when he considers this change of cha-racter as real, and ascribes it to the power of philosophy, he does toomuch honour to philosophy, and to Octavianus .