OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
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into the families of matrons, of senators, and of chap ’
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the emperors themselves/ Restrained by thesevere edicts of Domitian and Nerva / cherish-ed by the pride of Diocletian , reduced to anhumble station by the prudence of Constantine /they multiplied in the palaces of his degeneratesons, and insensibly acquired the knowledge,and at length the direction, of the secret coun-cils of Constantius . The aversion and con-tempt which mankind has so uniformly enter-tained for that imperfect species, appears tohave degraded their character, and to have ren-dered them almost as incapable as they weresupposed to be, of conceiving any generous sen-timent, or of performing any worthy action.*
By the word spado, the Romans very forcibly expressed their abhor-rence of this mutilated condition. The Greek appellation of eunuchs,which insensibly prevailed, had a milder sound, and a more ambiguoussense.
a We need only mention Posides, a freedman and eunuch of Clau-dius , in whose favour the emperor prostituted some of the most ho-nourable rewards of military valour. See Sueton. in Claudio, c. 28.Posides employed a part of his time in building.
Ut Spado vincebat Capitolia nostra
' Castrari mares vetnit. Sueton. in Domitian. c. 7. See Dion Cas-sius , 1. lxvii, p. 1107, 1. lxviii, p. 1119.
f There is a passage in the Augustan History , p. 137, in which imu n-pridius, whilst he praises Alexander Severus and Constantine , for re-straining the tyranny of the eunuchs, deplores the mischiefs they occa-sioned in other reigns. Hue accedit quod eunuclios nec in consiliisnec iu ministeriis halmit; qni soli principes perdunt, dum cos moregentium aut regum Persarum volunt vivere; qui a populo etiam amicis-simum semovent; qni internuntii sunt, aliud quum respondetnr referen-tes; elaudentes prinripem suum, et agentes ante omnia ne quid sciat.
e Xenophon CCyropmdia, 1. viii, p. 5t0) has stated the specious rea-sons which engaged Cyrus to entrust his person to the guard of eunuchs.He had observed in animals, that although the practice of castrationmight tame their ungovernable fierceness, it did not diminish theirstrength or spirit; and he persuaded himself, that those who were sc
parated