ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἐκάλει, χρυσᾶς τε αὐτῷ κριθὰς παρέ βαλλε, καὶ οἶνον ἐν χρυσοῖς ἐκπώμασι προὔπινε· τήν τε σωτηρίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν τυχὴν ὤμνυε, καὶ προσυπισχνεῖτο, καὶ ὕπατον αὐτὸν ἀποδείξειν· καὶ πάντως ἂν καὶ τοῦτο ἐπεποιήκει, εἰ πλείω χρονὸν ἐζήκει,” &c. Dion Cass. Calig. § 14.

F

Edip.

V. Claudius-Judah-Leo.

CLAUDIUS is Leo. Tacitus and Suetonius seem to have exerted themselves to disguise this part of their theory beneath a double veil of allegory. Yet I cannot but think I have discovered the long-concealed truth, which I shall therefore submit to the world, whatever be the opposition and clamor of illiberal and bigoted

men.

In the first book of his annals, Tacitus informs us that the History of Claudius has been falsified. Tiberii, Caiique, et CLAUDII, ac Neronis res, florentibus ipsis, ob metum

falsæ; postquam occiderant, recentibus odiis compositæ sunt. (sect. 1.) With these reasons we have nothing to do; they are very ingenious, and completely answer the historian's design; but our object is to penetrate through this artful disguise. The History of Claudius has been, falsified and corrupted, and the knowledge of this circumstance enables us to unravel the whole mystery.

Falsehood is the contrast of truth. Claudius is represented by tradition as the very opposite of a Lion: as weak, tame, spiritless, nerveless, and inactive: in short, as much unlike a Lion in every respect as possible. But if the accounts we have received are false, it evidently follows that he was not weak, and tame, and spiritless; and if he was not these, then he must

have been spirited, energetic, and active, as his emblem the Lion is uniformly represented and on strict examination we shall find this argument most singularly confirmed.

His name is derived from p, to shine, to move lightly, to be light, whence the word

p, the origin of Claudius. The Sun is said by tradition to have been at its utmost height when Leo occupied the place, which is now filled by Cancer; but I shall not insist upon this, though Sir William assures us the Sun was at that time held in the highest honor, and this honor is referred to by the expressions "thou art he who thy brethren shall praise;" "thy hand shall be on the neck of all thine enemies." proofs that Claudius was Leo are much

Our

more decisive.

"The progress of the Sun through Leo," says my learned master," is clearly typified by the words, Judah is a Lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a Lion, and as an old Lion."

The chief characteristic of a Lion is, that it watches for its prey, it couches down, as if to aim with greater certainty at its object, and to seize it more surely. It is slow and cautious before it acts, and it then acts with resistless effect and terror. Such was the conduct of Claudius. He is said to have been hesitating, and slow, before he decided; in other words, he was cautious as a couching Lion; but after his decision his vengeance was prompt and effectual. I refer to his supposed conduct to Messalina, of whom Juvenal, Tacitus, and others, say very