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Notes Display Latin text | Augustus, Chapter 99: His last words.[14 AD] | Next chapter Return to index Previous chapter |
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Upon the day of his death, he [Note 1] now and then enquired, if there was any disturbance in the town on his account; and calling for a mirror, he ordered his hair to be combed, and his shrunk cheeks to be adjusted. Then asking his friends who were admitted into the room, Do you think that I have acted my part on the stage of life well? he immediately subjoined, If all be right, with joy your voices raise, In loud applauses to the actor's praise. After which, having dismissed them all, whilst he was inquiring of some persons who were just arrived from Rome, concerning Drusus's daughter, who was in a bad state of health, he expired suddenly, amidst the kisses of Livia, and with these words: Livia ! live mindful of our union; and now, farewell! dying a very easy death, and such as he himself had always wished for. For as often as he heard that any person had died quickly and without pain, he wished for himself and his friends the like euthanasia (an easy death), for that was the word he made use of. He betrayed but one symptom, before he breathed his last, of being delirious, which was this: he was all on a sudden much frightened, and complained that he was carried away by forty men. But this was rather a presage, than any delirium: for precisely that number of soldiers belonging to the praetorian cohort carried out his corpse. Note 1: he = Augustus |