f the Stoic philosophy, who, with Burrhus, the
commander of the Praetorian Guard, guided the young Emperor with good
advice through the first five years of his reign; and though his wicked
mother called herself Augusta, and had equal honors paid her with her
son, not much harm was done to the government till Nero fell in love
with a wicked woman, Poppaea Sabina, who was a proverb for vanity, and
was said to keep five hundred she-asses that she might bathe in their
milk to preserve her complexion. Nero wanted to marry this lady, and as
his mother befriended his neglected wife Octavia, he ordered that when
she went to her favorite villa at Baiae her galley should be wrecked,
and if she was not drowned, she should be stabbed. Octavia was divorced,
sent to an island, and put to death there; and after Nero married
Poppaea, he quickly grew more violent and savage.

Burrhus died about the same time, and Seneca alone could not restrain
the Emperor from his foolish vanity. He would descend into the arena of
the great amphitheatre and sing to the lyre his own compositions; and he
showed off his charioteering in the circus before the whole assembled
city, letting no one go away till the performance was over. It very much
shocked the patricians, but the mob were delighted, and he chiefly cared
for their praises. He was building a huge palace, called the Golden
House because of its splendid decorations; and, needing money, he caused
accusations to be got up against all the richer men that he might have
their hoards.

[Illustration: NERO.]

A terrible fire broke out in Rome, which raged for six days, and
entirely destroyed fourteen quarters of the city. While it was burning,
Nero, full of excitement, stood watching it, and sang to his lyre the
description of the burning of Troy. A report therefore arose that he had
actually caused the fire for the amusement of watching it; and to put
this out of men's minds he accused the Christians. The Christian faith
had begun to be known in Rome during the last reign, and it was to Nero,
as Caesar, that St. Paul had appealed. He had spent two years in a hired
house of his own at Rome, and thus had been in the guard-room of the
Praetorians, but he was released after being tried at "Caesar's
judgment-seat," and remained at large until this sudden outburst which
caused the first persecution. Then he was taken at Nicopolis, and St.
Peter at Rome, and they were thrown into the Mamertine dungeon. Rom