rius did what he could to be a good
husband. Julia soon felt that she was once more to become a mother and
the hope of this other child seemed to cement the union between husband
and wife. But the rosy promises of the beginning were soon
disappointed. Tiberius was the son of Livia, a true Claudius, the
worthy heir of two ancient lines, an uncompromising traditionalist,
therefore a rigid and disdainful aristocrat, and a soldier severe with
others as with himself. He wished the aristocracy to set the people an
example of all the virtues which had made Rome so great in peace and
war: religious piety, simplicity of customs, frugality, family purity,
and rigid observance of all the laws. The luxury and prodigality which
were becoming more and more wide-spread among the young nobility had no
fiercer enemy than he. He held that a man of great lineage who spent
his substance on jewels, on dress, and on revels was a traitor to his
country, and no one demanded with greater insistence than he that the
great laws of the year 18 B.C., the sumptuary law, the laws on marriage
and adultery, should be enforced with the severest rigor. Julia, on
the other hand, loved extravagance, festivals, joyous companies of
elegant youths, an easy, brilliant life full of amusement.

[Illustration: Octavia, the sister of Augustus.]

For greater misfortune, the son who was born of their union died
shortly after and discord found its way between Julia and Tiberius.
Sempronius Gracchus, who knew how to profit by this, reappeared and
again made advances to Julia. She again lent her ear to his bland
words and the domestic disagreement rapidly became embittered.
Tiberius,--this is certain,--soon learned that Julia had resumed her
relations with Sempronius Gracchus, and a new, intolerable torment was
added to his already distressed life. According to the _Lex de
adulteriis_, he as husband should have made known the crime of his wife
to the pretor and have had her punished. He had been one of those who
had always most vehemently denounced the nobility for their weakness in
the enforcement of this law. Now that his own wife had fallen under
the provisions of the terrible statute, to which so many other women
had been forced to submit, the moment had come to give the weak that
example of unconquerable firmness which he had so often demanded of
others. But Julia was the daughter of Augustus. Could he call down,
without the consent of Augustus, so t