whether she wholly
invented the story under the impulse of a desperate revenge, was
never fully known. The historians of the time incline to the latter
opinion.

However this may be, Nero was greatly alarmed at the communication
which Paris made to him. He immediately abandoned his festivities
and carousals, dismissed his guests, and called a council of his
most confidential advisers, to consider what was to be done. He
stated the case to this council, and announced it as his
determination immediately to pronounce sentence of death upon his
mother and upon Plautus, and to send officers at once to execute the
decree, as the first step to be taken. Burrus, however, strongly
dissuaded him from so rash a proceeding. "These are only charges,"
said he, "at present. We have yet no proofs. An informer has come
to you at dead of night with this wild and improbable story, and if
we take it for granted at once that it is true, and allow ourselves
to act under the influence of excitement and alarm, we should
afterward regret our rashness when the consequences could not be
retrieved. Besides, Agrippina is your mother; and as it is the right
of the humblest person in the commonwealth, when accused of crime,
to be heard in answer to the accusation, it would be an atrocious
crime to deprive the mother of the emperor of that privilege.
Postpone, therefore, pronouncing judgment in this case until we can
learn the facts more certainly. I pledge myself to execute sentence
of death on Agrippina, if after a fair hearing, this charge is
proved against her."

By such arguments and remonstrances as these Nero was in some degree
appeased, and it was determined to postpone taking any decisive
action in the emergency until the morning. As soon as it was day,
Burrus and Seneca, accompanied by several attendants, who were to
act as witnesses of the interview, were dispatched to the house of
Agrippina to lay the charge before her and to hear what she had to
say.

Agrippina was at first somewhat astonished at being summoned at so
early an hour to give audience to so formidable a commission; but
her proud spirit had become so fierce and desperate under the
treatment which she had received from her son, that she was very
slightly sensible to fear. She listened, therefore, to the heavy
charge which Burrus brought against her, undismayed; and when he
paused to hear her reply, instead of excusing and defending herself,
and deprecating the emperor's d