ing of what he had done. His officers and
favorites at Rome sent him word that the memory of Agrippina was
abhorred at the capital, and that in destroying her, he was
considered as having rendered a great service to the state. These
representations in some measure reassured his mind, and at length he
returned to the city.

In due time he divorced Octavia, and married Poppaea. Octavia,
however, still remained at Rome, residing in apartments assigned her
in one of the imperial palaces. Her high birth and distinguished
position, and, more than all, the sympathy that was felt for her in
her misfortunes, made her an object of great attention. The people
put garlands upon her statues in the public places in the city, and
pulled down those which were placed at Nero's command upon those of
Poppaea. These and other indications of the popular feeling, inflamed
Poppaea's hatred and jealousy to such a degree, that she suborned one
of Octavia's domestics to accuse her mistress of an ignominious
crime. When thus accused, other women in Octavia's service were put
to the rack to compel them to testify against her. They, however,
persevered, in the midst of their tortures, in asserting her
innocence. Poppaea, nevertheless, insisted that she should be
condemned, and at last, by way of compromising the case, Nero
consented to banish her from the city.

She was sent to a villa on the sea-coast, in the neighborhood of the
place where Anicetus was stationed with his fleet. But Poppaea would
not allow her to live in peace even as an exile. She soon brought a
charge against her of having formed a conspiracy against the
government of Nero, and of having corrupted Anicetus, with a view of
obtaining the co-operation of the fleet in the execution of
treasonable designs. Anicetus himself testified to the truth of this
charge. He said that Octavia had formed such a plan, and that she
had given herself up, in person, wholly to him, in order to induce
him to join in it. Octavia was accordingly condemned to die.

Notwithstanding the testimony of Anicetus, Octavia was not at the
time generally believed to be guilty of the charge on which she was
condemned. It was supposed that Anicetus was induced, by promises
and bribes from Nero and Poppaea, to fabricate the story, in order
that they might have a pretext for putting Octavia to death. However
this may be, the unhappy princess was condemned, and the sentence
pronounced upon her was, that she must di