acy was formed by some of the leading men of
the state, to dethrone and destroy the tyrant. This plot was a very
extensive and a very formidable one. It was, however, accidentally
discovered before it was fully mature, and thus was unsuccessful. It
is known in history as Piso's Conspiracy--deriving its name from
that of the principal leader of it, Caius Calpurnius Piso.

It is not supposed, however, that Piso was absolutely the originator
of the conspiracy, nor is it known, in fact, who the originator of
it was. A great number of prominent men were involved in the
plot--men who, possessing very different characters, and occupying
very different stations in life, were probably induced by various
motives to take part in the conspiracy. A conspiracy, however, of
this kind, against so merciless a tyrant as Nero, is an enterprise
of such frightful danger, and is attended, if unsuccessful, with
such awful consequences to all concerned in it, that men will seldom
engage in such a scheme until goaded to desperation, and almost
maddened, by the wrongs which they have endured.

And yet the exasperation which these conspirators felt against Nero,
seems to have been produced, in some instances at least, by what we
should now consider rather inadequate causes. For example, one of
the men most active in this secret league, was the celebrated Latin
poet Lucan. In the early part of his life, Lucan had been one of
Nero's principal flatterers, having written hymns and sonnets in his
praise. At length, as it was said, some public occasion occurred in
which verses were to be recited in public, for a prize. Nero, who
imagined himself to excel in every human art or attainment, offered
some of his own verses in the competition. The prize, however, was
adjudged to Lucan. Nero's mind was accordingly filled with envy and
hate toward his rival, and he soon found some pretext for forbidding
Lucan ever to recite any verses in public again. This of course
exasperated Lucan in his turn, and was the cause of his joining in
the conspiracy.

Another of the conspirators was a certain Roman nobleman, whose
family name has since become very widely known in all parts of the
civilized world, through an estate in the city with which it was
associated,--which estate, and certain buildings erected upon it,
became subsequently greatly celebrated in the ecclesiastical history
of Rome. The name of this nobleman was Plautius Lateranus. When
Lateranus was put to