send down men into their
provinces to put things right whenever they went wrong. Tiberius
was much more loath to do this. At times one almost suspects him
of being at heart a republican, anxious to restore the Republic
the first moment it might be practicable. That would be, when
the whole empire was one nation and some few souls to guide
things should have appeared. At any rate (in his latter years)
it must have seemed still possible that the Principate should
continue: there was absolutely no one to follow him in it. So
the best thing was to leave as much as possible the senate's duty
to the senate, that responsibility might be aroused in them. For
himself, he gave his whole heart and mind to governing the
provinces of Caesar. He went minutely into finances; and would
have his sheep sheared, not flayed. His eyes and hands were
everywhere, to bring about the Brotherhood of Man. There is,
perhaps, evidence in the Christian Evangels: where we see the
Jewish commonalty on excellent good terms with the Roman soldier,
and Jesus consorting freindily with Tiberius' centurions and
tax-gatherers; but the Jewish national leaders as the enemies of
both--of the Romans, and of the democratic Nazarene. If this
emperor's life had come down through provincial, and not
metropolitan, channels, we should have heard of him as the most
beneficent of men. Indeed, Mr. Baring-Gould argues that among
the Christians a tradition came down of him as of one "very near
the Kingdom of God." It may be so; and such a view may even be
the reflexion of the Nazarene Master's own opinion as to
Tiberius. At any rate, we must suppose that at that time the
Christian Movement was still fairly pure: its seat was in the
provinces, far from Rome; and its strength among humble people
seeking to live the higher life. But those who were interested
to lie against Tiberius, and whose lies come down to us for
history, were all metropolitans, and aristocrats, and apostles
of degeneracy. I do not mean to include Tacitus under the last
head; but he belonged to the party, and inherited the tradition.

It was on the provinces that Tiberius had his hand, not on the
metropolis. He hoped the senators would do their duty, gave them
every chance to; he rather turned his eyes away from their
sphere, and kept them fixed on his own. We must understand this
well: the histories give but accounts of Roman and home affairs;
with which, as they were outside h