ed Rome with
alarm. Germany seemed lost. Augustus, when he heard of the disaster,
exclaimed, "Varus! Varus! give me back my legions!"

Tiberius, however, together with Germanicus, the brave son of Drusus,
returned to the defense of the frontier, but did not venture to
penetrate into the forests beyond the Rhine.

In his domestic life Augustus was singularly unfortunate. Livia, his
wife, for whom he entertained a sincere affection, was a person of
strong intellect and various accomplishments; but she was descended from
the Claudian family, and inherited all the pride, ambition, and love of
political intrigue which marked the descendants of Appius Claudius. She
was also married to a Claudius, and thus her two sons by her first
husband, Tiberius and Drusus, were even more than herself Claudians. On
them all Livia's affections were fixed; to secure their aggrandizement
she hesitated at no effort and no crime; and when Drusus died, her son
Tiberius, who resembled his mother in disposition, became the chief
object of her regard. Her husband and his family wore looked upon with
jealousy and dislike, and the darkest suspicions were aroused at Rome
by the death, one by one, of every person who stood between Tiberius and
the throne.

Livia had no child by her second marriage, and the only heir of Augustus
was Julia, the daughter of his former wife, Scribonia. Julia was
beautiful, intelligent, and highly educated; and Augustus, who was
strongly attached to his own family, looked upon his daughter with
singular affection and pride. He hoped to see her grow up pure, wise,
and discreet--a new Lucretia, the representative of the ideal Roman
matron; and he early accustomed Julia to practice moderation in dress,
to spend hours at the spinning-wheel, and to look upon herself as
destined to become the model and example of Roman women.

Julia was first married to her cousin Marcellus, the son of Octavia, a
young man of excellent character, whom Augustus adopted, and probably
destined as his successor; but, in B.C. 23, Marcellus died, amid the
sincere grief of all the Romans. Marcellus has been made immortal by a
few touching lines of Virgil.

[Illustration: Gold coin of Agrippa, with head of Augustus.]

Not long after, Augustus married Julia to his friend Agrippa, and they
had five children--three sons, Caius, Lucius, and Agrippa Postumus, the
latter being born after the death of his father, and two daughters,
Julia and Agrippina. T