Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/430

 A T T I C U S. p. .*-,:. ATTICUS, one the rr.oft fingnlar perfonages in ancient in voce. R (irr : e . Heundeiflood the art of conducting himfelf fo well, that, without departing from his neutrality, he preferved the efteem and affection of all parties. He lent money to the vounger Marius, who had been declared an enemy to the "Commonwealth; yet was fo much in favour with Sylla, that this Roman general would always have had him with him. He kept himfelf quiet at Rome during the war between Caefar and Pompey ; which did not offend Pompey, and prodi^ioufly pleafcd Cnsfar. He fent money to Brutus, while he was doing kind offices to Antony. Afterwards, in the cruel divifbns which arofe between Antony and Auguf- tus, he preferved the friend fhip of them both. Surely it muft have been a moft difficult tafk to preferve at the fame time the friendship of two fuch antagonifts. The ftric.1 friendfhip he had with Cicero, did not hinder him from being intimate with Hortenfius ; and he was the caufe (asNepos, his biographer, tells us) that thcfe two rivals not only did not reproach each other, but even lived together upon very pood terms. The con- tefts between the parties of China and Marius induced him to go to Athens young, where he continued a long time; and gained the zffections of the Athenians in fiich a manner, that the day he left them was a day of mourning. He never at- tempted to raife himfelf above the rank of life in which he was born, which was that of knight, although he might have cbtainetl the higheft pc.fls in the Republic; but he chofe to renounce all pretenfions to them, becaufe, in the then pre- vailing corruption, he could nei'her gain nor difcharge ihtm according to the laws, and as a man of integrity woulJ have v/ifhed to do. And this, undoubtedly, mult always be con- fuiered as a proof of his great virtue, notwithftanding he has been chirped with avarice and trimming. He was not mar- ri- i r c he was ft fey- three : he had only a daughter, who was marnei to Agrippa; frora which marriage came a daughter, whom Aguftus betroihed to Tiberius almoft as -n aj> fhe was born. He reached the age of feventy-feven F, almoft without knowing what ficknefs was; but at (I iell Tick. His ficknefs, which was flight for three hs, at length becoming painful, he 0:nt for Agrippa, his fon-in-law, and two other perfons, and declared to them a rd'olution to put an end to his life, by abltinence from food. ,iua remonftrated wi'.h tears, but all in vain. Afcer two days a'i'Himr.cc, the fevtr left hirn, and the difeafe abated; Atttcus perfifted, and died three days after. This hap-, '^d in t- , of Rcaie - Atticua