Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/158

 cvi be offer'd by the Priests in Private, without any Concourse of the Multitude. And all the way of his Progress he visited the Temples, Schools, and such frequented Places, instructing the People in a familiar condescensive manner : And explaining some of the grand Difficulties in Philosophy, insomuch that wherever he came, he was extreamly admir'd for his Sense and Capacity.

The first thing he did in Syria was to burn all the Letters found in Cassius's Cabinet, that he might not be forc'd almost to hate any Person whether he would or no. Some are of Opinion that Martius Verus, whom the Emperour detatched for Syria, and for his Loyalty, gave him the Government of that Province, some say this Martius Verus, burnt the Letters before, of his own Head, declaring that the Emperour would like it: But if he should be so unhappy as to Displease his Majesty, he should suffer Death very willingly to save the Lives of so many People: Such an Instance of Goodness and Generosity is rarely to be met with in a Heathen, or it may be in a Courtier either.

Towards the end of this Year Antoninus was proclaim'd Emperour the eighth time, as appears by the Medals where the Inscription Imp. VIII. is join'd with