Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/90

xxxviii rus to poyson him, prevented him in his Plot, help'd him to a Dose, and practis'd his own foul Play upon him: Or as some said, prevail'd with his Physician to bleed him to Death. The suspicion of such a Practise being too gross to stick upon Antoninus, a great many People threw it upon Faustina; giving out that this Princess had reveng'd her self by Poyson upon Verus, being enraged against him for betraying the scandalous Correspondence between them to his Empress Lucilla. But the most general Opinion was, that Lucilla was the Person that put him into this Mortal Fit; for not being able to endure the Passion Verus had for his own Sister Fabia, and being less concern'd at the Loss of her Husband's Affection; than at the haughty Behaviour of her Sister in law, who with an Insolence proportionable to her Lewdness, abus'd her Interest with her Brother, and treated the young Empress with Neglect: For this Reason Lucilla, chose rather to level her Revenge directly against Verus, than against her Rival, concluding from the proud Humour of Fabia; that to tumble her down in this manner from that Criminal height of Greatness, to which her Incest had raised her, would be the severest Punishment imaginable: For being thus reduced to a private