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Julius, who was the first that occasioned the revolt
in Galatia, among many other confederates in the rebellion
had one Sabinus, a young gentleman of no mean spirit,
and for fame and riches inferior to none. But having
undertaken a very difficult enterprise, they miscarried; and
therefore expecting nothing but death by the hand of justice, some of them killed themselves, others made their
escapes as well as they could. As for Sabinus, he had all
the opportunities that could be to save himself by flying
to the barbarians; but he had married a lady, the best of
women, which they called by the name of Empone, as
much as to say a heroess. This woman it was not in his
power to leave, neither could he carry her conveniently
along with him. Having therefore in the country certain
vaults or cellars under ground, where he had hid his
treasures and movables of greatest value, which were only
known to two of his freed bondmen, he dismissed all the
[p. 309]
rest of his servants, as if he had intended to poison himself. And taking along with him his two faithful and trusty
servants, he hid himself in one of the vaults, and sent
another of his enfranchised attendants, whose name was
Martalius, to tell his wife that her husband had poisoned
himself and that the house and his corpse were both burnt
together, designing by the lamentation and unfeigned grief
of his wife to make the report of his death the more
easily believed; which fell out according to his wish. For
the lady, so soon as she heard the news, threw herself
upon the floor, and continued for three days together without meat or drink, making the most bitter outcries, and
bewailing her loss with all the marks of a real and unfeigned anguish; which Sabinus understanding, and fearing her sorrow might prevail with her to lay violent hands
upon herself, he ordered the same Martalius to tell her
that he was yet alive and lay hid in such a place; however, that she should for a while continue her mourning,
and be sure so to counterfeit her grief that she should not
be discovered. And indeed in all other things the lady
acted her part so well, and managed her passion to that
degree, that no woman could do it better. But having
still a longing desire to see her husband, she went to him
in the night and returned again so privately that nobody
took any notice of her. And thus she continued keeping
him company for seven months together, that it might be
said to differ very little from living in hell itself. Where
after she had so strangely disguised Sabinus with a false
head of hair, and such odd sort of habit, that it was impossible for him to be known, she carried him to Rome
along with her undiscovered to several that met him. But
not being able to obtain his pardon, she returned with him
back to his den, and for many years lived with him under
ground; only between whiles she went to the city, and
there showed herself in public to several ladies, her friends
[p. 310]
and familiar acquaintance. But that which was the most
incredible of all things, she so ordered her business that
none of the ladies perceived her being with child, though
she bathed at the same time with them. For such is the
nature of that same ointment wherewith the women anoint
their hair to make it of a red-golden color, that by its fatness and oiliness it plumps and swells up the flesh of the
body, and brings it up to an embonpoint. So that the
lady, no less liberal of her ointment than diligent to chafe
and rub her body limb by limb, by the proportionable
rising and swelling of her flesh in every part, concealed
the swelling of her belly. And when she came to be
delivered, she endured the pains of her child-bearing alone
by herself, like a lioness, hiding herself in her den with her
husband; and there, as I may say, she bred up in private
her two male whelps. For at that time she was delivered
of two boys, of which there was one who was slain in
Egypt; the other, whose name was also Sabinus, was but
very lately with us at Delphi.
For this reason Caesar put the lady to death; but dearly
paid for the murder by the utter extirpation of his whole
posterity, which in a short time after was utterly cut off
from the face of the earth. For during his whole reign,
there was not a more cruel and savage act committed;
neither was there any other spectacle which in all probability the Gods and Daemons more detested, or any from
which they more turned away their eyes in abomination
of the sight. Besides, she abated the compassion of the
spectators by the stoutness of her behavior and the grandeur of her utterance, than which there was nothing that
more exasperated Vespasian; when, despairing of her
husband's pardon, she did as it were challenge the emperor
to exchange her life for his, telling him withal, that she
accounted it a far greater pleasure to live in darkness under
ground as she had done, than to reign in splendor like
him.
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