GERMANICUS CESAR, a distinguished Roman general, belonging to the imperial family, was the son of Nero Claudius Drusus, and of Antonia, daughter of Mark Antony, and niece ot Augustus, He was born 15 B. c., in the month of September. In accordance with the desire of Augustus, who had even thought of making him his suc cessor, he was adopted in the year 4 A.D. by Tiberius, whom he accompanied in the war waged against the Pannonians and Dalmatians, for the purpose of securing the German frontiers after the defeat of Varus. After having been consul in 12, A.D., he was appointed in the following year to the command of the eight legions on the Rhine. On the death of Augustus, in 14 A.D., the soldiers revolted, demanding higher pay, and a shorter period of service. Germanicus hastened from Gaul (where he happened to be at the time) to remind them of their duty. The soldiers, who almost idolized him for his frank and generous disposition, urged him to seize upon the supreme power. German icus, however, was incapable of treachery, and declared that he would rather die than forfeit his allegiance. He, however, granted their demands, though his colleague, A. Cmcina, secretly massacred the ringleaders at night. Germinicus now led the legions over the Rhine below Wesel, attacked the 3Iarsi during a nocturnal festival, and destroyed their celebrated temple of Tanfana. In 15 A.D., he made a second inroad into Germany. Proceeding from Metz into the country of the Catti, he destroyed their chief town of Mattium (Maden, near Gudensberg), slaughtering the entire inhabitants, young and old. On his return, his assistance was implored by the ambassadors of Segestes (always a firm ally of the Romans), who was besieged by his son-in-law, Arminius, the conqueror of Yarns. This was at once given, and Thusnelda, the heroic wife of Arminius, fell into the hands of the Roman general. Arminius, burning with anger and shame, now roused the Cherusci and all the neighboring tribes to war. Ger manicus, in consequence, commenced a third campaign. He divided his army into three divisions. The main body of the infantry were led by Cmcina through the coun try of the Bructeri, the cavalry under another-general marched through Friesland, while Gertnanicus himself sailed with a tleet through the Zuyder zee into the German ocean, and proceeded up the river Ems, where he joined the others. The united divisions now laid waste the country in the neighborhood of the Teutoburg forest, penetrated into its gloomy depths, and gathering up the bones of Yarns and his 'legions, which had lain bleaching there for six long years, buried them with solemn funeral honors. A victory gained by Arminius induced Germanicus to make a hasty retreat, during which he lost part of his fleet in a tempest. Cmcina, who retreated by land, sustained severe losses at
the hands of the pursuing Germans. Before the fleet of 1000 vessels, which Germanicus had built in Batavia, was equipped, he was recalled over the Rhine in 16 A.D. by news of the beleaguerment of the recently acquired fortress of Aliso, on the Lippe. The Germans were repulsed, and the funeral mound in the forest of Teutoburg, which they had thrown down, was again erected. Germanicus now sailed with his fleet again into the Ems, pressed forward.to the Weser, which he crossed, and completely overthrew Arminius in two battles. ' ace v erth el ess, he determined to return, and on his way, again lost the greater part of his fleet in a great storm. In order to prevent this event from giving courage to the Germans, he once more, in the same year, marched into the coun try of the Mani, and despatched his lieutenant, Silius, against the Catti. The victories thus achieved were to have been followed up in the succeeding years, but Tiberius, jealous of his glory, recalled him, and feigning good-will, bestowed upon him the honor of a triumph, in which Thusnelda appeared among the captives. To rid himself of Germanicus, whose popularity seemed to render him dangerous, Tiberius sent him, in 17 A.D., with extensive authority, to settle affairs in the east, at the same time appoint ing Piso viceroy of Syria, whose haughty and despotic character everywhere counter acted the influence of Germanicus. Germanicus died at Epidaplinte, near Antioch, 9th Oct.,49 A.D., probably of poison. He was deeply lamented both by the inhabitants of the provinces and the citizens of Rome, whether his ashes were conveyed, and deposited by his wife Agrippina in the mausoleum of Augustus. Agrippina herself and two of her sons were put to death, by order of Tiberius; her third son, Caligula, was spared. Of the three daughters who survived their father, Agrippina became as remarkable for vices as her mother had been for her virtues. Besides his splendid generalship, Germanicus was conspicuous for his magnanimity, benevolence, finely cultured understanding, and personal purity of life. He wrote several works of a rhetorical character, which have been lost; but of his poetical works, we possess an epigram, a version of the Phanamena of Aratus, and fragments of a work of the same character, entitled Diosemeia, or Prognostka, compiled from Greek sources. German icus's literary remains were first published at Bologna, in 1474. The latest edition is that of Orelli, at the end of his Phmdrus (Zurich, 1831).