Notwithstanding the benevolence and mildness which characterize the life of Nerva, he began to ex perience that malignity w hich vice never fails to exhibit against virtue. A dangerous conspiracy was formed against his life by Calpurnius Crassus; but though the senate were desirous of treating the con spirators with rigour, Nerva would allow no other severity to be inflicted than that of banishment.
This unwillingness to punish the guilty promoted no doubt another insurrection which had been orga nized against Nerva among the Prcetorian bands under Casparius Olianius, on the plea of revenging the death of Domitian. Nerva used all gentle means to put an end to the mutiny. He even presented himself to the insurgents, opened his breast, and desired them to take his life rather than to involve their country in fresh calamities. Unawed by his courage, the muti neers seized upon Petronius and Parthenius, and slew them before the emperor. They then compelled Nerva to approve of their sedition, and to thank the Prxto rian hands for their fidelity. These events, though personally disagreeable to Nerva, turned out most favourable for the empire. The turbulence and injus tice which the cohorts had now evinced induced Nerva to look around him for a colleague, who might afford him his assistance and advice in the government of the empire. Having no private objects in view, he set aside all his own relations and fixed upon M. Ulpius Crinitus Trajan, an entire stranger to his family, who then held the government in Upper Germany.
Having performed the usual formalities, Nerva sent ambassadors to Cologne, where Trajan then resided, informing him of his choice, and requesting his pre sence and assistance in checking the turbulence of the soldiers. After punishing Caspanius Olianius, Nerva died of a fever, which was brought on by a violent passion, into which he threw himself with one of his senators.
When Trajan was informed of the death of Nerva, he returned to Rome with his army, in which he main tained a discipline which had long been unknown among the Roman legions. The provinces through which he passed were neither ravaged by the soldiers nor taxed by the generals; and the new emperor enter ed Rome without pomp or circumstance, attended by the officers of state, and followed in peaceful proces sion by his soldiers. Trajan, though born in Seville, was descended of an Italian family. His father had
been raised to the rank of a patrician by Vespasian, and after various successful expeditions on the Eu phrates and the Rhine, in which his son accompanied him, he had been honoured with the consulship, and with a triumph. In this way Trajan acquired in early life, a very considerable reputation in war. When the command of the army in Lower Germany was given him, he lived in the most simple and unassuming man ner. Ile performed long marches on foot along with his troops, and shared with them all the dangers and fatigues of war. He knew all the old soldiers by their own names, and conversed with them in the most fami liar manner. Before he retired to rest he inspected the camp personally, and convinced himself of the vigi lance of his sentinels and the security of his army.— To these qualities as a soldier, he added the most amiable modesty and mildness of disposition, and he united in his character all those moral and in tellectual qualifications, and all that experience in war and personal bravery which history generally records as the gifts of many different individuals. His personal appearance corresponded with the symmetry of his mind; and when he entered Rome in the vigour of manhood,he inspired his subjects with a respect and ad miration which they never ceased to attach to his name.
Trajan had no sooner ascended the throne, than he was called upon to check the insolence of the Dacians, who had ravaged the Roman empire during the reign of Domitian, and who now claimed from the Roman people a tribute which the cowardice of that emperor had induced him to offer. At the head of a powerful army Trajan marched towards Dacia, and overawed the barbarians by his sudden appearance upon their frontier. The treaty, however, into which they were thus compelled to enter, was speedily broken by their king Dcccbalus. After throwing a bridge over the Danube, Trajan entered Dacia, and brought Deeebalus to a general action, in which the Dacian army was completely routed; and their king despairing of suc cess, put himself to death. In this battle, which re duced Dacia to a Roman province, the slaughter was so great, that linen was wanted in the Roman camp to dress the wounds of the soldiers. On the return of Trajan to Italy he entered the capital in triumph, and the rejoicings for the victories were continued for 120 days.