Michelet says that Brutus had "a narrow

forehead."

I presume the expression is used as

a figure of speech for a slender understanding, which that weak tool of the aristocracy certainly had.

AUGUSTUS.

THE great personal beauty of Augustus is matter of established history. Suetonius has used the strongest terms in describing the comeliness which distinguished him at every period of his life. In his entertainments, at which he and his friends appeared in the characters of the gods and goddesses, the part of Octavius was to represent the graceful Apollo. From an affectation of modesty, Octavius melted down. all the silver statues that were erected in his honour, and dedicated the value of them in the form of golden tripods to the Palatine Apollo. He could act the humble patriot like Julius, and when the people were violently forcing the

dictatorship on him, he fell on his knees, and uncovering his shoulders and breast, refused the honour.

Augustus was of rather short stature, but this was so far concealed by his extremely symmetrical figure, and was not, as Suetonius tells us, well perceived except when a tall man stood beside him. Besides this, he wore high shoes in order that he might appear taller than he was, a fashion which we learn was universal amongst the ancient princes of Persia, where great stature was considered an attribute of royalty. The features of Augustus were full of majesty, with something of a feminine delicacy in them, particularly in the mouth and chin, and their expression was that of great calmness and tranquillity. His complexion was between brown and fair. His yellowish hair was slightly curled, and he was careless of dressing it, as he was of his toilet altogether. His beard he sometimes had clipped and sometimes shaved, and these operations were performed while he was engaged in reading or writing.*

* Suetonius," Octavius," c. 79.

Suetonius has noticed the lustre of the emperor's large eyes; Pliny tells us that they were blue. Aurelius Victor, following Sue

tonius, has referred still more distinctly to the emperor's belief in their dazzling brightness. "In all his person," says the historian," he was beautiful, but particularly so in his eyes. He darted their light like that of the brightest stars, and was willing that others looking at him should be struck by his glance as by the rays of the sun. A soldier having turned away from him, on being asked by the emperor why he did so, replied, 'Because I cannot suffer the lightning of your eyes.'" Such compliments have been but rarely paid to men; but this was a prudent soldier, and I have no doubt that he got rapid promotion.

Augustus's eyebrows were joined, a feature delightful to the ancients and repulsive to the moderns. The passion of the ancients was for eyebrows between which the separation was barely perceptible. "Do not," says Anacreon, in his directions to the painter how to paint his mistress," do not separate the eyebrows nor

fairly join them, but let her picture have, as she has, the eyebrows indiscernibly running into each other."*

The emperor's ears were of the middle size; his nose was elevated in the upper part, and drawn more slenderly below. With all the points of beauty which were met in him, the pictorial Suetonius, like a faithful artist, tells us that Augustus's teeth were few, small, and uneven; that in his latter years he partially lost the sight of his left eye; that he had a weakness in his left side, and often halted on the left leg, and sometimes had not the use of the forefinger of his right hand. The health of Augustus was weak; he was afflicted with gravel; he could neither endure great heat nor great cold, and never went out of doors even under the winter sun without a broad covering on his head. There were some roughnesses on his skin arising from prickling, which by the assiduous use of brushing were gathered together in the form of ringworm. We need not credit as anything better than a mere story,

* Anacreon. Od. xxvIII.