Trajan and Sura Lucinus

Trajan and Sura Lucinus

Trajan, the Roman Emperor, when he

Emperor Trajan 

Handed to Lucinus a naked sword,
Appointed him commander of his guards,
Said, “Take this, and use it if I rule them ill,
Then wield this sword against me!”
Would that all 5
Clothed in authority as fully knew
And practised Trajan’s maxim! to uphold
The power of the good ruler, be he king
Or president call’d by the people’s choice;
But should he prostitute that power to crush 10
Those rights and liberties he should protect,
Then we should dash to earth the wicked man,
Depriving him of power: for such as he
Are only tyrants who oppress the world,
And curse their fellows whom they ought to bless. 15
How to get rid of them the easiest way,
And best protect all human liberties,
Should be our constant study: they who cringe
To tyrants, all are sharers of their crimes.

by George Markham Tweddell
Blank verse [in M/S], unumbered [but notionally p. 109.]
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Notes - by editor
"Lucius Licinius Sura was an influential Roman Senator from Tarraco, a close friend of the Emperor Trajan and three times consul - in a period when three consulates were very rare for non-members of the Imperial family - in AD 93 (or perhaps 97), 102 and 107. Pliny the Younger wrote to L. Licinius Sura, asking his opinion on the existence of ghosts. [Letters of Pliny, Vol. VII, 27]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Licinius_Sura

"Trajan: Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Divi Nerva fili Augustus; 18 September 53 AD – 9 August 117 AD) was Roman Emperor from 98 AD until his death. Officially declared by the senate as optimus princeps ("the best emperor"), Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history, leading the empire to attain its maximum territorial extent by the time of his death. He is also known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programs and implementing social welfare policies, which earned him his enduring reputation as the second of the Five Good Emperors who presided over an era of peace and prosperity in the Mediterranean world."

MORE HERE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan