M. Cocceius, the eleventh Roman emperor in succession from Augustus, was born A.D. 33, in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius. It is curious that his name is scarcely mentioned in history till he ascended the imperial throne, after he had passed his sixtieth year. He was probably the relation of Cocceius Nerva, who is described by Tacitus (Ann. vi. 26) as distinguished for his knowledge of law, and as having put himself to death rather than survive his friends, who had fallen a sacrifice to the tyranny of Tiberius. We find him consul A.D. 71, being the second year of the reign of Vespasian, and a second time A.D. 90, in the tenth year of the reign of Domitian; but history records nothing for which he was distinguished. Towards the close of Domitian's reign, he was in exile with many good men at Tarentum; and hearing of the bold defence made by Pliny the younger for the inhabitants of Bovica against Bebius Massa, he wrote to Pliny to congratulate him on the example he had given. (Plin. Ep. iii. 33.) When the conspirators had resolved to put to death the Emperor Domitian, they found it no easy task to discover a person who would agree to be his successor, as every one suspected that it was a snare laid by Domitian himself to entrap them. Nerva, however, was persuaded to run the risk, an astrologer having some time before predicted that he would ascend the imperial throne. Domitian was murdered on the 18th of September A.D. 96, and Nerva was on the same day saluted emperor. The kind and benevolent disposition of Nerva must have been doubly felt from its strong contrast with the ferocious cruelty of his predecessor. One of his first acts was to release all those who had been accused of what was designated impiety, which consisted of the slightest neglect of respect to the emperor or his statues. This law was of so comprehensive a nature, that it was scarcely possible to escape, and the only chance seemed to be, by being active in the accusation of others. Domitian had also passed a severe law against those who practised Jewish rites, by which profane writers no doubt meant the followers of the Christian reli- Nerves; but Nerva refused to listen to any such accusations. Whatever property had been taken unjustly by Domitian he restored to its lawful owners; and he at the same time did every thing in his power to lessen the expenses of the state. He swore in the senate that no senator should be put to death by his orders; and even when a conspiracy was formed against him, he kept to his resolution. He used frequently to say that he had done nothing to prevent him living in safety as a private citizen if he chose to lay down his authority. In nothing did he show his sagacity and his anxiety to secure the happiness of the empire more than by his adoption of M. Ulpius Nerva Trajanus to be his successor, although he was not without many near relatives. He died, after a reign of sixteen months, on the 27th of January, A.D. 98, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. (Xiphilinus, Extracts from Dion Cassius.)