a freedman of the Emperor Claudius, became the secretary of his master, and rose to have great influence in the empire. His unscrupulous cunning, and his power over the mind of the emperor, rendered him a useful tool in the hands of Messalina, the profligate wife of Claudius. To gratify her revenge, he accomplished the destruction of Appius Silanus. For the same end he seized the occasion when Scribonianus was condemned for treason, to implicate many innocent persons in the conspiracy. At length the league between these two wily assassins was dissolved, and they directed their deadly arts against each other. The wary prudence of Narcissus soon