[Born at Rome, A.D. 76. Died there, A.D. 138. Aged 63.]
In his youth wedded to literature, especially that of Greece. He was the
adopted son of Trajan, whom he succeeded as Emperor, in A.D. 117.
Travelling was with him a passion. In A.D. 119, he set forth on a
journey which lasted for the space of 17 years. He visited Gaul, Britain
(where he erected the famous wall between the Solway and the Tyne),
Spain, Africa, and part of Asia. On a second visit to the East he lost
his favourite page Antinous, and his grief for this youth has since
resounded through the world. Shortly after his return to Rome in 132,
the Jewish war broke out. It ended in the subjugation and slavery of the
chosen people. He was a wise Emperor, a cultivator of the arts, and a
lover of peace, though stained with vices of his age.
[Busts of Hadrian are common. This is from the Rotunda of the Vatican.
No. 123 is from a very perfect one in the Naples Museum. For engraving
of the fine statue in the British Museum, see Handbook of Roman Court
and Nave, p. 13.]