168. 7 An account of this is found in
Herodian, as happening in the times of Commodus, (Lib. i. 14.) He first tells
us, that the Temple of Peace suffered by lightning after many prodigies had
appeared in the heavens, with pestilences, &c. on the earth. [Greek] "
Maximum autem nefas cum in praesens dolorom attulit, tum in futurum pessimo
augurio universos conterruit. Nam cum neque imbres ulli neque nubes, tantumque
exiguus terrae motus antecessisset, seu nocturni casu fulminis, sive igni
aliquo in ipso terrarum motu velut extrito, totum de improviso Pacis templum
consumptum incendio est: quod unum scilicet opus cunctorum tota urbo maximum
fuit atque pulcherrimum: idem templorum omnium opulentissimum...inter qua;
etiam Vestae templum, sic ut Palladium quoque conspiceretur: quod inprimis
colunt atque in arcano habent Romani, Troja (ut perhibent) avectum." See
also Xiphilinus near the end of Commodus. The Temple of Fortune at Rome is
said, by Zosimus, to have been burnt in like manner. (Lib. ii. Constantinus et
Licinius.) The Temple of Vesta was also burnt in the first Punic wars. See
Dion. Hallicarn. Lib. ii. p. 94. Edit. 1546, where this Palladium is also
spoken of. See also Clemens. Alexand. Admon. ad Gentes. p. 30—85. seq. and
Pausan. Lib. v.
169. 1 [...] Xiphilinus tells us in his
Epitome of Dion, that in the times of Titus, the Temples of Serapis and Isis;
the Septa; the Temple of Neptune; the Baths of Agrippa; the Pantheon ; the
Diribitorium; the Theatre of Balbus; the Scena of Pompey ; the houses of
Octavius, with the books; the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, with the adjoining
Temples, were all destroyed by fire, which the Historian thinks were Divine,
rather than human, occurrences. (Edit. Sylburg. Ed. 1590. p. 827.) See also
Prep. Evang. Lib. in. cap ii. p. 134. D. seq. It. Simsoni de Sibyl. Vaticin. disquis. col.
1712.
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