I’m not surprised the day has arrived, that historians are now rehabilitating – so to speak – the reputation of the diabolical monstrosities of Emperor Nero, with a fawning display at the British Museum:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/06/14/how-nasty-was-nero-really
How bad was Nero, really? Well, it depends on whom you trust, and almost all the contemporary sources, secular and ecclesiastical, from Tacitus to Pope Saint Clement of Rome, recount the excesses of the emperor, delighting in evils that can scarcely be imagined. At the end of June, we celebrate the Protomartyrs of Rome, those who first gave their lives for the Faith during the reign of Nero (54 – 68 A.D.) – he had many of set alight like human Tiki torches, while he banqueted.
A good thought for today, on this memorial of the Immaculate Heart, the depths of depravity – or sanctity – in the heart of Man, where he makes that deep, fundamental decision for or against God and all that is good.
Caveat lector – Let the reader beware of Orwell’s own predicted ‘memory hole’, wherein the experts and politicians and curators of information (Wikipedia!) will cast into oblivion what is deemed ‘inconvenient’ to their own purpose or narrative. (Note that in the above article, there is a rather unnecessary paragraph excursus slyly comparing Nero to – you guessed it – Trump. It is the New Yorker, after all).
So, dear read, delve into the actual history of events, sift through, compare sources, and arrive at what truth we can trust. The lies are flying fast and furious, and, as Thomas More advised in his own time of deceitful propaganda and suppression of truth, we must keep our wits about us.
Veritas vos liberabit!