"Messalina had received from nature such a violent inclination towards debauchery that it was very difficult for her to confine herself within the legitimate boundaries of marriage, which were too narrow for a heart inflamed by a thousand vices. She was quite beautiful and had enough credit to attract lovers, and too little virtue to keep them waiting for long."
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Messalina
Valeria Messalina (17/20–48) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she allegedly conspired against her husband and was executed on the discovery of the plot. Her notorious reputation may have resulted from political bias, but works of art and literature have perpetuated it into modern times.
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