flexible towards himself he was mild to the failings of others, and lamented that Avidius Caffius, the author and leader of a rebellion, had by a voluntary death withdrawn himself from his mercy. Though he regretted the calamities, and detefted the ferocious features of war, he readily expofed himself to the dangers of it, nor was he deterred by the feverity of the climate from enduring, on the frozen banks of the Danube, the hard hips of eight winter campaigns. But the weakness of his conftitution was inferior to the strength of his mind, and his body funk at length beneath the accumulated preffure of inceffant fatigue; yet his memory was revered by a grateful people, and his image, long after his death, was frequently preferved among thofe of the household gods. CHAP. XLVII, Commodus-His Tyranny-Pertinax-Why called the Tennisball of Fortune-The Empire expofed to fale-Didius Julianus-His laconic Speech to the Senate-Is beheaded.-Severus-His defpotic Government-His Expedition into Britain, where he builds a wall. Caracalla and Geta divide the Empire. Geta assassinated.—Caracalla murdered.Macrinus-Heliogabalus,-His Female Senate.-His prodigalityAlexander's excellent Difpofition.-His Death.Maximin.-His gigantic fize, and extraordinary appetite. -His Tyranny-His Death.-Pupienus, Balbinus, and Gordian put to death-Phillip celebrates the Secular Games. Is killed by a Sentinel. A. D. 180. HE inerits of Antoninus paved the way Telethrone for Commodus; who was acknowledged Emperor, first by the army, then by the fenate and people, and thortly after by all the provinces. But though he owed the empire to the adoption of his fuppofed father, many were of opinion, that he was the fpurious iffue of a gladiator; his own conduct afterwards, and the wanton character of his mother Fauftina, having, perhaps, given rise to the report. a man ere called to fix the period in the history of the world, during which the condition of the human race was moft happy and profperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapfed from the death of Domitian to the the acceffion of Commodus, *" a wretch, in whole mould every fentiment of virtue and humanity was extinct. This hated tyrant, after having oppreffed his fubjects thirteen years, perifhed by poifon, given him by his favourite concubine Marcia. The vacant throne was inftantly filled by Pertinax, præfect of the city, an ancient fenator, A. D. 192. From the number of his adventures, he was called the Tennis-ball of Fortune: and certainly no man ever experienced fuch a variety of fituations, with fo blameless a cha racter. The empire was now openly expofed to fale by the prætorian guards, and purchafed by Didius Julianus. Upon being conducted to the fenate- A. D. 192. house, he addreffed the few fenators who were prefent, in a very laconic fpeech. Fathers, you want an emperor, and I am the fittest perfon you can choose. But even this, fhort as it feems, was unneceffary, fince the fenate had it not in their power to refuse their approbation. His fpeech being backed by the army, to whom he had given about a million of our money, fucceeded. The choice of the foldiers was confirmed by the fenate, and Didius was acknowledged emperor. The provinces revolted; and new competitors offering their claims, Severus the highest bidder, was hailed Auguftus, and Didius Julianus was beheaded by a fentence of the Senate, as a common criminal, after having purchased, with an immenfe treafure, an anxious and precarious reign of only fixty-fix days. Having obtained the purple by means of cruelty and bloodshed, Severus fecured himself A. D. 193. in the government, by inculcating the princi ples of defpotifm, and paffive obedience. His will was the law of the empire. The fenate no longer poffeffed the hadow of authority in the civil and military department; * Gibbon. fo that Severus may be confidered as the principal author of the decline of the Roman empire. He made an expedition into Britain, in order to complete the long-attempted conqueft of that ifland. In purfuing the enemy, his army fuffered moft dreadful hardships. They were obliged to hew their way through intricate forefts, to drain extenfive marfhes, and form bridges over rapid rivers; fo that he loft fifty thousand men by fatigue and ficknefs. However, he furmounted all thefe difficulties with unremitting ardour; and profecuted his fucceffes with fuch vigour, that he compelled the enemy to fue for peace; which he granted upon their furrendering a confiderable part of their country, to'gether with all their arms and military preparations. Having thus given peace to Britain, for its better fecurity he built that famous wall, which still goes by his name, extending from Solway Frith, on the weft, to the German ocean on the east. It was eight feet broad, and twelve feet high, planted with towers, about a mile diftant from each other, and communicating by pipes of brafs in the wall, which conveyed inftructions from one garrifon to another with incredible dispatch. Severus died at York, in the fixty-fifth year of his age, and in the eighteenth of a fuccefsful reign. From this period the Roman empire gradually decayed, being haraffed on all fides by powerful invaders, and convulfedby the furious contefts of domeftic foes. On the death of Severus, Caracalla and A. D. 211. Geta, his fons, agreed to divide the empire. Such a divided form of government would have proved a fource of difcord between the most affectionate brothers. It was impoffible that it could long fubfift between two implacable enemies. It was vifible that one only could reign, and that the other muft fall. The unfortunate Geta was affaffinated, and Caracalla, after a feries of cruelties, was murdered in the fixth year of his reign. Such was the end of a monfter, whofe life difgraced human nature. After the death of Caracalla the Roman world remained three days without a master The prætorian guards confidered the power of beftowing it as almoft a legal claim. The prudence of Adventus, the fenior præfect, rejected the dangerous pre-eminence, and they were induced reluctantly to grant it to the crafty Macrinus, whom they neither loved nor efteemed. Heliogabalus, the natural fon of Caracalla, foon. fupplanted him, and he was put to death, after a fhort reign of one year and two months. Helio Heliogabalus was prieft of a temple dedicated to the fun, in Emefà, a city of Phoenicia; A. D. 218. and though ut fourteen years old, was greatly loved by the army, for the beauty of his perfon, and the memory of his father, whom they still confidered as their greatest benefactor. He was fo partial to the ladies, that he built a fenatehoufe for women, with fuitable orders, habits, and diftinctions, of which his mother was made prefident. All their debates turned upon the fashions of the day, and the different formalities to be ufed at giving and receiving vifits *. His prodigality was fo boundlefs, that he always dreffed in cloth of gold and purple, enriched with precious ftones, and never wore the fame habit twice. He was often heard to fay, that fuch dishes as were cheaply obtained, were fcarce worth eating. His fuppers, therefore, generally coft fix thousand crowns, and often fixty thoufand. Having been perfuaded by his grand-mother to adopt his coufin, Alexander, as his fucceffor, Heliogabalus was foon after put to death by the foldiers, who threw his body into the Tiber, with heavy weights, that none might find it in order to give it burial. Alexander was declared emperor without op pofition. The fenate, with their ufual adulation, A. D. 2:2. wifhed to confer new titles upon him; but he modeftly declined them all, alledging, that titles were then only honourable, when given to merit not to ftation. His liberality endeared him to the army, his virtues to the fenate. But though he poffeffed the titles and powers of imperial dignity, it was foon perceived, that the reins of government were held by the hands of two women, his mother Mama, and his grandmother Mæfa. This was the caufe of his ruin. The foldiers openly exclaimed, that they were governed by an avaricious woman, and a mean- pirited boy, and refolved upon electing an emperor, capable of ruling alone. Maximin, an old experienced commander, held conferences with the foldiers, and inflamed the fedition. At length, being determined to difpatch their prefent emperor, they fent an executioner who immediately ftruck off his head; and fhortly after that of his mother. He died in the twenty-ninth year of his age, after a profperous reign of thirteen years and nine days; his death proving, that neither virtue nor juftice can guard us againft the misfortunes of this life; and that good inen are to expect their reward in a place of more equitable diftribution. Maximin, who had been the chief promoter of Álexander's death, was chofen emperor. He was a peafant of * Hooke. Thrace 1 Thrace, and, in the progrefs of the Emperor Severus through that province, was firft elevated to royal notice, and approbation. His ftrength and skill displayed in wrestling and runing, procured him permiffion to enlift among the troops; and his valour and ftrict attention to difcipline advanced him, during the reign of Severus and his fon, to the rank of centurion. He was of a gigantic fize, being no less than eight feet and an half high; and, it is faid, that he generally ate forty pounds of flesh every day, and drank fix gallons of wine. His mind, uncultivated by literature, his appearance unpolifhed by the arts of civil life, were contrafted with the amiable manners of the unhappy Alexander; and the tyrant, confcious of his own deficiences, and depending on the attachment of his foldiers, perfecuted with unrelenting cruelty the rest of mankind. Defirous of extirpating the remembrance of his original obfcurity, he confounded in the fame indifcriminate ruin, those who had fpurned at his humbler fortunes, with those who had relieved his diftrefs and affifted his rifing hopes. Magnus a confular fenator, was accused of confpiring against him. Without even the form of a trial, Magnus was put to death, and four thousand of his fuppofed accomplices involved in his fate. The nobility of Rome, who had governed provinces, who had commanded armies, and triumphed as confuls, were fewed up in the hides of flaughtered animals, exposed to wild beafts, and beaten to death with clubs. From his camp on the Rhine or Danube, (for he fcorned to vifit Italy or Rome) he iffued, in the language of defpotism, the unfeeling dictates of fanguinary barbarifm, and trampled on every principle of law or juftice, fupported by the avowed power of his fword. As long as the cruelty of Maximin was confined to the fenators of Rome, or the courtiers who attended him, the body of the people regarded it with indifference; but their refentment was aroufed as foon as the avarice of the tyrant attacked public property. Being fuperfeded by the election of Pupienus and Babinus, as joint Emperors, he paffed the Alps, and entering Italy, he approached the city of Aquileia, which he was aftonished to find prepared for the moft obftinate refiftance, and refolved to hold out a regular fiege. His first attempt was to take the city by ftorm; but the befieged threw down fuch quantities of fcalding pitch and fulphur upon his foldiers, that they were unable to continue the affault. He then determined upon a blockade; but the inhabitants were so refolute, that even the old men and children were feen combating upon the walls, while the women cut off their hair, to furnish the foldiers with bow-ftrings. Maximin's rage, at this unexpected op pofition, |