Page

vernment.—His death.-Titus.—His character and reign. - Public cala-
mities.-Death of Titus.-Domitian.-His character.-Conquest of Bri-
tain.-Dacian war.-Other wars.-Cruelty of Domitian-His death.
-Literature of this period.

144

CHAPTER III.

NERVA. TRAJAN. HADRIAN. ANTONINUS. AURELIUS.
A.U. 849-933. A.D. 96-180.

Nerva.-Adoption of Trajan.-Trajan.-His origin and character.-
Dacian wars.-Parthian wars.-Death of Trajan.-Observations.-
Hadrian. His character.-Affairs at Rome.-Hadrian in Gaul and
Britain-in Asia and Greece-in Egypt.-Antinous.-Adoptions.-
Death of Hadrian.-His character as an emperor.-Rebellion of the
Jews.-Antoninus Pius.-M. Aurelius.-Parthian war.-German wars.
-Revolt of Cassius.-Death of Aurelius.-His character.

166

CHAPTER IV.

COMMODUS. PERTINAX. JULIAN. SEVERUS.

A.U. 933-964. A.D. 180-211.

Commodus.-Conspiracy against him.-Perennis.-Cleander.--Ma-
ternus and the deserters.-Death of Cleander.-Vices of Commodus.-
His death.-Elevation and murder of Pertinax.-Empire put to auction.
-Pescennius Niger.-Septimius Severus.-ClodiusAlbinus.-March of
Severus.-Julian.-His death.-Prætorians disbanded.-Severus at
Rome.-War with Niger,-with Albinus.-Parthian war.-Family of
Severus.-Plautianus.-Severus in Britain.-His death.-Maxims of

CARACALLA. MACRINUS. ELAGABALUS. ALEXANDER.
A.U. 964-988. A.D. 211-235.

Caracalla and Geta.-Murder of Geta.-Cruelty of Caracalla.-Ger-
man war.-Parthian war.-Massacre at Alexandria.-Murder of Cara-
calla.-Macrinus.-His origin and character.-Conspiracy against him.
-His defeat and death.-Elagabalus.-His superstition and cruelty.
-Adoption of Alexander.-Death of Elagabalus.-Alexander.-Ma-
mæa.-Alexander's character and mode of life.-Murder of Ulpian.—
Revolution in Persia.-Persian war.-Alexander in Gaul.-His murder.
-The Roman army.

206

CHAPTER VI.

MAXIMIN. PUPIENUS. BALBINUS AND GORDIAN. PHILIP.
DECIUS. GALLUS. EMILIAN. VALERIAN. GALLIENUS.

A.U. 988-1021. A.D. 235-268.

The Empire.-Maximin.-His tyranny.-Insurrection in Africa.
The Gordians.-Pupienus and Balbinus.-Death of Maximin.-Murder
of the Emperors.-Gordian.-Persian War.-Murder of Gordian.-
Philip. Secular Games.-Decius.-Death of Philip.-The Goths.-
Gothic War.-Death of Decius.-Gallus.-Emilian.-Valerian.-The
Franks.-The Alemans.-Gothic Invasions.-Persian War.-Defeat
and captivity of Valerian.-Gallienus.-The Thirty Tyrants.-Death
of Gallienus.

CHAPTER VII.

Page

221

CLAUDIUS. AURELIAN. TACITUS. PROBUS. CARUS. CARINUS

AND NUMERIAN.

A.U. 1021-1038. A.D. 268-285.

Claudius.-Invasions of the Goths.-Aurelian.-Alemannic War.-
War against Zenobia.-Tetricus.-Death of Aurelian.-Tacitus.-His
death.-Probus.-His military successes.-His death.-Carus.-Per-
sian War. His death.-Carinus and Numerian.-Death of Numerian.
-Election of Diocletian.-Battle of Margus.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

Persecutions of the Church.-Corruption of Religion.-The Ebionites.
-Gnostic Heresies.-Montanus.-The Paschal Question.-Councils.
-The Hierarchy.-Platonic Philosophy, its effects.-Rites and Cere-

monies.-Christian writers.

239

257

State of the Empire.-Character of Diocletian.-Imperial power di-
vided. The Bagauds.-Carausius.-Rebellion in Egypt.-Persian
War.-Triumph of the Emperors.-Their resignation.—Persecution
of the Church.

285

CHAPTER II.

GALERIUS. CONSTANTIUS. SEVERUS. MAXENTIUS. MAXI-
MIAN. LICINIUS. MAXIMIN. CONSTANTINE.

A.U. 1057-1090. A.D. 304-337.

The Emperors and Cæsars.-Constantine.-Maxentius.-Fate of
Maximian.-War between Constantine and Maxentius.-Constantine
and Licinius.-Constantine sole Emperor.-Constantinople founded.—
Hierarchy of the State.-The Army.-The Great Officers.-Conversion
of Constantine.-Deaths of Crispus and Fausta.-The Imperial Family.
-War with the Goths.-Death and character of Constantine

CHAPTER III.

CONSTANTINE II. CONSTANTIUS. CONSTANS.

A.U. 1090-1114.

A.D. 337-361.

-Deaths of Constan-

Slaughter of the imperial family.-Persian war.-

tine and Constans.-Magnentius.-Gallus.-Julian.-Silvanus.-Court
of Constantius.-War with the Limigantes.-Persian war.—Julian in
Gaul.-Battle of Strasburg.-Julian proclaimed emperor.-His march
from Gaul.-Death of Constantius

CHAPTER IV.

JULIAN. JOVIAN.

A.U. 1114-1117. A.D. 361-364.

Reformations of Julian.-His religion.-His tolerance.-Julian at
Antioch.-Attempt to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem.-The Persian
war.-Death of Julian.-Election of Jovian.-Surrender of territory
to the Persians.-Retreat of the Roman army.-Death of Jovian .

CHAPTER V.

Page

297

317

336

VALENTINIAN. VALENS. GRATIAN. VALENTINIAN II. AND
THEODOSIUS.

Elevation of Valentinian and of Valens.-Procopius.-German wars.
-Recovery of Britain.-Rebellion in Africa.-Quadan war.-Death
of Valentinian.-His character.-Gratian.-The Goths.-The Huns.-
The Gothic war.- -Battle of Hadrianople and death of Valens.-Ra-
vages of the Goths.-Theodosius.-Settlements of the Goths.-Maxi-
mus.-Death of Gratian.-Defeat of Maximus.-Massacre at Thessa-
lonica.-Clemency of Theodosius.-Death of Valentinian II.-Defeat
and death of Eugenius.-Death and character of Theodosius.-State
of the Empire.

357

CHAPTER VI.

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

Suppression of Paganism.-Religion of the fourth century.-State
of morals.-The Donatists.-The Arians.-Other Heretics.-Ecclesia-
stical constitution.-Fathers of the Church.-The Manichæans.

CHAPTER VII.

HONORIUS. VALENTINIAN III., ETC.

-A.U. 1148-1229. A.D. 395-476.

Division of the empire.-Rufinus.-The Goths in Greece.-Gildo.-
Invasion of Italy by Alaric-by Radagaisus.-Murder of Stilicho.-
Claudian.-Alaric's second invasion.-Sack of Rome.-Death of Alaric.
-Barbarians in the empire.-Valentinian III.-Boniface and Etius.
-Genseric. His conquest of Africa.-Attila.-Theodoric.-Battle of
Châlons.-Attila's invasion of Italy.-Murder of Ætius-and of Va-
lentinian.-Maximus.-Sack of Rome by Genseric.-Avitus.-Majo-
rian.-Severus.-Anthemius.-Nepos and Glycerius.-Romulus Au-
gustus.-End of the Empire.-Conclusion

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385

407

The Roman Empire.-Regulation of it by Augustus.-Augustus in Spainin Asia.-Laws.-Family of Augustus.-Death of Agrippa.-German wars.-Death of Drusus, and of Mæcenas.-Literature.

THE battle of Actium, fought between M. Antonius and C. Cæsar Octavianus in the 723rd+ year of Rome, terminated the contest for the supreme power in the Roman state which had continued for so many years. After the death of his rival, Cæsar, now in the thirty-fourth year of his age, saw himself the undoubted master of the Roman world. An army of forty-four legions regarded him as its chief; the civil wars and the proscription had cut off all the men of eminence at Rome; the senate and people vied with each other in their willingness to accept a sovereign: and though we may despise their servility, reason will evince that they were right in their determination; for he must be strangely enthralled by sounds, who, * Authorities: Velleius Paterculus, Suetonius, Dion Cassius. For a full account of the authorities for this History see Appendix (A).

We shall use the Varronian chronology in this volume, as it is the one followed by Tacitus, Dion, and other historians.

Orosius, vi. 18. These legions however were far from complete, some of them being mere skeletons.

B