420 



ROMAN EMPIRE. 



lloroan 

 F.mpire. 



Pertinax 

 declared 



followed the profesuon of the law, and afterwards en- 

 tered upon a military life, when he distinguished him- 

 self so highly by his valour and intrepidity, that he 

 was made a captain of a cohort in the Parthian war. 

 After passing through the usual gradations of prefer- 

 ment, in Britain and Maesia, he obtained the command 

 of a legion under Aurelius. He was afterwards made 

 consul by Aurelius for his eminent services. He was 

 next intrusted with the government of Maesia, and he 

 was at la^st made governor of Rome. In the reign of 

 Commodus he was sent into exile; but he was soon af- 

 ter recalled and selected to reform the abuses in the 

 army in Britain. During a sedition which took place 

 among the legions, he was left for dead among the 

 slain; but having recovered from this calamity, he 

 punished the mutineers, and restored the discipline of 

 the army. In Africa, to which he was next removed, the 

 sedition of the troops had nearly proved fatal to him; and 

 being now fatigued wi'halife of such labour anddanger, 

 hereturned and lived in retirement in Rome. Commodus, 

 however, made him praefect of the city, and he filled 

 this situation when Lnetus entered his apartment, and 

 announced to him that he was emperor of Rome. Per- 

 tiuax, unwilling to accept of such a trust, urged the 

 pleas of old age and increasing infirmities ; but his 

 refusal was not listened to, and he was immediately 

 carried to the camp and proclaimed emperor. 



The anticipations which had been formed of Per- 

 tinax, were in no respect disappointed. By strict dis- 

 cipline and wi?e regulations, he restrained the licen- 

 tiousness of the Praetorian bands, and protected the 

 citizens against the overbearing insolence with which 

 they had so long treated them. He punished the 

 wretches who had a share in corrupting the late em- 

 peror, whose ill-gotten property he sold for the bene- 

 fit of the public. He sold as slaves most of the buf- 

 foons and jesters of Commodus ; particularly those 

 who had obscene names. He attended all the meet- 

 ings of the senate; and such was his devotion to busi- 

 ness, that the meanest applicant could at any time 

 command an audience of him. He melted the silver 

 statues which had been erected to Commodus ; and 

 having sold his concubines, horses, and arms, he raised 

 so large a sum as to enable him to abolish all the taxes 

 which that emperor had laid upon the rivers, harbours, 

 and roads in the empire. 



The reformation which Pertinax had introduced 

 among the Praetorian bands, excited against him, as 

 might have been expected, the hatred of these insolent 

 soldiers. They therefore resolved to depose him ; and 

 having declared an ancient senator of the name of 

 Maternus emperor, they attempted to carry him to the 

 camp to be proclaimed. Unwilling, however, to con- 

 cur in such a design, he escaped from their power ; 

 and having first gone to the emperor, he afterwards 

 fled from the city. Undismayed by this refusal, the 

 insurgents nominated another senator of the name of 

 Falco, who was more compliant ; and whom the senate 

 would have ordered for execution, had not Pertinax 

 interposed his authority, and repeated his resolution, 

 that no senator should suffer in his reign. 



The Prastorian soldiers, however, were determined 

 to gain their object ; and they openly avowed their 

 design of seizing upon the emperor. Having assem- 

 bled, therefore, in the streets, they marched to the pa- 

 lace. Terrified at tueir approach, many of the empe- 

 ror's attendants forsook him, while those who remain- 

 ed steady, urged him to fly for protection to the people. 

 He scorned this advice, and marching to face the re- 



bels, and advancing in the midst of therr, he boldly 

 asked them if they who were bound to defend the 

 emperor had come to betray him and to shed his 

 blood. Confounded with this act of personal heroism, 

 the rebels began to retire, when orte Thrasinus, a 

 Ttmgrian, struck him with his lance on the breast, 

 and exclaimed, " the soldiers send you this." This 

 pious and good emperor, muffling his head in his robe, 

 and calling upon Jupiter to avenge his death, sunk 

 down and expired of a multitude of wounds. Several 

 of his faithful attendants, among whom was Eclectus, 

 were slnin in their attempt to defend him ; and his 

 son and daughter owed their life to the circumstance 

 of their rot residing in the palace. 



Rome was now placed in the most deplorable con- 

 dition. Her -unprincipled population had shown their 

 submission to any emperr.v, however detestable and 

 cruel, provided he administered to their own pleasures; 

 and they had now reached that acme of vice, at which 

 a.good man was considered unfit, as well as unable to go- 

 vern them. It was not to be wondered at, therefore, that 

 the empire was soon exposed to sale by n public pro- 

 clamation of the army. Only two offerers appeared 

 for the sceptre of the world. Sulpicianus, prefect of 

 the city, and son-in-law to Pertinax, got first to the 

 camp, and made liberal promises to the soldiers. He 

 was, however, soon supplanted by Didius Julianu?, an 

 eminent lawyer, who imci amassed an enormous fortune 

 by his avarice. He produced immense sums of ready 

 money, and having been received into the camp by a 

 soldier, and being declared the highest bidder, the em- 

 pire was knocked down to him. Attended by the con- 

 ductors of the sale, who amounted to about W,0\jO men, 

 Julianus entered the city. Although the people hissed 

 him as he passed, and refused to sanction his elevation, 

 yet the senate concurred with the army, and Didius 

 was acknowledged emperor in the 57th year of his age. 

 Having acquired the imperial diadem by purchase, 

 Didius resolved to use it for his pleasure. He gave 

 himself no trouble about the affairs of state, but re- 

 signed himself to indolence and repose. The soldiers, 

 however, began to discover his avarice, and to view 

 him with detestation. He was loaded with curses when- 

 ever he left the palace, and, saluted with the appella- 

 tion of a thief, he was told that he had stolen the em- 

 pire. The good-natured monarch, however, bore all 

 this with the greatest gentleness and forbearance. He 

 bowed and smiled to those who insulted him, and was 

 always willing to submit to the humours and caprices 

 of the people. 



A portion of the Roman spirit, however, seems still to 

 have lingered among the provinces. The governor of 

 Syria, Pescennius Niger, and Septimius Severus, who 

 commanded the German legions, resolved to aspire to 

 the throne. They both held out Pertinax as their mo- 

 del ; and Septimius Severus, an African by birth, as- 

 sumed his name, and vowed to revenge his death. 

 Niger was proclaimed emperor by his troops ; and the 

 different kings and potentates in Asia sent ambassadors 

 to acknowledge his title. Content with this homage, 

 he made no efforts to secure t!he empire, but devoted 

 himself to a luxurious life at Antioch. 



Septimius, however, proceeded more cautiously. 

 Having assumed Albinus, who commanded in Britain, 

 as his partner, and secured the strong-holds in Ger- 

 many, he marched to Rome at the head of his army. 

 At the urgent request of Didius, the senate proclaimed 

 him a traitor ; but all the attempts of Didius were un- 

 able to organize an effective force, and, perplexed with 



Reman 

 Kmpire. 



P ertma ' i; 



Tl empire 

 exposed to 

 sale > ar) d 



/ n^ 



Various 

 persons as- 

 P ire to l ^ e 



