ALE 



ALE 



rjrrk, tliorc of war, and thcfe are ;J1 cxti-avagaiU. They 

 arj carried to tin; moil rafli and odious cxcfia ; and to the 

 extremes of folly a-.id fury ; whilll his kingdom is U-ft a 

 prey to the rapine and exactions of Antipattr, and ail the 

 conquered provinces abandoned to the infatiable avarice of 

 the governors, who carried their opprefTions fo far, that 

 Alexander was forced to put them to death. And as for 

 his own loldiers, when they had plundered the wealtlv of 

 tlie eart, they became fo licentious, fo debauched, and aban- 

 doned to vices of every kind, that he was under a ncceffity 

 of paying their debts, amountinir to fifteen hundred thoufaud 

 pounds. Although the Romans held Alexander's memory in 

 great veneration, it is very doubtful whether, iu the %irl.uous 

 ages of the commonwealth, he wo>ild have been confidered 

 as fo great a man. 



Upon the whole, if an impartial perfon of good finfe 

 reads Plutarch's Lives of lUudrious IMen with attention, 

 they will leave fuch a kind of im])refiion on his mind, as 

 will make him conlider Alexander one of the leail valuable 

 among thein. But how llrong would the contrail be found 

 had we the lives of Epamlnondas, of Hannibal, and of 

 Seipio ? How little would Alexander appear, fet off with 

 all his titles, and furroundcd by all his eonquclls, (ven if 

 confidered in a military light, wh(.n compared with thofe^ 

 heroes, who are truly great, and \\orthy ot their exalted re- 

 putation ! Diodorus Siculus.llb. xvii. torn. ii. p. ifio. — 253. 

 Ed. Weffeling. Plutarch. Opcr. torn. i. p. 664, — 707. Ed. 

 Xyland. Q. Curtii de Rebus geiUs Alex. Mag. Paf- 

 fim. Ed. bnakenb. Arriani Exped. Alexandri. Paffim. 

 Ed. Gronov. Strabo. Geog. turn. i. & ii. Ed. Amll. 

 1707. Rollin's Anc. Hift. book xv. vol. iv. and v. Anc. 

 Un. Hill. vol. vii. p. 280 — 437. 8vo. 



Alexandfr Severus, the Roman emperor, was born 

 at Acra, in Phoenicia, according to one account, in the 

 year 208, but, according to another preferred by Gibbon, 

 Dec. 12, 2nj. His father was a Syrian, and became a 

 conful. His mother was Mamsea, daughter of Juha 

 Ivljefa, the filler of Julia, wife to the emperor Severus ; and 

 as another daughter of Ms;fa was married to Heliogaba- 

 lus, Alexander, or Alexianus, which was his family name, 

 was firll coufin to that emperor. His mother, who was a 

 woman of excellent talents and character, and who is fup- 

 pofcd to have imbibed Chriflian principle's, paid particular 

 attention to his education, and employed inch perlons for this 

 purpofe as were eminent for their probity and learning. 

 His application and improvement correfponded to his ad- 

 vatafres ; and every day was devoted to literary acquire- 

 ments, and to martial excreifes. With a robuil and grace- 

 ful form and confideiable mental acccmplilhments, he com- 

 bined a mild, humane, and generous temper, fo that he not 

 only abhorred every kind of cruelty, but made it his chief 

 fludy to pleafe and oblige his parents and relations, and even 

 his domtftics. When Mxfa, his grandmother, perceived 

 ttte approaching tennination of Heliogabalus's career of 

 profligacy, (he embraced a favourable opjiortunity of per- 

 fuading him to adopt Alexander.' Accordingly he afTumed 

 th'.s name inftead of that of Alexianus, with the addition 

 of Severus, and was inveiled with the title of Csefar, A. D^ 

 221. The young prince foon gained the affections of the 

 people to a def^ree which excited the jealoufy of the empe- 

 ror ; and he therefore refolved to deilroy tlie envied and 

 dangerous competition, either by corrupting the manners, 

 or by taking away the life of his rival. Mama-a and her 

 mother defeated his defign in both thefe refpefts ; and by 

 means of the Pratorian guards, whofe attachment they had 

 fecured, Pleliogabalus's attempt againil the honour and life 

 of the your.g Csefaic teniuaaud iu kis own premature aud 



ignominious death. By thcfe guards Alexander was ad- 

 vanced to the throne, A. 1). 222. 'J'he fenatc concurred, 

 and immediately inveiled him with tlie vanous titles and 

 power, annexed to the imperial dignity. At the fame time 

 they offered iiim the name of Antoninus, and the furname 

 of Great ; butr tliefe he modelUy declined. Alexander was 

 a dillident and dutiful youtii, of only 17 years of age ; the 

 reins of government were in the hands of his motlier and 

 grandmotlier ; and after the death of the btter, Mannea 

 remained the fole regent of her fon and of the empire. 

 With her confent he married the daughter of a patrician» 

 who afteiuards became the object of her jealouly and 

 cruelty, ai.d was baniflied by her inlligation, which Alex- 

 ander durft not oppofe, into Africa. It has been laid, in- 

 deed, by Lampridius, that the father was detefted in a coii- 

 fpiracy, and that the repudiation of the daughter was lli« 

 tonfequence of his crime. Ikit Herodian reprefents him 

 as innocent. Under her direclion, and with the approba»- 

 tion of the fenate, a council of (tate was ajipointed, confdU 

 ing of 16 of tin wifeil and mofi '.irtuous feuators. At ths 

 head of this number, as pr.etorian pneieCl, was Ulpiaii, dif- 

 tlnguinied by his knowledge and refpett for the laws of 

 Rome ; and the prudent fiimnefs of tliis arXluetacy reAored 

 order and authority to the government. The city, by their 

 influence, was purged from the fuperftition and luxury, 

 which Heliogabahis had introduced ; his worthlefs creatures 

 were alfo removed from every department of public admini- 

 ilration ; and their places were fupplied with men of virtue 

 and ability, l^earning, and the love of jullice, became the 

 only recommendations for civil offices. V'alour, and the 

 love of difcipline, were the only qualifications for military 

 employments. But the moil important objeft of Mama-a's 

 follcltude was that of forming the character of the young; 

 emperor. His excellent underftandlng encouraged cultiva- 

 tion, and led him duly to value the advantages of virtue, 

 the pleafures of knowledge, and the neceinty of labour. 

 The natural mildnefs and moderation of his temper prefer- 

 ved him from the affimlts of paflion and the allurements of 

 vice. Plis unalterable affciition for his mt^ther, and his re- 

 fpedl for the wife Ulpian, guarded his unexperienced youtlv 

 from the poifon of flattery. As Mamsa had probably cm- 

 braced the profefllon of Chrilllanity, it is no wonder that 

 Alexander was very indulgent to the Chriilians, and would 

 not fuffer them to be pcrfecuted on account of their religi- 

 ous tenets. He himfelf feems to have been well acquainted 

 with the Chriilian morals ; for he frequently repeated the 

 golden rule of the gofpel, " Do as you would be done 

 by ;" caufed it to be infcribed over the ga:es of his palace, 

 and on feveral public edifices : and obferved it in his own 

 conduft, with the greateft exaflneis. 



" The fimple journal of his ordinary occupations," fays a. 

 popular hillorian, " exhibits a pleafing picture of an accom- 

 pllflied emperor,and with fome allowance for the diflerence of 

 manners, might well defcrve the imitation of modern princes. 

 Alexander rofe early : the firft moments of the day were . 

 confecrated to private devotion, and his domcftic chapel was 

 filled with the images of thofe heroes, who, by improving 

 or reforming human life, had defcrved the grateful rever- 

 ence of polierity. But, as he deemed the fervice of man- 

 kind the moH acceptable worfliip of the gods, the greateft 

 part of his morning hours was employed in his council,. 

 where he difcuffed public affairs, and diftermined private 

 caufes, with a patience and difcretion above his years. The 

 drynefs of bufinefs was relieved by the charms of literature ; 

 and a portion of time was always fet apart for his favourite 

 fludies of poetry, hillory, and philofophy. The works of 

 Virgil and Horace, tlic repubUcs of flat© and Cicero, 

 3 formed 



