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delight of beholding the general happinefs, of wliich they 

 were the authors." 



Commodus fucceeded to the empire on the death of his 

 father. The meafures of this reign were as unimportant as 

 the character cf the fovereign was contemptible. Corn- 

 modus had an averfion from every rational and liberal pur- 

 i'uit, and was in many refpefts very like Nero. To hi, 

 other crimes, which he had in common with preceding ty- 

 rants, may be added, that he entered the lifts as a public 

 gladiator, and aftually received a ftipend for the flaughter 

 of his helplefs antagotiifts. The concubine and fome of the 

 chief officers of this emperor prevented their own deftruCtion, 

 by aftaffinating him in the thirteenth year of his reign, 

 A.D. 193. 



Publius Helvius Pertinax was the next emperor, a man 

 of mean birth, but who had rifen to efteem by his virtues 

 and military talents. He difappointed the army of a pro- 

 mifed reward for his elevation, and, after a reign of 86 days, 

 was murdered in the imperial palace by the fame hands 

 which had raifed him to the throne. The empire was 

 now put up to auftion by the Praetorians, and was pur- 

 chafed by Didius Julianus ; but not paying the ftipu- 

 lated price for his elevation, he was depofed and put to 

 death. 



Septimius Severus fucceeded, whofe intention was to erect: 

 the fabric of abfolute monarchy, and all his inftitutions 

 operated to that end. He pollened eminent military talents, 

 and it was his boaft, that, having received the empire op- 

 preffed with foreign and domeftic wars, he left it in profound, 

 univerfal, and honourable peace. He carried with him into 

 Britain his two fons, Caracalla and Geta ; and died at York, 

 in the 66th year of his age, after a reign of eighteen 

 years, A.D. 21 1. He was fucceeded by the two fons juft 

 named, whofe former mutual hatred of each other was in- 

 creafed by their aflbciation in the empire ; and Caracalla, 

 with brutal inhumanity, caufed his brother to be openly 

 murdered in the arms of his mother. His reign, which was 

 of fix years' duration, and full of atrocities, was at length 

 terminated by affaflination, A.D. 217. 



As it would not be confiftent with the limits affigned to 

 this article, neither is it at all neceffary, to advance itep by 

 ftep through the fucceeding reigns ; it will be fufficient to 

 tranferibe, with very trifling additions, the names of feveral 

 of the emperors who followed Caracalla. 



The disorders in the Roman empire, which began with 

 Commodus, continued nearly a century, till the acceffion of 

 Diocletian : and this interval was filled by the reigns of 

 Macrinus and Heliogabalus, who were both ilain by the 

 foldiers. Alexander Severus was a juft prince and a lover 

 of learning ; he was fuccefsfulin his war againft Artaxerxes, 

 the new king of Perfia, and after that, was flain by fome of 

 his foldiers in an expedition into Germany. 



Maximin, Maximus and Balbinus, Gordian, and Philip the 

 Arabian, with his fon, in whofe reign were initituted the 

 fecular games, were all raifed to the throne by the praHorian 

 bands, and by them killed. Decius, a fevere perfecutor of 

 the Chriftians, was drowned while fighting againft the bar- 

 barians. After this Gallus was flain by the army, at the end 

 of a reign of two years. The life of Valerianus was de- 

 voted to the reformation of the manners of his people ; but 

 in a war with Sapor, king of Perfia, he was captured and 

 flead alive. Gallienu^, the fon of Valerianus, was loft in 

 luxury and debauchery, and fuffered the empire to be torn 

 from him on all fides by barbarians and tyrants. Hence the 

 3c tyrants, as they are called, though hiftory records the 

 names of 19 only, rofe up againft him. Among thefe was 

 Zenobia, wife to Odenatus, prince of Palmyra, a woman of 



martial fpirit, who fpread her conquering arms far over the 

 Eaftern world. 



After Gallienus were Claudius II., who died of the 

 plague : Aurelian, who carried Zenobia a captive in tri- 

 umph, and who was murdered by his foldiers : Claudius 

 Tacitus, Probus, and Carus followed in fucceflion. Probus 

 was killed by the foldiers, and Carus was ftruck dead with 

 lightning. 



Diocletian began his reign A.D. 284, and introduced a 

 new fyftem of adminiftration, dividing the empire into four 

 government?, under as many princes. Maximian fhared with 

 him the title of Auguftus, and Galerius and Conftantius were 

 declared Caefars, or their fucceftors. Each had his feparate 

 department or province, all nominally fupreme, but in 

 reality under the direction of the fuperior talents and au- 

 thority of Diocletian. The two emperors, trufting to a 

 continuance of that order in the empire which their vigour 

 had eftablifhed, retired from fovereignty, and left the go- 

 vernment in the hands of the Ca?fars ; but Conftantius died 

 foon after in Britain, and he was fucceeded by his fon Con- 

 ftantinc, who was proclaimed emperor at York, though Ga- 

 lerius, at firft, refufedto acknowledge his title. Maximian, 

 however, having once more refumed the purple, bellowed on 

 Conftantine his daughter in marriage, and thus he invefted 

 him with a double title to the empire. On the death of 

 Maximian and Galerius, Conftantine had no other com- 

 petitor than Mauritius, the fon of Maximian, and the con- 

 teft between them was decided by the fword. Maxentius 

 fell in battle, and Conftantine remained fole mafter of the 

 empire : this was the time in which the crofs is faid to have 

 appeared in the heavens, in vifion, to the emperor, with this 

 infeription, " in hoc figno vinces." 



Conftantine made a confiderable change in the diftribu- 

 tion of the provinces which had not fuffered much altera- 

 tion fince the arrangement of Adrian. He fubjefted the 

 whole empire to the dominion of four prefects of the pa- 

 lace ; of whom one was placed over Gallia, one over Italia, 

 one over Illy ria, and the other over the Eaftern provinces. 

 Thefe prefects had under them proconfuh in fome of the 

 provinces ; in others, tnagi/Iraies, called confuls, prefidents, 

 and correctors ; and a certain number of provinces over 

 which thefe were placed being united, formed a vicariat. 

 The prefeS of the palace, under Auguftus, was a military 

 officer, in the order of knights. Tiberius increafed the 

 importance of the office ; but Antoninus was the firft who 

 made ufe of that officer to promulgate, in his name, the 

 laws of the empire. Hence the prefect of the palace be- 

 came chief judge, who had authority over all other tri- 

 bunals. In him were united the feveral offices of conftable, 

 chancellor, and fuperintendant of the finances. Conftantine 

 fupprefl'ed this office, as held by an individual, and created 

 four prefects of the palace, who had under them vicars, 

 whofe power extended over a certain number of countries, 

 forming a diocefe or department. Thefe officers had the 

 molt confiderable influence in their departments, and when 

 they quitted the capital, they left their children with the 

 emperor, as pledges of their fidelity. 



Under Auguftus, and after him, the proconfuls were 

 magiftrates fent by the fenate to correct the exifting abufes 

 of the departments : but they had neither the command of 

 troops, nor the adminiftration of the provinces. 



The conful, called alfo reftor of the province, had only 

 the name and the enfigns of that office, not the power, 

 Auguftus governed the departments of the empire, which 

 he had referved to himfelf,by means of his pritors and confuls. 



The correctors were officers who were charged to reform 

 the abufes which had crept into the provinces. 



The 



