He was[228]succeeded by his[229]wicked son Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, who[230]resembled Nero for[231]cruelty,[232]lust,[233]avarice, and such practices as are[234]scandalous in an emperor. Having[235]settled his affairs with the[236]Germans, he triumphed at Rome. He put to death his sister Lucilla, who, with[237]several others, had[238]conspired against his life. He[239]used to[240]fight among the[241]gladiators in the[242]public games. He was at last, after an[243]infamous life,[244]slain by the[245]contrivance of a[246]mistress, and the captain-general of his[247]life-guards, whom he had[248]determined to[249]put to death. He reigned twelve years, nine months, and fourteen days.
After Commodus was[250]killed in the year of Christ 193, P.[251]Helvius Pertinax, was[252]declared emperor, by those who had[253]dispatched Commodus,who[254]endeavouring to[255]reduce the[256]commonwealth into better[257]order, and to[258]curb the[259]licentiousness of the[260]soldiery, was, within eighty days after his coming to the empire,[261]murdered by his own guards. The empire after this, was by the soldiers[262]exposed to[263]sale, and Didius Julianus[264]coming up to their[265]terms, was[266]accepted of, and[267]proclaimed emperor accordingly. But[268]not being able to[269]make up the[270]promised donative, he was[271]forsaken by them, and slain by[272]order of Septimius Severus, after he had reigned two months and five days.
This Severus, a[273]native of Africa, was at that time lieutenant of Pannonia, and[274]took upon him the government, under the[275]pretence of[276]revenging Pertinax’s death. He first of all[277]disbanded the guards for that[278]abominable[279]murder. Then he[280]fell upon Pescennius Niger, lieutenant of Syria, and Clodius Albinus of[281]Britain, his[282]competitor for the empire. Niger was[283]conquered, and Antioch, into which he[284]threw himself, was taken; after which,[285]flying towards the[286]river Euphrates, he was[287]taken and slain. After the[288]taking off of Niger, Severus[289]took[290]Byzantium, which had[291]declared for him, after a[292]siege of three years.
[293]Matters being[294]brought to a[295]peaceable[296]settlementin the[297]East, he[298]turned his arms[299]westward against Clodius Albinus, and[300]engaged him at[301]Lyons in[302]France; where many being slain on both[303]sides, and amongst others, Albinus, he was[304]left sole[305]possessor of the empire. The city was[306]plundered and[307]burnt, Albinus’s[308]head[309]sent to Rome, and a[310]dreadful[311]havoc made among those who had been his[312]favourers and[313]friends.
After this, he[314]marched[315]eastward again, and[316]conquered the Parthians, the[317]Adiabenians, and Arabians, whilst Plotianus, in the mean time,[318]governed all at Rome. Plotilla, this man’s daughter, was[319]contracted to Antoninus, Severus’s son, and the[320]nuptials were[321]celebrated in the tenth year of Severus’s reign. But not long after, Plotianus being[322]engaged in a[323]plot against the emperor, was slain by his[324]son-in-law, and a great many that had been in his[325]interest, killed after him.
Severus[326]undertook an[327]expedition into Britain, with his two sons, in the 15th year of his reign, where he[328]continued three years; being very[329]successful, he[330]drew a[331]wall[332]across the[333]island for its[334]security. He died at York, after he had reigned seventeen years eight months and three days.
[335]Antoninus Caracalla and Geta, the two sons of Severus, were after him[336]advanced to the empire,in the year of Christ 211. But the[337]difference of their[338]humour and[339]manners was such, that they were[340]perpetually at[341]variance. Geta was of a[342]mild and civil[343]temper, the other[344]cruel and[345]boisterous, who, in the second year of his reign,[346]slew his brother in his[347]mother’s[348]bosom. After him, a great many of his friends and[349]favourers were[350]put to death, amongst whom the[351]famous[352]lawyer[353]Papinian, because he would not[354]justify his[355]parricide. After this, he[356]marched into the[357]East. At Alexandria he made a[358]shocking[359]massacre of the[360]inhabitants, for having some time before made some[361]jests upon him. He then[362]invaded[363]Artabanus, king of the Parthians, and[364]laid waste his[365]dominions. He was[366]killed by the[367]contrivance of Opilius Macrinus after he had reigned six years and two months.
Macrinus[368]enjoyed the empire but a short time; for he and his sons were slain by the[369]soldiers within a year and two months after he obtained it: and was[370]succeeded by[371]Antoninus Heliogabalus,[372]supposed, but[373]falsely, to be the son of Caracalla. He was the[374]vilest[375]wretch that ever lived,[376]given up to all manner of[377]vice. Wherefore, after a reign of three years, and nine months, he was slain by the[378]soldiery, with his mother Julia, or Semiamira.
After this,[379]M. Aurelius Alexander[380]mounted the throne, having been[381]created Cæsar the year before; an[382]extraordinary prince, and well[383]instructed in all the[384]arts of[385]peace and war. He[386]carried a strict hand over the[387]judges, and was very[388]severe upon all those that by[389]favour or[390]bribery[391]transgressed the[392]bounds of[393]justice. He[394]banished from his[395]person all[396]flatterers,[397]buffoons, and such as are a[398]scandal to the[399]court. He[400]forbade the[401]sale of[402]offices, saying, that what was[403]bought would be[404]sold again. He[405]allowed the[406]deputies of the[407]provinces all their[408]furniture out of the[409]exchequer, that they might not be[410]burdensome to the people. He was[411]successful against the Persians, but at last slain in a[412]sedition of his army.
In the fifth year of his reign,[413]Artaxerxes,[414]the Persian, having[415]defeated the Parthians in three[416]battles, and slain their king Artabanus,[417]raised again the empire of the Persians in the East. He also made an[418]excursion into the Roman[419]territories, but was defeated by Alexander. After this, he[420]undertook an[421]expedition against the Germans, in which he was slain by Maximinus, together with his mother, after a reign of thirteen years.
Maximinus was made emperor after the[422]murder of Alexander, and[423]put a happy end to the Germanwar. In the mean time he made a[424]dreadful[425]havoc at Rome, by his governor there, and killed a great many of the[426]nobility. During this, the two[427]Gordians, father and son, while at[428]Carthage,[429]laid claim to the empire. The Romans, being[430]headed by the senate,[431]declared against Maximinus; and[432]persons were[433]dispatched away to[434]secure the provinces for the senate. At home, twenty[435]commissioners were[436]nominated for the[437]management of public[438]affairs. The Gordians being[439]killed in Africa, after a year and a few days, by[440]Capelian, Maximinus’s general,[441]Balbinus and[442]Maximus Pupienus, two of the[443]twenty[444]commissioners, were[445]advanced to the empire by the senate in the year of Christ 237; in which Maximinus, as he was[446]besieging Aquileia, was slain by the[447]soldiers with his son, who was but a[448]boy, after a reign of two years and ten months.
Balbinus and Pupienus, with Gordian ([449]a boy, who, as will be seen[450]hereafter,[451]perished in Africa), reigned together for a year. But afterwards being[452]desirous to[453]get rid of Gordian, who was more in[454]favour than themselves, they were slain by the soldiers in the year of Christ 238; from which time Gordian[455]enjoyed the empire by himself, a[456]youth of an[457]extraordinary[458]genius, and[459]prone to all manner of virtue; which was[460]improved by the[461]prudence of Misitheus, a very[462]learned and[463]eloquent man, whose daughter he[464]married; with whom he[465]marched at the[466]head of the great army against the Persians, and[467]recovered from them[468]Carræ,[469]Nisibis, and other towns, and[470]forced them back into their own[471]country. The year[472]following, Misitheus being[473]murdered by the[474]contrivance of[475]Philip the Arabian, Gordian himself was soon after slain in a[476]tumult, which the same Philip[477]raised by the[478]help of some soldiers he had[479]corrupted, after he had reigned six years, in whose[480]place the[481]parricide[482]succeeded.
In the fourth year of Philip’s reign, the[483]Secular games were[484]celebrated at Rome, in the[485]thousandth year of the city. He was[486]at last[487]slain at Verona, by the soldiers, in the sixth year of his[488]reign.
Decius,[489]born in[490]Lower Pannonia, a man of great[491]courage and[492]experience in war,[493]succeeded him. He[494]perished in a[495]morass in a battle against the[496]Barbarians. This[497]defeat was[498]occasioned by the[499]treachery of Gallus, who[500]secretly[501]caballed with the enemy after he had reigned thirty months. This Gallus being made emperor by the[502]choice of the[503]soldiery, and having[504]taken his son as a[505]partner in the[506]government, was slain together with him by the soldiers, two years and four months after at Interamna, as he was[507]marchingagainst Æmilian, who was[508]raising a[509]rebellion in Mœtia.
Æmilian did not reign long, being slain three months after his[510]advancement, and was[511]succeeded by Valerian, with his son Gallienus, who reigned six years together; during which time the Roman empire was[512]miserably[513]rent by the Barbarians. Thirty[514]tyrants[515]started up in several[516]places, according to[517]Trebellius Pollio. Wherefore Valerian[518]marching against the[519]Scythians, who had[520]taken[521]Chalcedon,[522]burnt Nice, and the[523]temple of the[524]Ephesian Diana, and from thence[525]advancing against Sapores, who[526]was very troublesome to the[527]Eastern[528]borders, he[529]took him[530]prisoner, and[531]treated him like a vile[532]slave; for when he[533]mounted his[534]horse, he[535]set his[536]foot upon his[537]neck, who[538]bowed down[539]for that purpose. At last he[540]ordered him to be[541]flayed and[542]salted. This[543]victory over the Romans[544]happened in the year of Christ 260. After which Odenatus, a senator of the[545]Palmyrenians, whom Zenobia had[546]married,[547]bravely[548]repulsed the Persians that still[549]harassed the[550]borders.
[551]In the mean time Gallienus, wholly[552]given up to[553]luxury and[554]debauchery,[555]suffered the empire to be[556]torn to pieces by the Barbarians, and[557]tyrants. Odenatus, after the[558]taking of Nisibis and Carræ, and the[559]recovery of Mesopotamia,[560]upon routing of the king of the Persians, having[561]sent the great[562]lords of the Persians to him in[563]chains, he was[564]not ashamed to[565]triumph, as if he had[566]conquered them himself. Odenatus was[567]murdered by his[568]cousin, together with his son Herod, whose[569]wife Zenobia, being a[570]woman of a[571]masculine spirit,[572]undertook the government. Gallienus was slain with his brother Valerian at[573]Milan, as he was marching against Aureolus the tyrant. He reigned almost seven years with his father, and eight alone.
Claudius[574]succeeded him; a[575]frugal and[576]moderate prince, and very[577]serviceable to the public, who having[578]taken off the tyrant Aureolus, was very[579]successful against the[580]Goths, of whom he[581]slew 320,000, and[582]sunk 200 of their[583]ships. The rest of the Barbarians were[584]consumed at[585]Hæmimontium by[586]famine and[587]pestilence; and soon after Claudius[588]died of the same[589]plague, after a reign of one year and nine months.
His brother Quintilius[590]usurping the empire, was slain by the soldiers ten days after, who had now[591]made choice of Aurelian, a person of[592]mean birth, but[593]reckoned amongst the most[594]glorious princes, only rather too[595]cruel. He[596]subdued the Alemanni and Marcomanni, from whom the Romanshad before[597]received a[598]signal[599]overthrow. After that victory he[600]came to Rome,[601]put several of the[602]senators to death, and[603]enlarged the[604]walls of the city. Then marching[605]eastward, he conquered Zenobia, whom with the tyrant[606]Tetrichus, he[607]led in[608]triumph.[609]Aurelius Victor tells us, he was the first of the Roman emperors who[610]wore a[611]diadem on his[612]head, or[613]used[614]jewels and[615]cloth of[616]gold. He was[617]taken off by[618]Mnestheus, a[619]notary to the[620]secretaries at[621]Cænophrurium,[622]betwixt[623]Byzantium and Heraclea. After his[624]death, there was an[625]interregnum of about seven months,[626]occasioned by a[627]dispute between the senate and the army, about the[628]choice of an emperor; at length Tacitus was[629]chosen by the senate, a person of[630]excellent[631]morals, and very[632]fit for the[633]government, he was[634]descended from Tacitus the[635]historian; and he[636]died of a[637]fever six months after at Tarsus. His brother Florianus[638]succeeded him: but Probus being[639]set up by a[640]majority of the army, Florianus[641]bled himself to death, two months after his brother died, in the year of Christ 276.
This Probus was[642]born in Pannonia Sirmiensis, a very fine man, and an excellent[643]soldier, of[644]unspotted morals.[645]As soon as he was[646]made emperor,he[647]punished all those who[648]had a hand in the death of Aurelian. After that, he[649]marched to[650]Gaul,[651]recovered several towns out of the[652]hands of the[653]Barbarians, and[654]slew nearly 70,000 of them. After[655]reducing[656]Gaul, he recovered[657]Illyricum, and[658]subdued the people[659]called the[660]Getæ; then going into the[661]East, he[662]fell upon the[663]Persians; when having[664]defeated them, and[665]taken several towns, he was[666]slain on his[667]return to Italy, by the soldiers, at[668]Sirmium, who[669]hated him for his great[670]severity. This[671]happened in the seventh year of his[672]reign, and the 282nd of Christ.