IV. Confpira cy of his domef tics. Commodus had now attained the fummit of vice CHAP. and infamy. Amidft the acclamations of a flattering court, he was unable to disguise, from himself, that he had deferved the contempt and hatred of every man of fenfe and virtue in his empire. His ferocious spirit was irritated by the consciousness of that hatred, by the envy of every kind of merit, by the just apprehenfion of danger, and by the habit of slaughter, which he contracted in his daily amusements. Hiftory has preferved a long lift of confular fenators facrificed to his wanton fufpicion, which fought out, with peculiar anxiety, thofe unfortunate perfons connected, however remotely, with the family of the Antonines, without fparing even the ministers of his crimes or pleasures ". His cruelty proved at last fatal to himself. He had shed with impunity the nobleft blood of Rome: he perished as foon as he was dreaded by his own domeftics. Marcia, his favourite concubine Eclectus his chamberlain, and Lætus his Prætorian præfect, alarmed by the fate of their companions and predeceffors, refolved to prevent the destruction which every hour hung over their heads, either from the mad caprice of the tyrant, or the fudden indignation of the people. Marcia feized the occafion of presenting a draught of wine to her lover, after he had fatigued himself with hunting fome wild beafts. Commodus retired to sleep; but whilft he was labouring with the Commoeffects of poison and drunkenness, a robust youth, by profeffion a wreftler, entered his chamber, and 31 De ftrangled him without refiftance. The body was cember. fecretly conveyed out of the palace, before the least Death of dus. A. D. 192. IV. CHAP. fufpicion was entertained in the city, or even in the court, of the emperor's death. Such was the fate of the fon of Marcus, and fo eafy was it to destroy a hated tyrant, who, by the artificial powers of government, had oppreffed, during thirteen years, fo many millions of fubjects, each of whom was equal to their mafter in perfonal ftrength and perfonal abilities **. Choice of Pertinax for empe ror. 44 The measures of the confpirators were conductedwith the deliberate coolness and celerity which the greatness of the occafion required. They refolved instantly to fill the vacant throne with an emperor, whose character would justify and maintain the action that had been committed. They fixed on Pertinax, præfect of the city, an ancient fenator of confular rank, whose conspicuous merit had broke through the obfcurity of his birth, and raised him to the first honours of the ftate. He had fucceffively governed most of the provinces of the empire; and in all his great employments, military as well as civil, he had uniformly diftinguished himself by the firmness, the prudence, and the integrity of his conduct ". He now remained almost alone of the friends and minifters of Marcus; and when, at a late hour of the night, he was awakened with the news, that the chamberlain and the præfect were at his door, he received them with intrepid refignation, and defired they would execute their mafter's orders. Inftead of death, they offered him the throne of the Roman world. During fome moments he diftrufted their intentions and affurances. Convinced at length of the death of Commodus, 45 he 46 he accepted the purple with a fincere reluctance, This important night was now far fpent; with the dawn of day, and the commencement of the new year, the fenators expected a fummons to attend an ignominious ceremony. In spite of all remonftrances, even of those of his creatures, whơ yet preserved any regard for prudence or decency, Commodus had refolved to pafs the night in the gladiator's fchool, and from thence to take poffeffion of the confulship, in the habit and with the attendance of that infamous crew. On a fudden, before the break of day, the fenate was called together in the temple of Concord, to meet the guards, and Vol. I. I CHAP. IV. The memory of Commodus declared infa mous. Legal jurifdiction of the fe nate over the empe rors. to ratify the election of a new emperor. For a few minutes they fat in filent fufpence, doubtful of their unexpected deliverance, and fufpicious of the cruel artifices of Commodus; but when at length they were affured that the tyrant was no more, they refigned themselves to all the transports of joy and indignation. Pertinax, who modeftly represented the meannefs of his extraction, and pointed out feveral noble fenators more deferving than himself of the empire, was conftrained by their dutiful violence to afcend the throne, and received all the titles of Imperial power, confirmed by the most fincere vows of fidelity. The memory of Commodus was branded with eternal infamy. The names of tyrant, of gladiator, of public enemy, refounded in every corner of the house. They decreed in tumultuous votes, that his honours should be reverfed, his titles erafed from the public monuments, his statues thrown down, his body dragged with a hook into the flrippingroom of the gladiators, to fatiate the public fury; and they expreffed fome indignation against those officious fervants who had already prefumed to fcreen his remains from the juftice of the fenate. But Pertinax could not refuse those last rites to the memory of Marcus, and the tears of his first protector Claudius Pompeianus, who lamented the cruel fate of his brother-in-law, and lamented ftill more that he had deserved it ". 47 These effufions of impotent rage against a dead emperor, whom the fenate had flattered when alive with the most abject fervility, betrayed a juft but ungenerous fpirit of revenge. The legality of thefe IV. decrees was however fupported by the principles CHAP. of the Imperial conftitution. To cenfure, to depose, or to punish with death, the first magiftrate of the republic, who had abufed his delegated truft, was the ancient and undoubted prerogative of the Roman fenate ; but that feeble affembly was obliged to content itself with inflicting on a fallen tyrant that public juftice, from which, during his life and reign, he had been shielded by the strong arm of military defpotifm. 48 Pertinax, Pertinax found a nobler way of condemning his Virtues of predeceffor's memory; by the contraft of his own virtues, with the vices of Commodus. On the day of his acceffion, he refigned over to his wife and fon his whole private fortune; that they might have no pretence to folicit favours at the expence of the state. He refused to flatter the vanity of the former with the title of Augufta; or to corrupt the inexperienced youth of the latter by the rank of Cæfar. Accurately diftinguishing between the duties of a parent and those of a fovereign, he educated his fon with a fevere fimplicity, which, while it gave him no affured prospect of the throne, might in time have rendered him worthy of it. In public, the behaviour of Pertinax was grave and affable. He lived with the virtuous part of the fenate (and in a private station, he had been acquainted with the true character of each individual), without either pride or jealoufy; confidered them as friends and companions, with whom he had shared the dangers of the tyranny, and with whom he wished to enjoy the fecurity of the prefent time. He very frequently invited them |