CILAP.

35

of afcending the throne without drawing the fword ". His emiffaries, difperfed in the capital, affured the guards, that provided they would abandon their worthless prince, and the perpetrators of the murder of Pertinax, to the juftice of the conqueror, he would no longer confider that melancholy event as the act of the whole body. The faithlefs Prætorians, whose refiftance was fupported only by fullen obftinacy, gladly complied with the eafy conditions, feized the greatest part of the affaffins, and fignified to the fenate, that they no longer defended the caufe of Julian. That affembly, convoked by the conful, unanimously acknowledged Severus as lawful emperor, decreed divine honours to Pertinax, and pronounced a sentence of depofition and death against his unfortunate fucceffor. Julian was conducted into a private apartment of the baths of the palace, and beheaded as a common the fenate. criminal, after having purchased, with an immense treasure, an anxious and precarious reign of only fixty-fix days". The almoft incredible expedition of Severus who, in fo short a space of time, conducted a numerous army from the banks of the Danube to thofe of the Tyber, proves at once the plenty of provifions produced by agriculture and commerce, the goodness of the roads, the difcipline of the legions, and the indolent fubdued temper of the provinces '

and condemned

and executed by order of

A. D. 193.

June 2.

Disgrace

37

The firft cares of Severus were bestowed on two of the Pra measures, the one dictated by policy, the other by decency; the revenge, and the honours, due to the memory of Pertinax. Before the new emperor

torian

guards.

entered Rome, he iffued his commands to the Prætorian guards, directing them to wait his arrival on a large plain near the city, without arms, but in the habits of ceremony, in which they were accustomed to attend their fovereign. He was obeyed by those haughty troops, whofe contrition was the effect of their just terrors. A chofen part of the Illyrian army encompaffed them with levelled fpears. Incapable of flight or refiftance, they expected their fate in filent confternation. Severus mounted the tribunal, fternly reproached them with perfidy and cowardice, difmiffed them with ignominy from the trust which they had betrayed, defpoiled them of their fplendid ornaments, and banished them on pain of death, to the distance of an hundred miles from the capital. During the transaction, another detachment had been fent to feize their

arms, occupy their camp, and prevent the hafty confequences of their despair ".

The funeral and confecration of Pertinax was next folemnized with every circumftance of fad magnificence". The fenate, with a melancholy pleasure, performed the laft rites to that excellent prince, whom they had loved, and ftill regretted. The concern of his fucceffor was probably less fincere. He esteemed the virtues of Pertinax, but thofe virtues would for ever have confined his ambition to a private ftation. Severus pronounced his funeral oration with studied eloquence, inward fatisfaction, and well-acted forrow; and by this pious regard to his memory, convinced the cre dulous multitude that he alone was worthy to fupply

СНАР.

V.

Funeral

and apo

theofis of

Pertinax.

CHAP.

V.

Succefs

against Niger, and against Albinus.

A. D.

his place. Senfible, however, that arms, not cere. monies, muft affert his claim to the empire, he left Rome at the end of thirty days, and, without fuffering himself to be elated by this eafy victory, prepared to encounter his more formidable rivals.

4

40

The uncommon abilities and fortune of Severus of Severus have induced an elegant hiftorian to compare him. with the first and greatest of the Cæfars . The parallel is, at least, imperfect. Where shall we find, in the character of Severus, the commanding fuperiority of foul, the generous clemency, and the various genius, which could reconcile and unite the love of pleasure, the thirst of knowledge, and the fire of ambition **? In one inftance only they may be compared, with fome degree of propriety, in the celerity of their motions, and their civil victories. In lefs than four years, Severus 193-197. fubdued the riches of the east, and the valour of the weft. He vanquished two competitors of reputation and ability, and defeated numerous armies, provided with weapons and difcipline equal to his own. In that age, the art of fortification, and the principles of tactics, were well understood by all the Roman generals; and the conftant fuperiority of Severus was that of an artist, who uses the fame inftruments with more skill and induftry than his rivals. I shall not, however, enter into a minute narrative of these military operations; but as the two civil wars against Niger and against Albinus, were almost the fame in their conduct, event, and confequences. I shall collect into one point of view, the most striking circumftances, tending to develope

the character of the conqueror, and the ftate of the empire.

CHAP.

V.

Conduct of the two

civil wars.

Falsehood and infincerity, unfuitable as they feem to the dignity of public tranfactions, offend us with a lefs degrading idea of meannefs, than when they are found in the intercourfe of private life. In the latter, they difcover a want of courage; in the other, only a defect of power: and, as it is impoffible for the most able statesman to fubdue millions of followers and enemies by their own personal strength, the world, under the name of policy, feems to have granted them a very li beral indulgence of craft and diffimulation. Yet Arts of the arts of Severus cannot be juftified by the most Severus ample privileges of state reason. He promifed only to betray, he flattered only to ruin; and however he might occafionally bind himself by oaths and treaties, his confcience, obfequious to his interest, always released him from the inconvenient obligation ".

43

If his two competitors, reconciled by their towards common danger, had advanced upon him with- Niger; out delay, perhaps Severus would have funk under their united effort. Had they even attacked him, at the fame time, with feparate views and feparate armies, the contest might have been long and doubtful. But they fell, fingly and fucceffively, an easy prey to the arts as well as arms of their fubtle enemy, lulled into fecurity by the moderation of his profeffions, and overwhelmed by the rapidity of his action. He first marched against Niger, whole reputation and power he the moft dreaded: but

V.

44

CHAP he declined any hoftile declarations, fuppreffed the name of his antagonist, and only fignified to the fenate and people, his intention of regulating the eastern provinces. In private he spoke of Niger, his old friend and intended fucceffor ", with the most affectionate regard, and highly applauded his generous defign of revenging the murder of Pertinax. To punish the vile ufurper of the throne, was the duty of every Roman general. To perfevere in arms, and to refift a lawful emperor, acknowledged by the fenate, would alone render him criminal ". The fons of Niger had fallen into his hands among the children of the provincial governors, detained at Rome as pledges for the loyalty of their parents". As long as the power of Niger inspired terror, or even refpect, they were educated with the most tender care, with the children of Severus himself; but they were foon involved in their father's ruin, and removed, first by exile and afterwards by death, from the eye of public compaffion ".

towards Albinus.

Whilft Severus was engaged in his eastern war, he had reafon to apprehend that the governor of Britain might pass the fea and the Alps, occupy the vacant feat of empire, and oppose his return with the authority of the fenate and the forces of the weft. The ambiguous conduct of Albinus, in not affuming the Imperial title, left room for negotiation. Forgetting, at once, his profeffions of patriotism, and the jealousy of fovereign power, he accepted the precarious rank of Cæfar, as a reward for his fatal neutrality. Till the first contest was decided, Severus treated the man, whom he