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V

CHAP.

VII.

The appa

cule

CHAP. VII.

The Elevation and Tyranny of Maximin. — Rebellion in Africa and Italy, under the Authority of the Senate. Civil Wars and Seditions. Violent Deaths

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of Maximin and his Son, of Maximus and Balbinus, and of the three Gordians. - Ufurpation and fecular Games of Philip.

OF

F the various forms of government, which have prevailed in the world, an hereditary rent ridi monarchy feems to present the fairest scope for ridicule. Is it poffible to relate, without an indignant fmile, that, on the father's decease, the property of a nation, like that of a drove of oxen, defcends to his infant fon, as yet unknown to mankind and to himfelf; and that the bravest warriors and the wifeft ftatesmen, relinquishing their natural right to empire, approach the royal cradle with bended knees and proteftations of inviolable fidelity; Satire and declamation may paint these obvious topics in the most dazzling colours, but our more ferious thoughts will refpect a useful prejudice, that establishes a rule of fucceffion, independent of the paffions of mankind; and we shall cheerfully acquiefce in any expedient which deprives the multitude of the dangerous, and indeed the ideal, power of giving themselves a master.

and folid
advantages

In the cool shade of retirement, we may easily

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CHAP.
VII.

of heredi

devife imaginary forms of government, in which the fceptre shall be conftantly beftowed on the moft worthy, by the free and incorrupt fuffrage tary fuc of the whole community. Experience overturns ceffion. thefe airy fabrics, and teaches us, that, in a large fociety, the election of a monarch can never devolve to the wilelt, or to the most numerous, part of the people. The army is the only order of men fufficiently united to concur in the fame fentiments, and powerful enough to impofe them on the rest of their fellow citizens: but the temper of foldiers, habituated at once to violence and to slavery, renders them very unfit guardians of a legal, or even a civil conftitution. Justice, humanity, or political wisdom, are qualities they are too little acquainted with in themselves, to appreciate them in others. Valour will acquire their esteem, and liberality will purchase their fuffrage; but the first of these merits is often lodged in the most favage breafts; the latter can only exert itself at the expence of the public; and both may be turned against the poffeffor of the throne, by the ambition of a daring rival.

in the Ro

man em

pire productive of calamities,

the greatest

The fuperior prerogative of birth, when it has Want of it obtained the fanction of time and popular opinion, is the plaineft and leaft invidious of all diftinctions among mankind. The acknowledged right extinguishes the hopes of faction, and the confcious fecurity difarms the cruelty of the monarch. To the firm eftablishment of this idea, we owe the peaceful fucceffion, and mild administration, of European monarchies. To the defect of it, we must attribute the frequent civil wars, through

СНАР.

VII.

which an Afiatic Defpot is obliged to cut his way to the throne of his fathers. Yet, even in the East, the sphere of contention is ufually limited to the princes of the reigning houfe, and as foon as the more fortunate competitor has removed his brethren, by the fword and the bow-ftring, he no longer entertains any jealoufy of his meaner fubjects. But the Roman empire, after the authority of the fenate had funk into contempt, was a vaft scene of confufion. The royal, and even noble, families of the provinces, had long fince been led in triumph before the car of the haughty republicans. The ancient families of Rome had fucceffively fallen beneath the tyranny of the Cæfars; and whilst those princes were shackled by the forms of a commonwealth, and disappointed by the repeated failure of their posterity it was impoffible that any idea of hereditary fucceffion should have taken root in the minds of their fubjects. The right to the throne, which none could claim from birth, every one affumed from merit. The daring. hopes of ambition were fet loose from the falutary restraints of law and prejudice; and the meanest of mankind might, without folly, entertain a hope of being raised by valour and fortune to a rank in the army, in which a fingle crime would enable him to wreft the fceptre of the world from his feeble and unpopular mafter. After the murder of Alexander Severus, and the elevation of Maximin, no emperor could think himself safe upon the throne, and every barbarian peafant of the frontier might afpire to that auguft, but dangerous station.

I

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About

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VII.
Birth and

fortunes of

Maximin.

About thirty-two years before that event, the CHAP. emperor Severus, returning from an eastern expedition, halted in Thrace, to celebrate, with military games, the birth-day of his younger fon, Geta. The country flocked in crowds to behold their fovereign, and a young barbarian of gigantic ftature earnestly folicited, in his rude dialect, that he might be allowed to contend for the prize of wrestling. As the pride of difcipline would have been difgraced in the overthrow of a Roman foldier by a Thracian peafant, he was matched with the ftouteft followers of the camp, fixteen of whom he fucceffively laid on the ground. His victory was rewarded by fome trifling gifts, and a permiffion to inlift in the troops. The next day, the happy barbarian was diftinguished above a crowd of recruits, dancing and exulting after the fashion of his country. As foon as he perceived that he had attracted the emperor's notice, he inftantly ran up to his horfe, and followed him on foot, without the least appearance of fatigue, in a long and rapid career. "Thracian," faid Severus, with aftonishment," art thou difpofed to wrestle after ,, thy race?,, Moft willingly, Sir, replied the unwearied youth, and, almoft in a breath, overhrew seven of the strongest foldiers in the A gold collar was the prize of his matchlefs vi gour and activity, and he was immediately appointed to serve in the horse-guards who always attended on the perfon of the fovereign *.

army.

Maximin, for that was his name, though born on the territories of the empire, defcended from a Vol. I.

P

His mili-
and ho

tary fervice

nours.

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CHAP.

VII.

Confpiracy of Maximin.

mixed race of barbarians. His father was a Goth, and
his mother, of the nation of the Alani. He displayed,
on every occafion, a valour equal to]hisftrength, and
his native fiercenefs was foon tempered or disguised
by the knowledge of the world. Under the reign
of Severus and his fon, he obtained the rank of
centurion, with the favour and esteem of both those
princes, the former of whom was an excellent
judge of merit. Gratitude forbade Maximin to ferve
under the affaffin of Caracalla. Honour taught him
to decline the effeminate infults of Elagabalus.
On the acceffion of Alexander he returned to
court, and was placed by that prince in a ftation
ufeful to the fervice, and honourable to himself.
The fourth legion, to which he was appointed
tribune, foon became, under his care, the best
difciplined of the whole army. With the general
applause of the foldiers, who bestowed on their
favourite hero the names of Ajax and Hercules,
he was fucceffively promoted to the first military com-
mand';
and had not he ftill retained too much of his
favage origin, the emperor might perhaps have
given his own fifter in marriage to the fon of
Maximin *.

Instead of securing his fidelity, these favours ferved only to inflame the ambition of the Thracian peafant, who deemed his fortune inadequate to his merit, as long as he was conftrained to acknowledge a fuperior. Though a stranger to real wisdom, he was not devoid of a felfish cunning, which shewed him, that the emperor had loft the affection of the army, and taught him to

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