CHAP. VII. July 15. in his turn difdained by his colleague as an obfcure foldier. Their filent difcord was understood rather than feen "; but the mutual consciousness prevented them from uniting in any vigorous measures of defence against their common enemies of the Prætorian camp. The whole city was employed in the Capitoline games, and the emperors were A. D. 238. left almost alone in the palace. On a fudden they were alarmed by the approach of a troop of defperate affaffins. Ignorant of each other's fituation or defigns, for they already occupied very diftant apartments, afraid to give or to receive affistance, they wafted the important moments in idle debates and fruitless recriminations. The arrival of the guards put an end to the vain ftrife. They feized on these emperors of the fenate, for fuch they called them with malicious contempt, ftripped them of their garments, and dragged them in infolent triumph through the streets of Rome, with a defign of inflicting a slow and cruel death on these unfortunate princes. The fear of a rescue from the faithful Germans of the Imperial guards, shortened their tortures; and their bodies, mangled with a thousand wounds, were left exposed to the infults or to the pity of the populace **. The third Gordian remains fole em peror. In the space of a few months, fix princes had been cut off by the fword. Gordian, who had already received the title of Cæfar, was the only perfon that occurred to the foldiers as proper to fill the vacant throne ". They carried him to the camp, and unanimously faluted him Auguftus and Emperor. His name was dear to the fenate and VII. people; his tender age promifed a long impunity CHAP. of military licence; and the fubmiffion of Rome and the provinces to the choice of the Prætorian guards, faved the republic, at the expence indeed of its freedom and dignity, from the horrors of a new civil war in the heart of the capital “. Innocence and virtues of Gor dian. As the third Gordian was only nineteen years of age at the time of his death, the hiftory of his life, were it known to us with greater accuracy than it really is, would contain little more than the account of his education, and the conduct of the minifters, who by turns abused or guided the fimplicity of his unexperienced youth. Immediately after his acceffion, he fell into the hands of his mother's eunuchs, that pernicious vermin of the Eaft, who, fince the days of Elagabalus, had infefted the Roman palace. By the artful confpiracy of these wretches, an impenetrable veil was drawn between an innocent prince and his oppreffed fubjects, the virtuous difpofition of Gordian was deceived, and the honours of the empire fold without his knowledge, though in a very public manner, to the moft worthlefs of mankind. We are ignorant by what fortunate accident the emperor escaped from this ignominious slavery, and devolved his confidence on a minifter, whose wife counfels had no object except the glory of his fovereign, and the happiness of the people. It should feem that love and learning introduced AdminiMifitheus to the favour of Gordian. The prince married the daughter of his master of rhetoric, and promoted his father-in-law to the firft offices young A, D. 240. ftration of Mifitheus. СНАР. VII. The Per fian war. A. D. 242. of the empire. Two admirable letters that paffed between them, are ftill extant. The minister, with the confcious dignity of virtue, congratulates Gordian that he is delivered from the tyranny of the eunuchs, and ftill more that he is fenfible of his deliverance. The emperor acknowledges, with an amiable confufion, the errors of his past conduct; and laments, with fingular propriety, the misfortune of a monarch, from whom a venal tribe of courtiers perpetually labour to conceal the truth". The life of Mifitheus had been spent in the profeffion of letters, not of arms; yet fuch was the versatile genius of that great man, that, when he was appointed Prætorian Præfect, he discharged the military duties of his place with vigour and ability. The Perfians had invaded Mefopotamia, and threatened Antioch. By the perfuafion of his father-in-law, the young emperor quitted the luxury of Rome, opened, for the last time recorded in history, the temple of Janus, and marched in perfon into the Eaft. On his approach with a great army, the Perfians withdrew their garrifons from the cities which they had already taken, and retired from the Euphrates to the Tigris. Gordian enjoyed the pleasure of announcing to the fenate the first fuccefs of his arms, which he afcribed with a becoming modefty and gratitude to the wifdom of his father and Præfect. During the whole expedition, Mifitheus watched over the fafety and difcipline of the army; whilft he prevented their dangerous murmurs by maintaining a regular plenty in the camp, and by establishing ample magazines of СНАР. A. D. 243. Arts of vinegar, bacon, ftraw, barley, and wheat, in all the cities of the frontier ". But the profperity of Gordian expired with Mifitheus, who died of a flux, not without very strong fufpicions of poison. Philip. Philip, his fucceffor in the præfecture, was an Arab by birth, and confequently, in the earlier part of his life, a robber by profeffion. His rife from fo obfcure a station to the firft dignities of the empire, feems to prove that he was a bold and able leader. But his boldness prompted him to aspire to the throne, and his abilities were employed to fupplant, not to ferve, his indulgent mafter. The minds of the foldiers were irritated by an artificial fcarcity, created by his contrivance in the camp; and the distress of the army was attributed to the youth and incapacity of the prince. It is not in our power to trace the fucceffive steps of the fecret confpiracy and open fedition, which were at length fatal to Gordian. A fepulchral monument was erected to his memory Murder of on the spot " where he was killed, near the conflux of the Euphrates with the little river Aboras The fortunate Philip, raised to the empire by the votes of the foldiers, found a ready obedience from the fenate and the provinces We cannot forbear tranfcribing the ingenious, Form of a though fomewhat fanciful defcription, which a celebrated writer of our own times has traced of the military government of the Roman empire. What in that age was called the Roman empire, » was only an irregular republic, not unlike the כל 52 54 » Ariftocracy "3 of Algiers where the militia, » poffeffed of the fovereignty, creates and depofes Gordian. March. military republic. СНА Р. VII. زو رو دو » a magistrate, who is ftyled a Dey. Perhaps, „ indeed, it may be laid down as a general rule, that a military government is, in fome refpects, ❞ more republican than monarchical. Nor can it be faid that the foldiers only partook of the » government by their disobedience and rebellions. The fpeeches made to them by the emperors, » were they not at length of the fame nature » as those formerly pronounced to the people by the confuls and the tribunes? And although , the armies had no regular place or forms » of affembly; though their debates were short, » their action fudden, and their refolves feldom the refult of cool reflection, did they not difpose, with abfolute sway, of the public fortune? What was the emperor, except the minister of a » violent government elected for the private benefit of the foldiers? رو " " زو دو زو כל " When the army had elected Philip, who was Prætorian præfect to the third Gordian; the » latter demanded, that he might remain sole , emperor; he was unable to obtain it. He requested, that the power might be equally divided between » them; the army would not liften to his speech. He consented to be degraded to the rank of » Cæfar; the favour was refufed him. He defired, , at least, he might be appointed Prætorian præfect; his prayer was rejected. Finally, he pleaded for » his life. The army, in these feveral judgments, exercised the fupreme magiftracy. » According to the hiftorian, whofe doubtful narrative the prefident De Montefquieu has adopted, Philip, دو who, |