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to be named, and he ordered the months to bear their names from himself, thus: Amazonius, Commodus, Augustus, Heraclius, Romanus, Hyperaeron, Anicetus, Eusebes, Eutyches, Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius. And having put off the Roman attire, he would put on a lion's skin and carry a club; and so he fought in single combat publicly with beasts and men, throwing the javelin accurately and truly, and being admired by all, so to speak. But when he turned to great bloodshed, having gathered all the wretched and maimed men unsparingly into the theatre, and having put some dragon-like cloths on them from the knees down, he slew them with his club as if they were giants. For sleeping in the gladiatorial schools, being met from there for the general assemblies and feasts by the senatorial council, he was ill-spoken of by all, so that even Marcia, whom he held most honored of his concubines, condemned him and renounced his actions. And many others supplicated him to do nothing unworthy of the empire. 121 Exc. De ins.: That after this Commodus, being vexed with his household, sent some away, and he himself returning to his chamber, as if to sleep, took a tablet and wrote down how many must be killed (of whom Marcia was first, followed by Laetus and Eclectus; and after these a great multitude of the leading men of the senate), wishing to shoot them down in the theatre as he once did the Stymphalian birds, being ashamed on the one hand to have the older men and his father's friends as venerable overseers of his shameful life, and on the other wishing to bestow the property of the rich upon gladiators. He places the tablet on the couch, where no one used to enter. But a certain small child, whom Commodus loved and was delighted with, and whom he had named Philocommodus, taking this tablet, was playing on the couch. But when Commodus suddenly came out, the writing-tablet remained with the child; which Marcia picked up, fearing lest he might destroy something important out of childishness, and recognizing Commodus's hand, she went through it, and found it death-bearing, and for herself before all others; and having lamented to herself, she sends for Eclectus; and giving him the writing-tablet, she said, "See what sort of all-night festival we are about to celebrate." And he, having read it, was struck with terror, and immediately sends it by a most faithful person to Laetus. And he too, being troubled, comes to Marcia, so that he could take counsel with them; for there was no time for delay. And they decided to give poison to Commodus; and Marcia promised to give it most easily; for she herself was accustomed to mix the first draught for him at dinner. And when he came from the bath she gives it to him, having mixed it well; and he, drinking it without noticing, immediately fell into a sleep, being overcome both by fatigue and by the successive pleasures; and having rested for a short while, he began to vomit the poison along with the food already within him; but Marcia, fearing that he might vomit all of it up, either because of the fullness of food or because of the antidote customarily taken beforehand by emperors, and that they would all perish, calls for Laetus and Eclectus by night. And when they learned these things, they entrusted this to a certain Narcissus, a most vigorous man: to strangle Commodus. And he, rushing in and finding him weakened by the poison and the wine, strangling his neck, kills him. Such an end to his life did Commodus meet, having reigned for 13 years after the death of his father.

122 PERTINAX.

Ibid.: But those who had conspired against him, having resolved to conceal what had happened, putting the small body under a cheap mattress, and sewing it up, carried it out of the royal court by means of servants, escaping everyone's notice; but they themselves what was to be done

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ὀνομάζεσθαι, τούς τε μῆνας ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ φέρειν τὰς προσηγορίας προσέταξεν οὕτως· Ἀμαζόνιος, Κόμοδος, Αὔγουστος, Ἡράκλειος, Ῥωμαῖος, Ὑπεραίρων, Ἀνίκητος, Εὐσεβὴς, Εὐτυχὴς, Λούκιος, Αἴλιος, Αὐρήλιος. Ἀποδυσάμενός τε τὸ Ῥωμαίων σχῆμα, λεοντῆν ὑπεστρώννυτο καὶ ῥόπαλον ἐπεφέρετο· οὕτω τε θηρίοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις δημοσίᾳ ἐμονομάχει, εὐστόχως τε κατὰ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἀκοντίζων, καὶ παρὰ πάντων, ὡς εἰπεῖν, θαυμαζόμενος. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰς πολλὴν μιαιφονίαν ἐτράπη, πάντας ἀφειδῶς τοὺς ἀθλίους καὶ λελωβημένους ἄνδρας εἰς τὸ θέατρον συναγαγὼν, δρακοντοειδῆ τέ τινα περιθεὶς ἐκ τῶν γονάτων ὑφάσματα, ὡς γίγαντας τῷ ῥοπάλῳ κατειργάσατο. Καθεύδων γὰρ ἐν τοῖς μονομαχείοις, ἐκεῖθεν ἐς τὰς πανηγύρεις καὶ ἑορτὰς πρὸς τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ὑπαντώμενος, ἐκ πάντων μὲν κακῶς διεβάλλετο, ὥστε καὶ τὴν Μαρκίαν, ἣν εἶχε τῶν παλλακῶν τιμιωτάτην, καταγνῶναι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπαγορεῦσαι τοῖς πραττομένοις. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι ἱκέτευον αὐτὸν μηδὲν ἀνάξιον τῆς βασιλείας ποιεῖν. 121 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι μετὰ τοῦτο ὁ Κόμοδος ἐπὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις ἀσχάλλων, τοὺς μὲν ἀπεπέμψατο, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπανελθὼν ἐς τὸ δωμάτιον, ὡς δῆθεν καθευδήσων, λαβὼν δέλτον, γράφει ὅσους χρὴ φονευθῆναι (ὧν πρώτη μὲν ἦν Μαρκία, εἵποντο δὲ Λαῖτος καὶ Ἔκλεκτος· ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις πολὺ πλῆθος τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου πρωτευόντων), ὥς ποτε τὰς Στυμφαλίδας ὄρνεις κατατοξεῦσαι τούτους ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ βουλόμενος, τοὺς μὲν (γὰρ) ὡς πρεσβύτας καὶ πατρῴους φίλους αἰδούμενος ἔχειν αἰσχροῦ βίου σεμνοὺς ἐπόπτας, τῶν δὲ πλουσίων τὰς οὐσίας χαρίσασθαι βουλόμενος μονομάχοις. Τὴν δὲ δέλτον τίθησιν ἐπὶ τοῦ σκίμποδος, ἔνθα μηδεὶς εἰσῄει. Παιδίον δέ τι μικρὸν, ὅπερ ἠγάπα ὁ Κόμοδος καὶ ἐπετέρπετο, Φιλοκόμοδόν τε ὠνόμασε, τοῦτον λαβὼν τὴν δέλτον, ἔπαιζεν ἐπὶ τοῦ σκίμποδος. Αἰφνιδίου δὲ τοῦ Κομόδου προελθόντος, ἔμεινε παρὰ τῷ παιδίῳ τὸ γραμματεῖον· ὅπερ ἀνελομένη ἡ Μαρκία, δεδοικυῖα μή τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὑπὸ νηπιότητος διαφθείρῃ, γνωρίσασα τὴν τοῦ Κομόδου χεῖρα, διεξῆλθε, καὶ εὗρεν αὐτὸ θανατηφόρον, καὶ πρὸ πάντων αὐτῇ· ἀνοιμώξασα δὲ καθ' ἑαυτὴν, τὸν Ἔκλεκτον μεταπέμπεται· δοῦσα δὲ τὸ γραμματεῖον, «Ὅρα, ἔφη, ποίαν μέλλομεν παννυχίζειν ἑορτήν.» Ὁ δὲ ἀναγνοὺς κατεπλάγη, καὶ τοῦτο διά τινος πιστοτάτου παραπέμπει παραχρῆμα τῷ Λαίτῳ. Ταραχθεὶς δὲ κἀκεῖνος ἀφικνεῖται πρὸς Μαρκίαν, ὡς δὴ συσκεψόμενος αὐτοῖς· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν καιρὸς μελλήσεως. Ἀρέσκει δὲ δοῦναι φάρμακον τῷ Κομόδῳ· ὑπέσχετο δὲ ῥᾷστα δώσειν ἡ Μαρκία· εἰώθει γὰρ αὐτὴ κιρνᾶν αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ τὴν πρώτην δόσιν. Ἐλθόντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἀπὸ λουτροῦ δίδωσι καλῶς κεράσασα· ὁ δὲ πιὼν ἀναισθήτως, αὐτίκα ἔπεσεν εἰς ὕπνον, ὑπό τε τοῦ κόπου καὶ τῆς ἀλλεπαλλήλου ἡδονῆς ἑλκόμενος· καὶ μικρόν τι ἡσυχάσας ἤρξατο ἐμεῖν σὺν τῇ προεγκειμένῃ τροφῇ καὶ τὸ φάρμακον· ἡ δὲ Μαρκία φοβηθεῖσα μὴ (εἰς) πᾶν ἐξεμεθῇ, ἢ διὰ τὴν πλήμην τῆς τροφῆς ἢ διὰ τὸ προλαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλέων ἀλεξιφάρμακον, καὶ πάντες ἀπόλωνται, μετακαλεῖται νύκτωρ τὸν Λαῖτον καὶ τὸν Ἔκλεκτον. Οἱ δὲ ὡς ταῦτα ἐπύθοντο, θαρροῦσι τοῦτο Ναρκίσσῳ τινὶ ἀκμαιοτάτῳ ἀποπνίξαι τὸν Κόμοδον. Ὁ δὲ εἰσδραμὼν καὶ παρειμένον εὑρὼν ὑπὸ τοῦ φαρμάκου καὶ τῆς μέθης, ἀποσφίγξας τὸν τράχηλον, φονεύει. Τοιούτῳ μὲν τέλει βίου ὁ Κόμοδος, βασιλεύσας ἔτεσι ιγʹ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν, ἐχρήσατο.

122 ΠΕΡΤΙΝΑΞ.

Ibid.: Οἱ δὲ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες αὐτῷ, κρύψαι τὸ γενόμενον βουλευσάμενοι, εἰς στρωμνήν τινα εὐτελῆ ὑποβαλόντες τὸ σωμάτιον, καὶ καταρράψαντες, δι' οἰκετῶν, πάντας λαθόντες, τῆς βασιλείου αὐλῆς ἐξεφόρησαν· αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸ πρακτέον