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Such then was the end of Pertinax, who had reigned for six months. 6. And the soldiers, when they saw that no one dared to avenge the murder, went up on the wall and proclaimed, "Who wants to buy the empire?" When the rumor spread, a certain Julianus, who had already completed the consular office, and was thought to be of great wealth, and lived in drunken revels and luxury, and other evils **.

123 JULIANUS.

Exc. De virt.: That Julianus the consul, who had bought the empire, when he came into power, immediately devoted himself to luxury and drunken revels, attending to public affairs neglectfully, and giving himself over to a life of extravagance. He was also found to have deceived the soldiers; for he neither had so much money of his own, and the public treasuries had been emptied by Commodus. For this reason, the soldiers were vexed, and the people held him in contempt in the theaters.

124 NIGER.

Exc. De ins.: For this reason, the soldiers were vexed, and the people, perceiving this, held him in contempt, and in the theaters they called upon Niger, and demanded that he become a helper to the Roman empire as quickly as possible, as it was suffering outrageously. And they proclaimed this man emperor. But he himself also became supine in the care of affairs, and caroused laxly with the people of Antioch, giving himself over to festivals and spectacles, and he neglected the journey to Rome, and though it was necessary to visit the Illyrian armies as quickly as possible, and to win them over before anyone else, he disclosed nothing of what was being done to them, hoping that all would be of one mind with the wish of the Romans. While he was doing these things, a report was carried to the Illyrians and all the military forces there, which, stationed on the banks of the Ister and the Rhine, held back the barbarians beyond, and guarded the Roman empire. The leader of these was Severus, a Libyan by birth, but noble in the administration of affairs.

125 SEVERUS.

Exc. De virt.: This Severus was a Libyan by birth, noble and at the same time high-spirited in the administration of affairs, accustomed to a hard and rough life, bearing hardships very easily, quick to perceive and swift to execute what he had perceived. 126 Exc. De ins.: This man, learning that the Roman empire was in suspense and being seized, condemning the negligence of the one and the ill-fortune of the other (and dreams and oracles and portents also persuaded him; finally he thought he saw Pertinax advancing on a horse, but the horse threw that man off and took up Severus); thus then Severus, exalted in his mind, made a trial of the soldiers. At first, winning over a few commanders and tribunes, he conversed about the Roman empire, how it had been cast aside, with no one taking it according to merit and seeking vengeance for the murder of Pertinax; for Pertinax, having been appointed commander of the Illyrians under Marcus, was held in great remembrance among them. 2. When Severus said such things, therefore, the soldiers gave themselves over to him, especially on account of the murder of Pertinax, so that they immediately appointed Severus emperor. And he, having accepted the power,

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Τοιοῦτον μὲν δὴ τέλος τῷ Περτίνακι βασιλεύσαντι μῆνας ἕξ. 6. Οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται, ὡς εἶδον μηδένα τολμῶντα ὑπεξελθεῖν τῷ φόνῳ, ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐκήρυττον, «Τίς βούλεται τὴν βασιλείαν ὠνήσασθαι;» Ὡς δὲ διεφοίτησεν ἡ φήμη, Ἰουλιανός τις, ἤδη μὲν τετελεκὼς τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν, ἐν εὐπορίᾳ δὲ πολλῇ εἶναι δοκῶν, ζῶν δὲ κραιπάλαις καὶ τρυφαῖς, καὶ ἄλλοις κακοῖς **.

123 ΙΟΥΛΙΑΝΟΣ.

Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Ἰουλιανὸς ὁ ὕπατος, ὁ ὠνησάμενος τὴν βασιλείαν, ἐπεὶ παρῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν, εὐθέως τρυφαῖς καὶ κραιπάλαις ἐσχόλαζε, τῇ μὲν τῶν δημοσίων ἐπιμελείᾳ ῥᾳθύμως προσφερόμενος, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἁβροδίαιτον ἐπιδιδοὺς ἑαυτόν. Εὑρίσκετο δὲ καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας ψευσάμενος· οὔτε γὰρ οἴκοθεν ἦν αὐτῷ τοσαῦτα χρήματα, καὶ οἱ δημόσιοι θησαυροὶ ἐκεκένωντο ὑπὸ Κομόδου. Ἐκ ταύτης τῆς αἰτίας οἵ τε στρατιῶται ἠγανάκτουν, καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις ἐν καταφρονήσει αὐτὸν ἐποίει.

124 ΝΙΓΡΟΣ.

Exc. De ins.: Ἐκ ταύτης τῆς αἰτίας οἵ τε στρατιῶται ἠγανάκτουν, καὶ ὁ δῆμος αἰσθόμενος ἐν καταφρονήσει αὐτὸν ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ Νίγρον ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις ἐπεκάλει, βοηθόν τε αὐτὸν γενέσθαι τὴν ταχίστην τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ ἠξίου, ὡς ἐφύβριστα πασχούσῃ. Καὶ τοῦτον ἀναγορεύουσι βασιλέα. Ὁ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξυπτιάζεται πρὸς τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ ἀνειμένως τοῖς Ἀντιοχεῦσι συνευφραίνετο, εἰς ἑορτὰς καὶ θέας ἐπιδιδοὺς ἑαυτὸν, τῆς τε εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀφόδου ἠμέλει, τοῖς τε Ἰλλυρικοῖς στρατεύμασι δέον ἐπιφοιτῆσαι τὴν ταχίστην, καὶ φθάσαι οἰκειωσάμενον αὐτὰ, οὐδὲ τῶν πραττομένων τι αὐτοῖς ἐδήλου, ἐλπίζων πάντας ὁμογνώμονας ἔσεσθαι τῇ Ῥωμαίων εὐχῇ. Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ πράττοντος, διηγγέλθη εἰς Ἰλλυριοὺς καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐκεῖσε στρατιωτικὸν, ὃ ταῖς ὄχθαις Ἴστρου τε καὶ Ῥήνου ἐπικείμενον ἀπείργει τοὺς ἐπέκεινα βαρβάρους, καὶ φρουρεῖ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν. Ἡγεῖτο δὲ τούτων Σεβῆρος, τὸ μὲν γένος Λίβυς, εἰς δὲ πραγμάτων διοίκησιν γενναῖος.

125 ΣΕΒΗΡΟΣ.

Exc. De virt.: Οὗτος ὁ Σεβῆρος τὸ μὲν γένος ἦν Λίβυς, ἐς δὲ πραγμάτων διοίκησιν γενναῖος ἅμα καὶ θυμοειδὴς, σκληρῷ τε βίῳ καὶ τραχεῖ ἐνειθισμένος, πόνους τε ἀνέχων ῥᾷστα, νοῆσαί τε ταχὺς καὶ τὸ νοηθὲν ἐπιτελέσαι ὀξύς. 126 Exc. De ins.: Οὗτος πυθόμενος τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν μετέωρον φερομένην ἁρπάζεσθαι, καταγνοὺς τοῦ μὲν ῥᾳθυμίαν, τοῦ δὲ δυσπραγίαν (ἐνέπειθον δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ὀνείρατα καὶ χρησμοὶ καὶ σύμβολα· τό γε τελευταῖον ᾠήθη τὸν Περτίνακα ἰδεῖν ἐφ' ἵππου προϊόντα, τὸν δὲ ἵππον ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἀποσεισάμενον, Σεβῆρον δὲ ἀναλαβόντα)· οὕτω τοίνυν ὁ Σεβῆρος ἀρθεὶς τὴν γνώμην ἀπόπειραν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐποιεῖτο. Τὰ μὲν πρῶτα κατ' ὀλίγους ἡγεμόνας τε καὶ χιλιάρχους οἰκειούμενος, περὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς διελέγετο, ὡς ἐπέρριπτο, οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ κατ' ἀξίαν αὐτὴν λαμβάνοντος καὶ Περτίνακος φόνον ζητοῦντος· ἡγεμὼν γὰρ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἐπὶ Μάρκου καταστὰς ὁ Περτίναξ μνήμης εἶχε παρ' αὐτοῖς μεγάλως. 2. Τοιαῦτα τοίνυν λέγοντος τοῦ Σεβήρου, ἐπέδοσαν ἑαυτοὺς οἱ στρατιῶται, μάλιστα διὰ τὸν Περτίνακος φόνον, ὥστε παραχρῆμα καὶ αὐτοκράτορα ἀποδεῖξαι τὸν Σεβῆρον. Ὁ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑποδεξάμενος,