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And after addressing the army for a time, he immediately announced his arrival at Rome, giving the soldiers a little time for rest. When he began his journey, showing no royal luxury anywhere, but living with his soldiers, he reached the borders of Italy, and outstripping the rumor, he appeared in person to those there; and all received him bearing laurels and with the gates thrown open. When these things were reported to Julianus, he was in the utmost despair, hearing of the strength and number of the army, neither trusting the people, nor having confidence in the soldiers whom he had deceived. And for this reason he did not dare to go forth from the city, but made preparations within, as if he would fight the battle with Severus in the city. 3. While he was planning these things, Severus seized the walls, and ordered his soldiers to enter by every road, concealing themselves and hiding their weapons in the guise of private citizens; and already the enemy were within, while Julianus was lying on his back and unaware of what was being done. When these things became widely known to the people, who were in great confusion because of the power of Severus, they pretended to favor his side, condemning the unmanliness of Julianus and the hesitation and indolence of Niger. And Julianus, seized by speechlessness and helplessness, sent to Severus, declaring him a partner in the empire. 4. But the senate, seeing Julianus in despair, and that all were already going over to Severus, holding a session in that place where the consuls once managed affairs, voted that the one be put to death, and that Severus alone be accepted as emperor. And it sent an embassy to him through the most distinguished of the senate, and offered him all the august honors; and against Julianus a tribune, to kill an unmanly and wretched old man, who had bought such a wicked end with his own money. He, therefore, being found deserted, was slain while shamefully lamenting. When the decisions of the senate were made known to Severus, and the execution of Julianus, ascending the tribunal, he was proclaimed emperor and Augustus by the Romans. 127 Exc. Salm.: Severus sent letters to Rome for the soldiers to meet him. When they had assembled, he reproached them, saying that even if they themselves were not the murderers of the emperor Pertinax, still they should have killed those who had slain him; by not doing this they were under the charge of murder. "For having been assigned to the imperial guard," he said, "you do not gird your swords on the left side, but on the right." And taking away their arms and their horses, he drove them out. And one soldier, when his horse could not bear to leave him, but followed him neighing, becoming exceedingly grieved, slaughtered the horse and himself. This emperor, taking Byzantium, pulled down the walls. And it had seven towers beginning from the Thracian gates and extending to the northern sea. And of these, if anyone approached any one tower, there was no perception by the others; but if one shouted at the first or threw a stone at it, it itself would echo, and falling silent would transmit the echo to the second, and then to the third, and so on. 128 Exc. De ins.: But Severus immediately acted with temper and wrath against his friends in Rome, and sent the head of Albinus to be publicly crucified; and he himself, having set in order the affairs of Britain, and having appointed two governors instead of one, and having killed all the friends of Albinus, marched into Rome. 129 Exc. De virt.: That Severus, after entering the palace, accused the friends of Albinus before the senate, and produced their letters and proofs; and bringing different charges against different men, he destroyed all the prominent men of the senate at that time, and those throughout the provinces who were preeminent in wealth and birth. He was also very fond of gold, to the extent that it surpassed the advantages of his courage. 130 Exc. De ins.: That Severus to his son

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καί τινα προδιαλεχθεὶς τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, εὐθέως τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἄφιξιν προηγόρευσεν, ὀλίγον τινὰ δοὺς καιρὸν τοῖς στρατιώταις ἀναπαύσεως. Ὡς δὲ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἤρξατο, οὐδαμοῦ τρυφὴν βασιλικὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ἀλλὰ σὺν τοῖς στρατιώταις διαιτώμενος, ἐπέστη τε τοῖς τῆς Ἰταλίας ὅροις, τήν τε φήμην προφθάσας τοῖς ἐκεῖσε παρὼν ὤφθη· καὶ πάντες αὐτὸν δαφνηφοροῦντες καὶ ταῖς πύλαις ἠνεωγμέναις ἐδέχοντο. Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα τῷ Ἰουλιανῷ ἀπηγγέλλετο, ἐν ἐσχάτῃ ἀπογνώσει ἦν, τοῦ μὲν στρατοῦ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἀκούων, οὔτε δὲ τῷ δήμῳ πιστεύων, οὔτε τοῖς στρατιώταις θαρρῶν οὓς ἐψεύσατο. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τῆς πόλεως προελθεῖν ἐτόλμα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἔνδον παρασκευάζετο, ὡς τὴν Σεβήρου μάχην ἐν τῇ πόλει ποιησόμενος. 3. Ἐκείνου δὲ ταῦτα βουλομένου, ὁ Σεβῆρος κατέλαβε τὰ τείχη, καὶ κελεύει διὰ πάσης ὁδοῦ λανθάνοντας καὶ κρύπτοντας τὰ ὅπλα ἐν ἰδιωτῶν σχήματι εἰσδῦναι τοὺς στρατιώτας· καὶ ἤδη οἱ πολέμιοι ἔνδον ἦσαν, τοῦ Ἰουλιανοῦ ἐξυπτιάζοντος καὶ ἀγνοοῦντος τὰ πραττόμενα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῦτα διάπυστα τῷ δήμῳ ἐγένετο, ἐν πολλῇ ταραχῇ ὄντι διὰ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Σεβήρου, τὰ ἐκείνου φρονεῖν προσεποιοῦντο, τοῦ μὲν Ἰουλιανοῦ καταγινώσκοντες ἀνανδρείαν, τοῦ δὲ Νίγρου μέλλησίν τε καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰουλιανὸς ἀφασίᾳ τε καὶ ἀπορίᾳ καταληφθεὶς πέμπει πρὸς τὸν Σεβῆρον, κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἀποφηνάμενος. 4. Ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος ὁρῶσα τὸν Ἰουλιανὸν ἐν ἀπογνώσει, τῷ δὲ Σεβήρῳ πάντας ἤδη προσχωροῦντας, συνέδριον ποιησαμένη ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ, ἐν ᾧ ποτε οἱ ὕπατοι τὰ πράγματα διῴκουν, ψηφίζεται τὸν μὲν ἀναιρεθῆναι, ἀποδεχθῆναι δὲ μόνον αὐτοκράτορα Σεβῆρον. Πρεσβείαν τε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκπέμπει διὰ τῶν ἐξοχωτάτων τῆς βουλῆς, πάσας τε αὐτῷ προσφέρει τὰς σεβασμίους τιμάς· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν Ἰουλιανὸν χιλίαρχον, ἀποκτενοῦντα ἄνανδρον καὶ ἄθλιον πρεσβύτην, ἰδίοις χρήμασιν ὠνησάμενον οὕτω πονηρὸν τέλος. Ὁ μὲν οὖν εὑρεθεὶς ἔρημος, αἰσχρῶς ὀλοφυρόμενος ἐφονεύθη. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ παρὰ τῆς συγκλήτου ἐδηλώθη τῷ Σεβήρῳ, ἥ τε τοῦ Ἰουλιανοῦ ἀναίρεσις, ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος, αὐτοκράτωρ καὶ Αὔγουστος ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀνηγορεύθη. 127 Exc. Salm.: Σεβῆρος ἔστειλε γράμματα εἰς Ῥώμην ὑπαντῆσαι αὐτῷ τοὺς στρατιώτας. Συνελθόντας δὲ ὠνείδισεν, εἰπὼν, ὅτι κἂν μὴ αὐτοὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτόχειρες Περτίνακος τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀλλὰ δέον αὐτοὺς ἀνελεῖν τοὺς ἀποκτείναντας ἐκεῖνον· τοῦτο μὴ ποιήσαντες ὑπ' αἰτίασιν εἰσὶ φόνου. «Ἐπὶ φυλακῇ γὰρ βασιλικῇ ταχθέντες, ἔφη, οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ μέρει τὰ ξίφη διαζώννυσθε, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ.» Καὶ ἀπολαβὼν τὰ ὅπλα καὶ τοὺς ἵππους, ἀπεδίωξεν αὐτούς. Εἷς δὲ στρατιώτης, οὐκ ἀνασχομένου τοῦ ἵππου ἀπολιπεῖν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἀκολουθοῦντος καὶ χρεμετίζοντος, ὑπεραλγὴς γενόμενος, τὸν ἵππον ἀπέσφαξε καὶ ἑαυτόν. Οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ Βυζάντιον παραλαβὼν τὰ τείχη καθεῖλεν. Εἶχε δὲ πύργους ἑπτὰ ἐκ τῶν Θρᾳκίων πυλῶν ἀρχομένους καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρκτῴαν καθήκοντας θάλασσαν. Καὶ τούτων εἴ τις ἑτέρῳ τῳ πύργῳ προσῆλθεν, οὐδεμία αἴσθησις τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγένετο· εἰ δὲ τῷ πρώτῳ ἐνεβόησεν ἢ λίθον ἐνέβαλεν, αὐτός τε ἤχει, καὶ σιωπήσας τῷ δευτέρῳ μετεδίδου τῆς ἠχοῦς, καὶ εἶτα τῷ τρίτῳ, καὶ ἐφεξῆς. 128 Exc. De ins.: Ὁ δὲ Σεβῆρος θυμῷ καὶ ὀργῇ εὐθέως πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Ῥώμῃ φίλους αὐτοῦ ἐχρήσατο, καὶ τοῦ Ἀλβίνου τὴν κεφαλὴν δημοσίᾳ ἀνασταυρωθῆναι ἔπεμψεν· αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Βρεττανίαν διοικήσας, δύο τε ἡγεμόνας ἀντὶ ἑνὸς καταστήσας, πάντας τε τοὺς Ἀλβίνου φίλους φονεύσας, εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην εἰσήλασεν. 129 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Σεβῆρος μετὰ τὸ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, τῶν Ἀλβίνου φίλων ἐπὶ τῆς συγκλήτου κατηγόρει, γράμματά τε αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλέγχους προέφερεν· ἄλλας τε ἄλλοις ἐπιφέρων αἰτίας, πάντας τοὺς ἐξέχοντας τότε τῆς συγκλήτου, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ ἔθνη πλούτῳ τε καὶ γένει ὑπερέχοντας διέφθειρε. Πάνυ δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ φιλόχρυσον, ὡς ὑπερβάλλειν τὰ πλεονεκτήματα τῆς ἀνδρείας. 130 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Σεβῆρος τῷ υἱῷ