49

He betrothed the daughter of Plautianus, who was praefect, to Antoninus. But Antoninus, being displeased with the marriage, both loathed his wife and threatened her father. And Plautianus, seeing that Severus was an old man and troubled by sickness, and that Antoninus was a stern and bold youth, and fearing his threats, contrived to persuade Saturninus, who was a tribune of the soldiers and very intimate with Plautianus, to act first rather than wait to suffer, promising to grant him the prefecture if he should obtain the empire. And having heard these and such things, the man was astonished in his soul, but did not dare to speak against it, lest he be punished on the spot. And knowing it was impossible to do away with two emperors, and these living in different houses, he reported himself to Severus, and announced everything, and showed him also a written note of the promise. And as he said such things, when he saw that Severus did not believe him because of his affection for Plautianus, but rather even suspected his son, he said: "Master, command me to inform him through one of my men that the deed has been done, and you will immediately see him coming here, thinking he will find the palace deserted; but command that what is being done be kept quiet." 2. Having said these things, he gave orders to one of his most trusted men; and he brought Plautianus at once, wearing a breastplate for the sake of his body's safety. And as all were receiving him, thinking he had been summoned by the emperors, the tribune who was lying in wait addressed him as emperor, and taking him by the hand led him into the room, where he said the bodies of the emperors had been thrown; and Severus had already prepared young men from his bodyguards, who were ordered to seize him as he entered. And Plautianus, when he saw the emperors standing and himself being held, wished to defend himself; but when a part of his breastplate also appeared, then Antoninus permitted the bodyguards to kill him, and to cast him out in public. Plautianus, therefore, met such an end. 3. And Severus for the future appointed two prefects of the camps, and he himself spent most of his time in the imperial suburbs on the coast of Campania, judging cases and administering political affairs; and he sent the daughter of Plautianus and her brother to Sicily, having given them sufficient property, imitating Augustus; for he too had treated the children of Antony in this way. And he tried to bring his sons together in friendship, using ancient myths and pointing out what was prepared for them; but they were not at all persuaded, but even turned to worse things, being youths, and driven insatiably by imperial power towards all inclinations of pleasure; and he was distressed by such a life of his sons. And having conquered the Britons, and being already old, and troubled by sickness, he was forced to remain at home; and he tried to send out Antoninus to manage the affairs of the camps; who scorned the war, but was eager to rule alone, and considered his father troublesome for delaying his death, and persuaded the doctors and servants to do evil in the treatment of the old man, so that he might be rid of him more quickly. Nevertheless, at last Severus, having been for the most part destroyed by grief, rested, having reigned 18 years.

131 ANTONINUS CARACALLA.

Ibid.: And Antoninus, having taken power after his father's death, immediately

began to murder everyone, and especially the doctors who had not obeyed him;

and privately he courted the leaders of the soldiers with gifts and great promises, so that

49

Ἀντωνίνῳ τὴν τοῦ Πλαυτιανοῦ θυγατέρα κατεγγύησεν, ὃς ἦν ἔπαρχος. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντωνῖνος ἀπαρεσκόμενος τῷ γάμῳ, τήν τε γυναῖκα ἐμυσάττετο, καὶ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῆς ἠπείλει. Ὁ δὲ Πλαυτιανὸς ὁρῶν τὸν μὲν Σεβῆρον πρεσβύτην καὶ ὑπὸ νόσου ὀχλούμενον, τὸν δὲ Ἀντωνῖνον ἐμβριθῆ καὶ θρασὺν νεανίαν, δεδιώς τε αὐτοῦ τὰς ἀπειλὰς, δράσαι τι μᾶλλον φθάσας ἢ παθεῖν ἀναμείνας, μηχανᾶται τὸν Σατουρνῖνον ἀναπεῖσαι, ὃς ἦν χιλίαρχος τῶν στρατιωτῶν, οἰκειότατος δὲ τοῦ Πλαυτιανοῦ, ὑποσχόμενος αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπαρχότητα παρασχεῖν, εἰ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιτύχοι. Ταῦτά τε καὶ τοιαῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἐξεπλάγη μὲν τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐκ ἐτόλμησε δὲ ἀντειπεῖν, ὡς μὴ παρ' αὐτὰ κολασθείη. Εἰδὼς δὲ ἀδύνατον ὂν δύο βασιλεῖς διαχρήσασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν διαφόροις οἴκοις διατρίβοντας, μηνύει τε ἑαυτὸν τῷ Σεβήρῳ, καὶ διαγγέλλει ἅπαντα, δεικνύει τε αὐτῷ καὶ γραμματεῖον τῆς ὑποσχέσεως. Τοιαῦτα δέ τινα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ, ὡς εἶδε τὸν Σεβῆρον μὴ πιστεύοντα διὰ τὸ πρὸς Πλαυτιανὸν φίλτρον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ὑποπτεύοντα, ἔφη· «∆έσποτα, κελεύσατέ μοι δηλῶσαι αὐτῷ διά τινος τῶν ἐμῶν, ὅτι δὴ τὸ ἔργον κατείργασται, καὶ εὐθέως ὁρᾶτε αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα προερχόμενον, οἰόμενον ἔρημα τὰ βασίλεια καταλήψεσθαι· ἡσυχίαν δὲ εἶναι τῶν πραττομένων κελεύσατε.» 2. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐντέλλεταί τινι τῶν πιστοτάτων· ὁ δὲ ἄγει τὸν Πλαυτιανὸν παραχρῆμα ἐνδυσάμενον θώρακα τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀσφαλείας χάριν. Ὡς δὲ πάντες αὐτὸν ὑπεδέχοντο, οἰόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλέων κεκλῆσθαι, ὅ τε χιλίαρχος ἐνεδρεύων προσεῖπεν αὐτοκράτορα, καὶ τῆς χειρὸς λαβόμενος εἰς τὸ δωμάτιον εἰσήγαγεν, ἔνθα ἔφασκεν ἐρρίφθαι τὰ τῶν βασιλέων σώματα· ἤδη δὲ παρεσκευάκει ὁ Σεβῆρος νεανίας τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν σωματοφυλάκων, οἳ συλληψόμενοι εἰσελθόντα ἐτάχθησαν. Ὁ δὲ Πλαυτιανὸς, ὡς εἶδε τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἑστῶτας, ἑαυτὸν δὲ συνεχόμενον, ἀπολογεῖσθαι ἐβούλετο· ὡς δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ θώρακος ὑπεφάνη μέρος, τότε ὁ Ἀντωνῖνος τοῖς σωματοφύλαξιν ἐπέτρεψεν ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν, καὶ δημοσίᾳ ῥίψαι. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Πλαυτιανὸς τοιούτῳ ἐχρήσατο τέλει. 3. Ὁ δὲ Σεβῆρος τοῦ λοιποῦ δύο ἐπάρχους τῶν στρατοπέδων κατέστησεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα διέτριβεν ἐν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς προαστείοις, τοῖς παραλίοις τῆς Καμπανίας, δικάζων τε καὶ τὰ πολιτικὰ διοικῶν· τὴν δὲ τοῦ Πλαυτιανοῦ θυγατέρα καὶ τὸν ταύτης ἀδελφὸν εἰς Σικελίαν ἐξέπεμψεν, αὐτάρκη δοὺς περιουσίαν, μιμησάμενος τὸν Σεβαστόν· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τοῖς Ἀντωνίου παισὶν οὕτως ἐχρήσατο. Ἐπειρᾶτο δὲ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας συνάγειν εἰς φιλίαν, μύθοις τε ἀρχαίοις χρώμενος, καὶ τὰ παρεσκευασμένα ὑποδεικνύς· οἱ δὲ οὐδαμῶς ἐπείθοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ χεῖρον ἐτράποντο, οἷά τε νεανίαι ὄντες, καὶ ὑπὸ βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας εἰς πάσας ἡδονῶν ῥοπὰς ἀπλήστως ὁρμώμενοι· καὶ ἤσχαλλεν ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ βίῳ τῶν παίδων. Νικήσας δὲ τοὺς Βρεττανικοὺς, καὶ ἤδη γηραιὸς ὢν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου ὀχλούμενος, ἠναγκάζετο οἴκοι μένειν· τὸν δὲ Ἀντωνῖνον ἐπειρᾶτο ἐκπέμπειν, διοικήσοντα τὰ τῶν στρατοπέδων· ὅστις τοῦ μὲν πολέμου κατεφρόνει, μοναρχήσειν δὲ ἠπείγετο, καὶ τὸν πατέρα βραδύνοντα πρὸς τὸν θάνατον, ὀχληρὸν ἐνόμιζεν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἰατροὺς καὶ ὑπηρέτας ἀνέπειθε κακουργῆσαι περὶ τὴν θεραπείαν τοῦ γέροντος, ὡς ἂν θᾶττον αὐτοῦ ἀπαλλαγείη. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ μόλις ποτὲ Σεβῆρος, λύπῃ τὸ πλεῖστον διαφθαρεὶς, ἀνεπαύσατο, βασιλεύσας ιʹ καὶ ηʹ ἔτη.

131 ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟΣ Ο ΚΑΡΑΚΑΛΛΟΣ.

Ibid.: Ὁ δὲ Ἀντωνῖνος τοῦ πατρὸς ἀποθανόντος λαβόμενος ἐξουσίας, εὐθὺς

πάντας φονεύειν ἤρ ξατο, τούς τε ἰατροὺς μάλιστα, οἳ μὴ ὑπήκουσαν αὐτῷ· ἰδίᾳ τε δώροις καὶ μεγάλαις ὑποσχέσεσι τοὺς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἡγεμόνας ἐθεράπευεν, ὡς ἂν