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they might show him alone to be emperor. However, he did not persuade the soldiery. For, remembering Severus, they showed them equal honor and goodwill. But Antoninus, since the armies would not yield to him, after making a treaty of peace with the barbarians, hastened to Rome. And when he met his mother and his brother on the borders of Rome, he arrived at the city together with them. And as the people received them bearing laurel, the senate also acclaimed them emperors; and after burying their father, they went up to the palace; and dividing it, each dwelt there, having ordered all entrances to be blocked up, if any were secret; and they used only the public ones, posting their own guards, not even meeting, except for a short time, just enough to be seen in public at any time. And before all things, they performed the honor to their father. From then on they were at odds with each other, and they hated and plotted against each other, and each did everything to see who would be the first to get rid of the other. And the opinions of all who were in positions of authority were divided. 2. For Geta showed a manner of mildness, but Antoninus of cruelty. And their mother tried to bring them together as they were about to divide the empire. And with Antoninus receiving all the lands under Europe, and Geta the opposite continent called all of Asia, it pleased them that Antoninus should establish his camp at Byzantium, and Geta at Chalcedon in Bithynia; and thus to divide the senate and the nations and the soldiers. 3. And as they were arranging these things, all the others nodded towards the earth with gloomy faces; but Julia said, "You find a way to divide the land and the sea, my children, but how would you divide your mother, and how could I, wretched one, be divided between each of you? First, then, kill me, and each of you, having divided me, bury your part with yourself." Saying these things with tears and wailing, and throwing her hands around both, and taking them in her arms, she tried to bring them together. And as pity seized everyone, the council was dissolved, but the hatred and strife increased. For they held contrary views to each other in all things, and they tried to persuade cupbearers and cooks to administer deadly poisons. But it did not proceed easily for either of them; for they used great security concerning such things. At last Antoninus, unable to bear it, but driven by the desire for sole rule, proceeded by the sword, and slew his brother who had taken refuge in his mother's arms. 4. When the murder had been accomplished by him, he leaped forth from the house, running, and rushing through the whole palace, he shouted that he had escaped a great danger and was saved with difficulty; and he ordered the soldiers who guard the palace to seize him and lead him away to the camp. And they, believing him and not knowing what had been done inside, all ran out with him as he ran; and confusion seized the people, seeing the emperor rushing through the midst of the city at a run in the afternoon. And when he burst into the camp and into the temple, where the standards were kept, throwing himself to the ground he gave thanks for his salvation; and to the soldiers he did not confess what had been done; for he wished it to be understood rather than heard; and for this reason, whatever Severus had collected in 18 years, in one day he poured out to the soldiers, so that they might sanction the death of his brother, and vote him emperor. 5. And mounting the throne, he made many accusations against his brother, and looked grimly at his friends. And they, though lamenting at what had been done, acclaimed him emperor and sole ruler. But Antoninus, leaving most of them trembling and pale, ran up to the palace; and as many of the senate, and as many as were pre-eminent by birth or wealth, were put to death, and the sister of Commodus, already an old woman and honored by all as the daughter of Marcus, perished in addition, because she had wept with his mother over the murder of her son. And his own wife

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μόνον αὐτὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἀποδείξωσιν. Οὐ μὴν ἔπειθε τὸ στρατιωτικόν. Μεμνημένοι γὰρ τοῦ Σεβήρου, ἴσην αὐτοῖς τιμήν τε καὶ εὔνοιαν παρείχοντο. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντωνῖνος, ἐπεὶ μὴ προσεχώρει αὐτῷ τὰ τῶν στρατοπέδων, σπεισάμενος εἰρήνην εἰς τοὺς βαρβάρους, ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἠπείγετο. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ κατέλαβε τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐν τοῖς μεθορίοις τῆς Ῥώμης, ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀφίκετο. Ὡς δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ δῆμος δαφνηφορῶν ὑπεδέξατο, ἥ τε σύγκλητος αὐτοκράτορας προσηγόρευσεν· καὶ κηδεύσαντες τὸν πατέρα ἀνῆλθον εἰς τὰ βασίλεια· διελόμενοι δὲ αὐτὰ ἑκάτερος ᾤκει, παραφράττεσθαι κελεύσας πάσας εἰσόδους, εἴ τινες λανθάνουσαι ἦσαν· μόναις δὲ ταῖς δημοσίαις ἐχρῶντο, ἰδίας φρουρὰς ἐπιστήσαντες, οὐδὲ συνιόντες, εἰ μὴ πρὸς ὀλίγον, ὅσον δημοσίᾳ εἴποτε ὀφθῆναι. Ἐπετέλεσαν δὲ πρὸ ἁπάντων τὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τιμήν. Ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ ἐστασίαζον πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἐμίσουν τε καὶ ἐβουλεύοντο κατ' ἀλλήλων, καὶ πάντα ἔπραττεν ἑκάτερος, τίς πρῶτος τὸν ἕτερον ἀποσκευάσεται. Ἐμερίζοντο δὲ καὶ πάντων αἱ γνῶμαι, ὅσοι ἐν ἀξιώμασιν ἦσαν. 2. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Γέτας ἐπιεικείας τρόπον ἐπεδείκνυτο, ὁ δὲ Ἀντωνῖνος ὠμότητος. Τούτους δὲ ἡ μήτηρ συνάγειν ἐπειρᾶτο μέλλοντας διαιρεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν. Καὶ τοῦ μὲν Ἀντωνίνου πάντα τὰ ὑπ' Εὐρώπην δεχομένου, τοῦ δὲ Γέτα τὴν ἀντικειμένην ἤπειρον Ἀσίαν καλουμένην πᾶσαν, ἤρεσκε τὸν μὲν Ἀντωνῖνον ἐπὶ τῷ Βυζαντίῳ ἱδρῦσαι τὸ στρατόπεδον, τὸν δὲ Γέταν ἐν Χαλκηδόνι τῆς Βιθυνίας· οὕτω τε τήν τε σύγκλητον καὶ τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας μερίσασθαι. 3. Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτῶν διατυπούντων, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες σκυθρωποῖς προσώποις εἰς τὴν γῆν ἔνευσαν· ἡ δὲ Ἰουλία, «Γῆν μὲν, ἔφη, ὦ τέκνα, καὶ θάλασσαν εὑρίσκετε ὅπως νείμησθε, τὴν δὲ μητέρα πῶς ἂν διέλοισθε, καὶ πῶς ἡ ἀθλία εἰς ἑκάτερον ὑμῶν νεμηθείην; πρῶτον δὴ ἐμὲ φονεύσατε, καὶ διελόντες ἑκάτερος παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὸ μέρος θαπτέτω.» Ταῦτα λέγουσα μετὰ δακρύων καὶ οἰμωγῆς, ἀμφοτέροις τε τὰς χεῖρας περιβάλλουσα, καὶ ὑπὸ τὰς ἀγκάλας λαβοῦσα, συνάγειν ἐπειρᾶτο. Πάντας δὲ οἴκτου λαβόντος, διελύθη τὸ συνέδριον, τὸ δὲ μῖσος καὶ ἡ στάσις ηὔξετο. Εἰς πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἐναντία ἀλλήλοις ἐφρόνουν, καὶ οἰνοχόους καὶ ὀψοποιοὺς ἀνέπειθον ἐμβαλεῖν δηλητήρια φάρμακα. Οὐ ῥᾳδίως δὲ αὐτῶν οὐδετέρῳ προὐχώρει· πολλῇ γὰρ ἐχρῶντο περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα φρουρᾷ. Τέλος δὲ μὴ φέρων ὁ Ἀντωνῖνος, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς περὶ τὴν μοναρχίαν ἐπιθυμίας ἐλαυνόμενος, διὰ ξίφους ἐχώρησε, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς στήθεσι τῆς μητρὸς καταφυγόντα διεχρήσατο. 4. Κατεργασθέντος οὖν αὐτῷ, τοῦ φόνου, προπηδᾷ τοῦ οἴκου θέων, φερόμενός τε δι' ὅλων τῶν βασιλείων, ἐβόα μέγαν κίνδυνον ἐκπεφευγέναι, μόλις τε σωθῆναι· τούς τε στρατιώτας οἳ φρουροῦσι τὰ βασίλεια, κελεύει αὐτὸν ἁρπάσαντας ἀπάγειν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον. Πιστεύσαντές τε ἐκεῖνοι, τό τε πεπραγμένον ἔνδον οὐκ εἰδότες, θέοντι αὐτῷ συνεξέδραμον πάντες· ταραχή τε τὸν δῆμον κατεῖχεν, ὁρῶντες περὶ δείλην διὰ μέσης φερόμενον τῆς πόλεως δρόμῳ τὸν βασιλέα. Ὡς δὲ εἰσεπήδησεν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἔς τε τὸν ναὸν, ἔνθα τὰ σημεῖα ἔκειτο, ῥίψας ἑαυτὸν εἰς γῆν ὡμολόγει χάριτας τῆς σωτηρίας· καὶ τοῖς μὲν στρατιώταις τὸ πραχθὲν οὐχ ὡμολόγει· ἐβούλετο γὰρ νοεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ ἀκούεσθαι· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὅσα ἐν ἔτεσι ιηʹ ὁ Σεβῆρος ἤθροισεν, ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ εἰς τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐξέχεεν, ἵνα τὸν ἀδελφοῦ θάνατον κυρώσωσι, καὶ τοῦτον αὐτοκράτορα ψηφίσωνται. 5. Καὶ ἐπιβὰς τοῦ θρόνου, τοῦ τε ἀδελφοῦ πολλὰ κατηγόρει, καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ φίλους δριμέα διεβλέπετο. Οἱ δὲ καὶ ὀδυρόμενοι ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις, αὐτοκράτορα αὐτὸν καὶ μονάρχην προσηγόρευσαν. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντωνῖνος τρέμοντας καὶ ὠχριῶντας τοὺς πλείστους καταλιπὼν, ἀνέδραμεν ἐπὶ τὰ βασίλεια· ὅσοι τε τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς, καὶ ὅσοι γένει ἢ πλούτῳ περιεῖχον, ἀνῃροῦντο, καὶ ἡ Κομόδου ἀδελφὴ, πρεσβῦτις ἤδη καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων ὡς Μάρκου θυγάτηρ τιμωμένη, προσαπώλετο, διὸ ἐδάκρυσε παρὰ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ τοῦ παιδὸς φόνῳ. Τήν τε γυναῖκα γενομένην αὐτῷ