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he conceals, but reports about the rest. Fearing that Maternianus might report these things a second time, he dares something of this sort. 2. There was a certain centurion Martialis of Antoninus' bodyguards; he had killed his brother on a false charge, and was threatening Martialis himself. Macrinus, knowing him to be grieving, persuades him to plot against Antoninus. Seizing an opportunity, when the emperor was hurrying from the court in Carrhae to the temple of Selene (and he was not a short distance from the city), he pretends that he himself was pressed by a bodily need, and strikes him when he was alone. The blow being fatal, and he having fallen, Martialis leaped on a horse and fled, and being pursued he was struck down with javelins. 134Ex. Salm.: Antoninus 6 years, 2 months. After Antoninus Caracallus, Macrinus 1 year, after whom Bassianus, whom, as a priest of the sun, whom the Phoenicians call Eleabalus, they called Heliogabalus. He was named Antoninus, as being said to be the son of Caracallus, and he ruled for 6 years. after whom Alexander of Mamaea, his cousin, 14 years. After Alexander, Maximinus. To Antoninus Caracallus Serapion the magus said that he would die and Macrinus would succeed him, pointing to him with his finger. But he, out of anger, or rather out of fate, suspecting another, killed that man. As he was making his last journey from Antioch, his father appeared in a dream, sword in hand, saying, "as you killed your brother, so I will slay you." For he killed his younger brother in his mother's arms, and later he himself was also slain. 135 Exc. De ins.: All those in the camp ran together; and Macrinus, being the first to come upon the fallen body, pretended to weep and lament; but the rest were angry; for they thought they had lost a fellow-soldier and not a ruler, and they suspected no plot from Macrinus. So then each returned to their tents. And Macrinus, having committed the body to the fire, and placing the ashes in an urn, sent it to his mother who was staying in Antioch. And she, at the misfortunes of her children, starved herself to death. Such then was the end that Antoninus and his mother met. The time in which he ruled alone was completed in six years.

136 MACRINUS.

Ibid.: That Macrinus the emperor of the Romans, while staying in Antioch, maintaining his beard and his gait in the manner of a philosopher, was plotted against. For the soldiers, comparing the memories of Antoninus, condemned the lifestyle of Macrinus, and they were aggrieved because he was not hurrying to Rome, but was staying in a foreign land, at times even lacking necessities. And seeing Macrinus living in luxury and extravagance, they prayed to get a slight pretext to rid themselves of the annoyance. And it was necessary, then, for Macrinus, having enjoyed the imperial power for only a year, to lose both his life and his rule, with fortune providing the soldiers a small and cheap pretext. 3. There was a certain woman, Maesa by name, a Phoenician by race, from the city so called Emesus, sister of Julia the wife of Severus, and mother of Antoninus; therefore, throughout her sister's whole life she stayed in the palace. Macrinus, after her sister's death, ordered her to return to her homeland, to live in her own house, possessing all her own things; for she was full of very much money. And having returned, she stayed in her own house. 4. And she had two daughters, Soaemis the elder, and the other Mamaea. They had sons, the elder's named Bassianus, and the younger's Alexianus; and they were being raised by their mothers and grandmother. And Bassianus was about fourteen years of age, and the other

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ἀποκρύπτει, περὶ δὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀγγέλλει. Φοβηθεὶς δὲ μὴ καὶ δεύτερον ταῦτα ὁ Ματερνιανὸς ἐπιστείλῃ, τολμᾷ δή τι τοιοῦτον. 2. Ἦν τις ἑκατόνταρχος Μαρτιάλιος τῶν σωματοφυλάκων Ἀντωνίνου· τούτου τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀνῃρήκει ἐπὶ ψευδεῖ διαβολῇ, ἠπείλει τε καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ Μαρτιαλίῳ. Τοῦτον ἐπιστάμενος ὁ Μακρῖνος ἀλγοῦντα, πείθει ἐπιβουλεῦσαι τῷ Ἀντωνίνῳ. Καιροῦ δέ τινος δραξάμενος, ὅτε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν Κάρραις αὐλῆς ἐπὶ τὸν νεὼν ἠπείγετο τῆς Σελήνης (ἀφειστήκει δὲ τῆς πόλεως οὐ μικρόν), ἐπειχθέντα αὑτὸν πρὸς χρείας ὑποτοπεῖ, καὶ μονωθέντα παίει. Καιρίου δὲ τῆς πληγῆς γενομένης, καὶ πεσόντος αὐτοῦ, πηδήσας ἵππῳ ἔφυγεν ὁ Μαρτιάλιος, καὶ ἐπιδιωχθεὶς κατηκοντίσθη. 134Ex. Salm.: Ἀντωνῖνος ἔτη ςʹ, μῆνας βʹ. Μετὰ Ἀντωνῖνον τὸν Καράκαλλον Μακρῖνος ἔτος αʹ, μεθ' ὃν Βασιανὸς, ὃν ὡς ἱερωμένον ἡλίῳ, ὃν Φοίνικες Ἐλεάβαλον λέγουσιν, Ἡλιογάβαλον ἔλεγον. Ὠνομάσθηδὲ Ἀντωνῖνος, ὡς τοῦ Καρακάλλου λεγόμενος εἶναι υἱὸς, καὶ ἐκράτησεν ἔτη ςʹ. μεθ' ὃν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μαμαίας, ἐξάδελφος αὐτοῦ, ἔτη ιδʹ. Μετὰ Ἀλέξανδρον Μαξιμῖνος. Ἀντωνίνῳ τῷ Καρακάλλῳ Σεραπίων ὁ μάγος εἶπεν, ὡς τεθνήξεται, καὶ Μακρῖνος αὐτὸν διαδέξεται, δείξας αὐτὸν τῷ δακτύλῳ. Ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ θυμοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὸ τύχης, ἕτερον ὑπονοήσας, ἀνεῖλεν ἐκεῖνον. Τούτου τὴν τελευταίαν ἔξοδον ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας ποιουμένου, ξιφήρης ὁ πατὴρ ὄναρ ἐπέστη λέγων, «ὡς σὺ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀπέκτεινας, κἀγὼ σὲ ἀποσφάξω.» Ἀπέκτεινε γὰρ οὗτος τὸν μικρὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τῆς μητρὸς, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐσφάγη. 135 Exc. De ins.: Οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ συνέδραμον ἅπαντες· καὶ πρῶτος ὁ Μακρῖνος ἐπιστὰς τῷ πτώματι, ὀλοφύρεσθαί τε καὶ θρηνεῖν προσεποιεῖτο· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐχαλέπαινον· συστρατιώτην γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἄρχοντα ᾤοντο ἀποβεβληκέναι, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐπιβουλὴν ὑπώπτευον ἐκ τοῦ Μακρίνου. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἕκαστος εἰς τὰς σκηνὰς ἐπανῄεσαν. Ὁ δὲ Μακρῖνος πυρὶ παραδοὺς τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τὴν κόνιν ἐν κάλπῃ βαλὼν ἔπεμψε τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διατριβούσῃ. Ἐκείνη δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν παίδων συμφοραῖς ἀπεκαρτέρησε. Τοιούτῳ μὲν δὴ τέλος ἐχρήσατο Ἀντωνῖνος καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ χρόνος ἐν ᾧ ἐμονάρχησεν ἐν ἓξ ἔτεσι συνετελέσθη.

136 ΜΑΚΡΙΝΟΣ.

Ibid.: Ὅτι Μακρῖνος ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διατρίβων, τρόπῳ τέ

τινι φιλοσόφου τὸ γένειον καὶ τὸ βῆμα φυλάττων ἐπεβουλεύθη. Οἱ γὰρ στρατιῶται παραβάλλοντες τὰς Ἀντωνίνου μνήμας, κατεγίνωσκον τῆς Μακρίνου διαίτης, ἐλυποῦντο δὲ διότι μὴ ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἠπείγετο, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀλλοδαπῇ διέτριβε χώρᾳ, ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων σπανίζοντες. Ὁρῶντες δὲ τὸν Μακρῖνον ἐν τρυφῇ καὶ χλιδῇ ζῶντα, προφάσεως ὀλίγης λαβέσθαι ηὔχοντο εἰς τὸ ἀποσκευάσασθαι τὸ λυποῦν. Ἐχρῆν δὲ ἄρα Μακρῖνον ἐνιαυτοῦ μόνου τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἐπιτρυφήσαντα ἅμα τῷ βίῳ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καταλῦσαι, μικρὰν καὶ εὐτελῆ πρόφασιν τοῖς στρατιώταις τῆς τύχης παρασχούσης. 3. Μαισὰ ἦν τις ὄνομα, τὸ γένος Φοίνισσα, ἀπὸ Ἐμέσου καλουμένης οὕτω πόλεως, ἀδελφὴ δὲ Ἰουλίας τῆς Σεβήρου γυναικὸς, Ἀντωνίνου δὲ μητρός· παρὰ πάντα οὖν τὸν τῆς ἀδελφῆς βίον ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις διέτριψε. Ταύτην ὁ Μακρῖνος μετὰ τὴν τῆς ἀδελφῆς τελευτὴν προσέταξεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἐπανελθοῦσαν, ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις καταβιῶναι, πάντα ἔχουσαν τὰ ἑαυτῆς· πλείστων γὰρ ἦν χρημάτων πλήρης. Ἐπανελθοῦσα δὲ διέτριβε ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῆς. 4. Ἦσαν δὲ θυγατέρες αὐτῇ δύο, Σοαιμὶς μὲν ἡ πρεσβυτέρα, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα Μαμαία. Παῖδες ἦσαν, τῇ μὲν πρεσβυτέρᾳ Βασσιανὸς ὄνομα, τῇ δὲ νεωτέρᾳ Ἀλεξιανός· ὑπὸ δὲ ταῖς μητράσι καὶ τῇ μάμμῃ ἀνετρέφοντο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Βασσιανὸς περὶ ἔτη γεγονὼς τεσσαρακαίδεκα, ὁ δὲ