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Alexianus having entered his tenth year, they were performing priestly rites, in barbarian style wearing gold-woven tunics, and putting on purple robes. And so Bassianus appeared handsome to the soldiers, being of royal lineage, and in the prime of youth, and besides, having the Phoenician soldiers as his defenders, and furthermore he was rumored to be the son of Antoninus, and was named emperor by the entire army. 5. When these things were reported, the old woman committed herself, having chosen to undertake every danger. And by night she secretly went out of the city with her daughters and grandsons. And having come to the wall of the camp, they were most easily received. And immediately the whole army hailed the boy as Antoninus, and having put the purple cloak around him, they kept him inside; and having brought in all the provisions, and their children and wives, and whatever they had in the nearby villages or fields, and having closed the gates, they prepared themselves. 6. When these things were reported to Macrinus, who was staying in Antioch, and the rumor spread through the other camps, that the son of Antoninus had been found, and that Julia's sister was giving out money; believing everything that was said to be true, they were greatly agitated in their souls. And hatred for Macrinus and the memory of Antoninus incited them to revolution, and, above all, the hope of money, so that many went over as deserters. 7. But Macrinus, despising the matter as childish, and indulging in his usual laziness, himself remained at home, but sent one of the prefects of the camp, having given him as much force as he thought would overwhelm the rebels. The prefect was Julianus. When this man appeared at the wall of the camp, the soldiers from within, having gone up on the towers, showed the boy to the army outside, hailing him as the son of Antoninus, and they showed them bags full of money. And they, believing them, cut off the head of Julianus, and sent it to Macrinus; and they themselves were all admitted into the camp. Thus their force, having been increased, was not only sufficient to fight off a siege, but also strong enough to fight a pitched battle. 8. But Macrinus, when he learned these things, gathered all the army he had and set out; and Antoninus, not waiting, went to meet him. And when the armies met one another, Macrinus was betrayed, and becoming afraid, he ran away in the disguise of a private citizen. And he was fleeing, while the army on both sides was fighting, until Antoninus sent a herald, announcing the flight of Macrinus, and promising on oath an amnesty to those fighting on his behalf. So those who were persuaded came over. And Antoninus sent men to pursue Macrinus, and having caught him hiding in Chalcedon of Bithynia, they cut off his head; and it was said he was hurrying to Rome. Macrinus met such an end, his son also being killed with him, having reigned for one year.

137 ANTONINUS ELAGABALUS.

Exc. De virt.: That Antoninus the younger, after being proclaimed emperor, in

being in Nicomedia, reveled like a Bacchant, using foreign clothing, and proceeding to the sound of drums and flutes; for he detested all Roman attire. But Maesa, seeing these things, was greatly distressed, and tried to persuade him to change into Roman dress, as he was about to enter the city and the senate. But he, scorning what was said by the old woman, and not being persuaded by anyone else (for he admitted no one except those of like habits and the flatterers of his sins), and having given the customary distributions to the people on his succession to the empire, and lavish ones

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Ἀλεξιανὸς δεκάτου ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἔτους, ἱερῶντο, σχήματι βαρβάρῳ χιτῶνάς τε χρυσοϋφεῖς φοροῦντες, καὶ ἁλουργίδας ἐνδιδυσκόμενοι. Οὕτω τε ὁ Βασσιανὸς ὡραῖος τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐφαίνετο, γένους τε βασιλικοῦ ὑπάρχων, καὶ ἀκμῇ ἡλικίας, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοὺς Φοινίκης στρατιώτας ἔχων ὑπερασπίζοντας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ἀντωνίνου υἱὸς ἐφημίζετο, βασιλεύς τε παρὰ παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύματος ὠνομάζετο. 5. Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα διηγγέλθη, ἐπέδωκεν ἑαυτὴν ἡ πρεσβῦτις, ἑλομένη πάντα κίνδυνον ἀναδέξασθαι. Νύκτωρ τε λάθρα τῆς πόλεως ὑπεξῆλθε σὺν ταῖς θυγατράσι καὶ τοῖς ἐγγόνοις. Καὶ γενόμενοι πρὸς τῷ τείχει τοῦ στρατοπέδου, ῥᾷστα ὑπεδέχθησαν. Εὐθέως τε τὸν παῖδα πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον Ἀντωνῖνον προσηγόρευσε, τῇ τε πορφυρᾷ χλαμύδι περιβαλόντες εἶχον ἔνδον· πάντα τε τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, καὶ παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας, ὅσα τε εἶχον ἐν κώμαις ἢ ἀγροῖς τοῖς πλησίον, εἰσκομίσαντες, καὶ τὰς πύλας ἀποκλείσαντες, ἑαυτοὺς παρεσκεύαζον. 6. Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα ἀπηγγέλθη τῷ Μακρίνῳ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διατρίβοντι, ἥ τε φήμη διέδραμεν ἀνὰ τὰ λοιπὰ στρατόπεδα, ὅτι τε Ἀντωνίνου υἱὸς εὑρέθη, καὶ ὅτι ἡ Ἰουλίας ἀδελφὴ χρήματα δίδωσι· πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα ἀληθῆ πιστεύσαντες τὰς ψυχὰς ἐξεπτόηντο. Ἐνῆγε δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς πραγμάτων καινοτομίαν τὸ Μακρίνου μῖσος καὶ ἡ Ἀντωνίνου μνήμη καὶ πρό γε πάντων ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ἐλπὶς, ὡς πολλοὺς καὶ αὐτομολοῦντας φοιτᾶν. 7. Ὁ δὲ Μακρῖνος καταφρονῶν τοῦ πράγματος ὡς παιδαριώδους, χρώμενός τε τῇ συνήθει ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, αὐτὸς μὲν οἴκοι μένει, πέμπει δὲ ἕνα τῶν ἐπάρχων τοῦ στρατοπέδου, δύναμιν δοὺς ὅσην ᾤετο ἐκπορθήσειν τοὺς ἀνθεστηκότας. Ἦν δὲ ὁ ἔπαρχος Ἰουλιανός. Οὗτος ὡς τῷ τείχει τοῦ στρατοπέδου παρέστη, οἱ ἔνδοθεν στρατιῶται ἀνελθόντες ἐπὶ τοὺς πύργους, τὸν παῖδα τῷ ἔξωθεν στρατῷ δεικνύουσιν, Ἀντωνίνου υἱὸν εὐφημοῦντες, βαλάντιά τε χρημάτων μεστὰ ἐπεδείκνυον. Οἱ δὲ πιστεύσαντες αὐτοῖς, τοῦ μὲν Ἰουλιανοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνουσι, καὶ πέμπουσι τῷ Μακρίνῳ· αὐτοὶ δὲ πάντες εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον εἰσεδέχθησαν. Οὕτως ἡ δύναμις αὐξηθεῖσα, οὐ μόνον ἦν πρὸς τὸ ἀπομάχεσθαι πολιορκίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἀντιστάσεως ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἀξιόχρεως. 8. Ὁ δὲ Μακρῖνος, ὡς ταῦτα ἐπύθετο, ἀθροίσας πάντα ὃν εἶχε στρατὸν ἀπῄει· καὶ ὁ Ἀντωνῖνος οὐκ ἀναμείνας ὑπήντησε. Συμμιξάντων δὲ ἀλλήλοις τῶν στρατοπέδων, προεδόθη τε ὁ Μακρῖνος, καὶ φοβηθεὶς ἀποδιδράσκει ἐν ἰδιώτου σχήματι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἔφευγεν, ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ἑκατέρωθεν ἐμάχετο, ἄχρις οὗ Ἀντωνῖνος διεκηρυκεύσατο, τήν τε Μακρίνου φυγὴν διαγγέλλων, καὶ ἀμνηστίαν τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου μαχομένοις ἔνορκον ὑπισχνούμενος. Οἱ μὲν οὖν πεισθέντες προσεχώρησαν. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντωνῖνος ἐκπέμπει τοὺς διώξοντας τὸν Μακρῖνον, καὶ καταλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἐν Χαλκηδόνι τῆς Βιθυνίας κρυπτόμενον, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπέτεμον· ἐλέγετο δὲ εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην σπεύδειν. Τέλει μὲν δὴ τοιούτῳ ἐχρήσατο ὁ Μακρῖνος, συναιρεθέντος αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς, βασιλεύσας ἐνιαυτὸν ἕνα.

137 ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟΣ Ο ΕΛΕΓΑΒΑΛΟΣ.

Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Ἀντωνῖνος ὁ νέος μετὰ τὸ ἀναγορευθῆναι βασιλέα ἐν

Νικομηδείᾳ ὢν ἐξεβάκχευεν, ἐνδύμασί τε ξένοις χρώμενος, ὑπὸ τυμπάνοις καὶ αὐλοῖς προερχόμενος· τὴν γὰρ Ῥωμαϊκὴν πᾶσαν ἐσθῆτα ἐμυσάττετο. Ἡ δὲ Μαισὰ ταῦτα ὁρῶσα πάνυ ἤσχαλλε, πείθειν τε ἐπειρᾶτο μεταμφιέσασθαι τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν στολὴν, μέλλοντα εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἐς τὴν σύγκλητον ἐσελεύσεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ καταφρονήσας τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς πρεσβύτιδος λεχθέντων, μηδὲ ἄλλῳ τινὶ πεισθείς (οὐδὲ γὰρ προσίετο εἰ μὴ τοὺς ὁμοιοτρόπους τε καὶ κόλακας αὑτοῦ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων), δούς τε τὰς συνήθεις τῷ δήμῳ νομὰς ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς βασιλείας διαδοχῇ, φιλοτίμους τε