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having been dragged through the middle of the city and mutilated, was thrown into the sewers of the Tiber. Antoninus, then, having reached the sixth year of his reign, and having lived the aforesaid life, thus met his end together with his mother. 140 ALEXANDER SEVERUS. Exc. De virt.: That Alexander, the son of Mamaea, having begun his rule with his mother, managed everything under her guidance, as she guarded the empire on all sides. She therefore persuaded him to spend most of his time judging cases, so that, being occupied with these things, he would not have the opportunity to commit any sins. He also had by nature a gentle and mild character, and was very much inclined to philanthropy. And so, having reached the fourteenth year of his reign, he ruled without bloodshed, although some fell under the gravest charges, so that after the death of Marcus, one admired the reign of Alexander. But he blamed his mother, and was very much vexed, seeing that she was a lover of money and amassed many treasures through false accusations. And he was forced by her to do many things. For his mother ruled over him exceedingly. 141 Exc. De ins.: That while Alexander, the son of Mamaea, was staying near Antioch after the disaster in Persia, it was reported to him that the Germans, having crossed the Rhine and the Ister, were ravaging Roman land, and were overrunning the camps on the banks, and were burning cities and villages; that his presence was therefore needed. This news disturbed Alexander, and it grieved the soldiers from Illyricum, who seemed to suffer a double misfortune, both from what they had endured fighting the Persians, and from what they heard about their relatives having been killed by the Germans. They were therefore angry and held Alexander to blame. And he himself was also afraid for Italy; for Roman territory is not a long way from the Illyrian nations. He therefore announced the expedition, though unwillingly, leaving a sufficient force on the Roman banks. Having completed the journey, he arrived at the Rhine and made preparations for the German war; and having bridged the river with ships, and having mixed many Parthians and Maurusians with the Roman army, he prepared for the war. But he decided first to send an embassy to them and to offer money, so that, persuaded by avarice, they might cease from the war. And the soldiers were discontented, both because a useless delay occurred for them and because Alexander showed nothing eager or noble, but was occupied with chariot-driving and luxuries. 2. There was a certain man in the army named Maximinus, by birth a half-barbarian Thracian; formerly a shepherd in his youth, when he came of age he was enrolled among the cavalry soldiers, then little by little, with fortune guiding him, he was also entrusted with the commands of nations. Then Alexander put him in charge of all the youth of the army, so that he might both train them and prepare them to be skilled in warfare. And he, carrying out his assigned tasks with all diligence, acquired much goodwill from the soldiers. Wherefore the young men, among whom was a great multitude of Paeonians especially, rejoiced in the manliness of Maximinus, but mocked Alexander, as being ruled by his mother. They reminded one another both of the disasters in the east due to his hesitation, and that he had shown nothing noble upon coming to the Germans. Being therefore otherwise disposed to revolution, and considering the present rule burdensome on account of its long duration, and now unprofitable, with all ambition having been spent beforehand, they planned to get rid of Alexander and to proclaim Maximinus emperor and Augustus. 3. Having gathered therefore armed in the plain, when Maximinus came forth for the customary exercises and stood before them, they clothed him in the royal purple and proclaimed him emperor. At first he refused, and cast off the purple; but when they pressed on him, drawn swords in hand, threatening to kill him, choosing the future danger over the present one, he accepted the honor. When these things were reported to Alexander, in the greatest confusion

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μέσης τῆς πόλεως συρέντα καὶ λωβηθέντα, εἰς τοὺς ὀχετοὺς ἀπερρίφη τοῦ Θύβριδος. Ἀντωνῖνος μὲν οὖν, εἰς ἕκτον ἔτος ἐλάσας τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ χρησάμενος τῷ προειρημένῳ βίῳ, οὕτως ἅμα τῇ μητρὶ κατέστρεψεν. 140 ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΣ ΣΕΒΗΡΟΣ. Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μαμαίας σὺν τῇ μητρὶ ἄρξας ὑπ' ἐκείνῃ τὰ πάντα διῴκει, ἥτις πανταχόθεν ἐφρούρει τὴν ἀρχήν. ∆ικάζειν τε οὖν αὐτὸν ἔπειθεν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, ὡς ἂν ἐν τούτοις ἀσχολούμενος μὴ ἔχοι καιρὸν εἰς τὸ ἐπιτηδεύειν τι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Ὑπῆρχε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ φυσικὸν ἦθος πρᾷον καὶ ἥμερον, εἴς τε τὸ φιλάνθρωπον πάνυ ἐπιρρεπές. Εἰς τεσσαρεσκαιδέκατον οὖν ἐλάσας ἔτος τῆς βασιλείας, ἀναιμωτὶ ἦρξε, καίτοι τινῶν μεγίσταις αἰτίαις ὑποπεσόντων, ὡς μετὰ τὴν Μάρκου τελευτὴν τὴν βασιλείαν θαυμάζειν Ἀλεξάνδρου. Ἠτιᾶτο δὲ καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ πάνυ ἤσχαλλεν, ὁρῶν αὐτὴν οὖσαν φιλοχρήματον, καὶ πολλὰ ἐξ ἐπηρειῶν θησαυρίζουσαν. Πολλὰ δὲ ἠναγκάζετο ὑπ' αὐτῆς πράττειν. Ἦρχε γὰρ αὐτοῦ ὑπερβαλλόντως ἡ μήτηρ. 141 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μαμαίας μετὰ τὴν ἐν Πέρσαις συμφορὰν κατὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν διατρίβοντος, ἀγγέλλεται αὐτῷ, ὅτι Γερμανοὶ Ῥῆνον καὶ Ἴστρον διαβάντες, τὴν Ῥωμαίων πορθοῦσιγῆν, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ ταῖς ὀχθαῖς στρατόπεδα κατατρέχουσι, πόλεις τε καὶ κώμας ἐμπιπρᾶσι· δεῖσθαι τοίνυν τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας. ∆ηλωθέντα δὲ ταῦτα τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ἐτάραξε, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ στρατιώτας ἐλύπησε, διπλῇ δοκοῦντας κεχρῆσθαι συμφορᾷ, ἔκ τε ὧν ἐπεπόνθεσαν Πέρσαις μαχόμενοι, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἐπυνθάνοντο τοὺς οἰκείους ὑπὸ Γερμανῶν ἀπολωλότας. Ἠγανάκτουν οὖν καὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον εἶχον ἐν αἰτίᾳ. Ἦν δὲ καὶ αὐτῷ δέος περὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας· οὐδὲ γὰρ πολλὴν ὁδὸν ἀπέχει ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἐθνῶν τὰ Ῥωμαίων. Ἐπαγγέλλειδὴ καὶ ἄκων τὴν ἔξοδον, καταλιπὼν δύναμιν αὐτάρκη ταῖς Ῥωμαίων ὄχθαις. Ἀνύσας δὲ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν, ἐφίσταται τῷ Ῥήνῳ, καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὸν Γερμανικὸν πόλεμον παρεσκεύαζε· τόν τε ποταμὸν ναυσὶ γεφυρώσας, Παρθυαίους τε καὶ Μαυρουσίους πολλοὺς τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ συμμίξας, ἤρτυε τὸν πόλεμον. Ἔδοξε δὲ πρότερον πρεσβείαν πέμψαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ χρήματα ἐπαγγείλασθαι, ὡς ἂν τῇ φιλαργυρίᾳ πεισθέντες παύσωνται τοῦ πολέμου. Καὶ οἱ μὲν στρατιῶται χαλεπῶς ἔφερον, διατριβῆς τε ματαίας αὐτοῖς γινομένης, καὶ μηδὲν πρόθυμον ἢ γενναῖον παρέχοντος τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, ἀλλ' ἐν ἡνιοχείαις τε καὶ τρυφαῖς σχολάζοντος. 2. Ἦν δέ τις ἐν τῷ στρατῷ Μαξιμῖνος ὄνομα, τὸ μὲν γένος Θρᾲξ μιξοβάρβαρος· πρότερον μὲν ἐν παιδὶ ποιμαίνων, ἐν ἀκμῇ δὲ γενόμενος εἰς τοὺς ἱππεῖς στρατιώτας ταγεὶς, εἶτα κατ' ὀλίγον αὐτὸν χειραγωγούσης τῆς τύχης, καὶ ἐθνῶν ἀρχὰς πιστευθείς. Τότε δὴ ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος πάσης αὐτὸν τοῦ στρατοῦ νεολαίας ἐπέστησεν, ὡς ἂν ἀσκοίη τε αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς τὸ πολεμεῖν ἐπιτηδείους παρασκευάζοι. Ὁ δὲ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς τὰ ἐγκεχειρισμένα ποιούμενος, εὔνοιαν πολλὴν παρὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐκτήσατο. Ὅθεν οἱ νεανίαι, ἐν οἷς ἦν τὸ πολὺ πλῆθος Παιόνων μάλιστα, τῇ μὲν ἀνδρείᾳ τῇ Μαξιμίνου ἔχαιρον, τὸν δὲ Ἀλέξανδρον ἐπέσκωπτον, ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς ἀρχόμενον. Ὑπεμίμνησκον δὲ ἀλλήλους τῶν τε ὑπὸ ταῖς ἀνατολαῖς διὰ μέλλησιν αὐτοῦ πταισμάτων, καὶ ὅτι μηδὲν γενναῖον παρέχοιτο ἐς Γερμανοὺς ἐλθών. Ὄντες οὖν καὶ ἄλλως εἰς τὸ καινοτομεῖν ἐπιτήδειοι, καὶ τὸ μὲν παρὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς βαρὺ διὰ μῆκος ἐξουσίας ἡγούμενοι, ἀκερδές τε ἤδη, πάσης προανηλωμένης φιλοτιμίας, ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀποσκευάσασθαι μὲν τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον, ἀνειπεῖν δ' αὐτοκράτορα καὶ Αὔγουστον τὸν Μαξιμῖνον. 3. Ἀθροισθέντες οὖν εἰς τὸ πεδίον ὡπλισμένοι, ὡς ἐπὶ τὰ συνήθη γυμνάσια προελθόντα καὶ ἐπιστάντα αὐτοῖς Μαξιμῖνον, πορφύρᾳ περιβαλόντες βασιλικῇ, αὐτοκράτορα ἀναγορεύουσιν. Ὁ δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα παρῃτεῖτο, καὶ τὴν πορφύραν ἀπέρριπτεν· ὡς δὲ ἐνέκειντο ξιφήρεις ἀποκτείνειν ἀπειλοῦντες, τοῦ παρόντος κινδύνου τὸν μέλλοντα προελόμενος, ἀνεδέξατο τὴν τιμήν. Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα ἠγγέλθη τῷ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ, ἐν μεγίστῃ ταραχῇ