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and greatest in body. 145 Ibid.: That in the time of Maximinus there was great inhumanity toward his subjects and many murders. For the entire Roman state was shaken, having been handed over to sycophants and slaves. At any rate, every day it was possible to see those who were rich yesterday begging. So great was the avarice of the tyranny. And many were punished with exile and death. (And) so long, then, as these things were done to individuals, the people were not much concerned; for the misfortunes of those thought to be prosperous or rich are not only disregarded by the crowds, but sometimes even delight some of the malevolent and wicked out of envy. But when Maximinus, having reduced most of the illustrious houses to poverty, thought to turn to public funds, and whatever money was public and had been collected for the abundance or distributions for the citizens, he transferred to himself, and the dedications of temples and statues of cities, and whatever was an adornment, were melted down (which especially grieved the people, and created public mourning, a spectacle of a siege without a battle, so that some of the citizens even came to blows); for this reason especially the minds of all were displeased, and the soldiers were reproached, as if Maximinus were doing these things on their account. These, then, were the causes that incited everyone to hatred and revolt. 146 Exc. De ins.: That on account of the harshness and cruelty of Maximinus all were incited to hatred and revolt, but no one dared to begin, until the Libyans revolted, for the following reason. A certain procurator was governing the territory of Carthage very harshly and with all cruelty, passing sentences and exacting money, wishing to be in favor with Maximinus. For he (also) selected men who suited his own disposition. Therefore the governor of Libya attacked all with violence, but certain youths from among them who were well-born and rich, having entangled them in sentences, he immediately tried to exact the money, to deprive them of their paternal and ancestral properties. Grieved at this, they promised to give the money, having asked for a postponement of three days; and having formed a conspiracy, after persuading all whom they knew either to have suffered something terrible or to be afraid of suffering, they order the young men from the country to come down by night, carrying clubs and axes. And they, having gathered in a great crowd, at about dawn meet at the houses of their masters, and with them all rush forth armed with swords; and first they suddenly kill the procurator, and many of the soldiers around him; then also the governor of the country. 2. And when these things succeeded for them, they knew that their only safety lay in greater deeds; and having persuaded the whole nation to revolt (which they knew had long prayed for it out of hatred for Maximinus, but had been prevented by fear), at midday they go to the house of the proconsul; his name was Gordian, having obtained the proconsulship by lot, an old man who had reached his 80th year, and had previously ruled many nations, and been tested in the greatest affairs. 3. *** to carry out consular duties (his name was Sabinus), wanting to prevent what was happening, was struck on the skull with a club and died. And the people were engaged in these things. But the senate, once the risk had been taken, did everything to make the provinces revolt, sending an embassy to all the governors, and declaring the decision of the Romans, and asking them to support the fatherland. Most, therefore, received the embassy; but a few killed those who came. 3. And such were the affairs concerning the city and decision of the Romans. But in Carthage things did not proceed as they had hoped. For there was a certain man named Capellianus, of the senatorial order; he commanded the Maurusii, who are Nomads under the Romans, and had a not inconsiderable force of soldiers. Gordian, having removed this man from his command, ordered him to leave the province. But he, having gathered his army, marched against Carthage. And when the army was reported to Gordian

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καὶ μέγιστος τὸ σῶμα. 145 Ibid.: Ὅτι ἐπὶ Μαξιμίνου πολλή τις ἦν περὶ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἀπανθρωπία καὶ φόνοι πολλοί. Ἀνεσείσθη γὰρ πᾶσα ἡ Ῥωμαίων πολιτεία συκοφάνταις τε καὶ δούλοις ἐκδοθεῖσα. Ἑκάστης γοῦν ἡμέρας ἦν ἰδεῖν τοὺς χθὲς πλουσίους μεταιτοῦντας. Τοσαύτη τις ἦν τῆς τυραννίδος ἡ φιλοχρηματία. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ φυγαῖς καὶ θανάτοις ἐζημιοῦντο. (Καὶ) ἐφ' ὅσον μὲν οὖν εἰς τοὺς καθ' ἕνα ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, οὐ πάνυ τι τοῖς δήμοις ἔμελε· τὰ γὰρ τῶν εὐδαιμονεῖν δοκούντων ἢ πλουσίων πταίσματα πρὸς τῶν ὄχλων οὐ μόνον ἀμελεῖται, ἀλλά τινας τῶν κακοήθων καὶ φαύλων ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ εὐφραίνει τῷ φθόνῳ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Μαξιμῖνος τοὺς πλείστους τῶν ἐνδόξων οἴκων εἰς πενίαν περιστήσας, ᾠήθη μετελθεῖν εἰς τὰ δημόσια, καὶ εἴ τινα χρήματα ἦν πολιτικὰ καὶ εἰς εὐθηνίας ἢ νομὰς τῶν δημοτῶν ἠθροισμένα, εἰς ἑαυτὸν μετήγαγε, ναῶν τε ἀναθήματα καὶ ἀγάλματα πόλεων, καὶ εἴ τι καλλώπισμα ἦν, ἐχωνεύετο (ὅπερ μά λιστα τοὺς δήμους ἐλύπει, πένθος τε δημόσιον ἐνεποίει, δίχα μάχης ὄψις πολιορκίας, ὥς τινας τῶν δημοτῶν καὶ εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν)· ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ἀπηρέσκοντο, οἵ τε στρατιῶται ὠνειδίζοντο, ὡς δὴ δι' αὐτοὺς ταῦτα πράττοντος Μαξιμίνου. Αἰτίαι μὲν οὖν αὗται εἰς μῖσος καὶ ἀπόστασιν ἅπαντας παρώξυνον. 146 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι διὰ τὴν τραχύτητα καὶ ὠμότητα τοῦ Μαξιμίνου εἰς μῖσος καὶ ἀπόστασιν πάντες παρωξύνοντο, ἄρξασθαι δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα, ἄχρις οὗ Λίβυες ἐπανέστησαν, ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. Ἐπετρόπευέ τις τῆς Καρχηδονίας χώρας τραχύτατα καὶ μετὰ πάσης ὠμότητος, καταδίκας τε ποιῶν καὶ χρημάτων εἰσπράξεις, βουλόμενος εὐδοκιμεῖν παρὰ τῷ Μαξιμίνῳ. Ἐκεῖνός (τε) γὰρ τοὺς ἁρμόζοντας τῇ αὑτοῦ γνώμῃ ἐπελέγετο. ∆ιὸ τῆς Λιβύης ἄρχων πᾶσιν μὲν βιαίως ἐπεφέρετο, νεανίσκους δέ τινας τῶν παρ' ἐκείνοις εὖ γεγονότων καὶ πλουσίων, καταδίκαις περιβαλὼν, εἰσπράττειν τὰ χρήματα εὐθέως ἐπειρᾶτο, πατρῴων τε καὶ προγονικῶν οὐσιῶν αὐτοὺς ἀναιρεῖσθαι. Ἐφ' οἷς ἀλγήσαντες οὗτοι, τὰ μὲν χρήματα δώσειν ὑπέσχοντο, τριῶν ἡμερῶν αἰτήσαντες ἀνάθεσιν· συνωμοσίαν δὲ ποιησάμενοι, πάντας οὓς ᾔδεισαν ἢ πεπονθότας τι δεινὸν ἢ παθεῖν δεδοικότας, πείσαντες, κελεύουσι νύκτωρ κατελθεῖν τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν νεανίσκους, ξύλα τε καὶ πελέκεις ἐπιφέρεσθαι. Οἱ δὲ μέγα τι πλῆθος συνελθόντες, ἅμα τῷ περιόρθριον γενέσθαι εἰς τοὺς τῶν δεσποτῶν οἴκους ἀπαντῶσι, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς πάντες ὁρμῶσι ξιφήρεις· καὶ πρότερον μὲν τὸν ἐπίτροπον αἰφνιδίως ἀναιροῦσι, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν στρατιωτῶν· ἔπειτα καὶ τὸν τῆς χώρας ἡγούμενον. 2. Ὡς δὲ ταῦτα αὐτοῖς προεχώρησεν, ἐν ἔργοις μείζοσιν ᾔδεσαν μόνην ἑαυτοῖς σωτηρίαν ὑπάρχουσαν· πᾶν τε τὸ ἔθνος ἀναπείσαντες εἰς ἀπόστασιν (ὅπερ ᾔδεσαν πάλαι μὲν εὔχεσθαι μίσει Μαξιμίνου, φόβῳ δὲ κωλύεσθαι), μεσαζούσης ἡμέρας ἐπίασιν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀνθυπατεύοντος οἰκίαν· Γορδιανὸς δὲ ἦν ὄνομα, κλήρῳ μὲν τὴν ἀνθύπατον λαχὼν, πρεσβύτης δὲ εἰς ἔτος πʹ ἐληλακὼς, πολλῶν τε πρότερον ἄρξας ἐθνῶν, ἐν τε πράξεσι μεγίσταις ἐξετασθείς. 3. *** πράξει ὑπατικὰς (Σαβῖνος δὲ ἦν ὄνομα αὐτῷ), βουλόμενον κωλῦσαι τὰ γινόμενα, ξύλῳ παισθέντα κατὰ τοῦ κρανίου τελευτῆσαι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν δῆμος ἐν τούτοις ἦν. Ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος ἅπαξ ἀναρριφθέντος κινδύνου, πάντα ἔπραττεν εἰς τὸ ἀποστῆσαι τὰ ἔθνη, πρεσβείαν πρὸς πάντας ἡγουμένους πέμπουσα, καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων γνώμην δηλοῦσα, δεομένη τε συναίρεσθαι τῇ πατρίδι. Οἱ πλεῖστοι μὲν οὖν προσήκαντο τὴν πρεσβείαν· ὀλίγοι δέ τινες διεχρήσαντο τοὺς ἐλθόντας. 3. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν τε καὶ γνώμην τοιαῦτα ἦν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Καρχηδόνι οὐχ ὡς ἤλπισαν τὰ πράγματα προὐχώρει. Καπελλιανὸς γὰρ ἦν τις ὄνομα τῶν ἀπὸ συγκλήτου· ἡγεῖτο δὲ Μαυρουσίων τῶν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις Νομάδων, ἔχων καὶ στρατιωτῶν οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον δύναμιν. Τοῦτον ὁ Γορδιανὸς τῆς ἀρχῆς παραλύσας, τοῦ ἔθνους ἐξελθεῖν ἐκέλευσεν. Ὁ δὲ τὸν στρατὸν ἀθροίσας, κατῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Καρχηδόνα. Ὡς δὲ ἀπηγγέλθη τῷ Γορδιανῷ ὁ στρατὸς