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But indeed they also burned the siege engines brought against them with this cleverness. For the first few days, therefore, the fortune of the battle remained somehow evenly matched and balanced; but as time went on, Maximinus's army became sluggish, and failing in its hope, was despondent; but the Aquileians grew stronger and looked down on the soldiers, so that they even jeered at Maximinus and hurled shameful insults at him. Agitated by these, he punished his own men for conducting the siege lazily and unmanfully; whence resulted for him both hatred and anger from his own people, and contempt from his opponents. 11. It happened that the Aquileians had a great abundance of provisions, everything having been stored up in the city; the army, on the contrary, was in want of everything, living in makeshift tents and exposed to the open air. For the Romans had seized everything in advance, having appointed men of consular rank to garrison Italy. And it happened that the army, which seemed to be besieging, was itself being besieged; whence the soldiers, falling into despair and learning of the situation in Rome and all of Italy, suddenly, while Maximinus was resting in his tent, and as there was a lull in the war that day and most men had withdrawn to their tents, it seemed best to the soldiers who had their camp near the city of the Romans at what is called Albanum, where they had left their children and wives, to kill Maximinus, so that they might cease from the long siege, and no longer ravage Italy for a condemned and hated tyrant. Daring it, therefore, they went to his tent about midday, with his bodyguards also joining them, they tore his images down from the standards and killed him along with his son. They also killed the commander of the army, and they killed all who were dear to him; and having thrown the bodies to anyone who wished to abuse them, they left them as food for dogs and birds; and their heads they sent to Rome. Such was the end that Maximinus and his son met, having reigned for 3 years, paying the penalty for a wicked rule.

MAXIMUS AND BALBINUS.

12. When the army learned what had happened, to Aquileia

arriving in a peaceful formation, it was not received within the walls, but it acclaimed the emperors proclaimed by the senate; and so it remained by the walls, receiving necessary provisions from those inside. The cavalrymen carrying Maximinus's head, between Altinum and Ravenna, came upon the emperor Maximus, who was staying in Ravenna, where he was gathering the elite troops from Rome and the picked men from Italy; a multitude of allies had also come to him. While he was preparing his forces, those carrying the head of Maximinus and his son approached; and immediately Maximus sent the cavalrymen to Rome, to announce what had been done to the people, and carrying the head of the enemy impaled on a spear, so that it might be visible to all. And it is impossible to describe in words the celebration of that day. For there was no age which did not hasten to the altars and the temples; nor did anyone remain at home, but as if possessed they rushed about, rejoicing with one another and running together to the hippodrome as if it were a place of assembly. And Balbinus himself offered hecatombs; all the magistrates and the senate, and each person, as if having shaken off an axe lying upon their necks, rejoiced exceedingly, and messengers and heralds were sent out to the provinces. And Maximus, arriving at Aquileia, was received magnificently, receiving embassies from all of Italy, and images

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ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰς προσαγομένας μηχανὰς ταύτῃ τῇ σοφίᾳ κατέκαιον. Τῶν μὲν οὖν πρώτων ἡμερῶν ἀντίπαλός πως καὶ ἰσόρροπος ἔμενεν ἡ τύχη τῆς μάχης· χρόνου δὲ γενομένου, ὅ τε στρατὸς τοῦ Μαξιμίνου ὀκνηρὸς ἐγένετο, καὶ πταίων τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀθύμως διέκειτο· οἱ δὲ Ἀκυλήσιοι ἐρρώνυντό τε καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατεφρόνουν, ὥστε καὶ σκώπτειν τὸν Μαξιμῖνον, καὶ ὕβρεις αἰσχρὰς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπορρίπτειν· ἐφ' αἷς ἐκεῖνος κινούμενος τοὺς ἰδίους ἐκόλαζεν, ὡς ῥᾳθύμως καὶ ἀνάνδρως προσφερομένους τῇ πολιορκίᾳ· ὅθεν αὐτῷ περιεγένετο πρὸς μὲν τῶν οἰκείων μῖσός τε καὶ ὀργὴ, πρὸς δὲ τῶν ἀντιπάλων καταφρόνησις. 11. Συνέβαινε δὲ τοῖς Ἀκυλησίοις πολλὴν ὑπάρχειν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀφθονίαν, πάντων ἐν τῇ πόλει σεσωρευμένων· ὁ δὲ στρατὸς τοὐναντίον ἐν σπάνει πάντων ὑπῆρχεν, ὑπὸ σκηναῖς τε αὐτοσχεδίοις καὶ γυμνῷ τῷ ἀέρι διατρίβων. Οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι πάντα προκατέλαβον, ὑπατικοὺς ἄνδρας προχειρισάμενοι τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν φρουρᾶς. Συνέβαινε δὲ καὶ τὸν στρατὸν δοκοῦντα πολιορκεῖν, αὐτὸν πολιορκεῖσθαι· ὅθεν ἐν ἀπογνώσει γενόμενοι οἱ στρατιῶται, τά τε κατὰ τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἰταλίαν πυθόμενοι, αἰφνιδίως, ἀναπαυομένου τοῦ Μαξιμίνου ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ, καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐν ἀνέσει τοῦ πολέμου οὔσης, τῶν τε πλείστων εἰς τὰς σκηνὰς ἀνακεχωρηκότων, ἔδοξε τοῖς στρατιώταις, οἳ πρὸς τῇ Ῥωμαίων πόλει στρατόπεδον εἶχον ὑπὸ τὸ καλούμενον Ἀλβανὸν, ἔνθα παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας καταλελοίπεσαν, φονεῦσαι τὸν Μαξιμῖνον, ὡς παύσαιντο χρονίου πολιορκίας, μηκέτι δὲ πορθοῖεν Ἰταλίαν ὑπὲρ τυράννου κατεγνωσμένου καὶ μεμισημένου. Τολμήσαντες οὖν ἐπίασι τῇ σκηνῇ περὶ μέσην ἡμέραν, συναραμένων αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων, τάς τε εἰκόνας ἐκ τῶν σημείων κατασπῶσι, καὶ αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ παιδὶ ἀναιροῦσι. Φονεύουσι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐπάρχοντα τοῦ στρατοῦ, πάντας τε ἀναιροῦσι τοὺς ἐκείνῳ θυμήρεις· ῥίψαντές τε τὰ σώματα τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐνυβρίζειν, εἴασαν κυσί τε καὶ ὄρνισι βοράν· τούτων δὲ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἐς Ῥώμην ἔπεμψαν. Τοιούτῳ μὲν δὴ τέλει Μαξιμῖνος καὶ ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ ἐχρήσαντο, βασιλεύσαντες ἔτη γʹ, δίκας πονηρᾶς ἀρχῆς ὑποσχόντες.

ΜΑΞΙΜΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΒΑΛΒΙΝΟΣ.

12. Ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ὡς ἐπύθετο τὰ γενόμενα, πρὸς τὴν Ἀκυληίαν

παραγενόμενος ἐν εἰρηνικῷ σχήματι, ἐντὸς μὲν τῶν τειχῶν οὐχ ὑπεδέχθη, τοὺς δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου ἀναδειχθέντας αὐτοκράτορας εὐφήμει· οὕτω τε ἔμεινεν παρὰ τὰ τείχη, κομιζόμενος τὰ χρειώδη παρὰ τῶν ἔνδον. Οἱ δὲ ἱππεῖς οἱ τὴν Μαξιμίνου κεφαλὴν κομίζοντες, μεταξὺ Ἀλτίνου τε καὶ Ῥαβέννης περιέτυχον Μαξίμῳ αὐτοκράτορι, διατρίβοντι ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ, ἔνθα τούς τε ἀπὸ Ῥώμης ἐπιλέκτους καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἰταλίας λογάδας ἤθροιζεν· ἀφῖκτο δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ συμμάχων πλῆθος. Παρασκευάζοντι δὲ αὐτῷ τὰς δυνάμεις προσίασιν οἱ τὴν κεφαλὴν Μαξιμίνου φέροντες καὶ τοῦ παιδός· εὐθέως τε Μάξιμος πέμπει τοὺς ἱππεῖς ἐς τὴν Ῥώμην, ἀγγέλλοντας τὰ πραχθέντα τῷ δήμῳ, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν κομίζοντας τοῦ πολεμίου ἀνεσκολοπισμένην, ὡς πᾶσι περίοπτος εἴη. Καὶ οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν ἔστιν λόγῳ ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας τὴν ἑορτήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡλικία τις ἦν ἣ μὴ πρὸς τοὺς βωμούς τε καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ ἠπείγετο· οὔτε τις ἔμενεν οἴκοι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐνθουσιῶντες ἐφέροντο, συνηδόμενοί τε ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἐς τὸν ἱππόδρομον συνθέοντες ὥσπερ ἐκκλησιάζοντες χωρίῳ. Ὁ δὲ Βαλβῖνος καὶ αὐτὸς ἑκατόμβας ἔθυεν· ἀρχαί τε πᾶσαι καὶ ἡ σύγκλητος, ἕκαστός τε ὥσπερ ἀποσεισάμενος πέλεκυν τοῖς αὐχέσιν ἐπικείμενον, ὑπερευφραίνετο, εἴς τε τὰ ἔθνη ἄγγελοι καὶ κήρυκες διεπέμποντο. Καὶ ὁ Μάξιμος ἐπιστὰς τῇ Ἀκυληίᾳ, ὑπεδέχθη μεγαλοφρόνως, πρεσβείας τε ἐκ πάσης τῆς Ἰταλίας δεχόμενος, εἰκόνας τε