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Marius, a man of humble origin and engaged in the manual arts, having put on the purple, is killed on the second day of his reign. After whom Victorinus receives power over the Gauls; he was excellent in wars, but overcome by the pleasures of the body, both violating the marriages of others and seizing virgins. Wherefore in Agrippina, a Gallic city, he is killed by a certain soldier, in the second year of his rule. And he is succeeded in power by Tetricus, from the senatorial council; who, having previously governed Aquitania, was chosen emperor by the soldiers even though he was not present; and having put on the purple in Burdigala, a city of Gaul, he fell into the greatest disturbances. 2. That Odenathus is killed by a plot of Gallienus; and Zenobia takes charge of affairs there, being the wife of Odenathus, but possessing a manly spirit, and avenging the death of her husband through those who were with him. 3. That Gallienus, near the city of Mediolanum, together with his brother Valerianus, after the death of his father, who reigned for six years, is killed by the commander of the Dalmatian cavalry; this was Heraclianus, who, having conspired with Claudius, slaughters Gallienus at dinner by means of one of the most daring men.

153 CLAUDIUS. Exc. De ins.: That in the time of the emperor Claudius, Aureolus for a considerable time

having placed himself outside of Gallienus's authority, immediately sends a herald to Claudius, and having surrendered himself, is killed by the soldiers around the emperor, who were held by anger on account of his rebellion.

154 QUINTILLUS.

Ibid.: That Quintillus, brother of Claudius, who reigned over the Romans, as soon as

he learned that the empire had been given over to Aurelian, is said to have voluntarily withdrawn from power, and with one of the physicians cutting a vein for him and allowing the blood to flow until he became dry.

155 AURELIAN.

Exc. De virt.: That Aurelian the emperor was terribly skilled in matters of war,

but unrestrained in his judgment, and much inclined towards cruelty. He punished many of the notables in the city with death, having been accused by Zenobia, being harsh and murderous, and more a necessary general than a desirable emperor, and at all times difficult and unapproachable, so that he did not even remain pure from the blood of his own kin; for he put to death his son's wife, though she was blameless. But of the military order and of its faded and dissolute morals he was for the most part a noble reformer. 156 Exc. De ins.: That Aurelian is killed in the sixth year of his reign, when one of his fast-writing servants contrived his death; who, having imitated the man's hand, brought to some chiliarchs who were friends of Aurelian himself a small note, bearing the names of these men written down, falsely claiming that Aurelian had written these things. And they, having received their belief from the emperor's sharpness towards every strange and harsh deed, decided to act before they suffered;

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Μάριος, ἀνὴρ εὐτελὴς καὶ τῶν περὶ τὰς βαναύσους γεγονὼς τέχνας, τὴν ἁλουργίδα περιθέμενος, δευτέρᾳ τῆς βασιλείας ἡμέρᾳ κατακτείνεται. Ἐφ' ᾧ Βικτωρῖνος τῶν Γαλλίων τὸ κράτος ἐκδέχεται· ἄριστος μὲν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, ταῖς δὲ τοῦ σώματος ἡδοναῖς ἡττημένος, ἀλλοτρίους τε ἐνυβρίζων γάμους, καὶ παρθένους ἁρπάζων. Ὅθεν ἐν Ἀγριππίνῳ, πόλει Γαλατικῇ, πρός τινος στρατιώτου διαφθείρεται, δευτέρῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐνιαυτῷ. Καὶ τοῦτον τῆς ἀρχῆς διαδέχεται Τέτρικος τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς· ὃς τὴν Ἀκυτανίαν πρότερον ἡγεμονεύων, βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ μὴ παρὼν ᾑρέθη· περιθέμενός τε τὴν πορφύραν ἐν Βουρδογάλῳ πόλει τῆς Γαλατίας μεγίσταις ἀνέπεσε ταραχαῖς. 2. Ὅτι Ὀδέναθος ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς Γαλλιηνοῦ ἀναιρεῖται· καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε πραγμάτων ἀντιλαμβάνεται Ζηνοβία, συνοικοῦσα μὲν Ὀδενάθῳ, φρονήματι δὲ ἀνδρείῳ χρωμένη, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐκείνῳ συνόντων τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκδικοῦσα. 3. Ὅτι Γαλλιηνὸς περὶ Μεδιόλανον πόλιν, σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ Βαλεριανῷ, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν, ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἐνιαυτοὺς ἓξ, ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆ελματῶν ἱππάρχου κατακτείνεται· οὗτος δὲ ἦν Ἡρακλειανὸς, ὃς συμπραξάμενος Κλαυδίῳ διά τινος τῶν τολμηροτάτων κατὰ τὸ δεῖπνον τὸν Γαλλιηνὸν ἀποσφάττει.

153 ΚΛΑΥ∆ΙΟΣ. Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου τοῦ βασιλέως Αὐρίολος ἐπὶ χρόνον συχνὸν

ἔξω τῆς Γαλλιηνοῦ καταστήσας ἑαυτὸν ἐξουσίας, ἐπικηρυκεύεται παραχρῆμα πρὸς Κλαύδιον, καὶ παραδοὺς ἑαυτὸν, ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα στρατιωτῶν ἀναιρεῖται τῇ διὰ τὴν ἀπόστασιν ἐχομένων ὀργῇ.

154 ΚΥΝΤΙΛΛΟΣ.

Ibid.: Ὅτι Κυντίλλος ἀδελφὸς Κλαυδίου, ὃς ἐβασίλευσε Ῥωμαίων, ἅμα τῷ

γνῶναι τὴν βασιλείαν Αὐρηλιανῷ παραδεδομένην, ἑκόντα τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀποστῆναι λέγεται καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν τινὸς τεμόντος φλέβα αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐνδόντος ῥεῦσαι τὸ αἷμα, μέχρις αὖος ἐγένετο.

155 ΑΥΡΗΛΙΑΝΟΣ.

Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Αὐρηλιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ πολέμια δεινῶς ἦν ἠσκημένος,

ἀκάθεκτος δὲ περὶ τὴν γνώμην, καὶ πολὺ πρὸς ὠμότητα ῥέπων. Τῶν τε κατὰ πόλιν ἐπισήμων θανάτῳ πολλοὺς ἐζημίωσεν ὑπὸ Ζηνοβίας ἐλεγχθέντας, χαλεπός τις καὶ φονικὸς ὑπάρχων, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀναγκαῖος στρατηγὸς ἤπερ αἱρετὸς βασιλεὺς, ἐν παντὶ δὲ καιρῷ δυσχερὴς καὶ ἀπρόσιτος, ὡς μηδὲ τοῦ τῶν οἰκείων αἵματος διαμεῖναι καθαρός· τὴν γὰρ τοῦ παιδὸς γαμετὴν καὶ ἀνέγκλητον διεχρήσατο. Τοῦ δὲ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τάγματος καὶ τῶν ἐξιτήλων καὶ διαλελυμένων ἠθῶν ὡς ἐπίπαν γενναῖος ἐπανορθωτὴς ἦν. 156 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Αὐρηλιανὸς ἕκτῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐνιαυτῷ διαφθείρεται, τῶν εἰς τάχος γραφόντων οἰκετῶν τινὸς κατασκευάσαντος αὐτῷ τὸν θάνατον· ὃς τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μιμησάμενος χεῖρα, πρός τινας χιλιάρχους αὐτῷ τε τῷ Αὐρηλιανῷ φίλους γραμματίδιόν τι ἐκόμισε, τὰς τῶν ἀνδρῶν τούτων φέρον προσηγορίας σεσημειωμένας, ἐπιψευσάμενος ταῦτα τὸν Αὐρηλιανὸν ἀναγεγραφέναι. Οἱ δὲ τὸ πιστὸν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸς ἅπασαν πρᾶξιν ἄτοπον καὶ σκληρὰν ὀξύτητος εἰληφότες, φθάσαι τι δράσαντες πρὶν ἢ παθεῖν ἔγνωσαν·