407

The soldiers in Britain, therefore, mutinying and having been rebuked for this, sent fifteen hundred of their own to Italy; as they approached Rome, Commodus went out to meet them and said, "O fellow soldiers, what do you want that you are here?" And they said, "We have come because Perennis is plotting against you." And he was persuaded and gave the man up; and the soldiers both tortured him and cut him to pieces, though he had conducted his office most incorruptibly and most prudently. Having gotten rid of him, Caesar's men, of whom Cleander happened to be the foremost leader, did every worst thing without fear; for they sold everything and committed outrages and acted licentiously. And Cleander, greatly exalted by fortune, both gave away as favors and sold senate seats, military commands, procuratorships, governorships, and simply everything. And some people bought the position of senator with all that they had, so that it was even said of Julius Solon, a most obscure man, that having been deprived of his property, he was exiled to the senate. And he appointed twenty-five consuls in a single year, which had happened neither before nor after. Therefore, collecting money from all quarters, he acquired a very great deal, of which he gave most to Commodus and his concubines. And yet, though so exalted by fortune, he died dishonorably. For when a grain shortage occurred in 3.89 Rome, Papirius Dionysius, who was in charge of the grain supply, intensified it, so that the Romans would both hate and destroy Cleander as the cause of the trouble through his thefts. A horse race was being held, then; and when the horses were about to compete, a crowd of children ran into the hippodrome; and a certain maiden, tall and grim, led them, who was later thought to be a demon. And the children shouted together, and from this the people cried out and rushed toward Commodus, who was in a suburb, praying for him, but cursing Cleander; and he sent soldiers against them, who both wounded some and killed some, but they were not strong enough to hold back the people, but it pressed on, trusting in its numbers rather than in the strength of the bodyguards. And as they thus approached, Commodus was so afraid, being most cowardly, that he immediately ordered both Cleander and his child to be slain. The child, then, was dashed to the ground and killed, and the Romans, taking Cleander's body, dragged it and abused it, and his head was carried about on a spear. And they destroyed some others of those who had power with the emperor. Commodus, for his part, both committed murders and did away with distinguished men and was most harsh to all Romans, forcing them to vote for him out of necessity all the things that they had willingly voted for his father out of goodwill. And so many other things were voted for him, including a golden statue of a thousand pounds weight. And he decreed that all the months be named after him; and they were 3.90 enumerated thus: Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius, Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Heraclius, Romanus, Exsuperatorius. For he inscribed all these names for himself, and he sent letters to the senate thus: "Imperator Caesar Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus Augustus Pius Felix Invictus Romanus Hercules, Pontifex Maximus, with tribunician power for the eighteenth time, Imperator for the eighth time, Consul for the seventh time, Father of his Country, to the consuls, praetors, tribunes, the fortunate Commodian senate, greetings." And they set up many statues for him in the guise of Hercules. And it was voted that the age in his time be named and inscribed "the golden" after him; for he was called, in addition to his other names, both "golden" and "a god." But as he was spending much, his money failed; whence, bringing charges against both men and women, some he murdered, while to others he sold safety for their property. He drove chariots at home, for he was ashamed to do this in public, and he fought as a gladiator, at home indeed to the death, but in the theatre with blunted weapons and without human blood. At home, while shaving the hair of some people, he would cut off their noses, or the ears of others, or something else of some. And entering the theatre, he used the guise of Hermes, handling a golden caduceus.

407

οἱ ἐν Βρεττανίᾳ τοίνυν στρατιῶται στασιάζοντες καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπιτιμηθέντες χιλίους ἐπὶ πεντακοσίοις ἐξ ἑαυτῶν εἰς τὴν ̓Ιταλίαν επεμψαν· οις τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ πλησιάσασιν ὁ Κόμοδος προϋπήντησε καὶ ειπεν "ω συστρατιῶται, τί βουλόμενοι πάρεστε;" οἱ δέ "ηκομεν" εφασαν "ἐπεί σοι ἐπιβουλεύει Περέννιος." καὶ ος ἐπείσθη καὶ τὸν ανδρα ἐξέδωκεν· καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται αὐτὸν καὶ ᾐκίσαντο καὶ κατέκοψαν, διαγαγόντα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀδωρότατά τε καὶ σωφρονέστατα. ουπερ ἀπαλλαγέντες οἱ Καισάρειοι, ων ὁ Κλέανδρος κορυφαιότατος ἐτύγχανεν ων, απαν εδρων χείριστον ἀδεῶς· πάντα γὰρ ἐπώλουν καὶ υβριζον καὶ ἠσέλγαινον. ̔Ο δὲ Κλέανδρος μέγα ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης ἀρθεὶς καὶ ἐχαρίσατο καὶ ἐπώλησε βουλείας, στρατείας, ἐπιτροπείας, ἡγεμονίας καὶ ἁπλῶς ξύμπαντα. καί τινες πάντων ων ειχον τὸ βουλευταὶ γενέσθαι ἐπρίαντο, ωστε καὶ λεχθῆναι ἐπὶ ̓Ιουλίῳ Σόλωνι ἀφανεστάτῳ ἀνδρὶ οτι τὴν οὐσίαν ἀφαιρεθεὶς ἐξωρίσθη εἰς τὸ συνέδριον. καὶ ὑπάτους εἰς ενα ἐνιαυτὸν εικοσι καὶ πέντε ἀπέδειξεν, ο μήτε πρότερον μήτε υστερον ἐγένετο. πάντοθεν ουν ἀργυρολογῶν ἐκτήσατο πάμπολλα, ἀφ' ων πλεῖστα τῷ τε Κομόδῳ ἐδίδου καὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ παλλακαῖς. καίτοι δ' ουτως ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης ἀρθεὶς ἀτίμως ἀπώλετο. σιτοδείας γὰρ ἐν 3.89 ̔Ρώμῃ συμβάσης πλέον αὐτὴν Παπίριος ∆ιονύσιος ἐπὶ τοῦ σίτου τεταγμένος ἐπέτεινεν, ὡς αν τὸν Κλέανδρον οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι μισήσωσί τε καὶ διαφθείρωσιν ὡς αιτιον τοῦ κακοῦ διὰ κλέμματα. ηγετο τοίνυν ἱπποδρομία· καὶ μελλόντων τῶν ιππων ἀγωνιεῖσθαι εἰσέδραμε παιδίων πλῆθος εἰς τὸν ἱππόδρομον· καὶ τῶν παρθένος τις ἡγεῖτο μεγάλη καὶ βλοσυρά, η δαίμων ἐς υστερον ἐνομίσθη. καὶ συνεβόησαν μὲν τὰ παιδία, καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἐκ τούτου ἐξέκραγε καὶ ωρμησε πρὸς τὸν Κόμοδον ἐν προαστείῳ οντα, ἐκείνου μὲν ὑπερευχόμενος, τοῦ Κλεάνδρου δὲ κατευχόμενος· ὁ δὲ στρατιώτας επεμψεν ἐπ' αὐτούς, οι καὶ ετρωσάν τινας καὶ ἀπέκτειναν, ἀνεῖρξαι δὲ τὸν δῆμον οὐκ ισχυσαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ πλήθει θαρρῶν η τῇ τῶν δορυφόρων ἰσχύϊ ἐκεῖνος ἠπείχθη. πλησιαζόντων δὲ ουτως ὁ Κόμοδος εδεισε, δειλότατος ων, ὡς αὐτίκα τόν τε Κλέανδρον καὶ τὸ παιδίον αὐτοῦ σφαγῆναι κελεῦσαι. τὸ μὲν ουν παιδίον προσουδισθὲν διεφθάρη, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Κλεάνδρου σῶμα λαβόντες οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι εσυραν καὶ ᾐκίσαντο, καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ δόρατος περιήνεκτο. καί τινας ἑτέρους τῶν παρὰ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι δυναμένων διέφθειραν. Κόμοδος δὲ ἐφόνα καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεῖς ανδρας διεχειρίζετο καὶ ην ̔Ρωμαίοις απασι χαλεπώτατος, ἀναγκάζων αὐτῷ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ψηφίζεσθαι οσα τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ἑκόντες δι' ευνοιαν ἐψηφίζοντο. αλλα τε ουν αὐτῷ πάμπολλα ἐψηφίσθησαν καὶ χρυσοῦς ἀνδριὰς σταθμοῦ χιλίων λιτρῶν. καὶ τοὺς μῆνας πάντας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κεκλῆσθαι τεθέσπικε· καὶ κατηρίθ3.90 μηντο ωδε, ̓Αμαζόνιος, ̓Ανίκητος, Εὐτυχής, Εὐσεβής, Λούκιος, Αιλιος, Αὐρήλιος, Κόμοδος, Αυγουστος, ̔Ηράκλειος, ̔Ρωμαῖος, ̔Υπεραίρων. πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ἑαυτῷ ἐπέγραφε τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ τῇ βουλῇ ουτως ἐπέστελλεν "αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ Λούκιος Αιλιος Αὐρήλιος Κόμοδος Αυγουστος εὐσεβὴς εὐτυχὴς ἀνίκητος ̔Ρωμαῖος ̔Ηρακλῆς ἀρχιερεὺς δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ ὀκτωκαιδέκατον, αὐτοκράτωρ τὸ ογδοον, υπατος τὸ εβδομον, πατὴρ πατρίδος, ὑπάτοις, στρατηγοῖς, δημαρχικοῖς, γερουσίᾳ Κομοδιανῇ εὐτυχεῖ χαίρειν." καὶ πολλοὺς εστησαν αὐτῷ ἀνδριάντας ἐν ̔Ηρακλέους σχήματι. καὶ τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν κατ' αὐτὸν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χρυσοῦν ὀνομάζεσθαι καὶ γράφεσθαι ἐψηφίσθη· ἐκαλεῖτο γὰρ πρὸς τοῖς αλλοις ὀνόμασι καὶ χρυσοῦς καὶ θεός. πολλὰ δὲ δαπανῶντι αὐτῷ ἐπέλιπε τὰ χρήματα· οθεν ἐγκλήματα καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἐπιφέρων καὶ γυναιξίν, ους μὲν ἐφόνευεν, οις δὲ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς αὐτῶν οὐσίας ἐπίπρασκεν. ̔Ηρματηλάτει δὲ οικοι, δημοσίᾳ γὰρ ᾐδεῖτο τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, καὶ ἐμονομάχει, οικοι μὲν μέχρι φόνου, ἐν δέ γε τῷ θεάτρῳ ἀσιδήρως καὶ αιματος ἀνθρωπίνου χωρίς. οικοι δέ τινων τὰς τρίχας ξυρῶν τῶν μὲν τὰς ῥῖνας παρέτεμνε, τῶν δὲ τὰ ωτα, ἐνίων δ' ετερόν τι. εἰσιὼν δ' ἐς τὸ θέατρον τῷ τοῦ ̔Ερμοῦ ἐκέχρητο σχήματι, χρυσοῦν κηρύκειον μεταχειριζόμενος.