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they called him a tyrant and a charioteer and a gladiator and many other things. But Pertinax was a Libyan from Alba Pompeia, of a father not of noble birth, having served as a tribune among the knights. He was affable, and he listened readily and answered whatever seemed right to him. Thus Pertinax took hold of the rule, and in addition to his other titles was also named princeps senatus according to ancient custom. Whatever, at least, was in a disorderly state was restored to good order by the administration and foresight of the emperor, and the dishonor of those unjustly murdered was lifted by him. There was such a shortage of money in the treasury that only two hundred and fifty thousand drachmas were found. With difficulty, then, Pertinax, having collected silver from statues and arms and furniture and the favorites of Commodus, gave to the bodyguards what he had promised and to the people one hundred drachmas each. For all the things which Commodus had used for luxury and for gladiatorial combat and for chariot-racing, he put them all up in the marketplace for sale. But Laetus spoke well of Pertinax, but insulted 3.94 Commodus. and certain barbarians, who had received much gold from him for peace, he summoned while they were still on the road and took away the gold, saying, "tell those at home that Pertinax rules;" for they knew the name of the man from what they had suffered. And Laetus did other such things to slander Commodus. But he did not remain faithful to Pertinax for long. For not obtaining what he desired, he incited the soldiers against him. And they, being restrained from plunder by him, hated him and plotted against him with Laetus. Therefore they conspired to make the consul Falco, distinguished in family and wealth, emperor. When Pertinax learned of this, while he was staying by the sea for the preparation of the grain supply, he hastened to the city and going into the senate he spoke. But when the senators were about to vote to condemn Falco, Pertinax cried out, "May it not happen," he said, "that any senator be put to death while I am ruler, not even justly." But Laetus destroyed some of the soldiers as if Pertinax were ordering it; and the rest, becoming afraid, were in an uproar. Two hundred of the more audacious, having drawn their swords, rushed toward the palace. When they were inside, his wife announced their presence to him; but he, although he was able to resist and destroy them with the night watch and the cavalry, neither did this nor chose to hide and escape, but hoping perhaps to strike them with awe by his appearance and to persuade them by speaking, he went to meet them as they approached. And they at first drew back in reverence and put their swords into their sheaths, but when one of them leaped forward, he said, showing his sword, "This 3.95 the soldiers have sent to you," and struck him, and the others were roused and cut down both the emperor himself and Eclectus. Then the soldiers, having fixed the head of Pertinax on a spear, carried it around, glorying in the deed. The man lived sixty-seven years less four months, having ruled only eighty-seven days. When the murder of Pertinax was announced, Sulpicianus, having been sent to the camp by him in order to settle matters there, remained in it and intrigued how he might be declared emperor. And at this time Didius Julianus, a money-maker and insatiable, always desiring revolutions and for this reason exiled by Commodus to Mediolanum, his own native city, having learned of the death of Pertinax, hurried and came to the camp. And standing at the gates, one from outside, and Sulpicianus from inside, they were bidding for Rome and its rule from the soldiers, with some acting as messengers and saying to each, "This one gives so much" and "That one gives so much, so what do you add?" Nevertheless, although many things had been promised to the soldiers by Julianus, they preferred him, fearing Sulpicianus most of all as one who would avenge Pertinax, being his father-in-law. Having been admitted into the camp, Julianus, and having been declared emperor, went from there to the forum and the senate house,

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τύραννον ἀπεκάλουν αὐτὸν καὶ ἁρματηλάτην καὶ μονομάχον καὶ πλείω ετερα. Λίβυς δ' ην ὁ Περτίναξ ἐξ Αλβης Πομπηίας, πατρὸς οὐκ εὐγενοῦς, ἐν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι χιλιαρχήσας. ην δ' εὐπροσήγορος, ηκουέ τε ἑτοίμως καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο οσα οἱ ἐδόκει. Ουτω μὲν ὁ Περτίναξ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπελάβετο, καὶ πρὸς ταῖς αλλαις ἐπικλήσεσι καὶ πρόκριτος τῆς γερουσίας κατὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἐπωνομάσθη. οσα γοῦν διέκειτο πλημμελῶς πρὸς τὸ κόσμιον μετεσκεύαστο οἰκονομίᾳ καὶ προνοίᾳ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ ἡ ἀτιμία τῶν ἀδίκως πεφονευμένων ἐλύθη παρ' αὐτοῦ. τοσαύτη δὲ χρημάτων ενδεια κατὰ τὸ βασίλειον ην ὡς πέντε καὶ εικοσι μυριάδας δραχμῶν εὑρεθῆναι μόνας. μόλις δ' ουν ὁ Περτίναξ ἐξ ἀνδριάντων καὶ οπλων καὶ ἐπίπλων καὶ τῶν τοῦ Κομόδου παιδικῶν ἀθροίσας ἀργύριον τοῖς τε δορυφόροις α ὑπέσχετο εδωκε καὶ τῷ δήμῳ καθ' ἑκατὸν δραχμάς. οσοις γὰρ ὁ Κόμοδος ἐς τρυφὴν καὶ ἐς ὁπλομαχίαν καὶ ἁρματηλασίαν ἐκέχρητο, ξύμπαντα προὐτέθειτο εἰς τὸ πωλητήριον. ̔Ο δὲ Λαῖτος εὐφήμει μὲν τὸν Περτίνακα, τὸν δὲ 3.94 Κόμοδον υβριζε. καί τινας βαρβάρους, χρυσίον παρ' ἐκείνου κομισαμένους ἐπ' εἰρήνῃ πολύ, ετι τυγχάνοντας ἐν ὁδῷ μετεπέμψατο καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἀφείλετο, "φράσατε τοῖς οικοι" φήσας "οτι Περτίναξ αρχει·" ῃδεσαν γὰρ τὸ ονομα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐξ ων ἐπεπόνθεισαν. καὶ αλλα δὲ τοιαῦτα ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τοῦ Κομόδου ὁ Λαῖτος ἐποίησεν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ μακρὸν ουτος εμεινε πιστὸς τῷ Περτίνακι. ων γὰρ ἱμείρετο μὴ τυγχάνων, τοὺς στρατιώτας παρέθηξε κατ' αὐτοῦ. οἱ δὲ ἁρπαγῶν εἰργόμενοι παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἐμίσουν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπεβούλευον σὺν τῷ Λαίτῳ. διὸ τὸν υπατον Φάλκωνα, γένει καὶ πλούτῳ λαμπρυνόμενον, αὐτοκράτορα ποιῆσαι συνέθεντο. ο μαθὼν ὁ Περτίναξ ἐς θάλασσαν διατρίβων διὰ τὴν τοῦ σίτου παρασκευήν, εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἠπείχθη καὶ εἰς τὴν βουλὴν παρελθὼν διειλέχθη. μελλόντων δὲ τῶν βουλευτῶν καταψηφιεῖσθαι τοῦ Φάλκωνος ὁ Περτίναξ ἀνακραγών "μὴ γένοιτο" εφη "τινὰ βουλευτὴν ἐμοῦ αρχοντος μηδὲ δικαίως θανατωθῆναι." ̔Ο δὲ Λαῖτός τινας τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὡς ἐκείνου κελεύοντος εφθειρε· φοβηθέντες δὲ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐθορύβησαν. διακόσιοι δὲ οἱ θρασύτεροι ἠρκότες τὰ ξίφη πρὸς τὸ παλάτιον ωρμησαν. ὡς δ' ἐντὸς ἐγένοντο, ἡ γυνὴ αὐτῷ τὴν τούτων παρουσίαν ἐμήνυσεν· ὁ δέ, καίτοι δυνάμενος ἀντιστῆναι καὶ διαφθεῖραι αὐτοὺς τῇ τε φυλακῇ τῇ νυκτερινῇ καὶ τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν, ουτε τοῦτ' ἐποίησεν ουτε κρυβῆναι καὶ διαφυγεῖν ᾑρετίσατο, ἀλλ' ἐλπίσας ισως καταπλήξειν αὐτοὺς ὀφθεὶς καὶ πείσειν διαλεχθείς, ἀπήντησε προσιοῦσιν. οἱ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον αἰδοῖ ὑπεστάλησαν καὶ τοῖς κουλεοῖς τὰ ξίφη ἐνέθεντο, ὡς δ' εις αὐτῶν προπηδήσας "τοῦτό σοι" εφη τὸ ξίφος δείξας "οἱ στρατιῶται 3.95 πεπόμφασι," καὶ αὐτὸν επληξε, καὶ οἱ αλλοι συνεκινήθησαν καὶ κατέκοψαν αὐτόν τε τὸν αὐτοκράτορα καὶ τὸν Εκλεκτον. ειτα τὴν τοῦ Περτίνακος κεφαλὴν οἱ στρατιῶται δόρατι περιπείραντες περιῆγον, τῷ εργῳ ἐλλαμπρυνόμενοι. ἐβίω δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ ετη ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα δέοντα τεσσάρων μηνῶν, αρξας μόνας ἡμέρας ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ ἑπτά. ∆ιαγγελθείσης δὲ τῆς σφαγῆς τοῦ Περτίνακος Σουλπικιανός, σταλεὶς εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον παρ' ἐκείνου ινα τὰ ἐκεῖ καταστήσηται, εμεινεν ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ επραττεν οπως αν αὐτοκράτωρ ἀποδειχθῇ. κἀν τούτῳ ̓Ιουλιανὸς ὁ ∆ίδιος, χρηματιστής τε καὶ απληστος, νεωτέρων ἀεὶ πραγμάτων ἐπιθυμῶν καὶ πρὸς τοῦ Κομόδου διὰ τοῦτο εἰς Μεδιόλανα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδα ἐξελαθείς, μαθὼν τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ Περτίνακος, σπεύσας εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον παρεγένετο. καὶ πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις ἑστὼς ὁ μὲν εξωθεν, ὁ δὲ Σουλπικιανὸς εσωθεν, τὴν ̔Ρώμην καὶ τὴν ταύτης ἀρχὴν ὠνητίων ἐκ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, διαγγελλόντων τινῶν καὶ λεγόντων ἑκατέρῳ οτι "τόσον ουτος" καί "τόσον ἐκεῖνος δίδωσι, τί ουν σὺ προστίθης;" ομως πολλῶν ὑπεσχημένων τοῖς στρατιώταις παρὰ τοῦ ̓Ιουλιανοῦ, ἐκεῖνον προετιμήσαντο, φοβηθέντες μάλιστα τὸν Σουλπικιανὸν ὡς τιμωρήσοντα τῷ Περτίνακι οια δὴ κηδεστῇ. Εἰσδεχθεὶς δὲ εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ̓Ιουλιανὸς καὶ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀποδειχθεὶς ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐφοίτησε καὶ τὸ βουλευτήριον,