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walking; and the heavy-armed soldiers followed him, and the whole city was crowned with flowers and laurels, and the people, wearing white garments, acclaimed him and were exceedingly eager to hear him and to see him. But upon entering he made a bold promise, just as the good emperors of old, that he would kill none of the senators, and he swore an oath concerning this, and he had ordered this to be ratified by a public decree. But it was not long before he broke this law. For not much later he killed Julius Solon himself, the very man who had drafted this decree at his command, and he killed many others; and he did not act in a way that was pleasing to the senate. And although it was customary for the bodyguards to be from Italy and other more decent nations 3.99 in appearance and simpler in character, he, contrary to custom, filled the city with soldiers who were most savage to see, most terrifying to hear, and most boorish to converse with. And certain signs occurred to him, foretelling his reign. He once dreamed that he was suckled by a she-wolf, as is told of Romulus; and water was given forth as if from a spring while he was sleeping; and in his sleep the entire Roman senate and people approached and greeted him. And again he dreamed that in the Roman forum Pertinax was thrown from his horse while riding, and that he himself willingly took hold of it. And when he was a youth, he sat on the imperial seat in ignorance, but not by design, from the start. But having become sole ruler, he honored Pertinax in many ways, and he gave him a most magnificent burial, although he had died long ago. Then he campaigned against Niger; who was an Italian of the equestrian order, but not one of the very distinguished. And after various wars had been fought, finally at Issus in Cilicia near the so-called Gates, which are so called because of the narrowness of the place, for on one side steep mountains rise up, and on the other deep cliffs descend to the sea, after a fierce battle had occurred, Niger was defeated; and the greater part of his force was destroyed there, and he himself was caught while fleeing and was killed. Severus sent his severed head to Byzantium and had it impaled, so that the Byzantines might see it and surrender. And as Severus was bringing to justice those who had sided with Niger, a certain senator, Cassius Clemens, being tried before him, spoke frankly, saying: "I knew neither you 3.100 nor Niger, but having been found on his side, I wished not to fight against you, but to depose Julianus; and having striven for the same things as you, I did no wrong. But not even because I did not later change over to your side; for neither would you have wished any of your own companions to desert to him. Examine, therefore, not our persons nor our names, but the deeds themselves; for whatever you condemn in us, you will also be condemning in yourself and your own companions." Severus, admiring this man for his frankness, allowed him to keep half of his property. And the Byzantines, both while Niger was alive and after he was dead, did many wonderful things, being besieged for a period of three years. For they captured some ships sailing by, and they also captured triremes of the enemy that were in the harbor. For by cutting off their anchors with underwater swimmers and fixing nails into their oar-blades and attaching cables to these, they would drag them away, making them appear to sail up of their own accord. And when all their resources were exhausted, nevertheless they held out, and they used timber from their houses for their ships and ropes which they wove by cutting the hair of their women. And when the enemy attacked the walls, they hurled at them stone and bronze statues and horses. And when every customary food had failed them, they would eat hides by soaking them. And when these were consumed, they turned on one another and tasted human flesh. Then, unwillingly, they surrendered the city, and the Romans put to death all the soldiers and officials. But Severus was exceedingly pleased at the capture of Byzan3.101tium. And he took away the freedom of the city and its political status, and tributary

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βαδίζων· καί οἱ καὶ ὁ στρατὸς ὁπλίτης παρείπετο, καὶ ἡ πόλις ανθεσί τε καὶ δάφναις απασα ἐστεφάνωτο, καὶ οἱ ανθρωποι λευχειμονοῦντες εὐφήμουν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι αὐτοῦ καὶ θεάσασθαι λίαν ἐσφάδαζον. εἰσελθὼν δὲ ἐνεανιεύσατο, οια καὶ οἱ πρῴην ἀγαθοὶ αὐτοκράτορες, ὡς οὐδένα τῶν βουλευτῶν ἀποκτενεῖ, καὶ ωμοσε περὶ τούτου, καὶ ψηφίσματι κοινῷ τοῦτο κυρωθῆναι προσετετάχει. ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν τὸν νόμον τοῦτον παρέβη. αὐτὸν γὰρ τὸν ̓Ιούλιον Σόλωνα τὸν καὶ τὸ δόγμα τοῦτο αὐτοῦ κελεύσαντος συγγραψάμενον οὐ πολλῷ υστερον εκτεινε, καὶ αλλους ἀνεῖλε πολλούς· καὶ τῇ βουλῇ οὐ καταθύμια επραττε. καὶ εἰθισμένου τοὺς σωματοφύλακας ἐκ τῆς ̓Ιταλίας ειναι καὶ αλλων ἐθνῶν ἐπιεικεστέρων 3.99 τοῖς ειδεσι καὶ ἁπλουστέρων τοῖς ηθεσιν, ἐκεῖνος παρὰ τὸ εθος στρατιωτῶν τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπλησε καὶ ἰδεῖν ἀγριωτάτων καὶ ἀκοῦσαι φοβερωτάτων καὶ ὁμιλῆσαι ἀγροικοτάτων. ̓Εγένετο δὲ αὐτῷ τινα σημεῖα τὴν ἡγεμονίαν προμαντευόμενα. εδοξέ ποτε οναρ λύκαιναν θηλάζειν, ὡς περὶ ̔Ρωμύλου ἱστόρηται· καὶ υδωρ καθεύδοντος ωσπερ ἐκ πηγῆς ἀνεδόθη· καὶ καθ' υπνους αὐτῷ ἡ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων σύμπασα βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος προσῄει τε καὶ ἠσπάζετο. καὶ αυθις ἐδόκει ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ τῇ ̔Ρωμαίᾳ ἱππεύοντα τὸν Περτίνακα τοῦ ιππου ἀπορριφῆναι, αὐτὸς δὲ τούτου ἑκόντος ἐπιλαβέσθαι. εφηβος δὲ ων ἐς τὸν βασιλικὸν δίφρον ἀγνοῶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ προνοίας υπαρ ἐκάθισεν. Αὐταρχήσας δὲ διὰ πλείστων τρόπων ἐτίμησε τὸν Περτίνακα, καὶ ταφὴν αὐτοῦ καίτοι πάλαι θανόντος πολυτελεστάτην ἐποίησεν. ειτα κατὰ τοῦ Νίγρου ἐστράτευσεν· ος ̓Ιταλὸς ην ἐξ ἱππέων, οὐ τῶν πάνυ δ' ἐπισήμων. καὶ διαφόρων πολέμων συγκροτηθέντων τέλος ἐν ̓Ισσῷ τῆς Κιλικίας περὶ τὰς καλουμένας Πύλας, αι διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου στενότητα ουτω κέκληνται, ενθεν μὲν γὰρ ορη ἀνατείνει ἀπότομα, κρημνοὶ δ' ἐκεῖθεν βαθεῖς καθήκουσιν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης ἡττήθη ὁ Νίγρος· καὶ τὸ πλέον μὲν τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐκεῖσε διώλετο, ἐκεῖνος δὲ φεύγων κατελήφθη καὶ ἀνῃρέθη. ου τμηθεῖσαν τὴν κεφαλὴν ὁ Σευῆρος πέμψας εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἀνεσταύρωσεν, ιν' ἰδόντες αὐτὴν οἱ Βυζάντιοι προσχωρήσωσι. Τοὺς δὲ τὰ Νίγρου φρονήσαντας δικαιοῦντος Σευήρου, βουλευτής τις Κάσσιος Κλήμης κρινόμενος παρ' αὐτῷ ἐπαρρησιάσατο φήσας ὡς "ἐγὼ ουτε σὲ 3.100 ουτε Νίγρον ἠπιστάμην, καταληφθεὶς δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐκείνου μερίδι οὐ σοὶ πολεμήσειν ηθελον, ἀλλ' ̓Ιουλιανὸν καταλύσειν· καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ σοὶ σπουδάσας οὐκ ἠδίκησα. ἀλλ' οὐδ' οτι μὴ πρὸς σὲ υστερον μετέστην· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ σὺ αν ἠθέλησας οὐδένα τῶν σῶν ἑταίρων πρὸς ἐκεῖνον αὐτομολῆσαι. ἐξέταζε ουν μὴ τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν μηδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα, αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ πράγματα· πᾶν γὰρ ο,τι αν ἡμῶν καταγνῷς, τοῦτο καὶ σεαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν σῶν ἑταίρων καταψηφιεῖ." τοῦτον ὁ Σευῆρος τῆς παρρησίας θαυμάσας ἀφῆκεν εχειν τῆς οὐσίας τὸ ημισυ. Οἱ δὲ Βυζάντιοι καὶ ζῶντος τοῦ Νίγρου καὶ θανόντος πολλὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ εδρασαν, ἐπὶ χρόνον πολιορκούμενοι τριετῆ. ῃρουν μὲν γὰρ καὶ πλοῖά τινα παραπλέοντα, ῃρουν δὲ καὶ τριήρεις τῶν ἐν τῷ ορμῳ τῶν ἐναντίων οὐσῶν. τὰς γὰρ ἀγκύρας αὐτῶν ὑφύδροις κολυμβηταῖς ἀποτέμνοντες καὶ ηλους ἐς τοὺς ταρσοὺς σφῶν πηγνύντες καὶ τούτων καλῴδια ἐξάπτοντες ἐπεσπῶντο αὐτάς, αὐτομάτας προσπλέειν δοκούσας. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα αὐτοῖς ἐξεδαπανήθησαν, ομως ἀντεῖχον, καὶ ξύλοις ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν ἐς τὰς ναῦς ἐχρῶντο καὶ σχοίνοις ας επλεκον κείροντες τὰς τρίχας τῶν γυναικῶν. καὶ οτε τοῖς τείχεσι προσέβαλλον οἱ πολέμιοι, λιθίνους τε καὶ ἐκ χαλκοῦ πεποιημένους καὶ ἀνδριάντας καὶ ιππους ἠκόντιζον εἰς αὐτούς. ὡς δὲ καὶ πᾶν αὐτοὺς ἐπέλιπε νενομισμένον ἐδώδιμον, βύρσας διαβρέχοντες ησθιον. καὶ τούτων δὲ ἀναλωθεισῶν καὶ ἐπ' ἀλλήλους ἐτράποντο καὶ σαρκῶν ἀνθρωπείων ἐγεύοντο. ειτα καὶ ακοντες τὴν πόλιν παρέδοσαν, καὶ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τοὺς στρατιώτας καὶ τοὺς ἐν τέλει σύμπαντας διεχρήσαντο. ὁ δὲ Σευῆρος ησθη λίαν ἐπὶ τῇ ἁλώσει τοῦ Βυζαν3.101 τίου. ἀφείλετο δὲ τήν τε ἐλευθερίαν τῆς πόλεως καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τὸ πολιτικόν, καὶ δασμοφόρον