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this man also served as consul two and three times, but the other distinguished men were murdered either with fabricated pretexts or even without a pretext, because they were not pleased with the things done by him; for he was not even ashamed to write this to the senate. But he both acted like a man 3.117 and was effeminate, and he both did and suffered both most licentiously. And he not only killed the others, but also some of his dearest friends, who advised him to live temperately. And he brought a certain foreign god into Rome called Elagabalus, and he preferred him to Jupiter; whence he too was surnamed Elagabalus. He was circumcised in his private parts and abstained from pork, and appearing in public he wore barbarian clothing, of the sort that the priests of the Syrians use; whence he was also called the Assyrian. And besides the others, he also married a virgin consecrated to Hestia, acting most shamelessly impious regarding the ancestral rites. And he said he married the priestess of Hestia for this reason, so that from him, being high priest of Elagabalus, and the priestess, god-like children might be born. Not only did he sing barbarian odes to his foreign god along with his mother and his aunt, and offer secret sacrifices, slaughtering children and using sorcery and countless amulets each time, but he also betrothed a wife to that god of his, as if he too needed children, and he established the wife in the palace, and exacted dowry-gifts for her from his subjects. But he himself lived a most licentious life. But to enumerate each of his deeds is most unpleasant both for those who speak and for those who listen; but let a few things be said. He would enter taverns at night, putting wigs on his head, and he would both associate with and work with the tavern-women. And he frequented the most notorious of the brothels and, driving out the courtesans, he prostituted himself. And having set aside a certain room in the palace, standing naked at its doors like the prostitutes and shaking the curtain, with a womanly, soft, and broken voice the passers-by 3.118 he would solicit, and collected money from them. And he used to quarrel with those who shared in his indecency, boasting that he had more lovers than them and made more money than them. And not only did he act licentiously in this way, but he also drove a chariot and danced, but he also wished to have one man as a sort of lawful spouse, and he wanted to appoint him Caesar, and he was called mistress and queen, and he wore a hairnet and did wool-work and painted his eyes. And having shaved his beard once, he afterwards used depilatories, so that he might seem a woman. But her husband was a Carian slave, and was called Hierocles. And he wished also to seem to be caught in adultery, so that he might imitate the most licentious of women. And he was willingly caught in the act, and was reviled by his husband, and was beaten so as to get black eyes. And a certain Aurelius, beautiful in his whole body, but having exceedingly large genitals, was reported to him, and he was immediately brought in with a magnificent procession, and when he greeted him saying, "Hail, lord emperor," he, with a womanly affectation, inclining his neck and closing his eyes a little, said, "Do not call me lord, for I am a lady." And when, after bathing with him, he found the report had not lied, he both reclined on his chest and dined in his lap as a lover. Therefore Hierocles, fearing that he might be outshone by Aurelius, with sorceries or some drug unmanned him and made him numb, so that for the whole night he remained immobile for intercourse; for which reason he was driven out of the palace and from Rome and from Italy itself. And he was driven to such licentiousness as to even 3.119 ask the physicians to construct female genitals for him by means of an incision, promising them large fees for this. For these reasons this Sardanapalus was hated by all, who could not endure his pollutions and disgraceful passions. Then, bringing Bassianus, the son of Mamaea, his mother's sister, into the senate, he adopted him as his son, and ordered that he be called Alexander. Not long after, however, suspecting everyone, and learning that the majority favored that one, he changed his mind, and finally attempted to kill him. But he was carefully guarded by the soldiers, and the

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τοῦτο καὶ ὑπάτευσε δὶς καὶ τρίς, οἱ δὲ αλλοι τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἀνδρῶν η προφάσεων πλαττομένων η καὶ δίχα προφάσεως ἐφονεύοντο, οτι τοῖς πραττομένοις παρ' αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἠρέσκοντο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ᾐσχύνθη τοῦτο τῇ βουλῇ γράψαι. ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἠνδρίζετό τε 3.117 καὶ ἐθηλύνετο, καὶ εδρα καὶ επασχεν ἑκάτερα ἀσελγέστατα. καὶ οὐ τοὺς αλλους εκτεινε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πάνυ φιλτάτων τινάς, οι σωφρόνως αὐτὸν παρῄνουν βιοῦν. καὶ θεὸν δέ τινα ξενικὸν εἰς τὴν ̔Ρώμην εἰσήνεγκεν ̓Ελεαγάβαλον καλούμενον, καὶ τοῦ ∆ιὸς αὐτὸν προετίμησεν· οθεν κἀκεῖνος ἐπωνομάσθη ̓Ελεαγάβαλος. περιετμήθη τε τὸ αἰδοῖον καὶ κρεῶν χοιρείων ἀπείχετο καὶ ἐσθῆτα βαρβαρικὴν δημοσιεύων ἠμπίσχετο, οιᾳ αἱ τῶν Σύρων κέχρηνται ἱερεῖς· οθεν καὶ ἐπεκλήθη ̓Ασσύριος. εγημε δὲ πρὸς ταῖς αλλαις καὶ ἱερωμένην τῇ ̔Εστίᾳ παρθένον, ἀσεβήσας περὶ τὰ πάτρια ἀναιδέστατα. καὶ ελεγε διὰ τοῦτο γῆμαι τὴν τῆς ̔Εστίας ἱέρειαν, ιν' ἐξ ἐκείνου ἀρχιερέως οντος τοῦ ̓Ελεαγαβάλου καὶ τῆς ἱερείας παῖδες γένωνται θεοπρεπεῖς. οὐ μόνον δὲ βαρβαρικὰς ᾠδὰς αμα τῇ μητρὶ καὶ τῇ τήθῃ τῷ ξένῳ θεῷ αὐτοῦ ῃδε, καὶ ἀπορρήτους προσῆγε θυσίας, παῖδας σφαγιάζων καὶ γοητεύμασι χρώμενος καὶ περιάπτοις μυρίοις ἑκάστοτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκα τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνῳ ἐμνήστευσεν ὡς καὶ παίδων δεομένῳ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα ἐς τὸ παλάτιον καθιδρύσατο, καὶ εδνα αὐτῇ ἐκ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐπράξατο. αὐτὸς δὲ ἀσελγέστατα διεβίω. ἀλλ' εκαστον τῶν ἐκείνου καταριθμεῖν καὶ τοῖς λέγουσι καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ἀηδέστατον· εἰρήσθω δ' ὀλίγα τινά. ἐς καπηλεῖα νυκτὸς εἰσῄει, κόμας περιθέτους περιάπτων τῇ κεφαλῇ, καὶ ταῖς καπηλίσι συνεξητάζετό τε καὶ συνειργάζετο. καὶ εἰς τὰ περιβόητα τῶν πορνείων ἐφοίτα καὶ τὰς ἑταίρας ἐξελαύνων ἐπόρνευε. καὶ ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ οικημά τι ἀποτάξας, γυμνός τε ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας τούτου ἑστὼς ὡς αἱ πόρναι καὶ τὸ σινδόνιον διασείων, γυναικώδει καὶ ἁβρᾷ καὶ κεκλασμένῃ φωνῇ τοὺς παριόντας προσ3.118 ηταιρίζετο, χρήματά τε συνέλεγε παρ' αὐτῶν. καὶ πρὸς τοὺς συνασχημονοῦντας αὐτῷ διεφέρετο, πλείους αὐτῶν ἐραστὰς εχειν αὐχῶν καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν ἀργυρίζεσθαι. καὶ οὐχ ουτω μόνον ἠσέλγαινεν, ἡρματηλάτει τε καὶ ὠρχεῖτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ανδρα σχεῖν ηθελεν ενα ωσπερ γαμέτην δή τινα νόμιμον, καὶ Καίσαρα αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο προχειρίσασθαι, καὶ δέσποινα καὶ βασιλὶς ὠνομάζετο, καὶ ἐφόρει κεκρύφαλον καὶ ἐριούργει καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑπεγράφετο. απαξ τε τὸ γένειον ἀποκείρας μετέπειτα ἐψιλίζετο, ινα δοκοίη γυνή. ὁ δ' ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς Καρικὸν ην ἀνδράποδον, ἐκαλεῖτο δ' ̔Ιεροκλῆς. ηθελε δὲ καὶ μοιχεύεσθαι δοκεῖν, ινα τὰς ἀσελγεστάτας μιμῆται τῶν γυναικῶν. καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοφώρῳ ἑκουσίως ἡλίσκετο, καὶ ἐλοιδορεῖτο πρὸς τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἐπλήττετό τε ὑπώπια. καί τις δ' Αὐρήλιος καλὸς μὲν καὶ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα, τὰ δ' αἰδοῖα φέρων ὑπερμεγέθη, ἐμηνύθη αὐτῷ, καὶ αὐτίκα ὑπὸ πομπῇ μεγαλοπρεπεῖ προσήχθη, ῳ προσειπόντι "χαῖρε, κύριε αὐτόκρατορ" ἐκεῖνος θρύψει γυναικώδει τὸν αὐχένα παρεγκλίνας καὶ ἐπιμύσας βραχύ τι τὰ ομματα "μή με λέγε κύριον" εφη, "ἐγὼ γὰρ κυρία εἰμί." ἐπεὶ δὲ συλλουσάμενος αὐτῷ ευρε τὴν φήμην οὐ ψευσαμένην, εν τε τοῖς στέρνοις αὐτοῦ κατεκλίθη καὶ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις ὡς ἐρωμένη ἐδείπνησε. δείσας ουν ὁ ̔Ιεροκλῆς μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ Αὐρηλίου παρευδοκιμηθῇ, γοητείαις η καὶ φαρμάκῳ τινὶ ἐξεθήλυνεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐνάρκωσεν, ὡς ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν νύκτα μεῖναι πρὸς μίξιν ἀκίνητον· διὸ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παλατίου ἐξηλάθη καὶ ἐκ τῆς ̔Ρώμης καὶ ἐκ τῆς ̓Ιταλίας αὐτῆς. ἐς τοσαύτην δὲ συνηλάθη ἀσέλγειαν ὡς καὶ 3.119 τοὺς ἰατροὺς ἀξιοῦν αἰδῶ γυναικείαν δι' ἀνατομῆς αὐτῷ μηχανήσασθαι, μεγάλους ὑπὲρ τούτου μισθοὺς αὐτοῖς προϊσχόμενος. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἐμισήθη ὑπὸ πάντων ὁ Σαρδανάπαλος, μὴ στεγόντων τὰς μιαρίας καὶ αἰσχροπαθείας αὐτοῦ. ειτα Βασιανὸν τὸν υἱὸν Μαμαίας τῆς ἀδελφῆς τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ἀγαγὼν παῖδα εθετο, καὶ ̓Αλέξανδρον αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι ἐκέλευσεν. μετ' οὐ πολὺ μέντοι πάντας ὑποπτεύων, μανθάνων δὲ καὶ εὐνοεῖν ἐκείνῳ τοὺς πλείονας, μετέγνω, καὶ τέλος ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπεχείρει. ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπιμελῶς ἐφυλάσσετο, καὶ οἱ