V.

CHAP. in their hands. To divert the Prætorian bands from thefe dangerous reflections, the firmeft and best established princes were obliged to mix blandishments with commands, rewards with punishments, to flatter their pride, indulge their pleafures, connive at their irregularities, and to purchase their precarious faith by a liberal donative; which, fince the elevation of Claudius, was exacted as a legal claim, on the acceffion of every new emperor.

Their

claims.

The advocates of the guards endeavoured to fpecious juftify by arguments the power which they afferted by arms; and to maintain that, according to the pureft principles of the constitution, their confent was effentially neceffary in the appointment of an emperor. The election of confuls, of generals, and of magiftrates, however it had been recently ufurped by the senate, was the ancient and undoubted right of the Roman people'. But where was the Roman people to be found? Not furely amongst the mixed multitude of flaves and strangers that filled the streets of Rome; a fervile populace, as devoid of spirit as deftitute of property. The defenders of the state,

Claudius, raised by the foldiers to the empire, was the first who gave a donative. He gave quina dena, 120l. (Sueton. in Claud. c. 10.): when Marcus, with his colleague Lucius Verus, took quiet poffeffion of the throne, he gave vicena, 160l. to each of the guards. Hift. Auguft. p. 25. (Dion, 1. lxxiii. p. 1231.). We may form some idea of the amount of these fums, by Hadrian's complaint, that the promotion of a Cæfar had coft him ter millies, two millions and a half fterling.

7 Cicero de Legibus, iii. 3. The first book of Livy, and the second of Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, fhew the authority of the people, even in the election of the kings.

V.

felected from the flower of the Italian youth, CHA P. and trained in the exercife of arms and virtue, were the genuine representatives of the people, and the best entitled to elect the military chief of the republic. Thefe affertions, however defective in reafon, became unanfwerable, when the fierce Prætorians increafed their weight, by throwing, like the barbarian conqueror of Rome, their fwords into the scale'.

to fale.

The Prætorians had violated the fanctity of They offer the throne, by the atrocious murder of Pertinax; the empire they dishonoured the majefty of it, by their fubfequent conduct. The camp was without a leader, for even the præfect Lætus, who had excited the tempeft, prudently declined the public indignation. Amidft the wild diforder Sulpicianus, the Emperor's father-in-law, and governor of the city, who had been fent to the camp on the firft alarm of mutiny, was endeavouring to calm the fury of the multitude, when he was filenced by the clamorous return of the murderers, bearing on a lance the head of Pertinax. Though hiftory has accuftomed us to obferve every principle and every paffion yielding to the imperious dictates of ambition, it is scarcely credible that in thefe moments of horror, Sulpicianus should have afpired to ascend a throne pol

8

They were originally recruited in Latium, Etruria, and the old colonies (Tacit. Annal. iv. 5.). The Emperor Otho compliments their vanity with the flattering titles of Italiæ Alumni, Romana vere juventus. Tacit. Hift. i. 84.

9 In the fiege of Rome by the Gauls. See Livy, v. 48. Plutarch. in Camill. p. 143.

luted

V.

CHA P. luted with the recent blood of fo near a relation, and fo excellent a prince. He had already begun to use the only effectual argument, and to treat for the Imperial dignity; but the more prudent of the Prætorians, apprehenfive that, in this private contract, they fhould not obtain a juft price for fo valuable a commodity, ran out upon the ramparts; and, with a loud voice, proclaimed that the Roman world was to be difpofed of to the best bidder by public auction 1o.

It is pur

Julian,

A.D. 193.

28th.

This infamous offer, the most infolent excefs chafed by of military licence, diffused an univerfal grief, fhame, and indignation throughout the city. It March reached at length the ears of Didius Julianus, a wealthy fenator, who, regardless of the public calamities, was indulging himself in the luxury of the table". His wife and his daughter, his freedmen and his parafites, eafily convinced him that he deferved the throne, and earnestly conjured him to embrace fo fortunate an opportunity. The vain old man haftened to the Prætorian camp, where Sulpicianus was ftill in treaty with the guards; and began to bid against him from the foot of the rampart. The unworthy negociation was tranfacted by faithful emiffaries who paffed alternately from one candidate to the other, and acquainted each of them with the

10 Dion, 1. lxxiii. p. 1234. Herodian, l. ii. p. 63. Hift. August. p. 60. Though the three hiftorians agree that it was in fact an auction, Herodian alone affirms that it was proclaimed as such by the foldiers.

11

Spartianus foftens the most odious parts of the character and elevation of Julian.

offers

V.

offers of his rival. Sulpicianus had already pro- CHAP. mised a donative of five thousand drachms (above one hundred and fixty pounds) to each foldier; when Julian, eager for the prize, rofe at once to the fum of fix thousand two hundred and fifty drachms, or upwards of two hundred pounds fterling. The gates of the camp were inftantly thrown open to the purchafer; he was declared Emperor, and received an oath of allegiance from the foldiers, who retained humanity enough to ftipulate that he fhould pardon and forget the competition of Sulpicianus.

ledged by

It was now incumbent on the Prætorians to Julian is fulfil the conditions of the fale. They placed acknowtheir new fovereign, whom they ferved and de- the fenate. fpifed, in the centre of their ranks, furrounded him on every fide with their fhields, and conducted him in clofe order of battle through the deferted streets of the city. The fenate was commanded to affemble; and those who had been the distinguished friends of Pertinax, or the perfonal enemies of Julian, found it neceffary to affect a more than common fhare of fatisfaction at this happy revolution". After Julian had filled the fenate-houfe with armed foldiers, he expatiated on the freedom of his election, his own eminent virtues, and his full affurance of the affections of the fenate. The obfequious affembly congratulated their own and the public felicity; engaged their allegiance, and conferred on him all the feveral branches of the Imperial

12 Dion Caffius, at that time prætor, had been a personal enemy to Julian, 1. lxxii. p. 1135.

power.

CHA P. power". From the fenate Julian was conducted,

V. by the fame military proceffion, to take poffefTakes pof- fion of the palace. The firft objects that struck feffion of his eyes, were the abandoned trunk of Pertinax, the palace. and the frugal entertainment prepared for his

The public

fupper. The one he viewed with indifference; the other with contempt. A magnificent feaft was prepared by his order, and he amufed himfelf, till a very late hour, with dice, and the performances of Pylades, a celebrated dancer. Yet it was observed, that after the crowd of flatterers dispersed, and left him to darkness, folitude, and terrible reflection, he paffed a fleepless night; revolving moft probably in his mind his own rash folly, the fate of his virtuous predeceffor, and the doubtful and dangerous tenure of an empire, which had not been acquired by merit, but purchased by money 1.

14

He had reafon to tremble. On the throne of discontent. the world he found himself without a friend, and

even without an adherent. The guards themfelves were ashamed of the prince whom their avarice had perfuaded them to accept; nor was there a citizen who did not confider his elevation with horror, as the laft infult on the Roman name. The nobility, whofe confpicuous ftation, and ample poffeffions, exacted the stricteft caution, diffembled their fentiments, and met the

13 Hift. Auguft. p. 61. We learn from thence one curious circumstance, that the new emperor, whatever had been his birth, was immediately aggregated to the number of Patrician families.

14 Dion, 1. lxxiii. p. 1235. Hift. August. p. 61. I have endeavoured to blend into one confiftent story the seeming contradictions of the two writers,

affected