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CHAP. formed the fenate, all the Alexandrians, thofe VI. who had perished, and thofe who had efcaped, were alike guilty

Relaxation of difcipline.

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35

The wife inftructions of Severus never made any lafting impreffion on the mind of his fon, who, although not deftitute of imagination and eloquence, was equally devoid of judgment and humanity 6. One dangerous maxim, worthy of a tyrant, was remembered and abufed by Caracalla, "To fecure the affections of the army, "and to esteem the reft of his fubjects as of "little moment "." But the liberality of the father had been restrained by prudence, and his indulgence to the troops was tempered by firmnefs and authority. The careless profufion of the fon was the policy of one reign, and the inevitable ruin both of the army and of the empire. The vigour of the foldiers, inftead of being confirmed by the fevere difcipline of camps, melted away in the luxury of cities. The exceffive increase of their pay and donatives 3 exhaufted

35 Dion, 1. lxxvii. p. 1307. Herodian, 1. iv. p. 158. The former represents it as a cruel maffacre, the latter as a perfidious one too. It seems probable, that the Alexandrians had irritated the tyrant by their railleries, and perhaps by their tumults.

36 Dion, 1. lxxvii. p. 1296.

37 Dion, 1. lxxvi. p. 1284. Mr. Wotton (Hift. of Rome, p. 330.) fufpects that this maxim was invented by Caracalla himself, and attributed to his father.

38 Dion (1. lxxviii. p. 1343.) informs us that the extraordinary gifts of Caracalla to the army amounted annually to seventy mil lions of drachmæ (about two millions three hundred and fifty thoufand pounds). There is another paffage in Dion, concerning the military pay, infinitely curious; were it not obfcure, imperfect, and probably corrupt. The beft fenfe feems to be, that the Prætorian

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VI.

hausted the state to enrich the military order, C HA P. whofe modesty in peace, and service in war, are beft fecured by an honourable poverty. The demeanor of Caracalla was haughty and full of pride; but with the troops he forgot even the proper dignity of his rank, encouraged their infolent familiarity, and, neglecting the effential duties of a general, affected to imitate the dress and manners of a common foldier.

Caracalla.

It was impoffible that fuch a character, and Murder of fuch a conduct as that of Caracalla, could inspire A.D.217. either love or esteem; but as long as his vices 8th March. were beneficial to the armies, he was fecure from the danger of rebellion. A fecret confpiracy, provoked by his own jealoufy, was fatal to the tyrant. The Prætorian præfecture was divided between two minifters. The military department was intrufted to Adventus, an experienced rather than an able foldier; and the civil affairs were tranfacted by Opilius Macrinus, who, by his dexterity in business, had raised himself, with a fair character, to that high office. But his favour varied with the caprice of the Emperor, and his life might depend on the flighteft fufpicion, or the most cafual circumftance. Malice or fanaticifin had fuggefted to an African, deeply

guards received twelve hundred and fifty drachmæ (forty pounds) a year (Dion, 1. lxxvii. p. 1307.). Under the reign of Auguftus, they were paid at the rate of two drachmæ, or denarii, per day, 720 year (Tacit. Annal. i. 17.). Domitian, who increased the foldiers pay one fourth, must have raised the Prætorians to 960 drachma (Gronovius de Pecuniâ Veteri, 1. iii. c. 2.). Thefe fucceffive augmentations ruined the empire, for, with the foldiers pay, their numbers too were increased. We have seen the Prætorians alone increased from 10,000 to 50,000 men.

fkilled

CHAP. skilled in the knowledge of futurity, a very dan VI. gerous prediction, that Macrinus and his fon

were deftined to reign over the empire. The report was foon diffused through the province; and when the man was fent in chains to Rome, he still afferted, in the prefence of the Præfect of the city, the faith of his prophecy. That magiftrate, who had received the moft preffing inftructions to inform himself of the fucceffors of Caracalla, immediately communicated the examination of the African to the Imperial court, which at that time refided in Syria. But, notwithstanding the diligence of the public meffengers, a friend of Macrinus found means to apprize him of the approaching danger. The Emperor received the letters from Rome; and as he was then engaged in the conduct of a chariot race, he delivered them unopened to the Prætorian Præfect, directing him to dispatch the ordinary affairs, and to report the more important bufinefs that might be contained in them. Macrinus read his fate, and refolved to prevent it. He inflamed the difcontents of fome inferior officers, and employed the hand of Martialis, a desperate foldier, who had been refused the rank of centurion. The devotion of Caracalla prompted him to make a pilgrimage from Edeffa to the celebrated temple of the Moon at Carrhæ. He was attended by a body of cavalry; but having ftopped on the road for fome neceffary occafion, his guards preferved a respectful distance, and Martialis approaching his perfon under a pretence - of duty, ftabbed him with a dagger. The bold affaffin

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of Alexan

affaffin was inftantly killed by a Scythian archer CHA P. of the Imperial guard. Such was the end of a monster whofe life difgraced human nature, and whofe reign accufed the patience of the RoThe grateful foldiers forgot his vices, remembered only his partial liberality, and obliged the fenate to prostitute their own dignity and that of religion by granting him a place among the gods. Whilft he was upon earth, Alexan- Imitation der the Great was the only hero whom this god der deemed worthy his admiration. He affumed the name and enfigns of Alexander, formed a Macedonian phalanx of guards, perfecuted the dif ciples of Ariftotle, and displayed with a puerile enthusiasm the only fentiment by which he dif covered any regard for virtue or glory. We can eafily conceive, that after the battle of Narva, and the conqueft of Poland, Charles the Twelfth (though he ftill wanted the more elegant accomplishments of the fon of Philip) might boast of having rivalled his valour and magnanimity: but in no one action of his life did Caracalla exprefs the fainteft refemblance of the Macedonian hero, except in the murder of a great number of his own and of his father's friends 4°.

After the extinction of the houfe of Severus, Election the Roman world remained three days without a ter of Ma

39 Dion, 1. lxxviii. p. 1312. Herodian, l. iv. p.168.

40. The fondness of Caracalla for the name and enfigns of Alexander, is still preserved on the medals of that Emperor. See Spanheim, de Ufu Numifmatum, Differtat. xii. Herodian (1. iv. p. 154.) had feen very ridiculous pictures, in which a figure was drawn, with one fide of the face like Alexander, and the other like Caracalla.

and charac

crinus.

mafter.

VI.

CHAP. mafter. The choice of the army (for the authority of a diftant and feeble fenate was little regarded) hung in anxious fufpenfe; as no candidate prefented himself whofe diftinguished birth and merit could engage their attachment and unite their fuffrages. The decifive weight of the Prætorian guards elevated the hopes of their præfects, and thefe powerful minifters began to affert their legal claim to fill the vacancy of the Imperial throne. Adventus, however, the fenior præfect, confcious of his age and infirmities, of his fmall reputation, and his fmaller abilities, refigned the dangerous honour to the crafty ambition of his colleague Macrinus, whofe well-diffembled grief removed all fufpicion of his being acceffary to his mafter's death **. The troops neither loved nor efteemed his character. They caft their eyes round in search of a competitor, and at laft yielded with reluctance to his promises of unbounded liberality and inA.D. 217. dulgence. A fhort time after his acceffion, he March 11. conferred on his fon Diadumenianus, at the age

Difcontent

of only ten years, the Imperial title and the popular name of Antoninus. The beautiful figure of the youth, affifted by an additional donative, for which the ceremony furnished a pretext, might attract, it was hoped, the favour of the army, and fecure the doubtful throne of Macrinus.

The authority of the new fovereign had been of the fe- ratified by the cheerful fubmiffion of the fenate and provinces. They exulted in their unexpected

nate.

4 Herodian, liv. p. 169. Hift. August. p. 94.

deliver

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