CHA P. had taken up arms to revenge his father's death and the oppreffion of the military order". VI. Defeat and Whilft a confpiracy of women and eunuchs was death of concerted with prudence, and conducted with Macrinus. rapid vigour, Macrinus, who, by a decifive motion, might have crushed his infant enemy, floated between the oppofite extremes of terror and fecurity, which alike fixed him inactive at Antioch. A fpirit of rebellion diffused itself through all the camps and garrifons of Syria, fucceffive detachments murdered their officers 4, and joined the party of the rebels; and the tardy reftitution of military pay and privileges was imputed to the acknowledged weakness of Macrinus. At length he marched out of Antioch, to meet the increafing and zealous army A.D. 218. of the young pretender. His own troops 7th June. feemed to take the field with faintnefs and reluctance; but in the heat of the battle, the Prætorian guards, almoft by an involuntary im 47 According to Lampridius (Hift. August. p. 135.), Alexander Severus lived twenty-nine years, three months, and feven days. As he was killed March 19, 235, he was born December 12, 205, and was confequently about this time thirteen years old, as his elder coufin might be about feventeen. This computation suits much better the history of the young princes than that of Herodian (1. v. p. 181.), who represents them as three years younger; whilft, by an opposite error of chronology, he lengthens the reign of Elagabalus two years beyond its real duration. For the particulars of the confpiracy, fee Dion, 1. lxxviii. p. 1339. Herodian, l. v. p. 184. 48 By a most dangerous proclamation of the pretended Antoninus, every foldier who brought in his officer's head became entitled to his private estate, as well as to his military commiffion. 49 Dion, 1. lxxviii. p. 1345. was fought near the village of from Antioch. Herodian, 1. v. p. 186. The battle pulfe, VI. pulfe, afferted the fuperiority of their valour CHAP. and difcipline. The rebel ranks were broken; when the mother and grandmother of the Syrian prince, who, according to their eastern custom, had attended the army, threw themselves from their covered chariots, and, by exciting the compaffion of the foldiers, endeavoured to animate their drooping courage. Antoninus himfelf, who, in the rest of his life, never acted like a man, in this important crifis of his fate approved himself a hero, mounted his horse, and at the head of his rallied troops, charged fword in hand among the thickest of the enemy; whilst the eunuch Gannys, whofe occupations had been confined to female cares and the foft luxury of Afia, difplayed the talents of an able and experienced general. The battle still raged with doubtful violence, and Macrinus might have obtained the victory, had he not betrayed his own caufe by a fhameful and precipitate flight. His cowardice ferved only to protract his life a few days, and to ftamp deferved ignominy on his misfortunes. It is fcarcely neceffary to add, that his fon Diadumenianus was involved in the fame fate. As foon as the stubborn Prætorians could be convinced that they fought for a prince who had bafely deferted them, they furrendered to the conqueror; the contending parties of the Roman army, mingling tears of joy and tenderness, united under the banners of the imagined fon of Caracalla, and the Eaft acknowledged with pleasure the firft Emperor of Afiatic extraction. CHAP. writes to the fenate, The letters of Macrinus had condefcended to VI. inform the fenate of the flight difturbance occaElagabalus fioned by an impoftor in Syria, and a decree immediately paffed declaring the rebel and his family public enemies; with a promife of pardon, however, to fuch of his deluded adherents as fhould merit it by an immediate return to their duty. During the twenty days that clapfed from the declaration to the victory of Antoninus (for in fo fhort an interval was the fate of the Roman world decided), the capital and the provinces, more especially thofe of the Eaft, were distracted with hopes and fears, agitated with tumult, and ftained with a useless effufion of civil blood, fince whofoever of the rivals prevailed in Syria muft reign over the empire. The fpecious letters in which the young conqueror announced his victory to the obedient fenate, were filled with profef. fions of virtue and moderation; the fhining examples of Marcus and Auguftus, he fhould ever confider as the great rule of his administration; and he affected to dwell with pride on the ftriking resemblance of his own age and fortunes with thofe of Auguftus, who in the earliest youth had revenged by a fuccefsful war the murder of his father. By adopting the ftyle of Marcus Aure. lius Antoninus, fon of Antoninus and grandfon of Severus, he tacitly afferted his hereditary claim to the empire; but, by affuming the tribunitian and proconfular powers before they had been conferred on him by a decree of the fenate, he offended the delicacy of Roman prejudice. This new and injudicious violation of the constitution was VI. was probably dictated either by the ignorance of c HAP. his Syrian courtiers, or the fierce difdain of his military followers 50. lus, As the attention of the new Emperor was Picture of diverted by the moft trifling amufements, he Elagabawafted many months in his luxurious progrefs A.D. 219. from Syria to Italy, paffed at Nicomedia his firft winter after his victory, and deferred till the enfuing fummer his triumphal entry into the capital. A faithful picture, however, which preceded his arrival, and was placed by his immediate order over the altar of Victory in the fenatehoufe, conveyed to the Romans the just but unworthy resemblance of his perfon and manners. He was drawn in his facerdotal robes of filk and gold, after the loofe-flowing fashion of the Medes and Phoenicians; his head was covered with a lofty tiara, his numerous collars and bracelets were adorned with gems of an ineftimable value. His eyebrows were tinged with black, and his cheeks painted with an artificial red and white". The grave fenators confeffed with a figh, that, after having long experienced the ftern tyranny of their own countrymen, Rome was at length humbled beneath the effeminate luxury of Oriental defpotifm. The Sun was worshipped at Emefa, under the His fupername of Elagabalus 2, and under the form of a 50 Dion, 1. lxxix. p.1353. 5 Dion, 1. lxxix. p. 1363. Herodian, I. v. p. 189. 52 This name is derived by the learned from two Syriac words, Ela a God, and Gabel to form, the forming, or plaftic God, a proper, and even happy epithet for the Sun. Wotton's History of Rome, p. 378. black ftition. CHAP. black conical ftone, which, as it was univerfally VI. believed, had fallen from heaven on that facred place. To this protecting deity, Antoninus, not without fome reafon, afcribed his elevation to the throne. The difplay of fuperftitious gratitude was the only ferious business of his reign. The triumph of the god of Emefa over all the religions of the earth, was the great object of his zeal and vanity: and the appellation of Elagabalus (for he prefumed as pontiff and favourite to adopt that facred name) was dearer to him than all the titles of Imperial greatness. In a folemn proceffion through the ftreets of Rome, the way was ftrewed with gold duft; the black ftone fet in precious gems, was placed on a chariot drawn by fix milk-white horfes richly caparifoned. The pious Emperor held the reins, and, fupported by his minifters, moved flowly backwards, that he might perpetually enjoy the felicity of the divine prefence. In a magnificent temple raised on the Palatine Mount, the facrifices of the god Elagabalus were celebrated with every circumftance of coft and folemnity. The richest wines, the most extraordinary victims, and the rareft aromatics, were profufely confumed on his altar. Around the altar a chorus of Syrian damfels performed their lafcivious dances to the found of barbarian mufic, whilft the graveft perfonages of the state and army, clothed in long Phoenician tunics, officiated in the meaneft functions with affected zeal and fecret indignation 53. s3 Herodian, Į. v. p. 190 Το |