after a reign of three months, Per' tinax was slain in the imperial palace by the same guards who had placed him on the throne.

17/5Amidst the wild disorder that attended the violent death of the emperor, the Prætorian guards proclaimed that they would dis pose of the sovereignty of the Roman world to the highest bidder, and while the body of Per' tinax remained unburied in the streets VIII. DID' Is of Rome, the prize of the empire was purchased by a JULIA' NUS vain and wealthy old senator, Did' ius Juliánus, who, epairing to the Prætorian camp, outbid all competitors, and actually paid to each of the soldiers, ten thousand in number, more than two hundred pounds sterling, or nearly nine millions of dollars in all.

18.6 The obsequious senate, overawed by the soldiery, ratified the unworthy negotiation; but the Prætorians themselves were ashamed of the prince whom their avarice had persuaded them to accept; the citizens looked upon his elevation with horror, as a lasting insult to the Roman name; and the armies in the provinces were unanimous in refusing allegiance to the new ruler, while the emperor, trembling with the dangers of his position, found himself, although on the throne of the world, scorned and despised, without a friend, and even without an adherent.

19/7Three competitors soon appeared to contest the throne with Juliánus,-Clódius Albínus, who commanded in Britain,-Pescen'IX. SEPTIM'- nius Níger in Syria,-and Septim' ius Severus in DalIUS SEVÉRUS. Mátia' and Pannónia. The latter, by his nearness to Rome, and the rapidity of his marches gained the advance of his rivals, and was hailed emperor by the people: the faithless Prætorians submitted without a blow, and were disbanded; and the senate pronounced a sentence of deposition and death against the terror stricken Juliánus, whose anxious and precarious reign of sixty-five days was terminated by the hands of the common executioner.

20/ While Sevérus, employing the most subtle craft and dissimu 'ation, was flattering Albínus in Britain with the hope of being assoiated with him in the empire, he rapidly passed into Asia, and after several engagements with the forces of Níger completely defeated them on the plains of Issus, where Alexander and Daríus had long before contended for the sovereignty of the world. Such was the

1. Dalmatia, anciently a part of Illyr' icum, and now the most southern province of the Austrian empire, comprises a long and narrow territory on the eastern shore of the Adriatic After the division of the Roman provinces under Con' stantine and Thecdósius, Dalmátia De came one of the most important parts of the empire.

duplicity of Sevérus, that even in the letter in which he announced the victory to Albínus, he addressed the latter with the most friendly salutations, and expressed the strongest regard for his welfare, while at the same time he intrusted the messengers charged with the letter to desire a private audience, and to plunge their dagger to the heart of his rival. It was only when the infamous plot was detected that Albínus awoke to the reality of his situation, and began to make vigorous preparations for open war.This second contest for empire was decided against Albínus in a most desperate battle near Lyons,' in Gaul, (A. D. 197,) where one hundred and fifty thousand Romans are said to have fought on each side? Albínus was overtaken in flight, and slain; and many senators and eminent provincials suf fered death for the attachment which they had shown to his cause.

2 After Sevérus had obtained undisputed possession of the em pire, he governed with mildness: considering the Roman world at his property, he bestowed his care on the cultivation and improve ment of so valuable an acquisition, and after a reign of eighteen years he could boast, with a just pride, that he received the empiro oppressed with foreign and domestic wars, and left it established in profound, universal, and honorable peace In his last illness, Sevérus deeply felt and acknowledged the littleness of human greatness. Born in an African town, fortune and merit had elevated him from an humble station to the first place among mankind; and now, satiated with power, and oppressed with age and infirmities, all his prospects in life were closed. He had been all things," he said, and all was of little value.", Calling for the urn in which his ashes were to be inclosed, he thus moralized on his decaying greatness. Little urn, thou shalt soon hold all that will remain of him whom the world could not contain." He died at York,' in Britain, (A. D. 211,) having been called into that country to repress an insurrection of the Caledonians.

1. Lyons, called by the Romans Lugdunum, is situated at 'he confluence of the river Rhone and Saone. The Roman town was at the foot of a bill on the western bank of the Rhone. Cæsar conquered the place from the Gauls: Augustus made it the capital of a prov ince; and, being enlarged by succeeding emperors, it became one of the principal cities of the Roman world. It is now the principal manufacturing town of France, containing a population of about two hundred thousand inhabitants. (Map No. XIII)

2. York, called by the Romans Ebor' acum, is situated on the river Ouse, one hundred and seventy miles N. N. west from London. It was the capital of the Roman province, and next to London, the most important city in the island. It was successively the residence of Adrian, Sevérus, Géta and Caracal' la, Constan' tius Chlórus, Con' stantine the Great, &c The modern city can still show many vestiges of Roman power and magnificence Constantius Chlórus the father of Con stantine the Great, died here. (Map No. XVI.)

223/Sevérus had left the empire to his two sons Caracal' la and X. CARA- Géta, but the former, whose misconduct had imbittered CAL' LA. the last days of his father, soon after his accession slew his brother in his mother's arms. 32His character resembled that of Com'modus in cruelty, but his extortions were carried to a far greater extent.33After the Roman world had endured his tyranny nearly six years, he was assassinated while in Syria, at the instiga. XI. MACRI' tion of Macrínus, the captain of the guards, (A. D. 217,) NUS. who succeeded to the throne; but after a reign of fourteen months, Macrínus lost his life in the struggle to retain hia pc wer.

2334Bassiánus, a youth of fourteen, and a cousin of Caracal'la, had been consecrated, according to the rites of the Syrian worship, to the ministry of high-priest of the sun; and it was a rebellion of the Eastern troops in his favor that had overthrown the power of Macrínus.33 Although these events occurred in distant Syria, yet the Roman senate and the whole Roman world received with servile XII. ELAGA- submission the emperors whom the army successively BA' LUS. offered them.3eAs priest of the sun Bassiánus adopted the title of Elagabálus,a and on his arrival at Rome established there the Syrian worship, and compelled the grandest personages of the State and the army to officiate in the temple dedicated to the Syrian god.

243 The follies, gross licentiousness, boundless prodigality, and cruelty of this pagan priest and emperor, soon disgusted even the licentious soldiery, the only support of his throne.3 He established a senate of women, the subject of whose deliberations were dress and etiquette; he even copied the dress and manners of the female sex, and styling himself empress, publicly invested one of his officers with the title of husband.39 His grandmother Moe' sa, foreseeing that the Roman world would not iong endure the yoke of so contemptible a monster, artfully persuaded him, in a favorable moment of fond ness, to adopt for his successor his cousin Alexander Sevérus; yet soon after, Elagabalus, indignant that the affections of the army were bestowed upon another, meditated the destruction of Sevérus, but was himself massacred by the indignant Prætorians, who dragged his mutilated corpse through the city, and threw it into the Tiber, while the senate publicly branded his name with infamy. (A. D. 222.)

a. A name derived from two Syrian words, ela a god, and gabal to form :-signifying the forming, or plastic god,―a proper and even happy epithet for the sun.-Gibbon, i. 83.

VÉRUS.

254 At the age of seventeen Alexander Sevérus was raised to the throne by the Prætorian guards. 4/He proved to be a XIII. ALEXwise, energetic, and virtuous prince: he relieved the ANDER Seprovinces of the oppressive taxes imposed by his predecessors, and restored the dignity, freedom, and authority of the senate; but his attempted reformation of the military order served only to inflame the ills it was meant to cure42His administration of the government was an unavailing struggle against the corruptions of the age; and after many mutinies of his troops his life was at length sacrificed, after a reign of fourteen years, to the fierce discontents of the army, whose power had now increased to a height sc dangerous as to obliterate the faint image of laws and liberty, and introduce the sway of military despotism/Max' imin, the instigator of the revolt, was proclaimed emperor.

SECTION III.

ROMAN HISTORY FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MILITARY DESPOTISM, AFTER THE MURDER OF ALEXANDER SEVE' RUS, A. D. 235, TO THE SUBVERSION OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE OF THE ROMANS, A. D. 476 =241 YEARS.

ANALYSIS. 1. Earliest account of the Thracian MAX' IMIN.-2. His origin. His history down to the death of Alexander Sevérus. [The Goths. Aláni.]-3. Max'imin proclaimed emperor by the army. Commencemeni of his reign.-4. GOR' DIAN. PUPIE NUS AND BALBI'NUS. Death of Max' imin. The SECOND GOR' DIAN.-5. German and Persian wars.-6. Sápor, the Persian king. Death of Gor' dian, and accession of PHILIP THE ARABIAN.-7. Insurrections and rebellions. DE CIUS proclaimed emperor, and death of Philip. [Veróna.]-8. War with the Goths, and death of Décius. Reign of GALLUS ÆMILIA' NUS. Accession of VALE' RIAN.-9. Worthy character of Valérian. Ravages of the barbarians. Spain, Gaul, and Britain. The Persians. [The Franks. The Aleman' ni. Lombardy.]-10. Valérian taken prisoner. His treatment. GALLIE NUS.-11. Odenátus, prince of Palmyra. He routs the Persians. [Talmyra.-12. Numerous competitors for the throne.-13. Death of Galliénus, and accession ef CLAUDIUS. [Milan.]-14. Character, reign, and death of Claudius. [Sir' mium.]—15. QUIN TILIUS.-16. The reign of AURE' LIAN. His wars. Zenobia. Character of Aurélian. His death. [Tibur. Byzan' tium.]-17. An interregnum. Election of TACITUS. His and death. [Bos' porus.]-18. FLO' RIAN. The reign, and death, of PROBUS. [Sarmatia 'an'. dale]-19. Reign of CA' RUS. His character, and death. NUME' RIAN AND CARI' NUS.-20. Superstit on, and retreat, of tue Roman army in Persia. Character of Carinus, and death of Numérian.-21. Carinus marches against Diocletian. His death. DIOCLETIAN acknowledged emperor. His treatment of the vanquished.

22. The reign of Diocletian, an important epoch. [Copts and Abyssinians.]-23. Division of the imperial authority.-24. The rule of MAXIM'IAN. [Nicomedia.] Of his colleague Constan' tius. Countries ruled by Diocletian, and his colleague Galérius.-25. Important events of the re gn of Dioch'tian. The insurrection in Britain.-26. Revolt in Egypt and Dorthern Africa. [Busiris and Cop' tos. The Moors. 27. The war with Persia. [Antioch

Kurdistan.]--23. Persecuton of the Christians. Diocletian's edict against them.--29. Results, and effects of this persecution.-30. Dioclétian and Maxim' ian lay down the sceptre, and retire to private life. GALE' RIUS AND CONSTAN' TIUS acknowledged sovereigns. Discord and confusion.-31. Death of Constan' tius. CON' STANTINE proclaimed emperor. Six competitors for the throne. Death of Galérius.-32. Conversion of Con' stantine, and triumph of Christianity. -33. Most important events in the reign of Con' stantine. The choice of a new capital.—34. Removal of the seat of government to Byzan' tium, and the changes that followed. Con' stan tine divides the empire among his three sons and two nephews. His death.-35. Sixteen years of Civil wars. CONSTAN' TIUS II. becomes sole emperor. His reign of twenty-four years. His death. [The Saxons.]-36. JULIAN THE APOSTATE. His character. Hostility to the Christians. -37. His efforts against Christianity. The result.-30. His attempt to rebuild Jerusalem.-39 Causes of the suspension of the work.-40. Julian's invasion of Persia. His death.-31. The rief reign of Jo' VIAN.-42. VALENTIN' IAN elected emperor. Associates his brother VA'I ENT with him. Final division of the empire. The two capitals. Rome.

43. BARBARIAN INROADS. Picts and Scots.-44. Death of Valentin' ian, and westward progress of the Huns. The Vis' igoths are allowed to settle in Thrace.-45. The Os' trogoths cross the Danube in arms. The two divisions raise the standard of war. Death of Valens. [Adrianóple.]-46. GRA' TIAN emperor of the West. THEODO' SIUS emperor of the East. The Goths. Many of them settle in Thrace, Phrygia, &c.—-47. Death of Grátian. VALENTIN' IAN II. His death. Theodosius sole emperor. Death of Theodosius. Division of the empire between HONO' RIUS AND ARCA' DIUS.-48. Civil wars. AL' ARIC THE GоTH ravages Greece, and then passes into Italy. [Julian Alps.]--49. Honorius is relieved by Stil' icho. [As' ta Pollen'. tia.] Rome saved by Stil' icho.-50. Raven' na becomes the capital of Italy. Deluge of bar barians. [Raven' na. Van' dals. Suévi. Burgun' dians.]—51. Italy delivered by Stil' icho. [Florence.]-52. Stil'icho put to death. Massacre of the Goths, and revolt of the Gothic soldiers.-53. Rome besieged by Al' aric. His terms of ransom.-54. The terms finally agreed upon. Rejected by Honorius. [Tuscany.] Al' aric returns and reduces Rome.-55. Pillage of Rome. Al' aric abandons Rome. His death and burial.-56. The Goths withdraw from Italy. The Vis' igoths in Spain and Gaul. Saxons establish themselves in England.-57. The Van'dals in Spain and Africa. VALENTIN' IAN III. CONQUESTS OF ATTILA. [Andalusia. The Huns. Chalons. Venetian Republic.]-58. Extinction of the empire of the Huns. Situation of the Roman world at this period. Rome pillaged by the VAN' DALS, A. D. 455.-59 AVI' TUS. MAJO' RIAN.-60. SEVE' RUS. Van' dal invasions. Expedition against Carthage.-6%. Revolutionary changes. Demands of the barbarians, and SUBVERSION OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE. [Her' uli.]

1. MAX' IMIN.

144Thirty-two years before the murder of Alexander Sevérus, the emperor Septim' ius Sevérus, returning from his Asiatic expe dition, halted in Thrace to celebrate with military games the birthday of his younger son Géta SAmong the crowd that flocked to behold their sovereign was a young barbarian of gigantic stature, who earnestly solicited, in his rude dialect, that he might be allowed to contend for the prize of wrestling.4As the pride of discipline would have been disgraced in the overthrow of a Roman soldier by a Thracian peasant, he was matched with the stoutest followers of the camp, sixteen of whom he successively laid on the ground.4 His victory was rewarded by some trifling gifts, and a permission to enlist in the troops. The next day the happy bar barian was distinguished above a crowd of recruits, dancing and exulting after the fashion of his country. As soon as as he perceived that he had attracted the emperor's notice, he ran up to his horse,