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Story of Rome (Mediaeval Towns Series, Vol 38)
Story of Rome - Mediaeval Towns Series, Vol 38 Author:N. Young Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV The Barbarians 1 Gothorum laus est civilitas custotlita.'—Cautodorus. THE noble but pathetic figure of Marcus Aurelius closes the Golden Age. H... more »e devoted himself heart and soul to the welfare of the State. A philosopher and thinker, he cheerfully engaged in the uncongenial life of military adventure on the far frontiers of the Empire, and celebrated two triumphs for his victories, with characteristic generosity sharing the first with his brother Lucius Verus, the second with his son Corn- modus. Unhappily for Rome, Marcus Aurelius was blind—perhaps deliberately, weakly blind—to the worthlessness of this son. He abandoned the principle of adoption which had given Rome the glorious age of the Antonines ; and, submitting himself to the influence of his wife Faustina, allowed the destinies of the Empire to be controlled by Commodus, whose incompetence was already apparent. With Commodus began the fall of Rome. From his time the emperor was the nominee of the soldiers, who sold their votes to the most liberal or the most capable general. They demanded bribes, good pay and booty, and did not hesitate to murder an emperor who failed to satisfy their desires. Between Marcus Aurelius and Diocletian there were twenty-six emperors, whose average reign was less than four years; of whom twenty-three came to violent ends, and probably two others would have been murdered if they had not died within a year of their elevation. One of them, Septimius Severus, reigned for eighteen years, and was not murdered, a remarkable achievement in the third century. His arch in the Forum, and palace on the Palatine, still exist to remind us of his good fortune. Some of the short-lived emperors of the third century are remembered. Caracalla, son of Septimius Severus, has left a name for mad ...« less