DuringalongperiodoftwohundredandtwentyyearsfromtheestablishmentofthisartfulsystemtothedeathofCommodus,thedangersinherenttoamilitarygovernmentwere,inagreatmeasure,suspended。Thesoldierswereseldomrousedtothatfatalsenseoftheirownstrength,andoftheweaknessofthecivilauthority,whichwas,beforeandafterwards,productiveofsuchdreadfulcalamities。CaligulaandDomitianwereassassinatedintheirpalacebytheirowndomestics:theconvulsionswhichagitatedRomeonthedeathoftheformer,wereconfinedtothewallsofthecity。ButNeroinvolvedthewholeempireinhisruin。Inthespaceofeighteenmonths,fourprincesperishedbythesword;andtheRomanworldwasshakenbythefuryofthecontendingarmies。Exceptingonlythisshort,thoughviolenteruptionofmilitarylicense,thetwocenturiesfromAugustus^29toCommoduspassedawayunstainedwithcivilblood,andundisturbedbyrevolutions。Theemperorwaselectedbytheauthorityofthesenate,andtheconsentofthesoldiers。
^30Thelegionsrespectedtheiroathoffidelity;anditrequiresaminuteinspectionoftheRomanannalstodiscoverthreeinconsiderablerebellions,whichwereallsuppressedinafewmonths,andwithouteventhehazardofabattle。^31
[Footnote*:Caligulaperishedbyaconspiracyformedbytheofficersofthepraetoriantroops,andDomitianwouldnot,perhaps,havebeenassassinatedwithouttheparticipationofthetwochiefsofthatguardinhisdeath。—W。]
[Footnote29:Augustusrestoredtheancientseverityofdiscipline。Afterthecivilwars,hedroppedtheendearingnameofFellow—Soldiers,andcalledthemonlySoldiers,Sueton。inAugust。c。25。SeetheuseTiberiusmadeoftheSenateinthemutinyofthePannonianlegions,Tacit。Annal。i。]
[Footnote30:Thesewordsseemtohavebeentheconstitutionallanguage。SeeTacit。Annal。xiii。4。
Note:Thispanegyriconthesoldieryisrathertooliberal。
Claudiuswasobligedtopurchasetheirconsenttohiscoronation:
thepresentswhichhemade,andthosewhichthepraetoriansreceivedonotheroccasions,considerablyembarrassedthefinances。Moreover,thisformidableguardfavored,ingeneral,thecrueltiesofthetyrants。ThedistantrevoltsweremorefrequentthanGibbonthinks:already,underTiberius,thelegionsofGermanywouldhaveseditiouslyconstrainedGermanicustoassumetheImperialpurple。OntherevoltofClaudiusCivilis,underVespasian,thelegionsofGaulmurderedtheirgeneral,andofferedtheirassistancetotheGaulswhowereininsurrection。
JuliusSabinusmadehimselfbeproclaimedemperor,&c。Thewars,themerit,andtheseveredisciplineofTrajan,Hadrian,andthetwoAntonines,established,forsometime,agreaterdegreeofsubordination。—W]
[Footnote31:ThefirstwasCamillusScribonianus,whotookuparmsinDalmatiaagainstClaudius,andwasdesertedbyhisowntroopsinfivedays,thesecond,L。Antonius,inGermany,whorebelledagainstDomitian;andthethird,AvidiusCassius,inthereignofM。Antoninus。Thetwolastreignedbutafewmonths,andwerecutoffbytheirownadherents。Wemayobserve,thatbothCamillusandCassiuscoloredtheirambitionwiththedesignofrestoringtherepublic;atask,saidCassiuspeculiarlyreservedforhisnameandfamily。]
Inelectivemonarchies,thevacancyofthethroneisamomentbigwithdangerandmischief。TheRomanemperors,desiroustosparethelegionsthatintervalofsuspense,andthetemptationofanirregularchoice,investedtheirdesignedsuccessorwithsolargeashareofpresentpower,asshouldenablehim,aftertheirdecease,toassumetheremainder,withoutsufferingtheempiretoperceivethechangeofmasters。ThusAugustus,afterallhisfairerprospectshadbeensnatchedfromhimbyuntimelydeaths,restedhislasthopesonTiberius,obtainedforhisadoptedsonthecensorialandtribunitianpowers,anddictatedalaw,bywhichthefutureprincewasinvestedwithanauthorityequaltohisown,overtheprovincesandthearmies。^32ThusVespasiansubduedthegenerousmindofhiseldestson。Tituswasadoredbytheeasternlegions,which,underhiscommand,hadrecentlyachievedtheconquestofJudaea。
Hispowerwasdreaded,and,ashisvirtueswerecloudedbytheintemperanceofyouth,hisdesignsweresuspected。Insteadoflisteningtosuchunworthysuspicions,theprudentmonarchassociatedTitustothefullpowersoftheImperialdignity;andthegratefulsoneverapprovedhimselfthehumbleandfaithfulministerofsoindulgentafather。^33
[Footnote32:VelleiusPaterculus,l。ii。c。121。Sueton。inTiber。c。26。]
[Footnote33:Sueton。inTit。c。6。Plin。inPraefat。Hist。
Natur。]
ThegoodsenseofVespasianengagedhimindeedtoembraceeverymeasurethatmightconfirmhisrecentandprecariouselevation。Themilitaryoath,andthefidelityofthetroops,hadbeenconsecrated,bythehabitsofahundredyears,tothenameandfamilyoftheCaesars;andalthoughthatfamilyhadbeencontinuedonlybythefictitiousriteofadoption,theRomansstillrevered,inthepersonofNero,thegrandsonofGermanicus,andthelinealsuccessorofAugustus。Itwasnotwithoutreluctanceandremorse,thatthepraetorianguardshadbeenpersuadedtoabandonthecauseofthetyrant。^34TherapiddownfallofGalba,Otho,andVitellus,taughtthearmiestoconsidertheemperorsasthecreaturesoftheirwill,andtheinstrumentsoftheirlicense。ThebirthofVespasianwasmean:
hisgrandfatherhadbeenaprivatesoldier,hisfatherapettyofficeroftherevenue;^35hisownmerithadraisedhim,inanadvancedage,totheempire;buthismeritwasratherusefulthanshining,andhisvirtuesweredisgracedbyastrictandevensordidparsimony。Suchaprinceconsultedhistrueinterestbytheassociationofason,whosemoresplendidandamiablecharactermightturnthepublicattentionfromtheobscureorigin,tothefutureglories,oftheFlavianhouse。UnderthemildadministrationofTitus,theRomanworldenjoyedatransientfelicity,andhisbelovedmemoryservedtoprotect,abovefifteenyears,thevicesofhisbrotherDomitian。
[Footnote34:ThisideaisfrequentlyandstronglyinculcatedbyTacitus。SeeHist。i。5,16,ii。76。]
[Footnote35:TheemperorVespasian,withhisusualgoodsense,laughedatthegenealogists,whodeducedhisfamilyfromFlavius,thefounderofReate,hisnativecountry,andoneofthecompanionsofHerculesSuetinVespasian,c。12。]
NervahadscarcelyacceptedthepurplefromtheassassinsofDomitian,beforehediscoveredthathisfeebleagewasunabletostemthetorrentofpublicdisorders,whichhadmultipliedunderthelongtyrannyofhispredecessor。Hismilddispositionwasrespectedbythegood;butthedegenerateRomansrequiredamorevigorouscharacter,whosejusticeshouldstriketerrorintotheguilty。Thoughhehadseveralrelations,hefixedhischoiceonastranger。HeadoptedTrajan,thenaboutfortyyearsofage,andwhocommandedapowerfularmyintheLowerGermany;andimmediately,byadecreeofthesenate,declaredhimhiscolleagueandsuccessorintheempire。^36Itissincerelytobelamented,thatwhilstwearefatiguedwiththedisgustfulrelationofNero\'scrimesandfollies,wearereducedtocollecttheactionsofTrajanfromtheglimmeringsofanabridgment,orthedoubtfullightofapanegyric。Thereremains,however,onepanegyricfarremovedbeyondthesuspicionofflattery。AbovetwohundredandfiftyyearsafterthedeathofTrajan,thesenate,inpouringoutthecustomaryacclamationsontheaccessionofanewemperor,wishedthathemightsurpassthefelicityofAugustus,andthevirtueofTrajan。^37
[Footnote36:Dion,l。lxviii。p。1121。Plin。Secund。inPanegyric。]
[Footnote37:FeliciorAugusto,MeliorTrajano。Eutrop。viii。
5。]
Wemayreadilybelieve,thatthefatherofhiscountryhesitatedwhetherheoughttointrustthevariousanddoubtfulcharacterofhiskinsmanHadrianwithsovereignpower。InhislastmomentstheartsoftheempressPlotinaeitherfixedtheirresolutionofTrajan,orboldlysupposedafictitiousadoption;
^38thetruthofwhichcouldnotbesafelydisputed,andHadrianwaspeaceablyacknowledgedashislawfulsuccessor。Underhisreign,ashasbeenalreadymentioned,theempireflourishedinpeaceandprosperity。Heencouragedthearts,reformedthelaws,assertedmilitarydiscipline,andvisitedallhisprovincesinperson。Hisvastandactivegeniuswasequallysuitedtothemostenlargedviews,andtheminutedetailsofcivilpolicy。Buttherulingpassionsofhissoulwerecuriosityandvanity。Astheyprevailed,andastheywereattractedbydifferentobjects,Hadrianwas,byturns,anexcellentprince,aridiculoussophist,andajealoustyrant。Thegeneraltenorofhisconductdeservedpraiseforitsequityandmoderation。Yetinthefirstdaysofhisreign,heputtodeathfourconsularsenators,hispersonalenemies,andmenwhohadbeenjudgedworthyofempire;andthetediousnessofapainfulillnessrenderedhim,atlast,peevishandcruel。Thesenatedoubtedwhethertheyshouldpronouncehimagodoratyrant;andthehonorsdecreedtohismemoryweregrantedtotheprayersofthepiousAntoninus。^39
[Footnote38:Dionl。lxix。p。1249affirmsthewholetohavebeenafiction,ontheauthorityofhisfather,who,beinggovernoroftheprovincewhereTrajandied,hadverygoodopportunitiesofsiftingthismysterioustransaction。YetDodwellPraelect。Camden。xvii。hasmaintainedthatHadrianwascalledtothecertainhopeoftheempire,duringthelifetimeofTrajan。]
[Footnote39:Dion,l。lxx。p。1171。Aurel。Victor。]
ThecapriceofHadrianinfluencedhischoiceofasuccessor。
Afterrevolvinginhismindseveralmenofdistinguishedmerit,whomheesteemedandhated,headoptedAeliusVerusagayandvoluptuousnobleman,recommendedbyuncommonbeautytotheloverofAntinous。^40ButwhilstHadrianwasdelightinghimselfwithhisownapplause,andtheacclamationsofthesoldiers,whoseconsenthadbeensecuredbyanimmensedonative,thenewCaesar^41wasravishedfromhisembracesbyanuntimelydeath。Heleftonlyoneson。HadriancommendedtheboytothegratitudeoftheAntonines。HewasadoptedbyPius;and,ontheaccessionofMarcus,wasinvestedwithanequalshareofsovereignpower。
AmongthemanyvicesofthisyoungerVerus,hepossessedonevirtue;adutifulreverenceforhiswisercolleague,towhomhewillinglyabandonedtherudercaresofempire。Thephilosophicemperordissembledhisfollies,lamentedhisearlydeath,andcastadecentveiloverhismemory。
[Footnote40:ThedeificationofAntinous,hismedals,hisstatues,temples,city,oracles,andconstellation,arewellknown,andstilldishonorthememoryofHadrian。Yetwemayremark,thatofthefirstfifteenemperors,Claudiuswastheonlyonewhosetasteinlovewasentirelycorrect。ForthehonorsofAntinous,seeSpanheim,CommentairesuilesCaesarsdeJulien,p。
80。]
[Footnote41:Hist。August。p。13。AureliusVictorinEpitom。]
AssoonasHadrian\'spassionwaseithergratifiedordisappointed,heresolvedtodeservethethanksofposterity,byplacingthemostexaltedmeritontheRomanthrone。Hisdiscerningeyeeasilydiscoveredasenatoraboutfiftyyearsofage,clamelessinalltheofficesoflife;andayouthofaboutseventeen,whoseriperyearsopenedafairprospectofeveryvirtue:theelderofthesewasdeclaredthesonandsuccessorofHadrian,oncondition,however,thathehimselfshouldimmediatelyadopttheyounger。ThetwoAntoninesforitisofthemthatwearenowpeaking,governedtheRomanworldforty—twoyears,withthesameinvariablespiritofwisdomandvirtue。
AlthoughPiushadtwosons,^42hepreferredthewelfareofRometotheinterestofhisfamily,gavehisdaughterFaustina,inmarriagetoyoungMarcus,obtainedfromthesenatethetribunitianandproconsularpowers,and,withanobledisdain,orratherignoranceofjealousy,associatedhimtoallthelaborsofgovernment。Marcus,ontheotherhand,reveredthecharacterofhisbenefactor,lovedhimasaparent,obeyedhimashissovereign,^43and,afterhewasnomore,regulatedhisownadministrationbytheexampleandmaximsofhispredecessor。
Theirunitedreignsarepossiblytheonlyperiodofhistoryinwhichthehappinessofagreatpeoplewasthesoleobjectofgovernment。
[Footnote42:Withoutthehelpofmedalsandinscriptions,weshouldbeignorantofthisfact,sohonorabletothememoryofPius。
Note:GibbonattributestoAntoninusPiusameritwhichheeitherdidnotpossess,orwasnotinasituationtodisplay。
1。Hewasadoptedonlyontheconditionthathewouldadopt,inhisturn,MarcusAureliusandL。Verus。
2。Histwosonsdiedchildren,andoneofthem,M。Galerius,alone,appearstohavesurvived,forafewyears,hisfather\'scoronation。Gibbonisalsomistakenwhenhesaysnote42that\"withoutthehelpofmedalsandinscriptions,weshouldbeignorantthatAntoninushadtwosons。\"
Capitolinussaysexpressly,c。1,Filiimaresduo,duae—foeminae;weonlyowetheirnamestohemedals。Pagi。Cont。
Baron,i。33,editParis。—W。]
[Footnote43:Duringthetwenty—threeyearsofPius\'sreign,Marcuswasonlytwonightsabsentfromthepalace,andeventhosewereatdifferenttimes。Hist。August。p。25。]
TitusAntoninusPiushasbeenjustlydenominatedasecondNuma。Thesameloveofreligion,justice,andpeace,wasthedistinguishingcharacteristicofbothprinces。Butthesituationofthelatteropenedamuchlargerfieldfortheexerciseofthosevirtues。Numacouldonlypreventafewneighboringvillagesfromplunderingeachother\'sharvests。Antoninusdiffusedorderandtranquillityoverthegreatestpartoftheearth。Hisreignismarkedbytherareadvantageoffurnishingveryfewmaterialsforhistory;whichis,indeed,littlemorethantheregisterofthecrimes,follies,andmisfortunesofmankind。Inprivatelife,hewasanamiable,aswellasagoodman。Thenativesimplicityofhisvirtuewasastrangertovanityoraffectation。Heenjoyedwithmoderationtheconveniencesofhisfortune,andtheinnocentpleasuresofsociety;^44andthebenevolenceofhissouldisplayeditselfinacheerfulserenityoftemper。
[Footnote44:Hewasfondofthetheatre,andnotinsensibletothecharmsofthefairsex。MarcusAntoninus,i。16。Hist。
August。p。20,21。JulianinCaesar。]
ThevirtueofMarcusAureliusAntoninuswasofsevererandmorelaboriouskind。^45Itwasthewell—earnedharvestofmanyalearnedconference,ofmanyapatientlecture,andmanyamidnightlucubration。AttheageoftwelveyearsheembracedtherigidsystemoftheStoics,whichtaughthimtosubmithisbodytohismind,hispassionstohisreason;toconsidervirtueastheonlygood,viceastheonlyevil,allthingsexternalasthingsindifferent。^46Hismeditations,composedinthetumultofthecamp,arestillextant;andheevencondescendedtogivelessonsofphilosophy,inamorepublicmannerthanwasperhapsconsistentwiththemodestyofsage,orthedignityofanemperor。^47ButhislifewasthenoblestcommentaryonthepreceptsofZeno。Hewasseveretohimself,indulgenttotheimperfectionsofothers,justandbeneficenttoallmankind。HeregrettedthatAvidiusCassius,whoexcitedarebellioninSyria,haddisappointedhim,byavoluntarydeath,ofthepleasureofconvertinganenemyintoafriend;;andhejustifiedthesincerityofthatsentiment,bymoderatingthezealofthesenateagainsttheadherentsofthetraitor。^48Warhedetested,asthedisgraceandcalamityofhumannature;^!!butwhenthenecessityofajustdefencecalleduponhimtotakeuparms,hereadilyexposedhispersontoeightwintercampaigns,onthefrozenbanksoftheDanube,theseverityofwhichwasatlastfataltotheweaknessofhisconstitution。Hismemorywasreveredbyagratefulposterity,andaboveacenturyafterhisdeath,manypersonspreservedtheimageofMarcusAntoninusamongthoseoftheirhouseholdgods。^49
[Footnote45:TheenemiesofMarcuschargedhimwithhypocrisy,andwithawantofthatsimplicitywhichdistinguishedPiusandevenVerus。Hist。August。6,34。Thissuspicions,unjustasitwas,mayservetoaccountforthesuperiorapplausebestoweduponpersonalqualifications,inpreferencetothesocialvirtues。
EvenMarcusAntoninushasbeencalledahypocrite;butthewildestscepticismneverinsinuatedthatCaesarmightprobablybeacoward,orTullyafool。Witandvalorarequalificationsmoreeasilyascertainedthanhumanityortheloveofjustice。]
[Footnote46:Tacitushascharacterized,inafewwords,theprinciplesoftheportico:Doctoressapientiaesecutusest,quisolabonaquaehonesta,maintantumquaeturpia;potentiam,nobilitatem,aeteraqueextra……bonisnequemalisadnumerant。
Tacit。Hist。iv。5。]
[Footnote47:BeforehewentonthesecondexpeditionagainsttheGermans,hereadlecturesofphilosophytotheRomanpeople,duringthreedays。HehadalreadydonethesameinthecitiesofGreeceandAsia。Hist。August。inCassio,c。3。]
[Footnote*:Cassiuswasmurderedbyhisownpartisans。Vulcat。
Gallic。inCassio,c。7。Dion,lxxi。c。27。—W。]
[Footnote48:Dion,l。lxxi。p。1190。Hist。August。inAvid。
Cassio。
Note:SeeoneofthenewlydiscoveredpassagesofDionCassius。Marcuswrotetothesenate,whourgedtheexecutionofthepartisansofCassius,inthesewords:\"Ientreatandbeseechyoutopreservemyreignunstainedbysenatorialblood。Noneofyourordermustperisheitherbyyourdesireormine。\"Mai。
Fragm。Vatican。ii。p。224。—M。]
[Footnote!!:MarcuswouldnotaccepttheservicesofanyofthebarbarianallieswhocrowdedtohisstandardinthewaragainstAvidiusCassius。\"Barbarians,\"hesaid,withwisebutvainsagacity,\"mustnotbecomeacquaintedwiththedissensionsoftheRomanpeople。\"Mai。FragmVaticanl。224。—M。]
[Footnote49:Hist。August。inMarc。Antonin。c。18。]
Ifamanwerecalledtofixtheperiodinthehistoryoftheworld,duringwhichtheconditionofthehumanracewasmosthappyandprosperous,hewould,withouthesitation,namethatwhichelapsedfromthedeathofDomitiantotheaccessionofCommodus。ThevastextentoftheRomanempirewasgovernedbyabsolutepower,undertheguidanceofvirtueandwisdom。Thearmieswererestrainedbythefirmbutgentlehandoffoursuccessiveemperors,whosecharactersandauthoritycommandedinvoluntaryrespect。TheformsoftheciviladministrationwerecarefullypreservedbyNerva,Trajan,Hadrian,andtheAntonines,whodelightedintheimageofliberty,andwerepleasedwithconsideringthemselvesastheaccountableministersofthelaws。