A history of all nations from the earliest times; being a universal historical library . n the river, ihe emperor tormed GERManis TRib new legions to garrison Noricum and Rhaetia. ciae Potestate II, COn- The war was becoming very successful for the ^^ ,. ^f*^ Patriae. Ö -^ (Berlin.) Romans, when on March 17, 180, to the misfortune of the state, the great emperor died of the plague in the camp at Vindobona. Commodus, though not yet nineteen years old, succeeded to thepower without difficulty; but he was unable to make use of his fathersvictory. A peace was made with the Germans on the same
A history of all nations from the earliest times; being a universal historical library . n the river, ihe emperor tormed GERManis TRib new legions to garrison Noricum and Rhaetia. ciae Potestate II, COn- The war was becoming very successful for the ^^ ,. ^f*^ Patriae. Ö -^ (Berlin.) Romans, when on March 17, 180, to the misfortune of the state, the great emperor died of the plague in the camp at Vindobona. Commodus, though not yet nineteen years old, succeeded to thepower without difficulty; but he was unable to make use of his fathersvictory. A peace was made with the Germans on the same conditionsthat five or six years before Marcus Aurelius had laid upon the enemy;but the strong places in the interior of the hostile country weregiven up. Commodus (Fig. 88) lacked the disposition and mental force tomeet the demands which the conduct of the state made upon the holderof the principate; and when, in 183, a conspiracy against his lifehad awakened his fears, he vented his passion for blood against manyeminent men. Once again Rome saw a vicious boy upon the throne,. 192 MARCUS AUKELIUS AND HIS IMMEDIATE SUCCESSOES. seized with imperial madness, who, in his wild passion for enjoyment,treads under foot the decencies of his station. The imperial Hercules (Fig. 89) did not hesitate to appear in the amphitheatre, in the pres-ence of the senate and people, as a gladiator, and in the contests withbeasts. But as he did not wish to expose himself to actual danger,the wild animals were killed by arrows and spears shot from a gallery raised above the arena. The affairs of statewere fairly v/ell admin-istered for some emperors confidant,the ambitious prefect ofthe guard, Tigidius Per-ennis, was, aside from hisavarice, fully equal to hisposition, and sternly main-tained the discipline ofthe army, till, in conse-quence of a mutiny inBritain,he was abandonedby Commodus to the re-venge of the troops 185. The powernow fell into the handsof the chief chamberlai
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