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404HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.ful fenfe of his lofs ; and a perpetual memory of his virtues to ail pofterity.“ For ionic Ihort time every thing was tranfafted by Commodus, who was at this time encamped, agreeably to the fentiments of his father’s friends; who were about him the whole day, and gave him the moil lalutaiy advice; allowing him juft lb much leilure from bulinefs, as they thought fufficient for refrelh-inent and the health of his perfon.“ By degrees however fome attendants on the court, infinuated them-1'elves into the favour of the young emperor, and tiied every means to corrupt his morals; a fet of parafites, who eili-mate happinefs by their appetites and the gioileit pleafures : they were continually fuggeiling to him the delights of Romej telling him of the public fpeacles, theatres, ami mufical entertainments j and enumerating the abundance of all the delicacies of life at Rome, and reprobating the barrennefs on the banks of the Danube, which produced no kind of fruits, but was expofed to the rigour of eternal frofts and unwholefome fogs.“ On his approach to Rome, the whole fcnate and people; every individual inhabitant of Rome, not able to contain themfelves, but everyone driving to get the ftart of the other j poured themfelves forth ; bearing houghs of laurel in their hands and every kind of flowers then in bloom ; and went out to meet and behold the emperor ; equally confpicuous for his youth and his noble birth, for they loved him with a lincere affeion ; as having been born and bred tipamongft them ; and as inheriting the imperial power by defcent in the third degree; and as being alio of a Roman family of patrician rank: for, by his father he was delcended from the'moll diftinguilhed of the ftrnatorial order : and his mother Faudina, was of Imperial rank; being the daughter of Antoninus, called the Pious, and the niece of Hadrian, by the mother’s f.de, who alfo traced her pedigree to Trajan as her great-grandfather.^ “ Such was the illuftrious birth of Coramodus. As to his perfon, he was not only in the very flower of youth, but had a dignity in his appearance; his body well-proportioned, and a beautiful yet manly countenance. There was a fweernefs in his eyes mixed with a brilliant luftre : his hair curled naturally, and was of a bright yellow; fo that when he walked in the fntilhine, there was fuch a fplendour glittered round him, that fome people thought his hair was fprinklcd with the filings of gold: nay, others pronounced it a mark of divinity; which, they aflerted, produced thofe tceleftial rays around his head: moreover, a downy beard juft bloomed round his cheeks, and proclaimed him to be arrived at the age of puberty. The Romanstherefore beholding their emperor fuch as we have defciibed him, conld not but receive him with aufpicious acclamations of every kind ; adorning the road with garlands, and ftrewing flowers in his way.*’Commodus, for a few years, ftiewed great rclpe^t for his father’s friends, and t ran failed all his affairs by their advice and direflion. But when he took the adminiltiation into his own hands, he was fubjeil to the grofs impofiiions of favourites, whom, from grovelling wretches, he raifed to the firlt dignities in the ftatc: and this ill feleilcd choice of fcrvants, gave occafion to feveral confpiracics againft his life; two of the firft of which, however, he dtteiled. The firft plot was partly at the mitigation of Lucilla, his eldeft filler, who conceived a difguft, when her brother married Crifpina. This lady, as em-prel's, robbed Lucilla of fome of her public honours; who not being able to brook the degradation, entered into an ill conceited plan of revenge, at the expence, at length, of her own life, which was taken away by the exprefs order of Commodus.This ill fated emperor, after’having by his weakncfs, brought the horrors of civil war on the city of Rome, in which the foldiers and the citizens mutually flew each other, “ at length proceeded to that degree of madnels and wanton folly; as, full of all, to renounce his family name; and inftead of Coinmo-dus, the fon of Marcus, ordered him-felf to be called Hercules, the fon of Jupiter. And, hying afide the Roman and Imperial habit, he made ufe of a lion’s Jkin; and Orried an Herculean * club
Newspaper Details
Historical Magazine
London, Middlesex, GB
Thu, Jan 01, 1789
Page 213
Full Page
Clipped by
David L.
WI, USA 15 Jun 2017
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