ill. THIS
AND WHAT FOLLOWS I STATE NOT ON THE AUTHORITY OF ANOTHER'S TRADITION, BUT
FROM MY OWN OBSERVATION. On coming to Rome he had a conference with the
senate, at which he talked a great deal of nonsense, one thing that he
said in praise of himself being that he had once on horseback saved the
life of his father, who had fallen into a deep mire. Of such a nature were
his lofty pratings. [Sidenote: A.D. 182 (a.u. 935)]As he was entering the
hunting theatre, Claudius Pompeianus laid a snare for him. He held up a
sword in the narrow passage which served as an entrance and said: "See,
this is what the senate has sent you."

This man had taken as his spouse the daughter of Lucilla, but had intimate
relations both with the daughter herself and with the girl's mother; in
this way he had become friendly with Commodus, so that he was his
companion at banquets and in the diversions of youth. Lucilla, who was
neither more respectable nor more continent than her brother Commodus,
detested the girl's husband, Pompeianus. It was for this reason that she
persuaded the aforementioned to undertake the attack upon Commodus, and
she not only caused his destruction, but was herself detected and put out
of the way. Commodus killed also Crispina, because he was angry with her
for some act of adultery. Previous to their execution both women had keen
banished to the island of Capreae.

There was a certain Marcia, mistress of Quadratus (one of the men murdered
at this time) and Eclectus, his cubicularius: the latter became also the
cubicularius of Commodus, and the former, first, the emperor's mistress
and later the wife of Eclectus; and she beheld them also perish by
violence. The tradition is that she very much favored the Christians and
did them many kindnesses, as she was enabled to do through possessing all
influence with Commodus.

Commodus killed also Julianus [Salvius, [Footnote: _P. Salvius
Julianus._] and Tarrutenius Paternus, who was numbered among the
exconsuls, and others with them; he furthermore put to death some woman of
the nobility. [Footnote: Vitrasia Faustina by name.] Yet Julianus after
the death of Marcus could at once have done anything at all that he
pleased against him, since he possessed great renown, was in charge of a
large army, and enjoyed the devotion of his soldiers: and he refused to
make any rebellious move, both because of his own uprightness and because
of the good will that he bore to Marcus, though de