ules in
regard to food and all other details when he was at war, became in course
of time haughty and arrogant. He was conspicuously incorruptible in the
matter of bribes, but was not of a pleasant or kindly nature. He showed
himself more wakeful than any other general, and, as he desired his
associates also to be alert, he wrote orders on twelve tablets (such as
are made out of linden wood) [almost] every evening, and bade a man carry
them to various persons at various hours, that they, believing the general
to be always awake, might not themselves take their fill of sleep. Nature
had made him able in the first place to go without sleep and he had
developed this faculty a great deal more by abstinence from food. [Of
scarcely anything did he eat his fill and] in order to avoid satisfying
his hunger even with bread he sent to Rome for the loaves: [this was not
because he could not eat what was prepared in that region, but] it was
done with the purpose that the age of the article might prevent him eating
ever so little more than what was absolutely necessary. [His gums, which
were sore, were easily made to bleed by the dryness of the bread. And he
made it his practice to affect sleeplessness even more than was the case,
that he might have a reputation for being always awake.] This was the kind
of man Marcellus was, who inflicted great damage upon the barbarians in
Britain. Later he narrowly escaped being destroyed by Commodus on account
of his peculiar excellence, but was, nevertheless, released.

[Sidenote: A.D. 185 (a.u. 938)] [Sidenote:--9--] Perennis, commander of
the Pretorians after Paternus, met destruction on account of a rebellion
of the soldiers. For, since Commodus had devoted himself to chariot-racing
and licentiousness and paid scarcely any attention to matters pertaining
to the empire, Perennis was compelled to manage not only military affairs,
but everything else, and to preside over the government. The soldiers,
accordingly, when anything did not go to suit them, laid the blame upon
Perennis and cherished anger against him.

The soldiers in Britain chose Priscus, a lieutenant, emperor. But he
deprecated their action, saying "I am as little suited for emperor as you
are for soldiers."

The lieutenants in Britain had been rebuked for their turbulence (indeed,
they had not become quiet until Pertinax put a stop to their discord), and
now they chose of their number fifteen hundred javelin-slingers, whom they