his own and hastened toward Rome. He did not venture outside a protecting
circle of weapons, having selected his six hundred most valiant men in
whose midst he passed his time day and night; these did not once put off
their breastplates until they reached Rome.

[This Fulvius [Footnote: The name, so far as can be discerned in the MS.,
may be Fulvius or Flavius or Fabius. The position and import of the
fragment are alike doubtful.] (?) too, who when governor of Africa had
been tried and condemned by Pertinax for rascality, avarice, and
licentiousness, was later elevated to the highest position by the same
man, now become emperor, as a favor to Severus.]

[Sidenote:--16--] Julianus on learning the condition of affairs had the
senate make Severus an enemy and proceeded to prepare against him. [In the
suburbs he constructed a rampart, wherein he set gates, that he might take
up a position there outside and fight from that base.] The City during
these days became nothing more nor less than a camp, pitched, as it were,
in hostile territory. There was great turmoil from the various bodies of
those bivouacked and exercising,--men, horses, elephants. The mass of the
population stood in great fear of the armed men [because the latter hated
them.] Occasionally laughter would overcome us. The Pretorians did nothing
that was expected of their name and reputation, for they had learned to
live delicately. The men summoned from the fleet that lay at anchor in
Misenum did not even know how to exercise. The elephants found the towers
oppressive and so would not even carry their drivers any longer [but threw
them off also]. What caused us most amusement was his strengthening the
palace with latticed gates and strong doors. For, as it seemed likely that
the soldiers would never have slain Pertinax so easily if the building had
been securely fastened, Julianus harbored the belief that in case of
defeat he would be able to shut himself up there and survive.

Moreover, he put to death both Laetus and Marcia, so that all the
conspirators against Commodus had now perished. Later Severus gave
Narcissus also to the beasts, making the proclamation (verbatim): "This is
the man that strangled Commodus." The emperor likewise killed many boys
for purposes of enchantments, thinking that he could avert some future
calamities, if he should ascertain them in advance. And he kept sending
man after man to find Severus and assassinate him. [Vespronius Cand