endants with so great
ease that he conquered them one by one without taking
any rest by pausing between the bouts. So then, when
he had won the prizes, it was ordered that he should be
sent into the army and should take his first campaign with
the cavalry. On the third day after this, when the Emperor
went out to the field, he saw him coursing about
in barbarian fashion and bade a tribune restrain him and
teach him Roman discipline. But when he understood
it was the Emperor who was speaking about him, he came 86
forward and began to run ahead of him as he rode. Then
the Emperor spurred on his horse to a slow trot and
wheeled in many a circle hither and thither with various
turns, until he was weary. And then he said to him "Are
you willing to wrestle now after your running, my little
Thracian?" "As much as you like, O Emperor," he
answered. So Severus leaped from his horse and ordered
the freshest soldiers to wrestle with him. But he threw
to the ground seven very powerful youths, even as before,
taking no breathing space between the bouts. So he alone
was given prizes of silver and a golden necklace by Caesar.
Then he was bidden to serve in the body guard of
the Emperor. After this he was an officer under Antoninus 87
Caracalla, often increasing his fame by his deeds,
and rose to many military grades and finally to the centurionship
as the reward of his active service. Yet afterwards,
when Macrinus became Emperor, he refused military
service for almost three years, and though he held
the office of tribune, he never came into the presence of
Macrinus, thinking his rule shameful because he had won
it by committing a crime. Then he returned to Eliogabalus, 88
believing him to be the son of Antoninus, and
entered upon his tribuneship. After his reign, he fought
with marvellous success against the Parthians, under
Alexander the son of Mama. When he was slain in an
uprising of the soldiers at Mogontiacum, Maximinus
himself was made Emperor by a vote of the army, without
a decree of the senate. But he marred all his good
deeds by persecuting the Christians in accordance with
an evil vow and, being slain by Pupienus at Aquileia, left
the kingdom to Philip. These matters we have borrowed
from the history of Symmachus for this our little book,
in order to show that the race of which we speak attained
to the very highest station in the Roman Empire. But
our subject requires us to return in due order to the poin