The duties of peace now demanded the attention of Trajan. He erected many public works; he opened communications between the different parts of his pro vinces; he established many colonies, and he laid up stores of corn and provisions to save the capital from the calamities of famine. In order to commemorate his victories, Apollodorus erected the magnificent column which still exists at Rome under the name of 'I'rajan's column. Unfortunately for the future repu tation of this great emperor, he was persuaded about the 9th year of his reign to harbour a dislike of his Christian subjects. His regard for the national reli gion, and a law which had been enacted against socie ties that dissented from it, induced him to sanction those cruelties which form a blot upon his name, and which we have already described in our article ECCLE SIASTICAL HISTORY. The Amenians and Parthians hav ing about this time thrown off the Roman yoke, Trajan marched into Armenia, which had been abandoned by its sovereign, and having taken possession of the kingdom, and captured the king himself, he marched into the Parthian territories, where he obtained the most signal successes; and after conquering Syria and Chaldea, he took possession of Babylon itself. The enemy made a stand when he reached the Euphrates; but having caused boats to be constructed in the adja cent mountains during the night, he brought them suddenly to the river side, and crossed his army in the face of the enemy, who disputed the passage with un usual vigour. Quitting the Euphrates, he traversed countries which had never been trodden by the foot of a Roman soldier; and he seems to have taken a pecu liar delight in following that line of march which Al exander had pursued before him. He crossed the rapid Tigris, and took the city of Ctcsiphon, and after sub jugating the districts of Persia bordering on that river, he marched in a southerly direction towards the Per sian Gu1ph, where be subdued the sovereign of a terri tory formed by the channels of the Tigris. The in clemency of the weather and the inundations of the river had nearly cut off his army; and suffering from the scarcity of provisions, and experiencing the infir mities of age, he returned along the Gulph of Persia, with the view of punishing that kingdom, which had revolted during his absence. He began this war of vengeance by laying Edessa, in Mesapotamia, in ashes; and he not only reconquered all the revolted states, but he added to the Roman empire many of the richest kingdoms of Asia. Having met with a repulse before the city of Atra in Arabia, Trajan con cluded that the time had now arrived for limiting his conquests, and putting them under proper manage ment. Returning to Ctesiphon he crowned Parthamas pates king of Persia. He gave a king to the country of Albania near the Caspian, and he placed governors and lieutenants in the other provinces. Having resolv ed to return to Italy, he left Adrian in the command of all his forces in the east, and advanced towards Rome, where the most splendid preparations were made to adorn his triumph. Exhausted, however, with the fatigues of war, he was taken ill in the province of Cilicia, and finding himself unable to travel any fur ther, he was carried to Selinus, where he died of a flux in the 64th year of his age and the 20th of his reign. His ashes were carried to Rome and deposited under the lofty column which bears his name. During his indisposition at Selinus, he was constantly attend ed by his wife Plotina, who, from a knowledge of her husband's dislike to Adrian, is supposed to have forged the will in which that general was appointed his successor.
Adrian, who was introduced to the Roman armies by Plotina as the adopted son of her husband, was descended of a Spanish family, and was born at Se ville, the native place of Trajan. He abandoned the eastern conquests of Trajan, and limited the Roman empire by the Euphrates. He returned to Rome in
the year 118; and after a reign of twenty years, he died of a dropsy in 138. A full account of the events of his reign has already been given in our account of his life.* Adrian was succeeded in the empire by Marcus An toninus Pius, whom he had adopted some time before his death. His reign which lasted twenty-eight years, was marked with few striking events; but it will be ever distinguished in the annals of Rome by the public and private virtues which exalted his character. He died of a fever in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and the twenty-third of his reign, the distinguishing events of which have been already detailed in our biographi cal account of him.• This excellent emperor was succeeded by his son-in law, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who had married his youngest daughter. After a reign of twenty years, the history of which is given in another part of our work,t he died at the age of fifty-nine.
This wise and good emperor was succeeded by his son, L. Aurelius Antoninus Commodus. This prince was of a weak and timid disposition, and his mind was gradually corrupted by the vices of his attendants. As he advanced in life, he became still more debauch ed; and his vices and his cruelties are of such a cha racter as to be placed without the limits of history. Ile is said to have cut in two a corpulent man when walking in the street, in order that he might see his entrails fall on the ground. Ile thrust out the eyes, and cut off the legs of persons whom lie encountered in his rambles. Ile murdered some because they were badly dressed, and others because they were slovens. He affected to have great skill in surgery, especially in blood-letting; and when he visited some of his pa tients, he did not scruple to cut off their ears and noses. His debaucheries are reported to have exceeded all bounds, and to have exhausted every variety of licen tiousness. Ile is said to have possessed great skill in archery, and to have performed many wonderful feats. His strength was excessive; and from this cause he was ambitious of being called Hercules. Hence he adorned his shoulders with a lion's skin, and car ried in his hand a knotted club. Ile is said to have run an elephant through with his spear, and to have killed a hundred lions, one after another, and each by one blow. Ile appeared naked in public, fought with the common gladiators, and came off conqueror seven hundred and thirty-five times; in consequence of which, he used to subscribe himself the conqueror of a thou sand gladiators. When the senate had granted him, at his request, divine honours, he strewed on his head such a quantity of gold dust, that it glittered in the sun-beams as if encircled with a glory.
The military events of Commodus's reign were dis graceful to the Roman name. After the death of his father, he concluded a peace with the Marcomanni and Quadi, on very unfavourable terms; and he agreed to abandon all the castles and fortresses which the Romans held in their country, excepting those that were within five miles of the Danube. Arrangements equally unworthy of Rome were made with the other nations of Germany, whom his father had subjugated; and, in some cases, he purchased a peace by large sums of money.
A conspiracy was now formed against the life of Commodus, by his sister Lucilla, who was aided by many of the most distinguished senators. The em peror was attacked on his tvay to the amphitheatre, in a dark passage; but Claudius Pompeianus, to whom the dagger was entrusted, instead of plunging it into his breast, held it up, and exclaimed, this present the senate sends you," which gave the guards time to rescue their master. The conspirators were seized and put to death, and Lucilla was exiled to Caprett, where she was soon after murdered.