OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

141

vealed the authors of the conspiracy. It had ci *ap.been formed not in the state, but within the—walls of the palace. Lucilla, the emperors’sister, and widow of Lucius Verus , impatientof the second rank, and jealous of the reigningempress, had armed the murderer against herbrother’s life. She had not ventured to com-municate the black design to her second hus-band Claudius Pompeianus, a senator of distin-guished merit and unshaken loyalty; but a-mong the crowd of her lovers (for she imitatedthe manners of Faustina) she found men of des-perate fortunes and wild ambition, who wereprepared to serve her more violent, as well asher tender passions. The conspirators expe-rienced the rigour of justice, and the abandon-ed princess was punished, first with exile, andafterwards with death. p

But the words of the assassin sunk deep into Hatred the mind of Commodus , and left an indelible “yo/c'or^impression of fear and hatred against the whole ^'° ebody of the senate. Those whom he had dread- senate,ed as importunate ministers, he now suspectedas secret enemies. The delators, a race of mendiscouraged, and almost extinguished, under theformer reigns, again became formidable, as soonas they discovered that the emperor was desirousof finding disaffection and treason in the senate.

That assembly, whom Marcus had ever consider-ed as the great council of the nation, was compos-ed of the most distinguished of the Romans; and

p Dion, 1. lxxii, p. 1205. Herodian, 1. i, p. 10. Hist. August.