147
flattered himself that the Romans, dazzled and chap.
amused by this apparent liberality, would be_^
less affected by the bloody scenes which weredaily exhibited; that they would forget thedeath of Byrrhus, a senator to whose superiormerit the late emperor had granted one of hisdaughters; and that they would forgive theexecution of Arius Antoninus, the last repre-sentative of the name and virtues of the Anto-nines. The former, with more integrity thanprudence, had attempted to disclose, to hisbrother-in-law, the true character of Oleander .
An equitable senteace pronounced by the lat-ter, when proconsul of Asia, against a worth-less creature of the favourite, proved fatal tohim.* After the fall of Perennis, the terrors ofCommodus had, for a short time, assumed theappearance of a return to virtue. He repealedthe most odious of his acts, loaded his memorywith the public execration, and ascribed to thepernicious counsels of that wicked minister, allthe errors of his inexperienced youth. But hisrepentance lasted only thirty days; and, underCleander’s tyranny, the administration of Pe-rennis was often regretted.
Pestilence and famine contributed to fill up Seditionthe measure of the calamities of Rome . 1 The and deathfirst could be only imputed to the just indigna- den* eantion of the gods ; but a monopoly of corn, sup- A ‘ D ‘ 189 'ported by the riches and power of the minister,
* Hist. August, p. 48.
b Herodian , 1. i, p. 28 ; Dion, 1. Ixxii, p. 1215. The latter says, thattwo thousand persons died every day at Rome , during a considerablelength of time.