212

THE DECLINE AND 1 ALL

CHAP.

VI.

Fruitlessnegoeiati-on for di-viding theempire be-tweenthem.

Gaul and Italy , during which they never eat atthe same table, or slept in the same house, dis-played to the provinces the odious spectacle offraternal discord. On their arrival at Rome ,they immediately divided the vast extent of theimperial palace . 3 No communication was al-lowed between their apartments ; the doors andpassages were diligently fortified, and guardsposted and relieved with the same strictness asin a besieged place. The emperors met onlyin public, in the presence of their afflicted mo-ther; and each surrounded by a numerous trainof armed followers. Even on these occasionsof ceremony, the dissimulation of courts couldill disguise the rancour of their hearts . 1

This latent civil war already distracted thewhole government, when a scheme was suggest-ed that seemed of mutual benefit to the hostilebrothers. It was proposed, that since it was

* Mr. Hume is justly surprised at a passage of Herodian (1. iv, p.139), who, on this occasion, represents the imperial palace as equal inextent to the rest of Rome . The whole region of the Palatine mount,on which it was built, occupied, at most, a circumference of elevenor twelve thousand feet (see the Notitia and Victor, in Nardini’sRoma Antica ) But we should recollect that the opulent senators hadalmost surrounded the city with their extensive gardens and superbpalaces, the greatest part of which had been gradually confiscated bythe emperors. If Geta resided in the gardens that bore his name onthe Janiculum, and if Caracalla inhabited the gardens of Mascenas onthe Esqu il ine, the .rival brothers were separated from each other bythe distance of several miles ; and yet the intermediate space was filledby the imperial gardens of Sallust, of Lucullust, of Agrippa , of Domi-tian, of Caius, &e. all skirting round the city, and all connected witheach other, and with the palace, by bridges thrown over the Tiber andthe streets. But this explanation of Herodian would require, thoughit ill deserves, a particular dissertation, illustrated by a map of ancientRome .

• Herodian, I. iv, p. 139.