THE DECLINE AND FALL

214

chap. Had the treaty been carried into execution,

_,1_the sovereign of Europe might soon have been

Murder of the conqueror of Asia; but Caracalla obtained aneasier though a more guilty victory. He artfullysnh Fe- listened to his mother’s entreaties, and consentedto meet his brother in her apartment, on termsof peace and reconciliation. In the midst oftheir conversation, some centurions, who hadcontrived to conceal themselves, rushed withdrawn swords upon the unfortunate Geta . Hisdistracted mother strove to protect him in herarms; but, in the unavailing struggle, she waswounded in the hand, and covered with theblood of her younger son, while she saw theelder animating and assisting 11 the fury of theassassins. As soon as the deed was perpetrat-ed, Caracalla , with hasty steps, and horror inhis countenance, ran towards the praetoriancamp as his only refuge, and threw himself onthe ground before the statues of the tutelar dei-ties/ The soldiers attempted to raise and com-fort him. In broken and disordered words heinformed them of his imminent danger and for-tunate escape; insinuating that he had prevent-ed the designs of his enemy, and declared hisresolution to live and die with his faithful troops.

x Caracalla consecrated, in the temple of Serapis, the sword , withwhich, as he boasted, he had slain his brother Geta . Dion, 1. lxxvii,p.1307.

7 Herodian , 1. iv, p. 147. In every Roman camp there was a smallchapel near the head-quarters, in which the statues of the tutelar deitieswere preserved and adored; and we may remark, that the eagles, andother military ensigns, were in the first rank of these deities ; an excel-lent institution, which confirmed discipline by the sanction of religion.Sec Lipsius de Militia Romani, iv, 5, v, 2.