230

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, had taken up arms to revenge his father’s

__death and the oppression of the military order.*

Defeat and Whilst a conspiracy of women and eunuchsMac rums. was concerted with prudence, and conductedwith rapid vigour, Macrinus , who, by a deci-sive motion, might have crushed his infant ene-my, floated between the opposite extremes ofterror and security, which alike fixed him in-active at Antioch. A spirit of rebellion diffuseditself through all the camps and garrisons ofSyria , successive detachments murdered theirofficers,* and joined the party of the rebels;and the tardy restitution of military pay andprivileges was imputed to the acknowledgedweakness of Macrinus . At length he marchedout of Antioch, to meet the increasing and zea-7 th June l° us arm y of the young pretender. His owntroops seemed to take the field with faintnessand reluctance; but, in the heat of the battle , bthe praetorian guards, almost by an involuntary

* According to Lampridius (Hist. August, p. 135), Alexander Sc-verus lived twenty-nine years, tliree months, and seven days. As hewas killed March 19, 235, he was born December 12, 205, and wasconsequently about this time thirteen years old, as his elder cousin mightbe about seventeen. This computation suits much better the historyof the young princes, than that of Herodian , (1. v, p. 181), who repre-sents him as three years younger; whilst, by an opposite error of chro-nology, he lengthens the reign of Elagabalus two years beyond its realduration. For the particulars of the conspiracy, see Dion, 1. lxxviii, p.1339. Herodian , 1. v, p. 184.

* By a most dangerous proclamation of the pretended Antoninus ,every soldier who brought in his officer’s head, became entitled to hisprivate estate, as well as to his military commission.

6 Dion, I. lxxviii, p. 1345. Herodian , 1. v, p. 186. The battle wasfought near the village of Immse, about two-and-tvventy miles fromAntioch.