274

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, the prize of his matchless vigour and activity,

_and he was immediately appointed to serve in

the horse-guards who always attended on theperson of the sovereign. b

Hismiii- Maximin, for that was his name, though bornvice and on the territories of the empire, descended fromrs ' a mixed race of barbarians. His father was aGoth, and his mother of the nation of the Alani.lie displayed, on every occasion, a valour equalto his strength; and his native fierceness wassoon tempered or disguised by the knowledge ofthe world. Under the reign of Severus and hisson, he obtained the rank of centurion, with thefavour and esteem of both those princes, the for-mer of whom was an excellent judge of meritGratitude forbade Maximin to serve under theassassin of Caracalla . Honour taught him to-decline the effeminate insults of Elagabalus . Onthe accession of Alexander he returned to court,and was placed by that prince in a station usefulto the service, and honourable to himself. Thefourth legion, to which he was appointed tribune,soon became, under his care, the best disciplinedof the whole army. With the general applauseof the soldiers, who bestowed on their favouritehero the names of Ajax and Hercules, he wassuccessively promoted to the first military com-mand ; c and had not he still retained too much

b Hist. August, p. 138.

c Hist. August, p. 140. Herodian, I. vi, p. 223. Aurelius Victor .By comparing these authors, it should seem that Maximin had the par-ticular command of the Triballian horse, with the general commission