His journey to the East;
the imperial throne.
the imperial throne.
William Smith - 1844 - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities - a
Eutychianus, surnamed Comazon from his in Spain, B.
C.
178.
(Appian, Hisp.
43.
)
dissipation and bnfoonery (τουτο γάρ τούνομα εκ 4. Sex. COMINIUS, a Koman knight, maltreated
uiuw kad YEAwtomoitas eo xev), was originally an by Verres. (Cic. Verr. iv. 10. )
actor and dancer at Rome. While serving in 5, 6. P. and L. or C. COMINII, two brothers,
Thrace, he was degraded, in consequence of mis- who are described by Cicero as men of character
conduct, to the rank of a rower in the fleet, by and eloquerce, accused Staienus, about B. C. 74.
Claudius Attalus, governor of the province; but | (Cic. pro Cluent. 36. ) In B. C. 66, these two
having subsequently taken an active part in the brothers accused of majestas C. Cornelius, the tri-
conspiracy against Macrinus, he became the confi- bune of the preceding year (C. CORNELIUS], but
dential adviser and right-hand man of Elagabalus, on the day appointed for the trial, the praetor, L.
was chosen praefect of the praetorium, raised to Cassius, did not appear, and the Cominij were
the rank of consul A. D. 220, twice nominated driven away by a mob, and were eventually
praefect of the city, and permitted to gratify his obliged to quit the city. They renewed the ac-
revenge by procuring the death of the officer by cusation in the following year, B. c. 65 ; Cor-
whom he had been disgraced. Comazon not only nelius was defended by Cicero, who was then
escaped the massacre which followed the death of praetor, and acquitted. The speech which P.
his patron (A. D. 222), but was immediately after Cominius delivered on this occasion was extant in
appointed prefect of the city for the third time the time of Asconius, who says that it was worth
an honour never before enjoyed by any individual. reading, not only because of Cicero's speech, but
(GANNY. . ]
for its own merits. P. Cominius was a native of
## p. 816 (#836) ############################################
816
COMMODIANUS.
COMMODUS.
Spoletium. He died shortly before Cicero com- Gentiles with the object of gaining them over to
posed his “ Brutus," namely B. C. 45, in which he the true faith ; in the nine which follow an attempt
calls Cominius his friend, and praises his well. is made to bring home conviction to the obstinate
arranged, lively, and clear style of speaking. ignorance of the Jews; the remainder are devoted
(Ascon. in Corncl. ; Cic. Brut. 78. )
to the instruction of catechumens and penitents.
7. Q. COMINIUS, one of Caesar's officers, was Whatever knowledge we possess with regard to
taken prisoner with L. Ticida by Virgilius, a this author is derived exclusively from his work.
Pompeian commander, near Thapsus, in crossing The general style and the peculiar words occasion-
over to Africa, B. C. 47. (Hirt. B. Afr. 44, 46. ) ally employed lead us to infer that he was of
8. L. COMnius Pedarius, appointed by African extraction. It is expressly and repeatedly
Augustus to assist Messalla Corvinus in his super declared, that for a long period he was heathen,
intendence over the aquaeducts. (Frontin. de but was converted by perusing the Scriptures (e. g.
A quaeduct. 99. )
Praef. 5, Instruct. xxvi. 24, lxi. 1); while the epi-
9. C. COMINIUS, a Roman knight, was the thet Gazaeus, which he applies to himself, may
author of a libellous poem against Tiberius, but either indicate that he was connected with the
was pardoned by the emperor on the entreaty of city of Gaza in Palestine, or, more probably, that
his brother, who was a senator, A. D. 24. (Tac. he was indebted for support to the treasury of the
Ann. iv. 31. )
church. Doubts have been entertained with re-
COMI'NIUS, PO'NTIUS, a youth of great gard to the period when he fiourished. Rigaltius
bravery and activity, who offered to go to the concluded, from a conjectural emendation of his
senate, when besieged in the Capitol by the Gauls, own upon the text of an obscure passage (Instruct.
to convey the wish of the Roman army at Veii, xxxiii. 5), that it contained an allusion to pope
that Camillus should be appointed dictator. He Sylvester (A. D. 3) 4—335), the contemporary of
arrived at the Capitol in safety by floating down Constantine the Great; but the careful and accu-
the Tiber in the bark of a tree. (Liv. v. 46 ; Plut. rate researches of Care and Dodwell have clearly
Camill. 25; Zonar. vii. 23. )
proved that Commodianus belongs to the third
COMMINIANUS, a Latin grammarian, who century (comp. Instruct. vi. 6), and may with tole-
was intermediate between Donatus, whom he rable certainty be placed about A. D. 270.
quotes, and Servius, by whom he is quoted (Virg. The Instructiones display much devotion and a
Ed. ii. 21, Georg. i. 215), and therefore belongs fervent zeal for the propagation of the Gospel,
to the latter part of the fourth century. Large but from their harshness, dryness, and total want
extracts from his work are to be found in Chari- of all poetic fire, they present few attractions as
sius, and a few fragments in Lindemann, Gram- literary productions. The versification is curious,
matt. Inedit. Lat. i. Zittau. 1822, and in Mai, since it exhibits an early specimen of the Versus
Classici Auctores ex Codicibus Vaticanis, vol. F. Politici, in which, while an attempt is made to
[W. R. ] imitate the general rhythm of some ancient mea-
CO'MMIUS, king of the Atrebates, was ad- sure, the rules of quantity are to a great extent
vanced to that dignity by Caesar. When Caesar's neglected. Thus the following lines from the
projected invasion of Britain became known to the Praefatio are intended for dactylic hexameters:
inhabitants, ambassadors from various states came
Praefatio nostra viam erranti demonstrat
to him. Commius, in whose fidelity Caesar had
Respectumque bonum, cum venerit saeculi meta
great confidence, and whose influence in Britain
Aeternum fieri : quod discredunt inscia corda.
was great, was sent back with them, accompanied
by a small body of cavalry. He was seized and The taste for acrostics also is largely developed :
cast into chains by the Britons, but was released the initials of the twenty-six concluding verses,
when, after a defeat, they found it expedient to when read backwards, form the words Commodia-
sue for peace. (Caes. B. G. iv, 21, 27, 35. ) In nus Mendicus Christi, and in like manner the
B. C. 53, we find him serving under Caesar against general subject and contents of each chapter are
the Menapii (vi. 6); but towards the close of 52, expressed by the first letters of the opening lines.
when an extensive league was formed by the The Instructiones of Commodianus were first
Gauls for the purpose of relieving Alesia, his pa- published by Rigaltius at Toul (Tullum Leucorum),
triotism proved stronger than his gratitude. He 4to. 1650. They were subsequently printed at the
joined the confederates, and was one of those to end of the edition of Cyprian by Priorius, Paris,
whom the chief command was assigned. (vii. 76, 1666, fol. ; in the Bibliotheca Patrum Lugdun.
79, &c. ) In the course of the ensuing winter, an vol. xxvii. ; in the Bibliotheca Patrum of Galland,
ineffectual attempt was made by T. Labienus to sol. iii. p. 621 ; and in an independent form, by
assassinate him. (viii. 23. ) We find him again Schurzfleisch, Vitemberg. Saxon. 4to. 1704. [W. R. ]
in 51 one of the two leaders of the confederacy COʻMMODUS, the name of a family of the
formed by the Bellovaci and the neighbouring Ceionii under the emperors.
tribes. (For an account of the operations which 1. L. CEINTUS COMMODUS, appears in the Fasti
ensued, see B. G. viii. 7-23. ) When the Atre- as consul under Vespasian, A. D. 78.
bates were reduced to subjection, Commius con- 2. CeloniUS COMMODUS, who according to some
tinued to carry on a predatory warfare against the was named also Verus, according to others L. Ai
Romans, but, having lost a great part of his men relius, according to many Annius, descended from
in an engagement, he made his submission to An- a noble family of Etruria or Faventia (Spartian.
tonius (viii. 47, 48. )
[C. P. M. ] Ael. Ver. 2), was the father of
COMMODIANUS, the Christian composer of 3. L. CELONIUS COMMODUS, otherwise called
a prosaic poem against the Pagan divinities, divid- L. AURELIUS VERUS, who was adopted by Hadrian
ed into eighty sections, and entitled Instructiones when that emperor, feeling that his health was
adversus Gentium Deos pro Christiana Disciplina. sinking under the attacks of protracted disease,
Of these the first thirty-six are addressed to the deemed it expedient to select an assistant and
p. 150.
## p. 817 (#837) ############################################
COMMODUS.
817
COMMODUS.
BUCCCssor. The new prince from that time for- | dignities. At the same time, M. Aurelius trans-
ward, as we infer from inscriptions and Fasti, laid ferred to him the name of l'erus, which he had
aside his former appellations, and, passing into the himself bore up to this time, and the designation
gens Aelia, was styled L. AELIUS VERUS CAESAR, of Commodus being altogether dropped, the younger
being the first individual on whom the title of of the two Augusti was addressed as the emperor
Cuesar was bestowed to indicate the next heir to L. AURELIUS VERUS.
His journey to the East;
the imperial throne. Of the early life of Aelius his conduct during the campaign against the Par-
Caesar we know nothing except that he attracted thians; his marriage with Lucilla, the daughter of
the attention and gained the favour of Hadrian by M. Aurelius; his return to Rome; the joint tri-
Juis personal beauty and literary accomplishments, umph of two princes; their expedition into
although the son-in-law of Nigrinus, who was put Germany, and the sudden death of Verus at Alti-
to death as a traitor. The precise date of bis num in the country of the Veneti, towards the close
adoption is a disputed point among chronologers of A. D. 169, in the 39th or 40th year of his age
(sce Tillemont and Eckhel), some, on the authority and the 9th of his reign, are fully detailed in the
of Spartianus, declaring for A. d. 135; while others biography of M. Aurelius, to which the reader is
with greater probability conclude, from inscriptions referred.
and coins, that it took place the year following. It may be remarked, that there is some question
He is set down in the Fasti as consul for A. D. 136, as to the various names enumerated above. In
under the name of Ceionius Commodus, which opposition to the clear and explicit testimony of
seems to prove that the ceremonies of adoption bad Spartianus, Lampridius, and Capitolinus, it has
not at all events been completed at the commence- been doubted whether he was ever called Antoni-
ment of that year; while on the coins of his second nus, because it never appears upon any public
consulship, which belongs to A. D. 137, we find monument of unquestionable authority. But if we
him designated as L. Aelius Caesar, and invested suppose it to have been assumed, as appears most
with the tribunicia potestas. Soon after his ele natural, at the period of his adoption by Pius, and
vation, he was nominated govemor of Pannonia, dropped after his elevation to the purple, the diffi-
returned from his province in the course of 137, culty will be in a great measure removed, although
died suddenly on the 1st of January, 138, and it inust be confessed, that the Augustan historians
was interred in the mausoleum of Hadrian. represent him as having received the designations
Aelius Caesar, according to the testimony of his of Antoninus and Verus at the same time from M.
biographer, Spartianus, was a man of comely fea- Aurelius.
tures, graceful bearing, and noble aspect, but in (Dion Cass. lxix. 17, 20, 21, lxxi. 1, &c. ; Spar-
all other respects deeply stamped with the impress tian. Hadrian. 23, Ael. Ver. ; Capitolin. Ver. Imp.
of mediocrity. He displayed moderate abilities as Anton. Pius, 4, M. Aurel. 4, 5, 7, &c. ) (W. R. )
a statesman, governed his province respectably, COʻMMODUS, L. AURELIUS, son of M.
was considered a tolerably good general, and al- Aurelius and the younger Faustina (see genealo-
though somewhat addicted to the pleasures of the gical table prefixed to ANTONINUS Pjus), was born
table and other luxurious indulgences, maintained at Lanuvium on the last day of August, A. D. 161,
a decent character in his private life and social rela- a few months after the death of Antoninus Pius,
tions. His health was so wretched, that Hadrian and this was the first of the Roman emperors to
is said to bave speedily repented of the choice he whom the title of Porphyrogenitus could be correctly
had made, declaring that he had leaned for support applied. Faustina at the same time gave birth to
upon a falling wall, and had thrown away the a twin son, known as Antoninus Geminus, who
large sums lavished on the soldiers and people in died when four years old. The nurture and edu-
largesses and shows in honour of the adoption. Cation of Commodus were watched and superin-
Aelius Caesar left behind him one daughter, l'abia, tended from infancy with anxious care; and from
and one son, namely
a very early age he was surrounded with the
4. L. Celonius COMMODUS, who was born at most distinguished preceptors in the various de
Rome on the 15th of December, A. D. 130. Upon partments of general literature, science, and phi-
the adoption of his father by Hadrian, he passed losophy. The honours heaped upon the royal
into the gens Aelia, and was entitled L. Cionius youth as he advanced towards manhood have been
Aelius Aurelius Commodus. Again, after the death accurately chronicled by his biographers. He re-
of his father, he was, in pursuance of the command ceived the appellation of Caesar along with his
of Hadrian, adopted, along with M. Aurelius, by younger brother Annius Verus on the 12th of Oc-
Antoninus Pius on the 25th of February, A. D. 138, tober, A. D. 166, at the time when M. Aurelius
and thus became L. Ceionius Aelius Aurelius Com- and L. Verus celebrated their triumph over the
modus Antoninus. During the lifetime of Pius he Parthians; he was styled Germanicus on the 15th
enjoyed no peculiar distinction except the appella- of October, 172; in 175, on the 20th of January,
tion filius Augusti; in 156 he was quaestor, and he was admitted a member of all the sacerdotal
in the year following consul, an honour which he colleges; on the 19th of May he left the city,
enjoyed for a second time, along with his brother having been summoned in all haste to Germany in
by adoption, in 161. After the death of Anto- consequence of the news which had arrived from
ninus Pius, which took place in March, 161, he Syria of the rebellion of Avidius Cassius ; on the
was invested with the titles of Caesar and Au- 7th of July he was invested with the manly gown,
gustus, and by the favour of the new sovereign proclaimed Princeps Jurentulis, and nominated
admitted to a full participation in all the imperial consul-elect; he then accompanied his father to the
East, and, during his absence from Rome, Sars
• Spartianus in several passages gires him the maticus was added to his other titles ; on the 27th
name of Verus and 60 Hadrian (ap. Vopisc. Saturn. of November, 176, he was saluted Imperator ; on
c. 8); but Cardinal Noris rejects Verus, because it the 23rd of December, he shared in the triumph
does not appear in inscriptions and Fasti.
celebrated over the Germans, and was assumed its
36
## p. 818 (#838) ############################################
818
COMMODUS.
COMMODUS.
collenguc in the tribunician power; on the 1st of the same freedom as the thirst for blood. Resign-
January, 177, he entered on his first consulsliip ; ing the reins of government into the hands of the
in the szme year he married Bruttia Crispina, daugh various favourites who followed each other in rapid
ter of Bruttius Praesens, was hailed as Augustus succession [sec PERENNIS ; CLEANDER ; LAETUS;
and Pater Patriac, and thus at the age of 16 was ECLECTUS), he abandoned himself without inter-
admitted to a full participation in all the imperial ruption to the most shameless and beastly de
dignities except the chief pontificate, which, ac- bauchery. But while devouring in gluttony the
cording to the principle maintained inviolate until resources of the empire and wallowing in every
the reign of Balbinus and Pupienus (BALBINUS), description of sensual filth, he was at the same
could be held by one individual only. On the time the slave of the most childish vanity, and
5th August he set forth to take part in the war sought for popular applause with indefatigable
then raging on the Upper Danube, which, as is activity. He disdained not to dance, to sing, to
mentioned elsewhere [M. AURELIUS), was prose-play the charioteer and the buffoon, to disguise
cuted with signal success until the death of M. himself as a pedlar or a horse-dealer, and to essay
Aurelius, on the 17th of March, 180.
his skill in the practical pursuits of the humble
Impatient of hardship and eager to indulge artizan. Frequently he would appear and officiate
without restraint in the pleasures of the capital, as a sacrificing priest, and eagerly assisted in all
Commodus, disregarding alike the last injunctions the orgies of foreign superstition, celebrating the
of his sire and the earnest advice of the trusty rites of Isis, of Anubis, of Serapis, or of Mithra,
counsellors to whose care he had been consigned, in all their folly and all their horror. His pride
concluded a hasty and therefore uncertain peace and boast, however, was his skill in the use of
with the barbarians, who in their depressed and martial weapons. This he sought not to display
enfeebled condition might by a vigorous effort have against the enemies of his country in the field, but
been crushed for ever. In autumn he reached he fought as a gladiator upwards of seven hundred
Rome, where his authority was as fully and freely times, and slew many thousands of wild beasts in
acknowledged by the senate, the praetorians, and the amphitheatre with bow and spear. Other em-
the people, as it had been by the legions which he perors had sought or accepted the compliment of
commanded in person and the armies of the distant having one month named after themselves, but
provinces. No prince ever commenced a career of Commodus decreed that the whole twelve should
power under fairer auspices. The love and venera- be designated by the epithets and titles which he
tion entertained by men of every condition for the had at different periods assumed, and that they
father had descended like an inheritance on the should be arranged and enumerated in the following
son, and although some who knew him well and order :- Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius, Lucius,
had marked his boyhood might whisper distrust Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus,
and fear, such murmurs were drowned by the Romanus, Exsuperatorius, ordaining also that the
general acclamations which greeted his first ap- happy epoch during which he bad sojourned on
pearance as emperor. Nor were the hopes of men earth should be distinguished as Seculum aureum
for a while disappointed. Grave and calculating Commodiunum, the nation as Commodiana, the
statesmen might feel displeasure and alarm at the senate as Commodianus, the armies as Commodiani,
reckless profusion which characterised the very and the eternal city itself as Colonia Commodiana.
commencement of the new reign; but since a At length the miserable craving could be no longer
large portion of the sums squandered was lavished appeased by the homage and flatteries which a
upon the soldiers and the people, the lower or- mere mortal might claim. Long ere this, indeed,
ders at least of the community were enthusiastic in the Greeks had been wont to compare their rulers,
their attachment to the new ruler. This state of both domestic and foreign, to deities, and the Ro-
things did not endure long. A formidable plot mans had sometimes delicately hinted at some such
against his life was organised (A. D. 183) by his resemblance by the devices stamped on the rererse
sister Lucilla, jealous, it was believed, of the su- of the coins of their Augusti. But as yet no in-
perior influence and position of Crispina ; but the scription had appeared openly ascribing divine
scheme failed in consequence of the awkwardness attributes to living princes, nor had any symbol
of the assassin, who, instead of dealing the fatal appeared on their medals which could openly and
blow at the proper moment, put the prince upon directly convey such impious meaning. It was
his guard by exclaiming as he rushed forward, left for Commodus to break through these decent
“ The senate sends thee this. ” The event seems restrictions; his exploits in the slaughter of wild
to have awakened the slumbering ferocity of a beasts suggested an analogy with the Tirynthian
temper which now burst forth with frightful hero; he demanded that he should be worshipped
vehemence, and raging from that time forward as Hercules, and hence from the year 191 we find
without controul, especially against the members of a multitude of coins on which he is represented in
that body in which the conspiracy was said to the attire of the immortal son of Alcmena, with
have originated, rendered the remainder of his life the epigraph of Hercules Commodianus or Hercules
an unbroken tissue of sanguinary excesses. Every Romanus. His statues also, we are told by the
pretext was seized for the exhibition of the most historians of the day, were clad in the appropriate
savage cruelty ; false accusations, vague suspicions, robes ; sacrifices were publicly offered as to a pre-
great wealth, high birth, distinguished learning, or sent God; when he went abroad the lion's hide
any conspicuous virtue, were sufficient to point out and other insignia were borne before him; and, to
and doom his victions, long lists of whom have crown the whole, a number of unhappy wretches
been preserved by Lampridius, including nearly all were inclosed in cases terminating in serpent-tails,
who had risen to fame and fortune under M. Aure- and these he slaughtered with his club, as if they
lius, with the exception of Pertinax, Pompeianus, had been the giants warring against hcaven.
and Victorinus. (PertinAX; POMPEIANUS ; Vic- After having escaped many plots provoked by
TORINUS. ) All other passions were indulged with | atrocious tyranny, he at length came to a titting
## p. 819 (#839) ############################################
COMMODUS.
819
COMMODUS.
.
end. He had n mistress named Marcin, to whom vanity, the most savage cruelty with the most
he was deeply attached, and whom he especially dastardly cowardice. ile hated, persecuted, and
loved to behold equipped as an Amazon. Hence massacred the senate and the nobles, and at the
the cpithet Amazonius was frequently assumed by some time eagerly drank in their most disgusting
himself: the name Amazonius, as we have already flatteries. He slew thousands and tens of thou-
seen, was attached to the first month, and he dis- sands of wild beasts, but his arrows were shot and
played his own person in the amphitheatre arrayed his darts were hurled from behind a screen of net-
in the Amazonian gnrb. The first of January, work which protected his person from the pos-
193, was to have been signalized by a spectacle sibility of risk. He butchered hundreds of his
which would have thrown into the shade the in- fellow-men in gladiatorial conibats; but while he
sults previously heaped upon the senate and the was clad in the impenetrable armour and wielded
people, for Commodus had determined to put to the heavy blade of a secutor, his antngonists had
death the two consuls-elect, Q. Sosius Falco and no defences except weapons of lead or tin; and
C. Julius Erucius Clarus, and to come forth himself when as, Hercules, he crushed with his club the
as consul at the opening of the year, not marching unhappy creatures dressed up to resemble the
in robes of state from the palace to the capitol at monstrous progeny of Earth, the rocks which they
the head of the senate, but in the uniform of a hurled at their assailant were formed of sponge.
secutor, followed by a band of gladiators issuing After examining the ample records preserved of
from their training-school. This project he com- his career, we shall be unable to find a trace of one
municated to Marcia, who earnestly implored him generous action or one kindly feeling, to discern a
to abandon a design so fraught with disgrace and single ray of human sympathy to relieve the por-
danger, and her remonstrances were warmly tentous blackness of his guilt. Dion, indeed, re-
seconded by Laetus and Eclectus, the one praefect presents him as naturally of a weak and extremely
of the praetorians, the other imperial chamberlain. simple temper ; as one who easily received impres-
These counsellors were dismissed with wrath from sions, and whose crimes were to be attributed
the presence of the prince, who retired to indulge rather to the artful advice of evil counsellors acting
in his wonted siesta, having previously inscribed upon a timid and yielding disposition, than to any
on his tablets a long catalogue of persons who were inherent depravity; and imagines that he erred at
to be put to death that night, the names of Marcia, first from ignorance of what was right, and gliding
Laetus, and Eclectus appearing at the head of the by degrees into a habit of doing evil, became
list. This document was found by a favourite gradually familiar with deeds of shame and wicked-
child, who entered the apartment while Commodus ness. But had this been the case, the lessons so
was asleep, and was carried by him in sport to carefully inculcated in early life would never have
Marcia, who at once perceived its import. She been so rapidly and for ever obliterated. We feel
immediately communicated the discovery to Laetus more inclined to give credit to the assertion of
and Eclectus. The danger was imminent, and, un- Lampridius, who declares that from his earliest
less promptly met, inevitable. Their plans were boyhood he displayed evident proofs of dark pas-
quickly matured and quickly executed. That sions and a corrupt heart, a propensity to indulge
evening poison was administered, and its operation freely in every low and dissolute pleasure, and
proving so slow as to excite apprehensions of its utter indifference to human suffering and life.
efficacy, Narcissus, a celebrated athlete, was intro It is almost needless to remark, that Commodus
duced, and by him Commodus was strangled on the paid no attention to foreign policy nor to the go-
night of December the 31st, A. D. 192, in the vernnient and regulation of the provinces, except
thirty second year of his age and the thirteenth of in so far as they might be made to minister to his
his reign. When the news of his death, at first profusion and profligacy. The integrity of the
cautiously attributed to apoplexy, was spread empire was however maintained, and the barbarians
abroad, the intelligence diffused universal joy repulsed from the Dacian frontier by the skill and
among all ranks except the guards, who had been valour of Clodius Albinus and Pescennius Niger,
permitted to revel in indolence and luxury and the same who after the death of Pertinax contested
could scarcely expect again to find a master so the throne with Septimius Severus.
A still more
indulgent and liberal. When his successor, Per- serious disturbance arose in Britain; for the north-
tinax (PERTINAX), repaired next morning be- ern tribes having forced a passage across the wall
fore daylight to the senate, that venerable body, of Antonine, defeated the Roman troops who op-
while greeting their new sovereign, poured forth a posed their progress, slew their leader, and laid
string of curses upon the dead tyrant in a sort of waste the more peaceful districts far and wide.
strange chaunt, the words of which have been pre- But Ulpius Marcellus having assumed the chief
served by Lampridius, declared him a public enemy, command, the Caledonians were speedily driven
and, being unable to vent their rage upon the back, the war was successfully terminated about
living man, begged that his body might be dragged, A. D. 184, Commodus was saluted Imperator for
like that of a criminal, through the streets with a the seventh time, and added Britannicus to his
hook, and cast into the Tiber,-a request with other titles.
which Pertinax, to his credit, refused to comply,
and the cornse was decently interred in the mauso-
leum of Hadrian.
We seldom meet in history with a character
which inspires such pure and unmixed detestation
as that of Commodus. While his vices and crimes
were inexpressibly revolting, they were rendered
if possible more loathsome by his contemptible
meanness and weakness. The most grinding op-
pression was combined with the most childish
COIN OF COMMODUS.
3 G 2
## p. 820 (#840) ############################################
820
COMNENUS.
COMNENUS.
successors.
А
(Dion Cass. lib. Ixxii. and Excerpta Vaticana, p. mind and of body, many of them were notorious
121, ed. Sturz; Herodian. i. 10–55; Capitolin. for a laxity of mornis, in which they were excelled
M. Aurel. ; Lamprid. Commod. ; and the minor by none of their frivolous countrymen. Imperial
Roman historians. )
(W. R. ) families, such as the Ducae, the Angeli, the Pa-
COMNE'NA. (ANNA COMNENA. )
laeologi, several royal houses in Europe, and even
COMNE’NUS, the name of an illustrious By- the reigning dynasty of the sultans in Turkey,
zantine family, which in all probability was of boasted, and still boast, of being descended from
Italian origin, and migrated to the East in the the Comneni; and down to this very day the pre-
time of Constantine the Great or his immediate tensions of a noble family in France to be entitled
Several of the other great Byzantine by descent to the name of Princes de Comnène have
families were likewise of Italian origin, as for in- attracted the attention of historians of repute.
stance the Ducae. That the name Comnenus was history of that family would be a most valuable
not unknown in Italy in early times, is proved by contribution to our knowledge of the Greeks during
an inscription on a marble discovered in the walls the middle ages. When the Comneni first became
of the church of St. Secundus, at Ameria in Italy, known in history, in the tenth century, they be-
and which stands thus:--
longed to the Greek nobility in Asia, and their
L. COMNENO. 3. L. FELICI. family seat was at Castamone, a town in Paphla-
COMNENAE. 5. L. NYMPHE. gonia, near the Black Sea, where Alexis Comnenus,
ET. COMNENO. 7. L. FELIONI. afterwards emperor, visited the palace of his ances-
C. SERVILIO. ALBANO.
tors during the reign of Michael VII. Ducas Para-
Six emperors of the East, — Isaac I. , Alexis I. , pinaces. Towards the close of the tenth century
Calo-Joannes (John II. ), Manuel I. , Alexis II. , two Comneni, Manuel and Nicephorus, becaine
and Andronicus I. , -all the emperors of Trebizond, conspicuous, who were probably brothers, and who
and a vast number of generals, statesmen, and are generally called the ancestors of the Comnenian
authors, were descended from the family of the family. The following table exhibits the genealogy
Comneni; but while almost all of them were dis- of this family, as far as it can be traced, together
tinguished by the choicest natural gifts both of with a brief account of each individual of it.
Manuel,
Nicephorus
Praefectus totius Orientis in A. D.
Protospatharius; praeſect of Aspracania (Media Superior)
976, under the emperor Basil II. ;
in 1016; blinded in 1026 by order of the emperor Con-
died before 1025.
stantine IX.
dissipation and bnfoonery (τουτο γάρ τούνομα εκ 4. Sex. COMINIUS, a Koman knight, maltreated
uiuw kad YEAwtomoitas eo xev), was originally an by Verres. (Cic. Verr. iv. 10. )
actor and dancer at Rome. While serving in 5, 6. P. and L. or C. COMINII, two brothers,
Thrace, he was degraded, in consequence of mis- who are described by Cicero as men of character
conduct, to the rank of a rower in the fleet, by and eloquerce, accused Staienus, about B. C. 74.
Claudius Attalus, governor of the province; but | (Cic. pro Cluent. 36. ) In B. C. 66, these two
having subsequently taken an active part in the brothers accused of majestas C. Cornelius, the tri-
conspiracy against Macrinus, he became the confi- bune of the preceding year (C. CORNELIUS], but
dential adviser and right-hand man of Elagabalus, on the day appointed for the trial, the praetor, L.
was chosen praefect of the praetorium, raised to Cassius, did not appear, and the Cominij were
the rank of consul A. D. 220, twice nominated driven away by a mob, and were eventually
praefect of the city, and permitted to gratify his obliged to quit the city. They renewed the ac-
revenge by procuring the death of the officer by cusation in the following year, B. c. 65 ; Cor-
whom he had been disgraced. Comazon not only nelius was defended by Cicero, who was then
escaped the massacre which followed the death of praetor, and acquitted. The speech which P.
his patron (A. D. 222), but was immediately after Cominius delivered on this occasion was extant in
appointed prefect of the city for the third time the time of Asconius, who says that it was worth
an honour never before enjoyed by any individual. reading, not only because of Cicero's speech, but
(GANNY. . ]
for its own merits. P. Cominius was a native of
## p. 816 (#836) ############################################
816
COMMODIANUS.
COMMODUS.
Spoletium. He died shortly before Cicero com- Gentiles with the object of gaining them over to
posed his “ Brutus," namely B. C. 45, in which he the true faith ; in the nine which follow an attempt
calls Cominius his friend, and praises his well. is made to bring home conviction to the obstinate
arranged, lively, and clear style of speaking. ignorance of the Jews; the remainder are devoted
(Ascon. in Corncl. ; Cic. Brut. 78. )
to the instruction of catechumens and penitents.
7. Q. COMINIUS, one of Caesar's officers, was Whatever knowledge we possess with regard to
taken prisoner with L. Ticida by Virgilius, a this author is derived exclusively from his work.
Pompeian commander, near Thapsus, in crossing The general style and the peculiar words occasion-
over to Africa, B. C. 47. (Hirt. B. Afr. 44, 46. ) ally employed lead us to infer that he was of
8. L. COMnius Pedarius, appointed by African extraction. It is expressly and repeatedly
Augustus to assist Messalla Corvinus in his super declared, that for a long period he was heathen,
intendence over the aquaeducts. (Frontin. de but was converted by perusing the Scriptures (e. g.
A quaeduct. 99. )
Praef. 5, Instruct. xxvi. 24, lxi. 1); while the epi-
9. C. COMINIUS, a Roman knight, was the thet Gazaeus, which he applies to himself, may
author of a libellous poem against Tiberius, but either indicate that he was connected with the
was pardoned by the emperor on the entreaty of city of Gaza in Palestine, or, more probably, that
his brother, who was a senator, A. D. 24. (Tac. he was indebted for support to the treasury of the
Ann. iv. 31. )
church. Doubts have been entertained with re-
COMI'NIUS, PO'NTIUS, a youth of great gard to the period when he fiourished. Rigaltius
bravery and activity, who offered to go to the concluded, from a conjectural emendation of his
senate, when besieged in the Capitol by the Gauls, own upon the text of an obscure passage (Instruct.
to convey the wish of the Roman army at Veii, xxxiii. 5), that it contained an allusion to pope
that Camillus should be appointed dictator. He Sylvester (A. D. 3) 4—335), the contemporary of
arrived at the Capitol in safety by floating down Constantine the Great; but the careful and accu-
the Tiber in the bark of a tree. (Liv. v. 46 ; Plut. rate researches of Care and Dodwell have clearly
Camill. 25; Zonar. vii. 23. )
proved that Commodianus belongs to the third
COMMINIANUS, a Latin grammarian, who century (comp. Instruct. vi. 6), and may with tole-
was intermediate between Donatus, whom he rable certainty be placed about A. D. 270.
quotes, and Servius, by whom he is quoted (Virg. The Instructiones display much devotion and a
Ed. ii. 21, Georg. i. 215), and therefore belongs fervent zeal for the propagation of the Gospel,
to the latter part of the fourth century. Large but from their harshness, dryness, and total want
extracts from his work are to be found in Chari- of all poetic fire, they present few attractions as
sius, and a few fragments in Lindemann, Gram- literary productions. The versification is curious,
matt. Inedit. Lat. i. Zittau. 1822, and in Mai, since it exhibits an early specimen of the Versus
Classici Auctores ex Codicibus Vaticanis, vol. F. Politici, in which, while an attempt is made to
[W. R. ] imitate the general rhythm of some ancient mea-
CO'MMIUS, king of the Atrebates, was ad- sure, the rules of quantity are to a great extent
vanced to that dignity by Caesar. When Caesar's neglected. Thus the following lines from the
projected invasion of Britain became known to the Praefatio are intended for dactylic hexameters:
inhabitants, ambassadors from various states came
Praefatio nostra viam erranti demonstrat
to him. Commius, in whose fidelity Caesar had
Respectumque bonum, cum venerit saeculi meta
great confidence, and whose influence in Britain
Aeternum fieri : quod discredunt inscia corda.
was great, was sent back with them, accompanied
by a small body of cavalry. He was seized and The taste for acrostics also is largely developed :
cast into chains by the Britons, but was released the initials of the twenty-six concluding verses,
when, after a defeat, they found it expedient to when read backwards, form the words Commodia-
sue for peace. (Caes. B. G. iv, 21, 27, 35. ) In nus Mendicus Christi, and in like manner the
B. C. 53, we find him serving under Caesar against general subject and contents of each chapter are
the Menapii (vi. 6); but towards the close of 52, expressed by the first letters of the opening lines.
when an extensive league was formed by the The Instructiones of Commodianus were first
Gauls for the purpose of relieving Alesia, his pa- published by Rigaltius at Toul (Tullum Leucorum),
triotism proved stronger than his gratitude. He 4to. 1650. They were subsequently printed at the
joined the confederates, and was one of those to end of the edition of Cyprian by Priorius, Paris,
whom the chief command was assigned. (vii. 76, 1666, fol. ; in the Bibliotheca Patrum Lugdun.
79, &c. ) In the course of the ensuing winter, an vol. xxvii. ; in the Bibliotheca Patrum of Galland,
ineffectual attempt was made by T. Labienus to sol. iii. p. 621 ; and in an independent form, by
assassinate him. (viii. 23. ) We find him again Schurzfleisch, Vitemberg. Saxon. 4to. 1704. [W. R. ]
in 51 one of the two leaders of the confederacy COʻMMODUS, the name of a family of the
formed by the Bellovaci and the neighbouring Ceionii under the emperors.
tribes. (For an account of the operations which 1. L. CEINTUS COMMODUS, appears in the Fasti
ensued, see B. G. viii. 7-23. ) When the Atre- as consul under Vespasian, A. D. 78.
bates were reduced to subjection, Commius con- 2. CeloniUS COMMODUS, who according to some
tinued to carry on a predatory warfare against the was named also Verus, according to others L. Ai
Romans, but, having lost a great part of his men relius, according to many Annius, descended from
in an engagement, he made his submission to An- a noble family of Etruria or Faventia (Spartian.
tonius (viii. 47, 48. )
[C. P. M. ] Ael. Ver. 2), was the father of
COMMODIANUS, the Christian composer of 3. L. CELONIUS COMMODUS, otherwise called
a prosaic poem against the Pagan divinities, divid- L. AURELIUS VERUS, who was adopted by Hadrian
ed into eighty sections, and entitled Instructiones when that emperor, feeling that his health was
adversus Gentium Deos pro Christiana Disciplina. sinking under the attacks of protracted disease,
Of these the first thirty-six are addressed to the deemed it expedient to select an assistant and
p. 150.
## p. 817 (#837) ############################################
COMMODUS.
817
COMMODUS.
BUCCCssor. The new prince from that time for- | dignities. At the same time, M. Aurelius trans-
ward, as we infer from inscriptions and Fasti, laid ferred to him the name of l'erus, which he had
aside his former appellations, and, passing into the himself bore up to this time, and the designation
gens Aelia, was styled L. AELIUS VERUS CAESAR, of Commodus being altogether dropped, the younger
being the first individual on whom the title of of the two Augusti was addressed as the emperor
Cuesar was bestowed to indicate the next heir to L. AURELIUS VERUS.
His journey to the East;
the imperial throne. Of the early life of Aelius his conduct during the campaign against the Par-
Caesar we know nothing except that he attracted thians; his marriage with Lucilla, the daughter of
the attention and gained the favour of Hadrian by M. Aurelius; his return to Rome; the joint tri-
Juis personal beauty and literary accomplishments, umph of two princes; their expedition into
although the son-in-law of Nigrinus, who was put Germany, and the sudden death of Verus at Alti-
to death as a traitor. The precise date of bis num in the country of the Veneti, towards the close
adoption is a disputed point among chronologers of A. D. 169, in the 39th or 40th year of his age
(sce Tillemont and Eckhel), some, on the authority and the 9th of his reign, are fully detailed in the
of Spartianus, declaring for A. d. 135; while others biography of M. Aurelius, to which the reader is
with greater probability conclude, from inscriptions referred.
and coins, that it took place the year following. It may be remarked, that there is some question
He is set down in the Fasti as consul for A. D. 136, as to the various names enumerated above. In
under the name of Ceionius Commodus, which opposition to the clear and explicit testimony of
seems to prove that the ceremonies of adoption bad Spartianus, Lampridius, and Capitolinus, it has
not at all events been completed at the commence- been doubted whether he was ever called Antoni-
ment of that year; while on the coins of his second nus, because it never appears upon any public
consulship, which belongs to A. D. 137, we find monument of unquestionable authority. But if we
him designated as L. Aelius Caesar, and invested suppose it to have been assumed, as appears most
with the tribunicia potestas. Soon after his ele natural, at the period of his adoption by Pius, and
vation, he was nominated govemor of Pannonia, dropped after his elevation to the purple, the diffi-
returned from his province in the course of 137, culty will be in a great measure removed, although
died suddenly on the 1st of January, 138, and it inust be confessed, that the Augustan historians
was interred in the mausoleum of Hadrian. represent him as having received the designations
Aelius Caesar, according to the testimony of his of Antoninus and Verus at the same time from M.
biographer, Spartianus, was a man of comely fea- Aurelius.
tures, graceful bearing, and noble aspect, but in (Dion Cass. lxix. 17, 20, 21, lxxi. 1, &c. ; Spar-
all other respects deeply stamped with the impress tian. Hadrian. 23, Ael. Ver. ; Capitolin. Ver. Imp.
of mediocrity. He displayed moderate abilities as Anton. Pius, 4, M. Aurel. 4, 5, 7, &c. ) (W. R. )
a statesman, governed his province respectably, COʻMMODUS, L. AURELIUS, son of M.
was considered a tolerably good general, and al- Aurelius and the younger Faustina (see genealo-
though somewhat addicted to the pleasures of the gical table prefixed to ANTONINUS Pjus), was born
table and other luxurious indulgences, maintained at Lanuvium on the last day of August, A. D. 161,
a decent character in his private life and social rela- a few months after the death of Antoninus Pius,
tions. His health was so wretched, that Hadrian and this was the first of the Roman emperors to
is said to bave speedily repented of the choice he whom the title of Porphyrogenitus could be correctly
had made, declaring that he had leaned for support applied. Faustina at the same time gave birth to
upon a falling wall, and had thrown away the a twin son, known as Antoninus Geminus, who
large sums lavished on the soldiers and people in died when four years old. The nurture and edu-
largesses and shows in honour of the adoption. Cation of Commodus were watched and superin-
Aelius Caesar left behind him one daughter, l'abia, tended from infancy with anxious care; and from
and one son, namely
a very early age he was surrounded with the
4. L. Celonius COMMODUS, who was born at most distinguished preceptors in the various de
Rome on the 15th of December, A. D. 130. Upon partments of general literature, science, and phi-
the adoption of his father by Hadrian, he passed losophy. The honours heaped upon the royal
into the gens Aelia, and was entitled L. Cionius youth as he advanced towards manhood have been
Aelius Aurelius Commodus. Again, after the death accurately chronicled by his biographers. He re-
of his father, he was, in pursuance of the command ceived the appellation of Caesar along with his
of Hadrian, adopted, along with M. Aurelius, by younger brother Annius Verus on the 12th of Oc-
Antoninus Pius on the 25th of February, A. D. 138, tober, A. D. 166, at the time when M. Aurelius
and thus became L. Ceionius Aelius Aurelius Com- and L. Verus celebrated their triumph over the
modus Antoninus. During the lifetime of Pius he Parthians; he was styled Germanicus on the 15th
enjoyed no peculiar distinction except the appella- of October, 172; in 175, on the 20th of January,
tion filius Augusti; in 156 he was quaestor, and he was admitted a member of all the sacerdotal
in the year following consul, an honour which he colleges; on the 19th of May he left the city,
enjoyed for a second time, along with his brother having been summoned in all haste to Germany in
by adoption, in 161. After the death of Anto- consequence of the news which had arrived from
ninus Pius, which took place in March, 161, he Syria of the rebellion of Avidius Cassius ; on the
was invested with the titles of Caesar and Au- 7th of July he was invested with the manly gown,
gustus, and by the favour of the new sovereign proclaimed Princeps Jurentulis, and nominated
admitted to a full participation in all the imperial consul-elect; he then accompanied his father to the
East, and, during his absence from Rome, Sars
• Spartianus in several passages gires him the maticus was added to his other titles ; on the 27th
name of Verus and 60 Hadrian (ap. Vopisc. Saturn. of November, 176, he was saluted Imperator ; on
c. 8); but Cardinal Noris rejects Verus, because it the 23rd of December, he shared in the triumph
does not appear in inscriptions and Fasti.
celebrated over the Germans, and was assumed its
36
## p. 818 (#838) ############################################
818
COMMODUS.
COMMODUS.
collenguc in the tribunician power; on the 1st of the same freedom as the thirst for blood. Resign-
January, 177, he entered on his first consulsliip ; ing the reins of government into the hands of the
in the szme year he married Bruttia Crispina, daugh various favourites who followed each other in rapid
ter of Bruttius Praesens, was hailed as Augustus succession [sec PERENNIS ; CLEANDER ; LAETUS;
and Pater Patriac, and thus at the age of 16 was ECLECTUS), he abandoned himself without inter-
admitted to a full participation in all the imperial ruption to the most shameless and beastly de
dignities except the chief pontificate, which, ac- bauchery. But while devouring in gluttony the
cording to the principle maintained inviolate until resources of the empire and wallowing in every
the reign of Balbinus and Pupienus (BALBINUS), description of sensual filth, he was at the same
could be held by one individual only. On the time the slave of the most childish vanity, and
5th August he set forth to take part in the war sought for popular applause with indefatigable
then raging on the Upper Danube, which, as is activity. He disdained not to dance, to sing, to
mentioned elsewhere [M. AURELIUS), was prose-play the charioteer and the buffoon, to disguise
cuted with signal success until the death of M. himself as a pedlar or a horse-dealer, and to essay
Aurelius, on the 17th of March, 180.
his skill in the practical pursuits of the humble
Impatient of hardship and eager to indulge artizan. Frequently he would appear and officiate
without restraint in the pleasures of the capital, as a sacrificing priest, and eagerly assisted in all
Commodus, disregarding alike the last injunctions the orgies of foreign superstition, celebrating the
of his sire and the earnest advice of the trusty rites of Isis, of Anubis, of Serapis, or of Mithra,
counsellors to whose care he had been consigned, in all their folly and all their horror. His pride
concluded a hasty and therefore uncertain peace and boast, however, was his skill in the use of
with the barbarians, who in their depressed and martial weapons. This he sought not to display
enfeebled condition might by a vigorous effort have against the enemies of his country in the field, but
been crushed for ever. In autumn he reached he fought as a gladiator upwards of seven hundred
Rome, where his authority was as fully and freely times, and slew many thousands of wild beasts in
acknowledged by the senate, the praetorians, and the amphitheatre with bow and spear. Other em-
the people, as it had been by the legions which he perors had sought or accepted the compliment of
commanded in person and the armies of the distant having one month named after themselves, but
provinces. No prince ever commenced a career of Commodus decreed that the whole twelve should
power under fairer auspices. The love and venera- be designated by the epithets and titles which he
tion entertained by men of every condition for the had at different periods assumed, and that they
father had descended like an inheritance on the should be arranged and enumerated in the following
son, and although some who knew him well and order :- Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius, Lucius,
had marked his boyhood might whisper distrust Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus,
and fear, such murmurs were drowned by the Romanus, Exsuperatorius, ordaining also that the
general acclamations which greeted his first ap- happy epoch during which he bad sojourned on
pearance as emperor. Nor were the hopes of men earth should be distinguished as Seculum aureum
for a while disappointed. Grave and calculating Commodiunum, the nation as Commodiana, the
statesmen might feel displeasure and alarm at the senate as Commodianus, the armies as Commodiani,
reckless profusion which characterised the very and the eternal city itself as Colonia Commodiana.
commencement of the new reign; but since a At length the miserable craving could be no longer
large portion of the sums squandered was lavished appeased by the homage and flatteries which a
upon the soldiers and the people, the lower or- mere mortal might claim. Long ere this, indeed,
ders at least of the community were enthusiastic in the Greeks had been wont to compare their rulers,
their attachment to the new ruler. This state of both domestic and foreign, to deities, and the Ro-
things did not endure long. A formidable plot mans had sometimes delicately hinted at some such
against his life was organised (A. D. 183) by his resemblance by the devices stamped on the rererse
sister Lucilla, jealous, it was believed, of the su- of the coins of their Augusti. But as yet no in-
perior influence and position of Crispina ; but the scription had appeared openly ascribing divine
scheme failed in consequence of the awkwardness attributes to living princes, nor had any symbol
of the assassin, who, instead of dealing the fatal appeared on their medals which could openly and
blow at the proper moment, put the prince upon directly convey such impious meaning. It was
his guard by exclaiming as he rushed forward, left for Commodus to break through these decent
“ The senate sends thee this. ” The event seems restrictions; his exploits in the slaughter of wild
to have awakened the slumbering ferocity of a beasts suggested an analogy with the Tirynthian
temper which now burst forth with frightful hero; he demanded that he should be worshipped
vehemence, and raging from that time forward as Hercules, and hence from the year 191 we find
without controul, especially against the members of a multitude of coins on which he is represented in
that body in which the conspiracy was said to the attire of the immortal son of Alcmena, with
have originated, rendered the remainder of his life the epigraph of Hercules Commodianus or Hercules
an unbroken tissue of sanguinary excesses. Every Romanus. His statues also, we are told by the
pretext was seized for the exhibition of the most historians of the day, were clad in the appropriate
savage cruelty ; false accusations, vague suspicions, robes ; sacrifices were publicly offered as to a pre-
great wealth, high birth, distinguished learning, or sent God; when he went abroad the lion's hide
any conspicuous virtue, were sufficient to point out and other insignia were borne before him; and, to
and doom his victions, long lists of whom have crown the whole, a number of unhappy wretches
been preserved by Lampridius, including nearly all were inclosed in cases terminating in serpent-tails,
who had risen to fame and fortune under M. Aure- and these he slaughtered with his club, as if they
lius, with the exception of Pertinax, Pompeianus, had been the giants warring against hcaven.
and Victorinus. (PertinAX; POMPEIANUS ; Vic- After having escaped many plots provoked by
TORINUS. ) All other passions were indulged with | atrocious tyranny, he at length came to a titting
## p. 819 (#839) ############################################
COMMODUS.
819
COMMODUS.
.
end. He had n mistress named Marcin, to whom vanity, the most savage cruelty with the most
he was deeply attached, and whom he especially dastardly cowardice. ile hated, persecuted, and
loved to behold equipped as an Amazon. Hence massacred the senate and the nobles, and at the
the cpithet Amazonius was frequently assumed by some time eagerly drank in their most disgusting
himself: the name Amazonius, as we have already flatteries. He slew thousands and tens of thou-
seen, was attached to the first month, and he dis- sands of wild beasts, but his arrows were shot and
played his own person in the amphitheatre arrayed his darts were hurled from behind a screen of net-
in the Amazonian gnrb. The first of January, work which protected his person from the pos-
193, was to have been signalized by a spectacle sibility of risk. He butchered hundreds of his
which would have thrown into the shade the in- fellow-men in gladiatorial conibats; but while he
sults previously heaped upon the senate and the was clad in the impenetrable armour and wielded
people, for Commodus had determined to put to the heavy blade of a secutor, his antngonists had
death the two consuls-elect, Q. Sosius Falco and no defences except weapons of lead or tin; and
C. Julius Erucius Clarus, and to come forth himself when as, Hercules, he crushed with his club the
as consul at the opening of the year, not marching unhappy creatures dressed up to resemble the
in robes of state from the palace to the capitol at monstrous progeny of Earth, the rocks which they
the head of the senate, but in the uniform of a hurled at their assailant were formed of sponge.
secutor, followed by a band of gladiators issuing After examining the ample records preserved of
from their training-school. This project he com- his career, we shall be unable to find a trace of one
municated to Marcia, who earnestly implored him generous action or one kindly feeling, to discern a
to abandon a design so fraught with disgrace and single ray of human sympathy to relieve the por-
danger, and her remonstrances were warmly tentous blackness of his guilt. Dion, indeed, re-
seconded by Laetus and Eclectus, the one praefect presents him as naturally of a weak and extremely
of the praetorians, the other imperial chamberlain. simple temper ; as one who easily received impres-
These counsellors were dismissed with wrath from sions, and whose crimes were to be attributed
the presence of the prince, who retired to indulge rather to the artful advice of evil counsellors acting
in his wonted siesta, having previously inscribed upon a timid and yielding disposition, than to any
on his tablets a long catalogue of persons who were inherent depravity; and imagines that he erred at
to be put to death that night, the names of Marcia, first from ignorance of what was right, and gliding
Laetus, and Eclectus appearing at the head of the by degrees into a habit of doing evil, became
list. This document was found by a favourite gradually familiar with deeds of shame and wicked-
child, who entered the apartment while Commodus ness. But had this been the case, the lessons so
was asleep, and was carried by him in sport to carefully inculcated in early life would never have
Marcia, who at once perceived its import. She been so rapidly and for ever obliterated. We feel
immediately communicated the discovery to Laetus more inclined to give credit to the assertion of
and Eclectus. The danger was imminent, and, un- Lampridius, who declares that from his earliest
less promptly met, inevitable. Their plans were boyhood he displayed evident proofs of dark pas-
quickly matured and quickly executed. That sions and a corrupt heart, a propensity to indulge
evening poison was administered, and its operation freely in every low and dissolute pleasure, and
proving so slow as to excite apprehensions of its utter indifference to human suffering and life.
efficacy, Narcissus, a celebrated athlete, was intro It is almost needless to remark, that Commodus
duced, and by him Commodus was strangled on the paid no attention to foreign policy nor to the go-
night of December the 31st, A. D. 192, in the vernnient and regulation of the provinces, except
thirty second year of his age and the thirteenth of in so far as they might be made to minister to his
his reign. When the news of his death, at first profusion and profligacy. The integrity of the
cautiously attributed to apoplexy, was spread empire was however maintained, and the barbarians
abroad, the intelligence diffused universal joy repulsed from the Dacian frontier by the skill and
among all ranks except the guards, who had been valour of Clodius Albinus and Pescennius Niger,
permitted to revel in indolence and luxury and the same who after the death of Pertinax contested
could scarcely expect again to find a master so the throne with Septimius Severus.
A still more
indulgent and liberal. When his successor, Per- serious disturbance arose in Britain; for the north-
tinax (PERTINAX), repaired next morning be- ern tribes having forced a passage across the wall
fore daylight to the senate, that venerable body, of Antonine, defeated the Roman troops who op-
while greeting their new sovereign, poured forth a posed their progress, slew their leader, and laid
string of curses upon the dead tyrant in a sort of waste the more peaceful districts far and wide.
strange chaunt, the words of which have been pre- But Ulpius Marcellus having assumed the chief
served by Lampridius, declared him a public enemy, command, the Caledonians were speedily driven
and, being unable to vent their rage upon the back, the war was successfully terminated about
living man, begged that his body might be dragged, A. D. 184, Commodus was saluted Imperator for
like that of a criminal, through the streets with a the seventh time, and added Britannicus to his
hook, and cast into the Tiber,-a request with other titles.
which Pertinax, to his credit, refused to comply,
and the cornse was decently interred in the mauso-
leum of Hadrian.
We seldom meet in history with a character
which inspires such pure and unmixed detestation
as that of Commodus. While his vices and crimes
were inexpressibly revolting, they were rendered
if possible more loathsome by his contemptible
meanness and weakness. The most grinding op-
pression was combined with the most childish
COIN OF COMMODUS.
3 G 2
## p. 820 (#840) ############################################
820
COMNENUS.
COMNENUS.
successors.
А
(Dion Cass. lib. Ixxii. and Excerpta Vaticana, p. mind and of body, many of them were notorious
121, ed. Sturz; Herodian. i. 10–55; Capitolin. for a laxity of mornis, in which they were excelled
M. Aurel. ; Lamprid. Commod. ; and the minor by none of their frivolous countrymen. Imperial
Roman historians. )
(W. R. ) families, such as the Ducae, the Angeli, the Pa-
COMNE'NA. (ANNA COMNENA. )
laeologi, several royal houses in Europe, and even
COMNE’NUS, the name of an illustrious By- the reigning dynasty of the sultans in Turkey,
zantine family, which in all probability was of boasted, and still boast, of being descended from
Italian origin, and migrated to the East in the the Comneni; and down to this very day the pre-
time of Constantine the Great or his immediate tensions of a noble family in France to be entitled
Several of the other great Byzantine by descent to the name of Princes de Comnène have
families were likewise of Italian origin, as for in- attracted the attention of historians of repute.
stance the Ducae. That the name Comnenus was history of that family would be a most valuable
not unknown in Italy in early times, is proved by contribution to our knowledge of the Greeks during
an inscription on a marble discovered in the walls the middle ages. When the Comneni first became
of the church of St. Secundus, at Ameria in Italy, known in history, in the tenth century, they be-
and which stands thus:--
longed to the Greek nobility in Asia, and their
L. COMNENO. 3. L. FELICI. family seat was at Castamone, a town in Paphla-
COMNENAE. 5. L. NYMPHE. gonia, near the Black Sea, where Alexis Comnenus,
ET. COMNENO. 7. L. FELIONI. afterwards emperor, visited the palace of his ances-
C. SERVILIO. ALBANO.
tors during the reign of Michael VII. Ducas Para-
Six emperors of the East, — Isaac I. , Alexis I. , pinaces. Towards the close of the tenth century
Calo-Joannes (John II. ), Manuel I. , Alexis II. , two Comneni, Manuel and Nicephorus, becaine
and Andronicus I. , -all the emperors of Trebizond, conspicuous, who were probably brothers, and who
and a vast number of generals, statesmen, and are generally called the ancestors of the Comnenian
authors, were descended from the family of the family. The following table exhibits the genealogy
Comneni; but while almost all of them were dis- of this family, as far as it can be traced, together
tinguished by the choicest natural gifts both of with a brief account of each individual of it.
Manuel,
Nicephorus
Praefectus totius Orientis in A. D.
Protospatharius; praeſect of Aspracania (Media Superior)
976, under the emperor Basil II. ;
in 1016; blinded in 1026 by order of the emperor Con-
died before 1025.
stantine IX.
