omething which never occurred before or after. One
of those consuls was Severus, who later became emperor. The man obtained
money, therefore, from every quarter and amassed more wealth than had ever
yet belonged to those nominated cubicularii. A great deal of it he gave to
Commodus and his concubines and a great deal of it he spent on houses,
baths, and other works useful to individuals and to cities.

[Sidenote:--13--] This Cleander, who had soared to so exalted a height,
himself fell suddenly and perished in dishonor. It was not the soldiers
that killed him, as they had Perennis, but the populace. There occurred a
real and pressing famine, which was increased to the utmost severity by
Papirius Dionysius, the grain commissioner, in order that Cleander, whose
thefts would seem as much responsible for it as any cause, might both
incur hatred and suffer destruction at the hands of the Romans. So it fell
out. There was a horse-race on, and as the horses were about to contend
for the seventh time a crowd of children ran into the race course, at
their head a tall and sturdy maiden. As a result of what subsequently
happened she was deemed by people to have been a divinity. The children
shouted many wild words of complaint, which the people took up again and
began to bawl anything that came into their heads. Finally, the throng
jumped down and started to find Commodus (who was then in the Quintilian
suburb), invoking many blessings on his head but many curses upon
Cleander. The latter sent some soldiers against them, who wounded and
killed a few, but encouraged by their numbers and the strength of the
Pretorians they became still more urgent. They drew near to Commodus
before information reached him from any source of what was going on. Then
the famous Marcia, wife of Quadratus, brought him the news. And Commodus
was so terrified,--he was always the veriest coward,--that he at once
ordered Cleander to be slain and also his child, who was in Commodus's
hands to be reared. The child was dashed to the earth and perished, and
the Romans, taking the body of Cleander, dragged it away and abused it and
carried his head all about the city on a pole. They also wounded some
other men who had possessed great power during his ascendancy.

[Sidenote:--14--] Commodus, taking a respite from his lusts and sports,
developed a taste for blood and proceeded to compass the death of
distinguished men. Among these was Julianus the prefect, whom he u