ntoninus and Greta, felt as if they
had got rid of a pedagogue in Plautianus, and their conduct was from this
time on irresponsible. They outraged women and abused boys, they embezzled
moneys and made friends of the gladiators and charioteers, emulating each
other in the similarity of their deeds and full of strife in their
respective rivalries. If one attached himself to any cause, the other
would be sure to choose the opposite side. Finally, they were pitted
against each other in some kind of exercise with teams of ponies and drove
with such fierce opposition that Antoninus fell out of the two-wheeled car
and broke his leg. [During his son's sickness that followed this accident
Severus neglected not one of his duties, but held court and managed all
affairs pertaining to his office. For this he was praised. But he was
blamed for murdering Plautianus Quintillus. [Footnote: This person's name
is properly _M. Plautius Quintillus_.] He executed also many of the
senators, some of whom had been accused before him, and made their defence
and had been convicted. But Quintillus,] a man of noblest birth, for a
long term of years counted among the foremost members of the senate,
standing at the gates of old age, one who lived in the country, interfered
in no one's business and did naught amiss, nevertheless became the prey of
sycophants and was put out of the way. As he was near death he called for
his funeral garments, which he had long since kept in readiness. On seeing
that they had fallen to pieces through lapse of time, he said: "Why did we
delay this!" And as he perfumed the place with burning incense, he
remarked: "I offer the same prayer as Servianus offered over Hadrian."
[Footnote: Compare Book Sixty-nine, chapter 17.]--Besides his death there
were also gladiatorial contests, in which among other features ten tigers
were slaughtered at once.

[Sidenote:--8--] After this came the _denouement_ of the Apronianus
affair,--a startling story even in the hearing. He incurred censure
because his nurse is said to have seen once in a vision that he should
enjoy sovereignty, and because he was believed to employ some magic to
this end. He was condemned while absent in his governorship of Asia. When
the evidence taken in his case was read to us, there was found written
there this statement,--that one person in charge of the investigation had
enquired who had told the dream and who had heard it, and that the man
interrogated had said