A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

AURELIUS.
of the Thundering Legion. Those who may desire
to investigate this question will find the subject
fully discussed in the correspondence between King
and Moyle. (Moyle's Works, vol. ii. Lond. 1726.)
There is an excellent summary of the whole argument in Lardner's "Jewish and Heathen Testimonies" (chap. xv.), and many useful remarks are to
be found in Milman's History of Christianity (chap.
vii.), and in the Bishop of Lincoln's "Illustrations,
&c. from Tertullian" (p. 105). An attempt has
been made recently to restore the credit of the supposed miracle, in the essay by Mr. Newman, prefixed
to a portion of Fleury's " Ecclesiastical History,"
published at Oxford in 1842.
Whatever opinion we may form upon the subject of debate, we may feel certain of the fact, that
the Romans were rescued from a very critical
situation by a sudden storm, and gained an important victory over their opponents. That they
attributed their preservation to the direct interposition of heaven is proved by the testimonies of the
ancient historians, and also by the sculptures of
the Antonine column, where a figure supposed to
represent Jupiter Pluvius is seen sending down
streams of water from his arms and head, which
the Roman soldiers below catch in the hollow of
their shields.
This success, and the circumstances by which it
was accompanied, seem to have struck terror into
the surrounding nations, who now tendered submission or claimed protection. But the fruits were
in a great measure lost, for the emperor was prevented from following up the advantage gained, in
consequence of the alarm caused by unexpected
disturbances which had broken out in the East,
and had quickly assumed a very formidable aspect.
Faustina had long watched with anxiety the declining health of her husband, and anticipating his
speedy death, was filled with alarm lest, from
the youth and incapacity of her son Commodus,
the empire might pass away into other hands. She
blad, therefore, opened a correspondence with Avidius Cassius, who had gained great fame in the
Parthian war commemorated above, who had subsequently suppressed a serious insurrection in
Egypt, and had acted as supreme governor of the
Eastern provinces after the departure of Lucius
Verus. Her object was to persuade him to hold
himself in readiness to aid her projects, and she
offered him her hand and the throne as his rewards.
While Cassius was meditating upon these proposals, he suddenly received intelligence that Marcus
was dead, and forthwith, without waiting for a
confirmation of the news, caused himself to be proclaimed his successor. The falseness of the rumour
soon became known, but deeming that his offence
was beyond forgiveness, he determined to prosecute the enterprise; within a short period he made
himself master of all Asia within Mount Taurus,
and resolved to maintain his pretensions by force.
A report of these transactions was forthwith transmitted to Rome by M.Verus, the legate commanding
in Cappadocia. Aurelius, who was still in Pannonia, summoned his son to his presence in all haste,
and bestowed on him the manly gown, intending
to set out instantly for the seat of war. But in the
midst of active preparations for a campaign Cassius
was assassinated by two of his own officers, after
having enjoyed a nominal sovereignty for three
months and six days. His son soon after shared
the same fate. The conduct of Marcus throughout

AURELIUS. 441
the whole of this rebellion can scarcely fail to excite the warmest admiration. In the mournful
address delivered to his soldiers, he bitterly deplores that he should be forced to engage in a contest so revolting to his feelings as civil strife. His
chief dread was that Cassius, from shame or remorse, might put an end to his own life, or fall by
the hand of some loyal subject-his fondest wish,
that he might have an opportunity of granting a
free pardon. Nor did this forgiving temper exhaust
itself in words. When the head of the traitor was
laid at his feet, he rejected with horror the bloody
offering, and refused to admit the murderers to his
presence. On repairing to the East, where his
presence was thought necessary to restore tranquillity and order, he displayed the greatest lenity
towards those provinces which had acknowledged
the usurper, and towards those senators and persons of distinction who were proved to have favoured his designs. Not one individual suffered
death; few were punished in any shape, except
such as had been guilty of other crimes; and
finally, to establish perfect confidence in all, he
ordered the papers of Cassius to be destroyed without suffering them to be read. During this expedition, Faustina, who had accompanied her husband,
died in a village among the defiles of Taurus.
According to some, her end was caused by an attack of gout; according to others, it was hastened
by her own act, in order to escape the punishment
which she feared would inevitably follow the discovery of her negotiations with Cassius. Her guilt
in this matter is spoken of by Dion without any
expression of doubt; is mentioned by Capitolinus as
a report only, and positively denied by Vulcatius;
but the arguments employed by the latter are of
no weight.
After visiting Egypt, the emperor set out for
Italy, touched at Athens on his homeward journey,
reached Brundusium towards the end of the year
176, and celebrated a triumph along with Commodus, now consul elect, on the 23rd of December.
Scarcely was this ceremony concluded, when fresh
tumults arose upon the Danube, where the presence
of the emperor was once more required. Accordingly, after concluding somewhat earlier than he had
intended the nuptials of Commodus and Crispina, he
quitted Rome along with his son, in the month of
August (177), and hastened to Germany. During
the two following years his operations were attended
with the most prosperous results. The Marcomanni,
the Hermanduri, the Sarmatae, and the Quadi, were
repeatedly routed, their confederacy was broken up,
and everything seemed to promise that they would
at length be effectually crushed. But the shattered constitution of Marcus now sunk beneath the
pressure of mental and bodily fatigue. He died in
Pannonia, either at Vindobona (Vienna) or at Sirmium, on the 17th of March, 180, in the 59th
year of his age and the 20th of his reign. A
strong suspicion prevailed that his death had been
accelerated by the machinations of his son, who
was accused of having tampered with the physicians, and persuaded them to administer poison.
The leading feature in the character of M. Aurelius was his devotion to philosophy and literature.
When only twelve years old he adopted the dress
and practised the austerities of the Stoics, whose
doctrines were imparted to him by the most celebrated teachers of the day-Diognotus, Apollonius,
and Junius Rusticus. He studied the principles