Commodus killed also Julianus [Salvius, [Footnote:  P.  Salvius Julianus.] and Tarrutenius Paternus, who was numbered among the exconsuls, and others with them; he furthermore put to death some woman of the nobility. [Footnote:  Vitrasia Faustina by name.] Yet Julianus after the death of Marcus could at once have done anything at all that he pleased against him, since he possessed great renown, was in charge of a large army, and enjoyed the devotion of his soldiers:  and he refused to make any rebellious move, both because of his own uprightness and because of the good will that he bore to Marcus, though dead.  And Paternus, if he had plotted against Commodus, as he was accused of doing, could easily have murdered him while he himself still commanded the Pretorians; but he had not done it.]

The emperor murdered likewise Condianus and Maximus Quintilius; for they had a great reputation on account of education and military ability and fraternal harmony and wealth.  Their notable talents led to the suspicion that, even if they were not planning any hostile movement, still they were not pleased with the state of affairs.  Thus, even as they had lived together, so they died together, and one child as well.  They had exhibited the most striking example ever seen of affection for each other, and at no time had they been divided, even in their political offices.  They had grown prosperous and exceedingly wealthy and were wont to govern together and to assist each other in trying cases at law.

Sextus Condianus, son of Maximus, who surpassed the generality of men in character and education, when be heard that sentence of death had been passed upon him, too, drank hare’s blood (he was at that time located in Syria); and after this he mounted a horse and purposely fell from it.  Then, as he vomited the blood (which was supposed to be his own), he was taken up in the expectation of his immediate demise and conveyed into a dwelling.  The man himself now disappeared from view, but a ram’s body was placed in a coffin, in his place and burned.  Thereafter, by constantly changing his appearance and clothing, he wandered about, now here, now there.  And when this story was reported (for it is impossible to conceal for a long time so weighty a matter), there was hue and cry after him in every place, bar none.  Many were punished in his stead on account of their resemblance, and many, too, who were alleged to have shared his confidences or to have received and hidden him.  Several, moreover, who had perhaps never even seen him, were deprived of their property.  But no one knows whether he was really killed (though a great number of heads purporting to be his were carried to Rome) or whether he made good his escape.

Some other person, after the death of Commodus, dared to assert that he was Sextus and to undertake the recovery of his wealth and dignities.  And he played the part well while many persons asked him numbers of questions:  when, however, Pertinax enquired of him something about Grecian affairs, with which the real Sextus had been well acquainted, he suffered the greatest embarrassment, not being able even to understand what was said. [So it was that nature had made him like Condianus in form and practice like him in other ways, but he did not share in his education.]