When he had attended to this matter Severus entered Rome; he went as far as the gates on horseback and in cavalry costume, but from that point on changed to citizen’s garb and walked.  The entire army, both, infantry and cavalry, in full armor accompanied him.  The spectacle proved the most brilliant of all that I have witnessed, for the whole city had been decked with wreaths of blossoms and laurel and besides being adorned with richly colored stuffs blazed with lights and burning incense.  The population, clad in white and jubilant, gave utterance to many hopeful expressions.  The soldiers were present, conspicuous by their arms, as if participating [Footnote:  Reading [Greek:  pompeyontes] (Dindorf, after Bekker).] in some festival procession, and we, too, were walking about in our best attire.  The crowd chafed in their eagerness to see him and to hear him say something, as if his voice had been somehow changed by his good fortune, and some of them held one another up aloft to get a look at him from a higher position.

[Sidenote:—­2—­] Having entered in this style he began to make us rash promises, such as the good emperors of old had given, to the effect that he would not put any senator to death.  He not only took oath concerning this matter, but what was of greater import he also ordered it ratified by public decree, and passed an ordinance that both the emperor and the person who helped him in any such deed should be considered an enemy,—­themselves and also their children.  Yet he was himself the first to break the law and instead of keeping it caused the death of many persons.  Even Julius Solon himself, who framed this decree according to imperial mandate, was a little later murdered.  The emperor did many things that were not to our liking. [He was blamed for making the city turbulent by the multitude of soldiers and he oppressed the commonwealth by excessive expenditure of funds:  he was blamed most of all for placing his hope of safety in the strength of his army and not in the good-will of his companions.] But some found fault with him especially because, whereas it had been the custom for the body-guard to be drawn from Italy, Spain, Macedonia and Noricum only,—­a plan which furnished men more distinguished in appearance and of simpler habits,—­he had abolished this method, [He ruled that any vacancies should be filled from all the legions alike; this he did with the idea that he should find them as a result more conversant with military practices and should be setting up warfare as a kind of prize for the excellent.  As a matter of fact he incidentally ruined all the most reliable men of military age in Italy, who turned their attention to robbery and gladiatorial fighting in place of the service that had previously claimed it.] and filled the city with a throng of motley soldiers, most savage in appearance, most terrifying in their talk, and most uncultured to associate with.