[Sidenote:—­13—­] Though in truth he was praised by some for this (and not without reason), still he incurred (on the part of the sensible) a censure that quite counterbalanced it.  The adverse sentiment in question was due to the fact that he enrolled certain persons in the ranks of ex-consuls and immediately assigned them to governorships of provinces.  Yet he refused the following year to have the reputation of being consul twice because he had the honors of ex-consul:  this was a practice begun during the reign of Severus and followed also by the latter’s son.  This procedure, however, both in his own case and in that of Adventus was lawful enough, but he showed great folly in sending Marcius Agrippa first into Pannonia and later into Dacia to govern.  The previous officials of the districts mentioned,—­Sabinus and Castinus,—­he summoned at once to his side, pretending that he wanted their company, but really because he feared their surpassing spirit and their friendship for Caracalla.  It was in this way that he came to despatch Agrippa to Dacia and Deccius Triccianus [Footnote:  AElius Deccius Triccianus.] to Pannonia.  The former had been a slave acting as master of wardrobe for some woman and for this cause [Footnote:  It is hard to see why, unless in the age of Severus slaves were forbidden to have charge of women’s attire.] had been tried by Severus, although at the time he was attached to the fiscus; he had then been driven out to an island for betraying some interest, was subsequently restored, together with the rest, by Tarautas, had taken charge of his decisions and letters, and finally had been degraded to the position of senator, with ex-consular rank, because he had admitted overgrown lads into the army.  Triccianus served in the rank and file of the Pannonian contingent, had once been porter to the governor of that country, and was at this time commanding the Alban legion.

[Sidenote:—­14—­] These were some of the grounds that led many persons to find fault with him.  Another was his elevation of Adventus.  Adventus had drawn pay as one of the spies and detectives, had left his position there and served among the letter-carriers, had later been appointed cubicularius, and still later was advanced to a position as procurator.  Now although old age prevented him from seeing, lack of education from reading, and want of experience from being able to accomplish anything, the emperor made him senator, fellow-consul, and prefect of the city.  This upstart had dared to say to the soldiers after the death of Caracalla:  “The sovereignty properly belongs to me, since I am elder than Macrinus:  but inasmuch as I am extremely old, I make way for him.”  His behavior was regarded as nonsensical, as was also that of Macrinus, in granting the greatest dignity of the senate to such a man, who could not when consul carry on a plain conversation with anybody in the senate, and consequently on the day of elections pretended to be sick.  Hence, before long Macrinus