[Sidenote:—­20—­] Later he again made a plot against Alexander and, as the Pretorians raised an outcry at this, entered the camp with him.  Then, he became aware that he was under guard and awaiting execution, for the mothers of the two, being more openly at variance with each other than before, were stirring up the soldiers to action.  He then made an attempt to flee, and intended to escape to some point by being placed in a box, but was discovered and slain, having reached eighteen years of age.  His mother, who embraced and clung tightly to him, perished with him; their heads were cut off and their bodies, after being stripped naked, were first dragged all over the city, and then the woman’s trunk was cast off in some corner, while his was thrown into the river.

[Sidenote:—­21—­] With him perished Hierocles, and others, and the prefects; and Aurelius Eubulus, who was an Emesenian by race [and had gone so far in lewdness and defilement that his surrender had earlier been demanded by the populace].  He had been entrusted with the general accounts [Footnote:  One of the rationales summarum.] and there was nothing that escaped his confiscations.  So now he was torn to pieces by the populace and the soldiers, and Fulvius, the city prefect, with him.  Comazon succeeded the latter, as he had succeeded Fulvius’s predecessor.  Just as a mask used to be carried into the theatres to occupy the stage during the intervals in the acting, when it was left vacant by the comedians, so was Comazon put in the vacant place of the men who had been prefects in his day over the city of Rome.—­As for Elagabalus, [Footnote:  Elagabalus, the god.] he was banished from Rome altogether.

Such was the story of Tiberinus:  and none of those even who helped him arrange the uprising and attained great power in return, save perhaps a single individual, [Footnote:  This probably refers to Comazon.] survived.

DIO’S ROMAN HISTORY

80

Why Dio was not able to relate in detail the history of the reign of Alexander (chapter 1).

About Ulpian, Pretorian Prefect, and his death (chapter 2).

Undertakings of Artaxerxes the Persian against the Parthians and Romans (chapters 3, 4).

Dio’s second consulship, his return to his own country, and conclusion of the History (chapter 5).

DURATION OF TIME.

Duration of time eight years, in which the following are enumerated as consuls.

Antoninus Elagabalus (IV), M. Aurelius Severus Alexander Coss. (A.D. 222 = a.u. 975 = First of Alexander, from March 11th.)

L. Marius Maximus (II), L. Roscius AElianus. (A.D. 223 = a.u. 976 = Second of Alexander.)

Iulianus (II), Crispinus. (A.D. 224 = a.u. 977 = Third of Alexander.)

Fuscus (II), Dexter. (A.D. 225 = a.u. 978 = Fourth of Alexander.)

Alexander Aug. (II), C. Marcellus Quintilianus (II). (A.D. 226 = a.u. 979 = Fifth of Alexander.)