PERTINAX, an illustrious Roman emperor, who succeeded the detested Commodus. He was descended of a mean family, and, like his father, who was either a slave or the son of a manumitted slave, he for some time followed the humble employment of drying wood and making charcoal. His poverty did not, however, prevent him from receiving a liberal education. For some time he was employed in teaching a number of pupils the Greek and the Roman languages in Etruria. But having left this laborious profession, he became [7:17:292]a soldier, and by his valour and intrepidity gradually rose to offices of the highest trust in the army, and for his services was made consul by Μ. Aurelius. He was afterwards entrusted with the government of Moesia, and at length presided over the city of Rome as governor. When Commodus was murdered, Pertinax was universally chosen to succeed him in the imperial dignity; and his refusal, on the plea of old age and increasing infirmities, did not prevent his being saluted emperor and Augustus. He complied with reluctance; but his mildness, his economy, and his popularity, convinced the senate and the people of the prudence and the justice of their choice. He forbade his name to be inscribed on such places or estates as formed part of the imperial domains, and asserted that they belonged not to him but to the public. He melted all the silver statues which had been raised to his predecessor, and exposed to sale his concubines, horses, arms, and all the instruments of his pleasure and extravagance. With the money raised from these sources he enriched the empire, and was enabled to abolish all the taxes which Commodus had laid on the rivers, ports, and highways, throughout the empire. These patriotic actions gained him the affection of the worthiest and most discerning of his subjects; but the extravagant, luxurious, and vicious, raised a loud clamour against him; and when the emperor attempted to introduce amongst the praetorian guards such discipline as was absolutely necessary to preserve the peace and tranquillity of Rome, the flames of rebellion were kindled, and the minds of the soldiers completely alienated. Pertinax was apprized of their mutiny, but refused to fly at the hour of danger. Disregarding the advice of such of his friends as wished him to withdraw from the impending storm, he unexpectedly appeared before the seditious troops, and, without fear or concern, boldly asked them whether they who were bound by duty to defend the person of their prince and emperor, were come to betray him and to shed his blood? His undaunted courage and intrepidity would have had the desired effect, and the soldiers had begun to retire, when one of the most seditious of them advanced, and darted his javelin at the emperor’s breast, exclaiming, “The soldiers send you this.” The rest instantly followed the example; and Pertinax, muffling up his head, and calling upon Jupiter to avenge his death, remained unmoved, and was immediately despatched. His head was cut off and carried in triumph to the camp upon the point of a spear. This abominable murder happened in the 103d year of the Christian era.

It was no sooner known that Pertinax had been murdered, than the enraged populace flocked from all quarters of the city, and, uttering dreadful menaces against the authors of his death, ran up and down the streets in quest of them. The senators were no less concerned for his death than the people, probably because they were now convinced that the soldiers would suffer none but tyrants to reign. However, as they had' more to lose than the common people, they did not offer to revenge his death, but either shut themselves up in their own houses, or in those of the soldiers of their acquaintance. Such was the unfortunate and lamented end of Publius Helvius Pertinax, after he had lived sixty-six years, seven months, and twenty-six or twenty-eight clays; and reigned, according to Dio Cassius, eighty-seven days, that is, from the 1st of January to the 28th of March. His body, together with his head, was interred with great pomp by Didius Julianus, his successor, in the burying-place of his wife’s family. Septimius Severus, with the title of emperor, assumed the name of Pertinax, which he knew would, above any thing else, recommend him to the army in Illyricum, and to the Roman people. He punished with great severity all those who had been accessory to his death; disbanded the praetorian guards; honoured his memory with a most magnificent funeral, at which was carried the effigies of the deceased prince; pronounced his panegyric, and caused him to be ranked in the number of the gods, appointing the son chief priest to his father. The day of his accession to the empire was yearly celebrated with the Circensian games, and his birth-day, for many years afterwards, with other sports. He performed great things, says Herodian, during his short administration, and would have restored the empire to its former lustre, had he been indulged with a longer reign.