This chapter is about 70% Commodus and 30% Pertinax; the former reigned for 13 years and the latter less than three months. Though from what Gibbon says, Pertinax is much the more attractive of the two as characters.

Some serious misogyny here, as Gibbon condemns the loose morals of Faustina and Lucilla (and poor Lucilla is condemned for having tried something very sensible, the assassination of Commodus). Meanwhile Commodus is condemned by Gibbon not so much for shagging lots of women and boys, but more for fighting as a gladiator.

A lot about Commodus himself, but it is rather long on outrage and short on detail; compared to Caligula he seems fairly small beer. Just a nice turn of phrase at the end about Lucilla’s husband, “who lamented the cruel fate of his brother-in-law, and lamented still more that he had deserved it.”

But then the story of Pertinax is told succinctly and well. An old man, unexpectedly made emperor, trying to do his best to undo his predecessor’s mistakes and then move forward, but very quickly brought down by the military. Gibbon has been warning all through of the problems of the unaccountable power of the military, especially (as in this case) the Prætorian Guards, and this is an object lesson – in fact, I think the first time the Prætorians ended an Emperor’s reign, though they had previously been responsible for Claudius’ accession.