Thus there came to the empire only experienced men, who
without confusion assumed the throne of their adoptive fathers.
=Government of the Antonines.=--This century of the Antonines was the
calmest that the ancient world had ever known. Wars were relegated to
the frontier of the empire. In the interior there were still military
seditions, tyranny, and arbitrary condemnations. The Antonines held
the army in check, organized a council of state of jurisconsults,
established tribunals, and replaced the freedmen who had so long
irritated the Romans under the twelve Caesars by regular functionaries
taken from among the men of the second class--that is, the knights.
The emperor was no longer a tyrant served by the soldiers; he was
truly the first magistrate of the republic, using his authority only
for the good of the citizens. The last two Antonines especially,
Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius, honored the empire by their integrity.
Both lived simply, like ordinary men, although they were very rich,
without anything that resembled a court or a palace, never giving the
impression that they were masters.
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