] and acceptance, he closed with the
proposals of the praetorian cohorts, at the rate of about ninety-six
pounds per man; which largess he paid by bringing to sale the rich
furniture of the last emperor. The danger which usually threatened a Roman
Caesar in such cases was--lest he should not be able to fulfill his
contract. But in the case of Pertinax the danger began from the moment
when he _had_ fulfilled it. Conceiving himself to be now released
from his dependency, he commenced his reforms, civil as well as military,
with a zeal which alarmed all those who had an interest in maintaining the
old abuses. To two great factions he thus made himself especially
obnoxious--to the praetorian cohorts, and to the courtiers under the last
reign. The connecting link between these two parties was Laetus, who
belonged personally to the last, and still retained his influence with the
first. Possibly his fears were alarmed; but, at all events, his cupidity
was not satisfied. He conceived himself to have been ill rewarded; and,
immediately resorting to the same weapons which he had used against
Commodus, he stimulated the praetorian guards to murder the emperor.
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