against Authority and common Belief. However since there is but one Historian who delivers this Passage, and even he none of the most considerable for Indifferency, Judgment, and Exactness, one may very well imagine that the Credit of this Sentence is not so much owing to its own Truth, as to the Negligence and Inadvertency of those that took it upon Trust. For granting the Empire was really Faustina's Portion; as we must suppose in Favour to the Historian, this Answer notwithstanding would have been improper, and unworthy the Character of Antoninus ; who scorn'd to hold the Empire of the World, by such a scandalous Tenure : [1] But then the Empire's being Faustina's Dower was so far from Matter of Fact, that it was really settled upon Antoninus before there was any Prospect of this Marriage : For when Adrian Adopted this Emperour, he oblig'd him to a Contrast with the Daughter of Lucius Commodus.
That Satyrical Stage-Jingle upon the Name of Tertullus, when the Emperour was at a Play, proves nothing; For Antoninus had no necessity of taking this Jest [2]
- ↑ Capitol. 4.
- ↑ At a certain Play where the Emperour was present. One of the Actors ask'd another, What was the Name of the Ladies Gallant, or Whore-Master? The other made Answer as it were with some little Difficulty of Recollection, Tullius, Tullus, Tullus. He that put the Question, being impatient to know the Name, replies, what say you? I told you, says his Friend in the Dialogue, Ter Tullus, that is I have repeated Tullus ter, or thrice, which is as much as to say the Mans Name is Tertullus. Capitol. 20.
