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6.7
To the emperor’s cruelty deadly incentive was given by his father-in- lawThe wife of Valens was Albia Dominica. Petronius, who from the command of the Martensian legionApparently so named from the Marteni, a people of Babylonia. On the praepositi, see vol. i., Index II. had by a sudden jump been promoted to the rank of patrician.See Introd., vol. i, p. xxviii. He was a man ugly in spirit and in appearance, who, burning with an immoderate longing to strip everyone without distinction, condemned guilty and innocent alike, after exquisite tortures, to fourfold indemnities, looking up debts going back to the time of the emperor Aurelian,He ruled from 270-275. and grieving excessively if he was obliged to let any one escape unscathed.
6.8
Along with his intolerable character he had this additional incentive to his devastations, that while he was enriching himself through the woes of others, he was inexorable, cruel, savage and fearlessly hardhearted, never capable of giving or receiving reason, more hated than Cleander,See Dio, lxii. 12, 13; Lamprid., Commodus, 6, 7. who, as we read, when prefect under the emperor Commodus, in his haughty madness had ruined the fortunes of many men; more oppressive than Plautianus,See Dio, lxxv. 14-16. also a prefect under Severus, who with superhuman arrogance would have caused general confusion, if he had not perished by the avenging sword.
