"You two stand facing me," Commodus commanded. "Stand on either side of
Andivius."
They so placed themselves with a very bad grace.
The Emperor raised his voice.
"Come near, all you senators," he commanded. "I want all of you to hear
what I am about to say and to be witnesses to it."
Everybody, senators, knights and commoners crowded as close to the throne
as etiquette and the ushers would allow.
"Now listen to me," spoke Commodus. "You know I hate all sorts of official
business and should greatly prefer to put my entire time and energies on
athletics, horsemanship and swordsmanship, archery and other things really
worth while. I make no secret of my love for the activities at which I am
best and of my detestation of my duties.
"But, just because I hate my duties, it does not follow that I neglect
them. A lot of you think I do. I'll show you you are not always right, nor
often right. Just because I surround myself with wrestlers and charioteers
and gladiators and other good fellows, not with senile self-styled
philosophers, prosy and with unkempt beards and rough cloaks, as my father
did, half of you think I am incapable of being serious, or haven't
intellect enough to understand government or sense enough to care for the
Empire.
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