 Although he appeared to be an unlikely candidate on account of his age and weak health , <unk> was considered a safe choice precisely because he was old and <unk> . Furthermore , he had close connections with the <unk> dynasty and commanded the respect of a substantial part of the Senate . <unk> had seen the anarchy which had resulted from the death of <unk> ; he knew that to <unk> even for a few hours could lead to violent civil conflict . Rather than decline the invitation and risk <unk> , he accepted . The decision may have been hasty so as to avoid civil war , but neither the Senate nor <unk> appears to have been involved in the conspiracy against <unk> . 
