EGYPT. 



377 



History, 



Adrian. 

 A. D. UT. 



being banished from the territories of Rome, he would 

 not survive the disgrace, but put a period to his own 

 life. Under the prefecture of j*Elius Gallus, attempts 

 were made to obtain the riches of India, through Pales- 

 tine and Arabia ; and, while the governor was absent 

 in pursuit of that object, Candaci, the queen of jEthio- 

 pia, invaded Upper Egypt, and took seme of its cities. 

 But her aggressions were immediately repelled ; and 

 she would have suffered severe retaliation, had not the 

 clemency of Octavianus, who was now distinguished 

 by the name of Augustus Caesar, mitigated the sen- 

 tence, and treated her more mildly. 



The Jews fell under the displeasure of the Emperor 

 Caligula, because they refused to receive him as a dei- 

 ty ; and, by the orders of Avillius Flaccus, who was 

 then prefect of Egypt, their sacred places were pollu- 

 ted by the images and statues of the emperor; for, to 

 guard against idolatry, there was no painting or simi- 

 litude permitted to be seen in the Jewish devotions. 

 But, through the influence of Agrippa, the kiii;-elect 

 of Jerusalem, the prefect was removed from Egypt, 

 and banished to Andros. While Claudius was empe- 

 ror, the Roman conquests were extended into Africa, 

 and the college of Alexandria was improved in splen- 

 dour ; but Egypt was robbed of an obelisk, which was 

 conveyed to Rome, and placed upon Mount Vatican. 

 In the time of the Emperor Nero, the .lews were still 

 persecuted, and on their part they continued turbulent 

 and unwise, insomuch that, in a future reign, their tem- 

 ple at Onion was completely destroyed. 



While Adrian was emperor of Rome, he visited his 

 dominions in Egypt, and remained in that country for 

 the space of two years. It was a region well suited to 

 attract the notice of an enquiring man ; for Egypt had 

 long been famous, and it had become interesting to the 

 masters of Rome. A nation long accustomed to inde- 

 pendence, could not bend with easy submission to the 

 authority of foreign power ; and Egypt, which had 

 been distracted by internal commotions, before the dis- 

 solution of its government, was restless and seditious 

 when reduced to the condition of a Roman province. 

 To keep the people in check, they had been deprived 

 of several immunities, which Adrian now restored. He 

 enlarged the museum, reared again many public build- 

 ings which had been thrown down, and in many re- 

 ^pects his visit was favourable to tin- itor<vi of l-.gypt. 

 lie looked u(iuii the tomb of Pompey with mournful 

 meditations ; and he repaired, as well as beautified, that 

 simple but venerable mansion of the dead. 



In the reijjn of Aurelius, the affairs of Egypt were 

 turbulent and precarious. Some of the discontented, 

 ;md perhaps oppressed, inhabitants, had taken refuge in 

 the fens of the Delta ; and, refusing to pay tribute to 

 Home, they resisted its power, and destroyed not a few 

 of its servants. Many Greeks, who dwelt in Egypt, 

 joined tliN reliance, till they were suppressed by Avi- 

 dius Cas>itis. THuMCCttM leader aspired to the sove- 

 reignty of Rome, and would have been successful, if 

 his attempt had not been premature. But the report 

 of the Eni|x-ror Aurelius being dead, proving to be 

 false, Cassiud and his adherent* were vanquished, and 

 mini- of them put to death ; yet the clemency of Au- 

 relius was extended to Flavins Calvisius, the prefect of 

 Alexandria, who had surrendered the province into the 

 hands of the usurper. Ejfypt was also visited by the 

 Kinperor Severus, who viewed and repaired many of 

 the national monuments. To restrain the spirit of ma- 

 ifie, which was common in those days, and supposed to 



VOL. VIII. PAKT I. 



mislead the people, the Emperor collected the books ^ History. ^ 

 which treated upon that subject, as far as they could ^""Y"^^ 

 be obtained, and shut them up from the inspection of 

 the nation. 



But his son Caracalla was less favourable to Egypt. Caracalla. 

 The Alexandrians exposed his follies and vices to ridi- 

 cule ; and he cut off the followers of Aristotle from their 

 usual support in the schools of Alexandria. He exe- 

 cuted this purpose professedly from a dislike to the 

 sentiments of that philosopher, but in reality for the 

 purpose of injuring Alexandria. But this disguised 

 method of shewing hostility was soon exchanged for 

 open and avowed violence. His troops rushed into the 

 abodes of the unoffending inhabitants ; and, while the 

 whole city was full of terror and dismay, the unworthy 

 emperor viewed the scene from the temple of Serapis, 

 and smiled with savage pleasure. For several succes- 

 sive reigns, the Christians of Egypt were persecuted ; 

 and the nation was agitated by competing claims for 

 the government. 



Claudius was now invested with the imperial robes, Claudius, 

 and Egypt cheerfully acknowledged his authority ; but A - D - 2es - 

 Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, opened her pretensions to 

 the throne, because she belonged to the race of the 

 Ptolemies. But her pretensions were immediately re- 

 sisted ; and, though she had made a successful inroad 

 into Egypt, yet, in the reign of the following emperor 

 Aurelian, Zenobia was overthrown, and carried captive Zenobia. - 

 to Rome. Still, however, Egypt was not at rest : Fir- 

 mius, a person of great riches and power, was pro- 

 claimed king of Egypt ; and, after he was subdued, Ju- 

 lius Saturninus, a great general, and a worthy man, 

 was saluted king at Alexandria, with acclamations o4' 

 joy ; but he was soon taken, and finally put to death. 

 New claims to that kingdom still succeeded ; but, by 

 the firm yet temperate conduct of the emperor Diocle- Diodesuin. 

 sian, the nation was reduced to order and peace. 



About this time, the disturbances in Egypt assumed 

 a different appearance, and were mostly confined to 

 the Christians themselves. They had formerly been 

 subjected to suffering by their heathen adversaries ; but, 

 from the time that Constantine the Great shielded them 

 under the protection of the state, they gave themselves 

 up to subtile reasonings, and the various parties were 

 hostile to one another. The Egyptians were favour- 

 able to the Arian sentiments, because Arius, the au- 

 thor of them, was a jiopular presbyter of the church of 

 Alexandria. The principles of his opponent Athana- 

 sius, maintained, however, a considerable influence in 

 Egypt ; and at length, by a solemn decision, the senti- 

 ments of Arius were condemned. From this period, 

 the followers of AthanaMus were supported by the 

 power of the state ; but the Egyptians in general ad- 

 hered to their former opinions, and supported a patri- 

 arch of their own persuasion. 



When the Christian system was declared to be the 

 religion of the Roman empire, a scene of confusion and 

 violence ensued in Egypt. The heathen temples were 

 destroyed, and some of the indecent and lewd emblems 

 were exposed to public view. The multitude in gene- 

 ral adhering to the idol worship of their fathers, threw 

 themselves into an attitude of defence ; and, posting 

 themselves in the temple of Serapis, which was a strong 

 and massy building, they made a stout and long resist- 

 ance. But the royal mandate for destroying the hea- 

 then temples arrived ; the friends of idolatry were over- 

 powered ; and the god Serapis himself shivered into 

 pieces. But the human mind is ever apt to run intn 

 3 A 



