Before Chriil 200 — 170. 103 



200 to T 49 — The Romans, no longer apprehending any oppofition from 

 Carthage, fet no bounds to their ambition, cruelty, and contempt of na- 

 tional faith. They interfered in the moft infolent and arbitrary manner 

 in the affairs of all nations, and took upon them to regulate, or rather to 

 pervert.thefucceflion of kings. Perfeus kingof Macedonia, Antiochus king 

 of Syria, and a multitude of fmaller kings and ftates, including all the Gal- 

 lic part of Italy and almoft the whole peninfula of Spain, were fubjecled 

 to the dominion of Rome. Antiochus, and feveral others of the Afiatic 

 princes, were permitted to retain a nominal royalty. But they were 

 merely deputed magiftrates, effectually deprived of fovereign power, and 

 particularly of their naval force : and, after affifling in the redudion of 

 their neighboui-s, wherein they gratified their refentments without con- 

 fidering that they were thereby accelerating their own deftrucT:ion, they 

 were flripped of their tolerated fhadow of power, and had only the com- 

 fort, which, according to the fable, Polyphemus promifed to UlyiFes, of 

 being laft devoured. Such is the brief hiftory of the Romans for about 

 half a century, as colleded from their own writers and the romanized 



Greeks What would it be, if the hiftorians of other nations were alio 



extant to tell the tale ? 



According to Appian, the commerce of the Carthaginians began to 

 fpring up with renewed vigour almofi: iinmediately after the conclufion 

 of the difaftrous v^ar with Rome, noiwithftanding their lofs of territory, 

 the deftruction of their warlike (hips, and the heavy burthen of two 

 hundred talents paid every year to the Romans. A clear proof, that 

 commerce needs not the fupport of power or of laws to bind markets to 

 it, and that the mercantile fpirit of Carthage was capable of rifing fu- 

 perior to every difficulty. And fuch is the vigorous nature of a judici- 

 oufly-conduded trade, that they would have furmounted all their hard- 

 fhips, and long continued to flourifli, had it been pollible for any mer- 

 cantile nation to flourifh within the grafp of Rome. 



About 170 — Secure as yet -beyond the fartheft reach of Roman inva- 

 fion, commerce fiourifhed in tranquillity among the inhabitants of the 

 fouth coaft of Arabia*. We are indebted to Agatharchides, an author 

 who fiourifhed in the reign of Ptolemy Philometor, for a fplendid and 

 interefting defcription of their commercial profperity, and of their trade 

 with India and other oriental countries, which I give, as nearly as a 

 tranflated abridgement can be, in his own words. 



The Sabseans, who poffels the fouthern extremity of Arabia, are the 



* It does not appear that the Romans ever of this land of frankincenfe and perfumes. [P^n. 

 made any confiderable or lafting acquifitlons in the L. vl, c. 28 — Sirabo, L. xvi, ^. 1 12S.] The com- 

 fouth part of Arabia. When Ph'ny was employ- plcte conqiielt of Arabia, and particularly the de- 

 ed upon his Natural hiftory (about the 75th year llruttion of the noble commercial city of Arabia 

 of the Chriftian sera) no Roman general had ever Felix, has been afcribed to Trajan, but contrary to 

 led an army into Arabia, except /Elius Gallus, authority, 

 whofe fartheft progrefswas two day's journey fliott 



