I20 Before Chrift 31' 



magnificent than that of M. ^milius Lepidus, which, in his confulate, 

 thirty-five years before, was the fineft houfe in Rome*. [Plin. Hiji. nat. 

 L. xxxvi, c. 15.] 



31 — The naval battle of Adium gave the laft blow to the republican 

 form of government in Rome by throwing the whole undivided power 

 into the hands of Odavianus, the grandfon of Caefar's fifter, who after- 

 wards affumed the furname, or title, of Auguftus. 



29 — The great influx of money from the conquered provinces re- 

 duced the rate of intereft at Rome from ten to four per cent. 



25 — AmballL dors are faid to have been fent from India, and, accord- 

 ing to 1: lores, s'.fo from the Scythians, Sarmatians, and even the Seres, 

 to court the friendfliip of Augufiius, who was then in Spain. We are 

 told, that thofe of India were four years upon their journey ; and if fo, 

 they fet out two years after the battle of Adtium, which fcarcely allows 

 fufl^cient time for thofe very diftant nations to have received intelligence 

 of the good fortune and eflablifhed power of Auguftus f. [Florus^ L. 

 iv, c. 1 2. — Siietonin 0£lav.'] 



23 — Auguftus, having reduced Egypt to the condition of a province 

 of Rome, and being informed of the great opulence of the Arabians, 

 wifli'^d either to make ufe of them as wealthy friends, or to levy heavy 

 tributes from them as rich fubjeds. The army he fent into their coun- 

 try was wafted by famine, thirft, and difeafe, more than by battle ; and, 

 after having penetrated within two days journey, as they were told, of 

 the land of aromatics and frankincenfe, the rich objedl of their expedi- 

 tion, the remainder of them were glad to get back to Egypt. [Strabo, 

 L.xvi,p. 1 1 28.] That this invafion did not afFed the tranquillity, or 

 the commerce, of the Sabaeans, is evident from Diodorus Siculus, (who 

 wrote after this time) who fays, [Z. iii, § 47] that they had preferved 

 their liberty unimpared by any conqueft during many ages ; and, from 

 Pliny [L. vi, c. 28] we know, that no other Roman army had ever 

 marched into Arabia, when he wrote, about the 75th year of the Chrift- 

 ian aera. 



The Romans at the fame time made an expedition againft the Ethiop- 

 ians above Egypt, and reduced them to the neceflity of begging for 



* It may asjuftly be faid of the city of Edin- expedition of Trajan, lii/l. Je I'acarffmie royale, V, 



(lurgh, lliat many, which miyhtbe eftceiiied capital xxii) fufpcfts, that fuch embaflies were fometimes 



hoiifcs i.i it in the year 1 760, were cch'pfed by above mere farces, performed by lome foreign merchants, 



an hundred better ones in 1 790; a (lill fliorter who wanted to obtain favours from the emperors, 



period for fo great a clianj^e in the llilc of building. It is alfo probable, that the Romans of that age had 



It is Hill more to the honour of our Scottifli me- not any very accurate idea of what part of the 



iropolis, that the wealtli, by which ' the poor arc world was to be underrtood by the name of India, 



« cloath'd, the hungry fed, Health to himltlf, and and that fuch (lories were mere puffs. In modern 



' to his infants bread, The lab'rer bears,' in the times, and in the clear light fprcad over the world 



conftruclion of thofe beautiful and durable edifices, by the art of piiiiting, we are told, that ambafla- 



was not acquired, like that of the Romans, by the dors from Japan arrived in Holland in the year 



jilunder of the world. 1609, in order to negotiate a treaty of commerce 



\ Mr. Frcret (in a differlation on the caflcrn with the Dutch. 



