CHAP. VIII. 



IN ROME. 187 



cities large accumulations of sacred treasure 

 stored up ; probably in the temples. During 

 the long reign of Augustus, regular tribute in 

 silver continued to be drawn to Rome from 

 Gaul ; nor do the slight insurrections which 

 occasionally broke out in that country seem to 

 have suspended the transmission of it. Spain, 

 notwithstanding the disturbances which occurred 

 among the Cantabrians and Asturians in the 

 early period of his reign, paid a tribute to 

 Augustus, which was stored up in the two 

 cities he founded Caesar Augusta, and Augusta 

 Emerita, now known to us by the more modern 

 names of Saragosa and Merida. Africa, including 

 Egypt, and even Carthage, which had begun 

 to revive since its last fatal struggle with the 

 Roman power, furnished a proportion of its 

 wealth in the form of tribute. That might 

 have been diminished in some degree by the 

 expenses of the wild expedition undertaken by 

 the orders of Augustus, and conducted by 

 ^Elius Gallus against the southern Africans. 

 Their country was reported to the emperor to 

 be rich in gold and silver, and he resolved to 

 acquire possession of the treasures either by 

 hostilities or by treaties of amity. With this 

 view, an expedition consisting of ten thousand 

 men was equipped. They were joined by five 

 hundred of the body guard of Herod, king of 

 Judea, and further augmented by one thousand 



