ANCIENT KINGS OF ARABIA. 133 



voked the wrath of the Cesars, whose empire at 

 this period extended as far as the Euphrates. Lu- 

 cullus, Pompey, Scaurus, Gabinius, and Marcellinus, 

 all proconsuls of Syria in succession, undertook ex- 

 peditions against them, under their kings, Aretas, 

 Malchus (Malek), and Obodas ; without, however, 

 gaining any other advantage than the payment of 

 tribute, or a temporary cessation of hostilities. 

 Antony and Herod defeated Malek in a general 

 action, and compelled him to render an annual im- 

 post to Cleopatra for certain portions of his territo- 

 ries bordering on Egypt ; but the tax was remitted 

 on the death of the Jewish prince. Plutarch men- 

 tions Agbar, an Arabian emir, who misled Crassus 

 to his destruction, and assisted Pompey in Ms expe- 

 dition against Petra.* Augustus pretended to the 

 right of imposing a new king on the Arabs ; but they 

 elected a sovereign of their own, who assumed the 

 name of Aretas, and continued, as his predecessor 

 Obodas had done, on friendly terms with the Romans 

 until his death, about forty years after the Christian 

 era.f 



It was in the reign of Augustus that .^Elius Gallus, 

 prefect of Egypt, undertook his famous expedition 

 into Yemen, being the only Roman general who 

 penetrated into that country. His force consisted 

 of 80 ships of Avar, 130 transports, 10,000 Roman 

 infantry, 500 Jews, and 1000 Nabathasans. The 

 emperor had heard of the extreme wealth of the 

 Sabaians ; and the object of this formidable arma- 

 ment was either to conquer or concihate them. The 

 success of the enterprise was not equal to its mag- 



* Pint, in Pomp. Dion Cassius, lib. xlviii. p. 234. Appian. 

 De Bell. Civil. Hirtius speaks of Malek as one of the allied 

 kings to whom Julius Caesar sent for cavalry. De Bell. Ales- 

 and. 



t This \va3 the Aretas mentioned by St. Paul, whose ven- 

 geance he eluded, being let down from a window in a basket.— 

 2 Cox. XI. 32. 



Vol. I.— M 



