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matian? in one day ; and within fome few fiicceeding days, 

 950 ; fo that he became the fubjcdt of popular fongs, which 

 were fung by the youth at the public feltivals. Aurelian 

 was the firft Roman who fought again ft the Franks, and 

 fubdued them. As chief commander of the cavalry, to 

 which office he was advanced from the low ftation of a com- 

 mon folditr, he was a ftrict obfei ver of military difcipiine, 

 and punifhed with the utnnft feverity the fmalkll neglect of 

 duty on the part of his folJiers, and the fligliteft injury 

 done by any of them to the inhabitants of the provinces 

 through wViich he marched. His military talents and con- 

 duct attrafted the peculiar attention of the emperor Valerian, 

 who appointed him infpeftor and reformer of all the Roman 

 camps, gave him the command of Illyricum, under Ulpius 

 Crinitus, a defcendant of the fame family with Trajan, by 

 whom he was adopted, and whofe daughter he married ; and 

 at length, A. D. 2j8, created him conful, with a fpecial 

 order, that, on account of his poverty, the public treal'ury 

 fiiould defray the expences which that high office incurred. 

 Under Gallienus we lind no mention of him, either bec^ufe 

 that emperor had removed him from jcaloufy of his merit, 

 or becaufe he himfelf did not chufe to ferve a prince fo 

 indolent and defpicahle. Claudius 11. upon his advancement 

 to the empire, duly appreciated the merit of Aurelian, and 

 was affifted by him in the defeat of Aureolus. In the war 

 againft the Goths he was eminently dillinguiilied ; and this 

 difccrning emperor on his death-bed recommended him as 

 the fitteft perfon to be his fucccffor. Accordingly Aurelian 

 was eledled to the empire by the legions of Illyricum, in the 

 year 270 ; and after the death of Quintillus, the brother of 

 Claudius, who clofed a fhort reign of feventeen days by 

 opening his veins, the eleftion of Aurelian was confirmed 

 by the fenate, and he was honoured with the title of Au- 

 guftus. Having been thus acknowledged and invefted with 

 the imperial dignity at Rome, he returned to Pannonia, 

 which the Goths had threatened with a new invafion. The 

 Goths before his arrival had paffed the Danube ; but, after 

 an indecifive battle, which was terminated by the approach 

 of night, the Barbarians retreated, and re-crofTed the river, 

 and fent deputies to fue for peace, which was granted them 

 by the emperor. Having withdrawn the Roman troops 

 from Dacia, and relinquiOied that province to the Goths 

 and Vandals, he hailened to Italy to repel an incurfion of 

 the AUemanni, and other German tribes. After three fuc- 

 ceffive victories, the firft near Placentia, a fecond at Fano 

 near the river Metaurus, and a third in the plains of Pici- 

 num, now Pavia, he drove thofe Barbarians out of Italy, 

 and refcued Rome from the calamities which were appre- 

 hended, and which the city had endeavoured to avert by a 

 variety of fupcrftitious praAices, fanftioned by the concur- 

 rence of the emperor himfelf, with a view of appeafmg the 

 anger of the gods. 



Aurelian, on his return to the capital, put to death fcve- 

 ral fenators, who were fufpefted of having been concerned 

 in confpiracies againft him ; and having enlarged the city, 

 he provided for its future fecurity by ereding new walls, 

 which bore his name, thovigh they were not finiflied till the 

 reign of Probus. The extent of thefe walls was magnified 

 by popular eltimition to near fifty, but has been reduced 

 by accurate adiiieafurcment to about twenty one, miles. 



About this time Aurelian marched into GaiJ, which had 

 been for fome time diftraftedand opprcCcd by a rapid fuc- 

 cefGon of ufurpers, and where Tctricus, who, from being 

 governor of the peaceful province of Aquitaine, hadallumed 

 the enfigns of royalty, and reigned four or five years over 

 Gaul, Spain, ar.d Britain, •' the (lave and f)vereign," lays 

 Gibbon,' '■ of a liceiUious army, whom he dreaded, and by 



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whom hewasdefpifed." The power of Tetricus, however, 

 was of precarious duration ; and he invited Aurelian to haf- 

 ten to his relief. Accordingly, in the fummer of the year 

 271, AurcUan arrived in Gaul; and Tctricus, in order to 

 difguife the aft of treafon by which he was about to refign 

 the fcejjtre of the weft, affeftcd the appearances of a civil 

 war, and led his forces into the field againft the emperor; 

 but he poftcd them in the moftdifadvantageous manner, be- 

 trayed hi^ own counfch to the enemy, and with a few chofen 

 friends deftrtcd in the beginning of the aftion. The rebel 

 legions, though difordercd and difmayed by the unexpccied 

 treacheiy of their chief, defended themfelves with defperatc 

 valour, till they were cut in pieces almoft to a man, in the 

 bloody aird memorable battle, which was fought near Cha- 

 lons, iii Champagne. The retreat of the irregular auxili- 

 aries, Franks and Batavians, whom the conqueror foon com- 

 pelled or perfuaded to rcpafs the Rhine, rcftorcd the ge- 

 neral tranquillity, and the power of Aureli.m was acknow- 

 ledged from the v/aR of Antoninus to the columns of Her- 

 cules. 



Aurelian, having fecured the perfon and the proWnces of 

 Tetricus, turned his arms, A. D. 272, againft Zencbia, the 

 celebrated queen of Palmyra and the Eaft. Upon his ar- 

 rival in Ada, he advanced at the head of his legions, and 

 took pofleffion of Ancyra and Tyana ; and as he approached 

 Antioch, it was deferted by the inhabitants ; but by his fa- 

 lutary edifts he recalled the fugitives, and granted a general 

 pardon to all, who, from neceffity rather than choice, had 

 been engaged in the fervice of the Palmyrenian queen. This 

 unexpefted mildncfs of conduft, on the part of the emperor, 

 conciliated the minds of the Syrians; and as far as the gates 

 of Emefa, the wifhes of the people feconded the terror of 

 his arms. Zcnobia attempted to check his further progrefs: 

 but the fate of the eaft was decided in two great battles; 

 the firft of which was fought near Antioch, and the fecond 

 near Emefa. In both thefe battles, Zenobia animated the 

 armies by her prefence ; but the veteran troops of Aurelian, 

 whofe valour had been fovcrely tried in the Alemannic war, 

 prevailed. After the defeat at Emefa, Zenobia found it 

 impoflible to colleft a third army. As far as the frontier of 

 Egypt, the nations fubjeft to her empire had joined the 

 ftandard of the conqueror, who detached Probus, the 

 braveft of his generals, to polTefs himfelf of the Egyptian 

 provinces. The queen retired within the walls of her capi- 

 tal. Palmyra; and for fome time refifttd, with the intrepi- 

 dity and firmnefs of a heroine, the arm.s of the emperor, who 

 invefted the city. But difappointed of adequate fuccours, 

 and alarmed by the return of Probus with his victorious 

 troops from the conqutft of Egypt, (he at length refolved 

 to fly. She mounted the fleetcft of her dromedaries, and 

 had already reached the banks of the Euphrates, about 60 

 miles from Palmyra, wiien (lie was overtaken by the purfuit 

 of Aurclian's light horfe, feized, and brought back a cap- 

 tive to the f'Xt of the emperor, A. D. 273. To the counfels 

 of her friends :he imputed the guilt of herobftinate rcfiftance ; 

 and on their heads, and particularly againft the celebrated 

 Longinus, (he direftcd the vengeance of the cruel Aurelian. 

 (See Zf.s'obia.) Soon after her capital furrcndered, and was 

 treated with unexpefted lenity. By a war thus terminated, 

 thofe provinces that had renounced their allegiance fince the 

 cnptirity of Valerian, were reftored to the obedience of 

 Rome. 



Aurelian, on his return fioTn the conqueft of the Eaft, 

 had already croffed the ftraits which divide Europe from 

 Afia, when he was i'uddenly recalled by the news of the 

 revolt of tiie Palniyrenians, who had inalT.icreJ the governor 

 aijd garrilon, and pioclainud a new emperor. Vt'iihout a 



mcment'i 



