ROiME. 



boundaries of the empire. He fubdued the Dacians, con- 

 quered the Parthians, and brought under lubjection Ail'vria, 

 Mefopotamia, and Arabia Felix. Nor was he lefs eminent 

 in promoting the happinefs of his lubjedts, and the internal 

 profperity of the empire. Ho was illultrious in every con- 

 nection, and in every Itation of life, and obtained the epithet 

 Optimus. He died after a glorious reign of nineteen years. 

 Of this emperor Gibbon remarks, " It is fincerely to be la- 

 mented, that while we are fatigued with the difguftful rela- 

 tion of Nero's crimes and follies, we are reduced to collect 

 the aftions of Trajan from the glimmering of an abridgment, 

 or the doubtful light of a panegyric. Above two hundred 

 and fifty years after the death of Trajan, the fenate, in 

 pouring out the cuftomary acclamations on the acceflion of 

 a new emperor, wilhed that he might iurpafs the felicity of 

 Augultus and the virtue of Trajan." 



Adrian, the nephew of Trajan, was nominated to the 

 throne, in the lait moments of his predcceflor, and his title 

 was peaceably acknowledged. Under his reign the empire 

 flourifhed : he encouraged the arts, reformed the laws, 

 aderted ftrici military difcipline, and vifited all his pro- 

 vinces in perfon. He adopted a policy very different from 

 that of his predeceflor, and judging the limits of the empire 

 too extenfive, abandoned all the conqueits of Trajan, 

 bounding the eaftern provinces by the Euphrates. To his 

 talents as an able politician, he joined an excellent taite in 

 the liberal arts. In the laft year of his life he adopted, and 

 declared for his immediate lucceflor, Titus Aurelius An- 

 toninus, and fubllituting Annius Verus, the fon of iElius 

 Verus, in cafe of the other's death. Adrian died A.D. 

 138, at the age of 62. 



The emperor Adrian fupprefled the departments efta- 

 blifhed by Augultus, and divided the whole empire into 

 eleven parts, as follow. 



I. Italy, including two provinces, of which the firll com- 

 prehends all the country from Picenum to Sicily ; and the 

 fecond from Picenum to the Alps, with the two Rhcetias. 



II. Africa, comprehending the proconlular part of that 

 country ; Numidia, and Mauritania. 



III. Hifpania, including Hilpama Tarraconenfis ; Bcetica, 

 and Lufitania. 



IV. Gallia, comprehending Gallia Belgica ; Gallia 

 Lugdunenfis ; Gallia Aquitanica, and Gallia Narbonenfi 1. 



V. Britanny, comprehending the upper and lower coun- 

 tries of that name. 



VI. Illyria, containing feventeen provinces, viz. the 

 Xoricas ; the Upper and Lower Pannonia, and their 

 adages ; Dalmatia ; Moefia Prima ; the Superior and 



Inferior Dacia ; Macedonia; Theiialy ; Achaia ; the two 

 Epiri, and the ifland of Cr< t . 



VII. Egypt, including Egypt Proper; Thebais; Libya, 

 and Pentap 



VIII. The eaftern part of the empire comprehended 

 Paleftine ; Phoenicia; C'oclo-Syria ; Syria; the two C'iei- 

 bas ; Ifauria ; Mefopotamia ; Arabia, and the ifland of 

 Cyprus, 



IX. Thrace comprehended Thrace Proper; the Lower 

 : 1 ; Scythia, and the adjoining countries. 



X. Pontus included Pontus Proper ; Galatia; Bithynia; 

 'o Cappadociae ; Paphlagonia, and Armenia. 



XI. I'll' Afiatic divifion comprehended the proi 



part of Alia ; Pamphylia ; the countries about tin- Hellef- 



; Lydia ; I'ilidia ; Lycaonia j the two I' 

 Lycia ; Caria ; and fcveral illands, of which Rln.: 

 1 chief. 



Tie Age of the Antonines. — This has by hiftoriai 

 regarded as an era in the Roman empire. A 



hiftorian, was reiolved to deferve the thanks of poltenty, 

 by placing the molt exalted merit on the Roman throne.' 

 His difcerning eye eafily difcovered a fenator about 50 years 

 of age, blamelefs in all the offices of life ; and a youth 

 of about 17, whofe riper years opened the fair profpeel of 

 every virtue. The elder of thele, as we have fee*, was de- 

 clared the fon and fuccefior of Adrian, on condition that he 

 himfelf fhould immediately adopt the younger. The two 

 Antonines, for fo they have been denominated, governed 

 the Roman world 42 years, with the invariable fpirit . : 

 wifdom and virtue. The former has, 011 account of his 

 many excellent qualities, been furnamed Pius ; the latter, 

 Annius Verus, on his acceflion, ad'umcd the name of 

 Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Titus Antoninus Pius has 

 been denominated a fecond Numa. The fame love of jul- 

 tice and peace was the diftinguifliing chara&eriftic of both 

 prince, : but the lituation of the latter opened a much wider 

 held for the exercife of thole virtues. The wifdom of the 

 former could benefit but a few villages; but Antoninus 

 difluled order and tranquillity over the greateft part of the 

 earth. " His reign," fays Gibbon, " is marked by the 

 rare advantage of furnifhing very few materials for hiltory ; 

 which is, indeed, little more than the regifter of the crimes, 

 follies, and misfortunes of mankind." In private life, he 

 was an amiable as well as a good man ; and he enjoyed with 

 moderation the advantages of his good fortune. He died 

 after a reign of 22 years. 



The virtue of Marcus Aurelius Antoninns was of a fe- 

 verer and more laborious kind. At the age of twelve he 

 embraced, from a conviction of its utility, the rigid fyftem 

 of the Stoics, which taught him to fubjeclt his body to his 

 mind, his pafiions to his reafon ; to confider virtue as the 

 only good, and vice as the only evil. His " Meditations," 

 compofed in the midlt of a camp, are not only extant, but 

 itill read with delight and advantage ; and he even gave lef- 

 fons of philofophy to the Roman people, as he had before 

 done in fcveral cities of Greece and Afia. War he de- 

 telted, as the difgrace and calamity of human nature ; but 

 when the neceffity of a j u It defence called upon him to take 

 up arms, he readily expofed his perfon to eight winter cam- 

 paigns on the frozen banks of the Danube, the feveiity of 

 which was at laft fatal to the weaknefs of his eonftitution. 



Having appeared like a benevolent deity, diffufing around 

 him peace and happinefs, Ik- died in Pannonia, in the 19th 

 year of his reign, A.D. 180. His memory was revered by 

 a grateful polterity ; and above a century after his death, 



many perfons proierved the image of Man inufl 



among thofe of their houfehold 



" It a man," lay. the hillorian of thele times, " . 

 called on to lix tin- period in the hiftoi ) oi the world, during 

 whicji the condition ol the hun happy and 



profperous, he would, without hefttation, name that which 



1 from the death of Domitian to the acceffii t 



Commodus. The vail extent of tl 1 empire was 



governed by ablolute power, 1; . of wrtue 



and wifdom. The armies were retrained by the firm 

 gentle hand 1 I fiw I 



and authority ■ d an involuntai 1 . Tin- 



forms of the civil adi 



■ Trajan, Adrian, and the Antonim 

 in tli'- image ol lib rty, and m re pi a 

 thi is aci ountable mil Such 



:■ rved the honour oi the republic, 



the Romans ol 



loin. Thi labours of tli ,. 



paid by the immenfe reward that inseparably w their 



(UCCefs ; by the honclt pride, of virtue, and by the ex, polite 



delight 



