Vol. III. Mifceflama Curiofa. i6i 



Hillory is filent as to the Fate and Circum^ 

 Hancesof this City, during the great Revo- 

 lutions in the feveral Empires of the Eaft ; 

 but it may well be fuppofed, that fo advan- 

 ced aGarrilbn as this was, being above three 

 hundred Miles from yerufalem , continued 

 iiot long in the Poflefllon of the Jervs^ who 

 immediately after Solomon ^ i^W into Civil 

 piflention, and divided their Force : fo that 

 it is not to be doubted, but that it fubmit* 

 ted to the Babylonian a ad Perjian Monarchies^ 

 and afterwards to the Macedonians under 

 Alexander and the Sdeucid<z. But when the 

 Romans got footing into thefe Parts^ and thfe 

 Parthians feemed to put a ftop to their far- 

 ther Conquefts in the then was this 

 City of Palmyra^ by reafon of its Situ- 

 ation, being a Frontier, and in the midfl: of 

 a vail: Sandy Defart^ where Armies could not 

 well fubfift to reduce it by Force, courted 

 and carelfed by the contending Princes, and 

 permitted to continue a Free State, a Mart 

 or Staple for Trade, for the Convenience of 

 both Empires, as is abundantly made out 

 from the Words of Appion and Pliny. 



Appian {lib, 5. de Bellis Civil.) tell us, that 

 M. Antonim^ after his Victory at Philippic a- 

 bout forty Years before Chrifi^ fent his Horfe 

 to Plunder the City of Palmyra^ pretending 

 only that they were not fuiEciently in the 

 Roman Intereft* ^'^^ V6d[kcLxm YicL^^vct\coY\ %vTi% 

 hoepf hctri^.^ hmS'iliso^ Zx^^'^ and that being 

 Merchants, they conveyed the Indian and 

 Arabian Commodities by the way of Perjii^ 

 into the Roman Territories ; though the true 

 reafoa were their Riches ; But the Palmyrenes 



M being 



