1 6 2 Mifcefla^ea Curio fa. Vol 111. 



being informed of the Defign, took care to 

 prevent them, and fo efcaped Plunder : And 

 this Attempt of ^^^^^y^'s occalioned a Rup- 

 ture between the two Empires. The Words 

 of Plwy (Jib. iST^f. above an hundred 

 Years after, do likewife teftifie that this City 

 then continued in the fame Enjoyment of 

 their Liberties. They being very much to 

 the purpole, I thought fit to Copy them : 

 Palmyra %Jrbs nobilis Jitu ^ divitiis foU atque 

 aquis ammis^ vaflo vndique ambitu arinis inclu^ 

 dit agros^ ac veliit terris exempta a rerum Na^^ 

 tura ; frivata forte inter duo imferia fumma 

 Rvmanorum Parthorumque^ & prima in difcordia 

 femper ntrinque cura. Whereby it appears not 

 only that it was a Common-wealth in the 

 time of refpa/lan but the fituation there** 

 of is truly defcribed, as it were an Ifland of 

 fertile Land, furrounded with a Sea of bar- 

 ren Sands. Such Spots Strabo tells us were 

 frequent in Lybia^ and by the Egyptians were 

 called Abafes whence poflibly the Name of 

 the Abajfyne Nation is derived. 



With thefe Advantages of Freedom, Neu- 

 trality and Trade, for near two Centuries^ 

 ^tis not ftrange that it acquired the State 

 and Wealth anfwerable to the Magnificence 

 of thefe noble Structures. But when the Ro'^ 

 mans under Trajan had made it appear, that 

 there .was no comparifon between the Puif- 

 fance of the Parthians and them, {Trajan ha- 

 ving taken Babylon and Ctefiphon the then 

 Seat of the Parthian Empire,) the Palmyreni 

 were at length determined to Declare for 

 X\\t Romans-^ which they did, by fubmitting 

 themfelves to the Emperor Adrian^ about 



the 



