412 The Difcovery, Settlement, and C ommei'e Book I 
him, by which he yielded up Farthia and Hyrcania. He did 
this, that he might be more at Leifure to recover the Eaft- 
«rn Provinces j and with this View he invaded BaTiria , 
which had been long torn from the Dominions of the Suc- 
ceffors of Alexander. Euthydemus was then King of that 
Country, a very wife and potent Prince, againft whom 
Antiochus carried on the War with great Vigour, but with 
little Succeife fo that, after his utmoft Efforts for the dif- 
poffeffing him of that Country, finding that he made but 
little Progrefs therein, by reafon of the Valour and Vigi- 
Jancy of thole he had to deal with, he grew weary of the 
War •, and, therefore, admitted Ambaffadors from Euthy- 
demus to treat of an Accommodation a . 
By them Euthydemus complained of the Injuftice of the 
War which Antiochus had made againft him, telling him, 
that he was not of thofe that had revolted from him ; and 
that, therefore, he had not, on this Account, any Right of 
War againft him : That the Revolt of the Babfrians 
from the Syrian Empire had been made under the leading 
of others before his Time : That he was poffeffed of that 
Country, by having vanquifned and driven out the De- 
fendants of thofe Revolters, and held it as the juft Price 
of his Viblory over them. He farther ordered it to be 
fuggefted to Antiochus , that the Scythians , taking the Ad- 
vantage of the War, in which they were now wafting 
oach other, were preparing a great Army to invade Batiria • 
and that, therefore, if they continued any longer their 
Contention about it, a fair Opportunity would be given 
thofe Barbarians to take it from both. This Confideration, 
added to the Defire which Antiochus before had to get rid 
of this tedious and troublefome War, brought him to 
agree to fuch Terms as produced a Peace ; for the confirm- 
ing and ratifying of which, Euthydemus fent his Son to 
Antiochus , who took fuch a Liking to the young Man, that 
he gave him one of his Daughters in Marriage ; and, for 
his fake, allowed the Father to take the Stile and Title of 
King of Bablria ; and then, having received from him all 
his Elephants (which was one of the Terms of the Peace) 
he marched over Mount Caucafus into India ; where, hav- 
ing renewed his League with Saphagafenus , the King of 
chat Country, and received fo many Elephants from him, 
as, when added to thofe he had from Euthydemus , made 
up their Number an hundred and fifty, he marched 
from thence into Arachofta ; and from that Country into 
Drangiana ; and from thence into Carmania , fettling, as 
he went, all thofe Countries in due Order under his 
Obedience b . 
This was the laft Expedition j of any Confequence, that 
.was ever undertaken by any of the Grecian Princes in Sy- 
ria \ and, therefore, this is the laft of thefe Princes that 
I’ fhall mention . But, that we may not conclude his Reign 
•abruptly, let us continue it as concifely as may be to its 
Clofe. After having wintered in Carmania , he returned 
through Perfia, Babylonia , and Mefopotamia , unto Antioch , 
after having been feven Years abfent from fhence in this 
Expedition. By the Boldnefs of his Attempt, and the 
Wifdom of his Condubt through this whole War, he 
gained the Reputation of a very wife and valiant Prince, 
which made his Name terrible through all Europe as well 
as Afia ; and thereby he kept all the Provinces of his Em- 
pire in thorough Subjebtion to him. And thus far his 
Aftions might well have deferved the Name of the Great, 
which was given unto him, and he might have carried it 
with full Glory and Honour to his Grave, but that he 
unfortunately engaged in a War with the Romans. 
This was intirely .the Effebts of his Vanity, for which 
he paid very dearly ; for it proved the Ruin of his Affairs, 
and brought upon him a Train of Misfortunes, that followed 
him to his Grave. The true Defign of this War was to 
have torn away a Part of the Kingdom of Egypt from 
Ptolemy Epiphanes , a Child under the Guardianihip of the 
Roman Republic. It was upon this Occafton that he aban- 
doned all Thoughts of the Eaft, and laboured inceffahtly to 
raife a large maritime Force in Europe ; yet, notwithftanding 
he fucceeded in this, and had alfo Hannibal , the greateft 
General of his Age, to nffift him, his Affairs grew 
daily worfe and worfe ; and, fog, at laft, routed in feveral 
naval Engagements, and in ,decifive Battle at Magnefia , 
he found himfelf in fo. grdDiftrefs, that he was con- 
ftrained to accept fuch a pte as the Romans thought fit 
to grant him ; and thereby we up all Afia, on the other 
Side Mount Taurus , and «i the Expences of the War, 
which were fettled at fifteen/bufand Talents, or three Mil- 
lion fix hundred thoufanqounds of our Money ; which 
extremely funk his Repufion, and wafted his Treafure, 
involving him, befides, in jbh a Train of difagreeable and 
fuccefslefs Enterprizes, tli at laft, robbing the Temple 
of Jupiter Belus in the Jovince of Elymais , in order to 
obtain Money to pay th Romans, this occaftoned an In- 
furrebtion which coft himis Life c . 
His Succeffors purfucoh Maxims of Policy ; neglected 
their Eaftern Provinces, n which Side they might have 
acted with Advantage land, oppofmg the Romans from 
the Dread of their Popr, drew it upon them to fuch a 
Degree, as to lofe all jeir great Dominions to that Re- 
public, and her Confedates. 
6. It is not eafy toionceive an Empire better iituated 
for Commerce, than fat of the Seleucidcs , at the Death, 
of its Founder SeleucufAicator ; for they had the Eaftern 
Provinces of Alexancts Empire to the Frontiers of the 
Indies , the Red Sea done Side, that is to the South, the 
Cafpian Sea on the Nth, and the Mediterranean open to 
another Part of their/ominions. It is very evident, even 
from the dark Accoijts of Pliny , that the firft Monarchs 
of this Family wertvery defirous of keeping up a mari- 
time Force, and maing Difcoveries in the Cafpian Sea; 
but the Wars and Gifufions that followed the Lofs, firft 
of Babiria , then of firthia and Hyrcania , and, at laft, of 
Perfia , difeouraged hefe Princes, and indeed took from 
them the Means of urfuing that Plank 
« • ^ 
It is likewife evient, that Seleucus was extremely fond 
of another of his lafter’s Maxims, which was that of 
building new Cities and of thefe he left a great Number 
of his own, his W^es, and his Mother’s Names, befides 
thofe we have alreiy mentioned : And this Practice of his 
grew into a Humor with his Succeffors, who were every- 
where erebting nw Cities at the Expence of old ones. 
Their Condubt diered widely in this from that of Alexan- 
der, , who never ajbbted to ruin old Cities, but built new 
ones in proper fees and for proper Purpofes, leaving 
Colonies of Maclonians , where he intended they fhould 
ferve for Garifonj; and ufmg all Means poffible to invite 
Strangers of eve} Country, and of all Religions, to fettle 
in them, where Je intended them for Ports e . 
And as thefe /rinces erebted new Cities on very different 
Motives, fo the Confequences that attended them were 
very different liljewife ; for many of the Cities, built by 
Alexander , increafed and became famous on account of the 
Prudence he had Ihewn in the Choice of their Situations ; 
whereas the others, that were moft of them the Effebts of 
Vanity, unpeopled and deftroyed each other ; and fo, in- 
ftead of remaining Monuments of the Power, became In- 
ftances of the Folly and Weaknefs of thefe Princes f . 
7. It vas natural for me to begin the Hiftory of Alex- 
ander's Succeffors with that Family, which, at firft, were 
in Poffefion, and always claimed a Right to his Indian 
Conquers ; which, as we have Ihewn, they quickly loft 
by their own ill Management. It may not be amifs, how- 
ever, ti obferve, that, from the Fabts mentioned in this 
Period/ the Steadinefs of the Indians , in refpebt to their 
Maxims of Policy, very plainly appears. Sandracottus 
raifed iimfelf fuddenly to an amazing Height of Power, 
and frj>m a private Perfon, hiding himfelf in the Woods 
for the Prefervation of his Life, rofe to a Degree of Power, 
capable of refilling the whole Force of the Kings of Syria , 
when in the Zenith of their Glory : Yet he contented him- 
felf with reftoring the antient Bounds of India, and even 
parted with five hundred Elephants for that Purpofe ; but 
he never thought of foreign Conquefts, or was drawn by 
Motives of Ambition or Vanity, to weaken his Force, by 
extending his Dominions. On the contrary, w r e find Me* 
gajihenes , who was an Eye-witnefs of what he wrote, in- 
•a JufUn. lib. xxx. c. 1 . 
45. Strabo, lib. xvi. Jujiin. lib. xxxii. c. 2. 
r alef ana> f Polyb. lib . xi. 
Polyb. Hijl. lib. xi. p. 651. 
d Plin, lib. ii. e. 
Appianm in Syriacis. 
27. c Appian. 
Lino. lib. xxxvii. xxxviii. Polyb. Lsgat. p. 8i8» 
Pit. Li-vius. Polyb. Diodor . 6 icul. in Excerpt is 
