All The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
their Defign of cradling Csefar*, who drove them out of of Wine, Fruits, and a great Variety of other Things, 
the City without Lofs. They next attacked his Fleet with which, according to the Humour of thofe Times, were 
fome ill Succefs, which, however, fo provoked Ceefar, not only efteemed Conveniencies, but Neceflaries •, when, 
that he directed all the Ships of War ,in the Haven of I fay, this is confidered, it will appear extremely probable, 
Alexandria , to be inftantly burned-, and, this being executed that the bed; Part of that Profit, which fhould have refulted 
precipitately, fome of them drove on Shore, and fet the to the Egyptians , from their own peculiar Trade, was 
adjacent Houfes likewife on Fire and the Flames com- fwallowed up by their Demand for foreign Goods and Ma- 
municating the Conflagration, to the Quarter called Bril - nufadures, and efpedally during the latter Part of this Pe- 
chimn, it was, in a manner, wholly deflroyed and there- riod, when, in proportion as their Luxury increafed, thole 
with, the famous Library, firft ereded by Ptolemy Phiha- Demands muft become greater c , 
- delphus , before mentioned. It muft alfo be confidered, that when I fpeak of the 
Now it was that the Force of Egypt appeared and, in Wealth of Egypt , I do not mean by it, that Affluence,- ■ 
all the Campaigns made by Ccefar, Hiftory acquaints us which private Men might have enjoyed in their own Houfes 
with none in which he was in fo much Danger, or obtained from their particular Fortunes, refulting from their own 
Victory upon harder Terms ; and, if the Fear of their Induftry and Oeconomy ; but I mean their intrinfic Riches 
King’s being deftroyed, who was all this time in Ceefar ’ s of Gold and Silver in which I have fliewn, that they 
Camp, had not reftrained thofe in Arms, and their Attach- abounded, more than any other Nation within this Period : 
ment to Cleopatra , hindered a great Part of the Egyptian And, I hope, I have likewife (hewn, that the beft Part of 
Nation’s taking Arms, this War had preferved Rome’s this intrinfic Wealth muft have been derived from their 
Freedom, and their own, by the total Overthrow of Cafar, Indian Trade-, becaufe there was really no other Way, by 
in fpite of all his Valour, and military Skill, of both which, which they could acquire it. I do not however deny, that 
however, he gave abundant Inftances. The War at laft a great Part of this Gold and Silver might be returned 
terminated in a decifive Battle, fought by the Egyptians , into Egypt , by their Balance of Trade from other Nations, 
to prevent Csefar from receiving Succours and by Cafar, even from fuch as had much lefs than themfelves ; yet if 
that he might obtain them in which he prevailed ; and this Balance of Trade was created, as Strabo, Mela , Pliny + 
King Ptolemy , endeavouring to make his Elcape in a little and many other antient Writers agree it was, by their Sale 
Boat, was overfet, and drowned, after a diftraded Reign of Arabian and Indian Commodities, then the Fad is with 
of between four and five Years -, and, upon that, Cafar me, and I have fully made out all that I intended, or that 
declared Cleopatra Queen of Egypt , and joined with her could be expeded from me, upon this Subject. I might, 
her younger Brother Ptolemy , who was then but eleven indeed, have fpared myfelf a great deal of this Trouble, 
Years old : As for her Sifter Arfinoe , who was now fallen by infilling on the Angle Fabl of the Treafure- amafted by 
into his Hands, he carried her to Rome, and led her in Ptolemy Philadelphia , and have left the reft to the Reader’s 
Triumph, leaving, however, at-Tis Departure from Alex- Obfervation but I chofe to make the Thing as plain as 
andria , a Body of Roman Troops for the Security of the I could ; and indeed I had no other Reafon for infilling 
Queen’s Perfon, and maintaining her Authority. Here fo long upon the Egyptian Hiftory, every Circumftance of 
then, properly fpeaking, ended the Greek Empire in Egypt j which, however, will ferve to elucidate the Following Hi- 
though it was not as yet reduced into a Province. ftory of the Trade to the Eajl Indies . 
15. The Reader muft be undoubtedly latisfied, even 16. There is the greateft Reafon to believe, that one 
from this fhort View of the Hiftory of Egypt , that the principal Motive which induced the Romans to be fo fo- 
Treafures of that Country muft be in a manner inex- licitous about the Acquifition of Egypt , was the getting 
hauftible,. that could fuftain the Negligence and Difli- this valuable Trade into their Hands, as well as ftcuring 
pation of ten fuch Princes as followed Philopater , for the mighty Empire they had before obtained on this 
there were fourteen Ptolemies in all -, and, at the Death of Side, and making lure of a Country fo fruitful in Corn, 
Philadelphus , there were, in the Egyptian Empire, no lefs and upon which they, in a manner, conftantly depended 
than 33,339 Cities. It is true, that, by degrees, the for Provifions. Indeed, thofe, taken together, were the 
Power of Egypt funk ; prodigious Sums of Money were chief, at leaft, if not the only Motives, that determined 
from time to time exported, from the Folly and Weaknefs them to convert it into a Province: For if any thing lefs,, 
of their Princes, who fought that Affiftance from their than the abiblute Pofteffion of it could have contented 
Wealth, which they ought to have found from their Sub- them, they might have had it without extinguifhing the 
jebls ; and who foolifhly fancied they could purchafe Quiet, Race of the Ptolemies , who, for fo many Generations, 
when they would not be at the Pains to iecure it by a juft had been abfolutely dependent upon them, and held their 
Adminiftration -, but even at laft, and when their Affairs Kingdom only by Permiffion. 
were in the worft Situation, one of their Princes could It may be added to this, that the annexing Egypt to 
give, in a fmgle Bribe, 6000 Talents, which amounted the Roman Dominions, was the Firft Fruits of their 
to 1,542,000 Pounds of our Money, and his Bond for Change of Government -, for fo long as the Republic con- 
4000 Talents more. At the very laft, in the feveral tinued, there remained a Kind of Modefty, which hin- 
Battles fought by Sea with Coe far, they loft no Ships of dred them from feizing the Territories of their'Allies, efpe- 
War, and had flill a Fleet left much fuperior to that of dally of fuch as confided their Families and Eftates to their 
the Romans , in the Number and Force of Ships, if they Protection, which was exprefly the Cafe of Ptolemy Au- 
had been as well manned b . letes, and his Children. But when the whole Power of 
Thefe are as ftrong Proofs as can poffibly be alleged of Rome was engrafted into a Angle Eland, all thefe Confider- 
the Wealth and Power of the Government of Egypt, even ations ceafed, and the Defire of augmenting the Authority, 
when the Government was at the worft ; and yet then it and increafing the Wealth, depending on that Dominion, 
was the Public only that was diftrefted : The People of came to take Place. That this was really the Fad, will 
Egypt were immenfely rich, as very plainly appeared, by be rendered clear in the next Sedion, in which we fhall 
the vaft Revenues which the Romans drew out of that fflew, that the firft Schemes, formed by the Romans, after 
Kingdom when they had reduced it into the Form of a taking Pofteffion of Egypt , were relative to the fecuring 
Province. It may be indeed objeded, that Egypt was in this Commerce, and even improving it and therefore it 
itfelf a Country exceedingly rich ; that it was regarded, for is necefiary to fhew the State in which it flood at this 
many Ages, as the Granary of the World, or, to fpeak Jundure, and in what manner this great Revolution hap- 
with greater Propriety, of the Roman Empire and, that pened, which flirunk the extenfive Empire of Philadelphus ■ 
it may be reafonably fuppofed, efpecially confidering the into a Province a Province, indeed, always refpededas. > 
Induftry of the People, that a great Part of their Wealth the firft and moft confiderable of the Empire, to which i 
was derived from thence : But when, on the other hand, it was joined, and always treated with particular Diftindion.; ; 
it is confidered, that th t Egyptians had very few native but ftill a Province, governed by the Laws, and fubjed to p 
Commodities of great Value except Corn, and that they the Impofitions prefcribed by foreign Mafters, to whofe s 
flood in need of almoft all kinds of Timber and Metals, Ufe the beft Part of the Wealth, acquired by its Inhabitants, 
a Dios. Cap us, lib . xlii. Caefar Comment . lib. iii. Plutarch, iu Caefare . * Dion. Caf. nbi fupra. Births, de hello Alexandria i 
Plutarch* in GaeJ'a, c . . Suetonius . Orojius . c Plutarch, in Antonie . 
I 
was t 
