The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
3.. It was, however, referved for the Fortune and Wis- 
dom of Auguftus , to unite all thofe Advantages, and to re- 
duce the Maritime, as well as the Civil Affairs of the Ro- 
man State into a regular Syftem. This he was enabled to 
do by the Fulnefs of his Power, as it was from the evi- 
dent Advantages, derived from the prudent Ufe made of his 
Power, that the Romans , under his Government, fo little 
regretted the Lofs of their Freedom •, for thefe Benefits 
were then prefent, and the Evils afterwards felt, were only 
forefeen. This Maritime Syftem of Auguftus , confifted in 
keeping always three numerous Squadrons, and thofe too, 
in every refpedt, well equipped, in conftant Readinefs to 
put to Sea for any Service, and in any Quarter of the Ro- 
man Dominions, where they might be wanting. The firft 
of thefe Squadrons was ftationed at Frejus in the Narbonnen- 
Jian Gaul , which was to reftrain the Inhabitants of the Spa- 
nijh Coafts, and of thofe Parts of Provence and Languedoc , 
which are wafhed by the Mediterranean. The fecond was 
at Cape Mejfma , for the Security of the Navigation, in 
that which was called the Lower , or Etrurian Sea : The 
third at Ravenna , for fcouring the Upper Sea, which is, by 
us, commonly called the Adriatic a . 
Befides thefe two laft Squadrons, he kept, as we are in- 
formed by Vegetius , always quartered near the Capes of 
Meftina and Ravenna , a certain Number of Soldiers, ready 
to embark at a Minute’s Warning, who are called Claftiarii , 
or Marines. Their Duty was to ferve at Sea, in which 
they v/ere continually exercifed ; and this, for any thing we 
know, was the firft regular Inftitution of Seamen among 
the Romans: For fo, in Faff, thefe People were-, and 
ought, therefore, rather to be filled Mariners than Marines, 
in the modern Acceptation of that Word. Before this 
Time, Soldiers and Seamen were the fame thing' amongft 
the Romans ; or, in other Words, Soldiers handled the 
Oar, when put on board their Ships hung their Shields 
along the Sides of their Veffels ; and refumed the Ufe of 
them, and of their Swords, whenever an Opportunity of- 
fered for the making a Defcent. But now this Difcipline 
was, in fome meafure, altered, and thefe Claftiarii were 
particularly deftined to ferve on board thefe Squadrons, in 
both Capacities ; that is, as Seamen, and as Soldiers : And 
therefore, in the fbricPc and natural Senfe of the Word, they 
may be, very properly, called Marines. 
There is another Point of this Emperor’s Difcipline, 
which demands our Notice, becaufe it regards our Subject 
more nearly than any of the reft. He was fenftble, that a 
great Part of the Roman Provinces remained, in a manner, 
hid and undifcovered by which the Inhabitants were in- 
jured, and the public Revenues buffered. He, therefore, 
equipped Ships for making Difcoveries in Africa, towards 
the Equator >, others for examining the Coait of Europe , as 
far as the C'mbricm Cberfonefus ; and, laftly, a third Sort, 
which were to fail up fuch Rivers, the Mouths of which 
were only known : The Veffels employed in thefe Courfes, 
were filled Naves Luforiat. In a Word, the Romans never 
undertook fuch perilous or important Voyages, as under 
the Reign of Auguftus : That Emperor, who effaced, by 
his Virtues, and by his beneficent Actions, all Memory of 
the Cruelties committed during the Triumvirate, took 
care to fend into the moft diftant Provinces, Men of the 
moft quick and penetrating Parts •, from whom he received 
a moft fincere and accurate Detail of all that paffed there : 
So that he was always poffeffed of the true State of every 
Part of his extenfive Dominions ; and could judge what 
was requifite to be done in them, either for remedying 
prefent inconveniencies, or that future Advantages might 
be procured. Such, then, was the State of the Roman 
Affairs •, fuch the Genius, Character, and Condudt of the 
Prince, who was then at their Head, when Egypt was added 
to the Dominions of that State ; and thereby, in a man- 
ner, completed their Conquefts. 
4. As the Reduftion of Egypt into the Form of a Pro- 
vince was intireiy the Work of Auguftus, fo he conceived 
himfelf at Liberty to difpofe of it to whom he pleafed ; and 
to fettle it as he thought proper. The Knowledge he had 
of the Country, and its Inhabitants, made him regard this 
as one of the moft difficult Points that ever fell under his 
Confideratiou. But his Parts, tho’ flow, ferved him fo 
effectually, when he confidered any Subject maturely, that 
in this Cafe he fettled fo juft, fo excellent a Plan, that the 
Government of Egypt was regulated exactly according to 
his Maxims, by all his Succeffors. It would take up too 
much Time, and lead us too far from our Subject, fhould 
we attempt to explain the Manner in which the Provinces 
of the Roman Empire were diftributed. It will fufficiently 
anfwer our Purpofe to obferve, that fome of them were af- 
figned by the Senate, and others were abfoiutely at the 
Will of the Prince j which Method of Diftribution was 
fettled by Auguftus , and that, at the Time of his fettling 
it, he referved Egypt , and almoft all the Countries depend- 
ing upon it, to himfelf b . 
The firft Maxim he eftablifhed with regard to its Go- 
vernment, was, that the Prefect fhould be always chofer* 
out of the Order of Roman Knights, from an Apprehen- 
fion, that if it was in the Hands of a Man of great Fa- 
mily and Intereft, he might be tempted to revolt ; in 
which Cafe he forefaw, that it would be extremely difficult, 
if not impoftible, to recover that Province to the Empire. 
His fecond Maxim was, that no Senator, or other Perfon 
of Diftindtion, fhould be permitted, upon any Pretence 
whatfoever, to enter that Province without a fpecial Li- 
cence, which was very rarely granted either by him, or his 
Succeffors. In the third Place, he took care, that there 
fhould be but a fmali Body of Troops kept up there, for 
many Reafons : Firft, the Country itfelf was very defence- 
able from its Situation •, for its Coafts on the North had 
few Ports, and thofe very difficult’ to be entered and the. 
Navigation on the Coaft extremely hazardous and dan- 
gerous : On the Eaft and Weft it had the Arabian and Li- 
byan Deferts, that were, in a manner, impaffable. On 
the South lay the Troglodytes , and other Nations, who 
were rather defirous of preferving their own Freedom, than 
inclined to invade or difturb their Neighbours : And, as 
for the Ethiopians , the Frontiers of Egypt towards them 
were narrow, well fortified, and eafily guarded c . 
Secondly, though the People of Egypt were naturally 
mutinous and feditious, yet they were far from being of a 
warlike Nature ; fo that a few regular Troops were, at 
all Times, luffident to reprefs their Infolence, and to keep 
the Province quiet. Thirdly, while the Prefect had but a 
few Troops, and thofe, for the moft part, difpofed into 
Garifons, the Commanders of which were not abfoiutely 
under his Power, he had little Probability of maintaining 
himfelf in the Poffeftion of the Country, in cafe his Am- 
bition, at any time, tempted him to forget his Duty. 
Flis fourth Maxim was, to change its Governor frequently, 
that he might not have Time to form any Schemes to the 
Prejudice of the Empire, or be able to raife any confider- 
able Party among the Inhabitants. His fifth and laft 
Maxim was, to make an abfolute Secret ol the whole 
Syftem of Government in this Province ; fo that under 
him, and moft of his Succeffors, the Management of Af- 
fairs in Egypt was confidered as one of the great Myfteries 
of State, into which few were admitted, and none were 
fuffered to pry d . 
It was agreeable to thefe Maxims, that he appointed 
Cornelius Gallns the firft Governor of the Province, a Ro- 
man Knight, raifed by his own Merit and the Umperor’s 
Favour ^ but of no great Family or Intereft, and whole 
Talents were not of a Nature to excite any Jealoufy of his 
undertaking great or dangerous Defigns : Yet this Man 
held the Government but a little while,’ and, when he loft 
it, fell into abfolute Difgrace. The Manner in which he 
diredted the Affairs of the Province, and the needlefs Se~ 
verity he made ufe of in exadting the firft Tributes that 
were levied, occafioned Tumults in the Province, and 
Complaints againft him to the Emperor, who immediately 
fen tP.Petronius to fucceedhim, when he had not held that : 
Government four Years. On the Return of Callus to » 
Rome, he very fooliffily cenfured the Condudl of Auguftus -> \ 
upon which the Emperor forbid him his Palace, and left 1 
him to the Judgment of the Senate with refpedt to the : 
Accufations that had been brought againft him for his s 
Male-adminiftration in Egypt > and they entered fo warmly 
a U ion. Halicdrn. lib. i. Vegii.de Re Milit. lib. v. 
lib. ii. cap J9- 
c Strabo, lib. xvii. / -Big 
* Tacit. A nnal. r! 
into :< 
b Dion, Cajftus, lib. liii. 
