ftiew very fpeedily, the Commerce of that Country, when 
opened, proved very beneficial to the Egyptians. One good 
Effect, and, perhaps, the only one that followed from this 
Expedition, was, the fpreading the Fame of the Romans , 
and of Augufius , through the Indies a , which produced two 
feveral Embaffies •» an Honour the Romans never received 
before, and which might, very probably, operate favour- 
ably for their Commerce j and, if fo, the Expence of this 
Undertaking (which fell, however, moftly on the Allies) 
was not wholly thrown away. 
6. But while Minis Gallus was endeavouring to extend 
the Roman Conquefts in Arabia , there happened a very un- 
looked for Invafion in Egypt. Candace , Queen of Ethiopia , 
for this, it feems, was a Name common to thofe Princeffes, 
as Cleopatra to the Queen of Egypt , made an Irruption 
into the Frontiers of the Province, and carried off three 
Cohorts of Roman Soldiers from Syena , Elephantina , and 
Rhilis , where they likewife threw down the Emperor’s 
Images. As foon as Retronius , the Prefed of Egypt , was 
informed of the Invafion, he marched with near ten thou- 
fand Foot, and about eight hundred Horfe, in order to 
come up with the Enemy, though they were upwards of 
thirty thoufand. They were not much inclined to fighting, 
but retired before him to the City of Pfelca , where they 
made a Halt : There Retronius Tent Embaffadors to de- 
mand the Prifoners, and to know the Caufes of the War. 
But finding that Negotiation would do nothing, and having 
waited three Days as they defired, without receiving any 
fatisfadory Anfwer, he refolved to attack them, as he ac- 
cordingly did, and defeated them intirejy. They were, 
in truth, very poorly armed, moft of their Shields being 
made of raw Hides •, and, for offenfive Weapons, they had 
fome Swords, fome Pole-axes, and fome nothing but long 
Sticks, fo that they were fpeedily routed b . 
Many were taken in this Engagement, and fent by 
Water to Alexandria ; but moft got into Pfelca , which was 
foon taken ; and in it an infinite Number of People of all 
Ranks. From hence he advanced to Premnis , a Place ex- 
ceedingly ftrong by Situation ; in the Neighbourhood of 
which there are many Mountains, which being blown 
by the Winds, on the Army of Cambyfes , buried a great 
Part of them ; which forced him to a precipitate Retreat. 
This Place reduced, he marched forwards to the Royal 
City Nepata , where Candace , and her Son, then were. She 
now offered to treat, and to reftore the Prifoners, and the 
Statues of the Emperor. Petronius , however, attacked 
and plundered the City : From whence the Son of Candace 
privately fled. Having now pierced near eight hundred 
Miles into the Enemy’s Country, and finding it grow very 
full of Woods and Deferts, and the Weather proving ex- 
tremely hot, he determined to return, after putting a ftrong 
Garilbn into Premnis , and caufing it to be vidtualled for 
two Years, that he might have a fure Paffage into Ethio- 
pia \ and then he marched fafely back to Alexandria. There, 
having divided the Prifoners, he fent a thoufand of the 
chief of them to Augufius , who was then juft returned out 
of Spain •, but of thefe many died by the Way. The reft 
of the Prifoners were fold by the Soldiers, into whofe 
Hands they fell, to the Amount of many Thoufands. 
By leaving four hundred Men in Premnis , he provided 
effectually againft any future Irruptions of Ethiopians ; for 
he forefaw, that however terrified, they might be, while he 
continued with an Army in their Country, they would, not- 
withftanding,. return to their former furious Difpofnion, as 
foon as that Check was withdrawn. In this he was far 
from being miftaken ; for when it was known, that he was 
returned to Alexandria , then Candace immediately drew 
together the whole Force of her Empire, and marched it 
down to Premnis , which lay towards the Frontiers of 
Egypt , and befieged it. We have already had an Inftance, 
that the Ethiopians were no great Soldiers in the Field ; 
and therefore we may eafily conceive, that they were inca- 
pable of reducing a Fortrefs ftrengthened by Works, after 
the Romani Manner, and well fupplied with Men and Pro- 
vifions. A great deal of Time they fpent before it, with- 
out making any great Progrefs ; and the Roman Prefed, 
having Intelligence of what had happened, immediately 
eolleded his Forces, and moved towards it, in order to 
raife the Siege. On his Approach, the Ethiopian Army 
quitted the Place with the utmoft Precipitation ; and, as 
foon as they were at a fafe Diftance, Candace fent to know 
from the Roman General, what his Demands were •, and 
upon what Terms fhe might hope for Peace. Petronius 
anfwered, that he formed no Pretenfions on the Ethiopians ; 
and that what he had done was in Difcharge of his Duty, 
and for the Prefervation of the Roman Province. As to 
the reft, he could not pretend to propofe any Terms of ' 
Peace, but they muft be content to fend their Embaffadors 
to Ctefar, in order to excufe what was paft, and know his 
Pleafure, as to their Condud, in Time to come. This 
amazed Candace more than the War : She declared that 
Hie knew not Ccefiar, or where to feek him *, and feemed 
to doubt whether this was not an evafive Anfwer given, to 
furnifh themfelves with a Pretence for conquering her 
Dominions. But Petronius quickly eafed her of thefe Ap- 
prehenfions, by offering to fend her Embaffadors to C&far 
and to conclude a Peace till their Return. This Propofal 
was readily accepted, and the Embaffadors difpatched to 
the Roman Camp ; with which the Ethiopian W ar ended,’ 
and the Province was again reftored to Quiet c . 
We have an Account of this Expedition, and of the 
Embaffy fent by Candace to Augufius C<efar , in the Natu- 
ral Hiftory of Pliny d *, but he fays not a Word of the In- 
vafion ; which, however, is fully related by Strabo , who 
was, of his own Knowledge, perfedly acquainted with 
thefe Matters ; and has recorded them very faithfully. By 
this War, as he juftly obferves, the Romans came to be ac- 
quainted with the Nations bordering on Egypt , and who, 
by being fubdued by the Ethiopians , now paffed under 
their Name. In confequence of this, they were unde- 
ceived as to the ftrange Reports they had heard, of the 
Strength and Courage of thefe People ; for they found 
them half-naked, badly armed, far from being of a mar- , 
tial Difpofition ; living in Tents, on the Produce of their 
Herds and Flocks ; and quitting their Habitations, as the 
Conveniency of feeding thofe Herds and Flocks, directed 
them. They likewife faw, that their Black Cattle, Sheep, 
and every thing but their Dogs, were of a dwarfifh and 
diminutive Kind, as well as the People themfelves, who, 
with the Help of a ftrong Fancy, might have paffed for 
Pygmies : So that, here, all their Terror wore off ; and 
they concluded themfelves fully able to maintain the Fron- 
tiers of the R.oman Province, againft all its Enemies on , 
this Side. But, however fatisfied the Roman Soldiers might 
be of all this, who refided in Egypt , and were Eye-wit- 
neffes of thefe Things, yet the Learned at Rome ftill fol- 
lowed the Fidfions of the Greeks ; and therefore Pliny 
{peaks of fome Nations without Nofes, others without 
Mouths, and fome without Tongues, that lived beyond 
the Mountains on the other Side of Ethiopia , towards the 
Red Sea: All which Fidlions I attribute to the indiftineft 
Accounts they received from the People on the Frontiers 
between Egypt and Ethiopia , as to various Kinds of Apes 
and Monkeys. One thing, however, this Expedition 
plainly effedled, that it extended the Knowledge of the 
Romans 800 Miles, and drove thefe Monfters fo much 
farther. 
7. When Augufius had fettled his Government at Rome, 
and obtained, in a legal way, the fupreme Authority over 
the Empire, he began to think of vifiting the Eaft, where he 
had many Things to fettle •, and accordingly, in the tenth 
Year of his Adminiftration, and in the twenty-firft before 
Chribf, having devolved on Agrippa the Affairs of the Weft, 
Augufius went as far as the Hand Samos , in his Journey Eaft- 
ward, and there he paffed the Winter. While he was at 6k- 
mos, came the Embaffadors from Candace, Queen of Ethiopia , 
to excufe what had happened in that Country, and to beg 
a Peace •, which he granted them very readily, and the 
Embaffadors returned into their own Country, full of 
Amazement at the Sight of the Power and Glory of the 
Roman Prince : And it was owing, in all Probability, to 
their Report, on their Return home, that .a firm Peace en- 
fued between the Ethiopians and the Romans in the Province 
of Egypt , which lubfifted for many. Years. The next Year 
a I think it . was probably owing to this Expedition, that Porus fent the Embaffy hereafter mentioned. 
■ Strabo $ lil. xvii. p- 820. * Strabo ubi fupra, d Lib. vi. cap. 29. 
4 
n Dlsn Cajfius , lib. liV. f. 5 24. 
Augufius 
