438 The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book 1. 
ral to fuppofe, that, in the Midft of thefe Confufions, the was in tire] y deft toyed, and rendered defert fo th at in 
whole Oeconomy of the Empire fuffered •, and, indeed, fucceeding Times the Ruins of it were at fpm.e Diftance 
fuffered in every Fart, by the Ambition of their Governors, from the City, which, we may hence conclude, began about 
who all imagined, that, by courting the People under this Time to decline ; and no Wonder that it did, fmce 
their Subjection, they might be able to raife themfelves to the whole Roman Empire was now vifibly finking under its 
Sovereignty. The Army, difdaining the Youth of Gordian , own Weight, and crumbling into as many Parts as there 
could fcarce be perfuaded to follow him to the Perfian were Provinces d . 
War , and tho’ he was there fiiccefsful againft the Enemy, 
yet he found it impoffible to triumph over the Malice of 
his own Troops, who, taking the Opportunity, when he 
had few of his Friends about him, and being headed by 
Philip , who was the Captain of his Guard, murdered him, 
when he had held the Empire about fix Years a . 
M. Julius Philippus , who had thus betrayed his Truft, 
and murdered his Prince, was, by the Army, raifed to the 
Empire. He was an Arabian by Birth, and attended, fo 
far as the Difturbances of his Reign would give him Leave, 
to the Concerns of the Government with great Diligence ; 
but a Sedition rifmg in his Army, and he fending Decius 
to quiet it, the Soldiers threw an imperial Mantle over his 
Shoulders, and* declaring for him againft Philips a Battle 
was foon after fought between them, in which the latter 
was (lain, after.a fhort Reign of four Years. This Decius , 
who was an Hungarian by Birth, governed the Empire with 
Reputation for two Years and an half, and was then fain 
in a Battle againft the Goths , by the Treachery of Vibius 
' Callus , who fucceeded him in the Empire, and affociated his 
Son Velujidn ; but they fcarce held it long enough to be ac- 
counted Emperors : for the Scythians , and other barbarous 
Nations, invading the Roman Territories cn all Siftes, who- 
ever had Courage and Fortune enough to refill thefe Bar- 
barians, was prefently faluted Emperor by his Soldiers : 
And thus the Mifery of the Empire was increafed by what 
ought to have been her Defence, the having many brave 
Men, and good Officers, in her Service b . 
It was in this manner that AEmilianus , an African , was 
raifed to the Purple, which he held but a few Months ; for 
another Army having proclaimed Valerian , who was a Man 
of Quality and great Abilities, the Army that had chofen 
AEmilian , thought proper to difpatch him out of the way, 
rather than involve themfelves in any Danger about a dif- 
puted Title. The Emperor Valerian affirmed the Purple 
A. D. 253. and, having a great Reputation, brought the 
Affairs of the Roman Government into fome Order * for, 
having repuffed the Germans on one Side, and the Goths on 
the other, he refolved to march himfelf againft the Perfiians , 
who had created new Difturbances in the Eaft. In the 
Y ear 258. he was at Byzantium, in his Way towards the 
Eaft-, and, having fpent the next Year in a flow War againft 
the Perfians, it came, in the Year following, to a decifive 
Engagement, in which he was beaten, and afterwards 
taken Prifoner c . 
He had affociated his Son Gallienus in the Empire, foon 
after he was raifed to it and this Son now fucceeded him 
in the imperial Dignity, and governed alone near nine Years, 
but without either Peace or Reputation •, for he gave him- 
felf up to a luxurious and indolent Life, without taking the 
leaft Care to free his Father out of the Hands of the Per- 
fians, or to prevent his Dominions from being over-run by 
the numerous Armies of Barbarians, that attacked them on 
either Side. While Affairs were in this Pofture, almoft 
every great Province gave the Title of Emperor to who- 
ever commanded in it * and Egypt , among the reft, where 
the Country was ruined, and the City of Alexandria defo- 
laaed by War, Peftilence and Famine, all at one time. 
Thefe Miferies, however, were not fufficient to hinder 
them from creating new Difturbances for in the Year 
S.62. they gave the Title of Emperor to AEmilian , who 
was then Prefect of Egypt , againft whom Gallien fent Pheo- 
doius , who, was an Egyptian by Birth, and who having (hut 
up AEmilian in the Bruchium, or Palace of Alexandria, at 
laft made him Prifoner, and in that Condition fent him 
to Rome , where, by the Order of the Emperor, he was 
strangled. In this unfortunate Difpute the City of Alex- 
andria fuffered very feverely for * the Bruchium , or royal 
Quarter which was very large, and very magnificent. 
ThtRoman People, perceiving tnat Gallienus took fo little 
Care of Affairs, began not only to hate, but to delpjfc 
him. This created fome InfurreCtions in Italy ; and Gal- 
lienus putting himfelf at the Head of an Army, in order 
to rep refs them, he was there murdered ; and foon after, 
his Son and his Brother were cut off at- Rome . He had 
for his Succeffor Claudius Gothicus , who received that Sur- 
name for a great Victory he obtained over the Goths, in 
which he deftroyed three hundred thoufand of them, and 
funk two thoufand of their Ships or Barks, for which the 
Senate decreed him a golden Shield, and ordered his Sta- 
tue to be fet up in the Capitol. The Romans began now 
to conceive Hopes of feeing better Days and indeed there 
is no Inftance of any Prince, who, during fo fhort a Reign,' 
made himfelf fo much beloved, fmce he died, at the Clofe 
of his fecond Year, at Syrmium e . 
He recommended, on his Death-bed, Valerius Aureli- 
anus, whom he had fent into Phrace againft the Goths ; 
but the Army, inftead of proclaiming him Emperor, fet 
up Quintillus , the Brother of Claudius, in a Fit of Zeal for 
that Monarch’s Memory ; but, finding their new Emperor 
a Man of too fevere Morals for thofe licentious times, they 
murdered him in a Fortnight, and proclaimed the Perfon, 
whom Claudius recommended. This Aurelian, who was 
raifed to the Empire in 270. was a Perfon of great mili- 
tary Capacity, a Lover of ftridf Difcipline, and; in every 
refpebl, proper to reftore the diftrafiled Affairs of the 
Empire, and to retrieve the antient Glory of the Roman 
State. He foon freed the Weftern Provinces from the Ap- 
prehenfibns they were under, from their barbarous Neigh- 
bours ; and, having likewife fettled the domeftic Oeconomy 
of the Empire, to the Satisfaction of the Senate, he began 
to turn his Eyes towards the Eaft, where a new Power was . 
ereCted, and had affumed the imperial Title: But as the 
Rife and Progrefs of this Power, has a very clofe Conne- 
ction with our SubjeCt, it is neceffary, that we fhould ex- 
amine it more at large ; which will enable us to take notice 
of many Particulars, that mult otherwife have been buried 
in Obfcurity f . 
5. While the Roman Empire was thus torn by inteftine 
Confufions, and while many wore the Title of Emperors, 
with Power enough to opprefs, and too little to protect 
their Subjects, a new Principality ftarted up, or rather dis- 
covered its Power to the World of which, as I have 
already obferved, I am neceffarily obliged to fpeak mors : 
at large, becaufe it owed that Grandeur, which it poffeffed . 
in fo high a Degree, intirely to the Commerce of the In- 
dies ; fo that it may ferve us for an Inftance, that there is ; 
no Situation fo wild, as not to be improved and rendered . 
pleafant -, no Country fo barren, as not to admit of Culti- 
vation ; no Spot of Ground fo unhappily placed, as not : 
to become the Seat of Pleafure, if, by any Art or Con- 
trivance, any Commerce of Importance can be fixed . 
there. 
The Place, of which I am to fpeak, was originally built : 
by King Solomon, after he had conquered the King of Ha- ■ 
math Zoba, a little Syrian Prince, within whofe Dominions ; 
the Country lay, upon which this City was afterwards ; 
ereCted. It was called by Solomon s . Palmar ; and from its 5. 
Situation in the midft of a fandy Defert, which furrounded l 
it on all Sides, Padmar in the TVilderwfs. Bat, as the ; 
Singularity of its Situation was fufficient to charm who- - 
ever attentively confidered it, fo in the Decline of the 2 
Greek Empire in the Eaft, it became a free City, or rather r 
the Head of a fmal .1 Principality, under the Name of i 
Palmyra, from whence the Country under its Jurisdiction 1 
was called Palmyrene h . This City and Country are very { 
well defcribed by Pliny. 
Palmyra , fays he, is excellently fttuated, as well in re- 
a Herodian , lib. 8. Zofim. 
Hi ft. lib. vii. Qrofius, lib. vii. 
vii. Pollio de trigint. By ran. 
t 2 Cbrert. yiii. j g. 15 
i, Eutrop. lib. g. b Qrofius, lib. vii. Zofim. lib. i. Eutrop. lib, ix. Aurel. Vidor. 
Zofim. lib . i. Eutrop. lib . ix. Aurelius Vidor. d Eufebius , lib. vii. Chron. Alex. p. 237. 
omponius Latus. f Zofim, lib. i. Eufisbhs , lib. vii. ' Qrofius , lift. vii. Eutrop. lib. ix. 
In. Nat. Hifi . Mb. V. f. 25. 
c Eufebius a 
e Qrofius, lib . ? 
Aurelius Vidor, r 
A 
