'Chap. II. 
of the East Indies. 
gard to the Pleafantnefs of the adjacent Country, as from 
the great Abundance of Water. And this little Territory 
feems to be fet apart by Nature for a peaceful and undif- 
turbed Retreat, being furrounded on every Side with dry 
and fandy Defarts, which reach as far as the very Confines 
of Arabia a . This little State lay between the two mighty 
Empires of Rome and Parthia , when the Difputes be- 
tween them were at the higheft, having the Parthians on 
the Eaft, and the Roman Territory on the Weft ; fo that 
it feemed to be perpetually in Danger; and yet, though 
exceedingly rich, it was fo wifely governed, as to efcape 
any great Lofs during all thofe Confufions ; and never 
ran any great Hazard except from Mark Antony , who, 
) being diflreffed for Money to pay his Army, fent a 
»Body of Horfe to plunder it ; but the Inhabitants, having 
Notice of his Intention, removed their Effects, and fo 
prevented that Defolation with which they were threatened 15 . 
The Source of its great Wealth was the Share it had in the 
Commerce of the Indies. This Commerce was thus car- 
ried on : The Goods were brought by Sea to the Mouth 
of the Euphrates , and, perhaps", a little higher; and thence 
They were fent by Land in Caravans for fome hundred 
Miles through the Deferts to Palmyra , which flood one 
Day’s journey from the Euphrates , one hundred and 
ytwenty-feven Miles from Damafcus , and about two hun- 
dred and three Miles from the maritime Coaft of Syria, by 
the Ports of which it difperfed thefe Goods to all the dif- 
ferent Parts of the ' Roman Empire, that did not imme- 
diately correfpond v/ith the Port of Alexandria. 
When Trajan overturned the Parthian Empire, the 
Principality of Palmyra declared for the Romans ; and 
A. D. 130. they lubmitted themfelves to Adrian , who 
was then marching with his Army from Syria into Egypt ; 
■who was fo well pleafed with the Situation of the Place, 
and the Behaviour of the People, that he granted them the 
Privileges of a Colony, and adorned the City with fo many 
beautiful Structures, that the Inhabitants, in Compliment 
to their Benefador, called their City for fome time Adri- 
anople c . From the Time of Adrian , to that of Aurelian , 
which comprehended the Space of 140 Years, this City, 
and the Territory under its Jurifdidion, fo flourilhed and 
increafed, that when the Emperor Valerian was taken Pri- 
Toner by Sap ores. King of Perfia, Odenathus , who then 
: governed Palmyra, was able to bring a powerful Army 
into the Field, to recover Mesopotamia from the Per- 
sians, and even to penetrate as far as their capital City 
Ctefiphon ; which was fo acceptable a Service to the Roman 
Empire, then governed by Gallienus, a lazy and inactive 
Prince, that, with the Confent of the Senate, he took 
Odenathus into Partnership with him, and gave him the 
Title of Auguftus d ; which Incident, by a ftrange Turn of 
Affairs, proved the Caufe of the utter Ruin and Subvention 
of the Place. 
For Odenathus, and his Son Her odes, being foon after 
murdered by Meonius their Kinfman, his Wife Zenobia, 
in Right of her Son Wabalathus, then a Minor, affumed 
the Government of the Eaft ; which fhe managed with fo 
much Prudence and Difcretion, that, after the Death of 
Gallienus, fhe made herfelf Miftrefs of Egypt, and held it 
during the fhort Reign of the Emperor Claudius. 
On the Acceffion of Aurelian to the Imperial Dignity, he 
pefufed the Title of Auguftus to this Family, though he 
I willingly honoured them with that of Viceroy, as appears 
by his Coin e ; neither did he fhew any Inclination to de- 
prive them of the Government of the Eaft : But the high- 
fpinted Zenobia would be contented with nothing lefs than 
the Partition of the Empire ; and Aurelian could not bear 
j^e Thoughts of fharing the Sovereignty with a Woman : 
Which produced the War between them; in which fhe 
hazai ded two Battles, and was defeated in both, and after- 
| warns fhut herfelf up in the City of Palmyra, where, for 
j f on § rime, fhe made an obftinate Defence ; but, finding 
1 it to no Purpofe, and that fooner or later the City would 
e taken, fhe quitted it privately, and, with her Son, 
attempted to make her Efcape : But, Aurelian being in- 
formed of it, cauled her to be purfued ; and fhe was over- 1 
- taken on the very Banks of the Euphrates f . Aurelian was 
lar from treating her with Severity : He referved her in- 
deed ror his I riumph ; but, in other refpebls, he treated 
her very kindly, and with much Efteem. On his Return 
to Rome, fhe was led through the City, as a Proof of his 
Vidory ; and the Roman W riters agree, that there never 
was feen a more magnificent Spedacie. She was, in her 
Peifon, of the. largeft Size, but exquifitely beautiful. I 
mention the Circumftance of her Stature, becaufe we are 
• particularly told, that the jewels fhe wore upon this Oc- 
cafion, were fo many, and fo large, that they were a great 
Burden to her, and tiled her to fuch a Degree, that, though 
4 ftrong Woman, and much uftd to Exercife, fhe was 
forced to halt feveral times in her Paffage g . After this 
fatiguing Ceremony was over, fhe had °a Country-houfe 
given her near the Tiber, where fhe lived many Years, 
with hei Family, in great Honour, and in perfed Tran- 
quillity. SIk, was indeed, in all refpeds, the moft accom- 
plifhed Laay of her Time, and equally remarkable for her 
unblemilhed Chafrity, her extenfive Learning, her maft 
culine Courage, and her deep Policy. 
If the Inhabitants of Palmyra could have forgot the 
Figure they made under her Reign, or could, from her 
Example, have learned to bear a Change of Fortune with 
Difcretion, they might have eftaped without fuffering much 
by this unlucky Accident ; but believing, after Aurelian 
was Returned into Europe, that there was no Danger of his 
coming back, they cut the Throats of the Soldiers he had 
left in Garifon ; which incenfed him to fuch a degree, that 
he took a fudden, and yet inflexible Refolution, of march- 
ing in Perfon to chaftife them ; which he accordingly did ; 
and having, witn little Oppofition, made himfelf Mafter 
of the Place, he caufed the Inhabitants to be deftroyed 
without Mcicy, and gave the City to be pillaged by his 
Soldiers ; which produced fo dreadful a Defolation, that 
even the Emperor himfelf, who was far enough from being 
of a gentle Difpofition, was touched therewith, and gave 
Orders, that the few who had efcaped, fhould be fpared 3 
and he likewife gave InftruStions for reftoring the Plunder, 
taken by his Soldiers out of the Temple of the Sun \ 
This dreadful Deftrublion of Palmyra, which happened 
A. X). 272, put an End to this Principality ; but it is not 
probable, that the City was then ruined to the Degree 
which Tiavellers lee it now, becaufe we often find it men- 
tioned in Hiftory as a confiderable City after this, though 
not as the Seat of Government, as it had been in Times 
paft, when there were no lefs than fixteen Cities in its 
Neighbourhood under its Jurifdi&ion, the Ruins of which 
are yet vifible, and very plainly fhew how great the Power 
and Magnificence of thofe Princes muft have been, by 
whom they were ere&ed : And, as for the Ruins of Pal- 
myra itfelf, they are allowed by all who have vifited them, 
to be equal, if not fuperior, to any thing of the fame 
kind yet remaining in the World h As for the Courfe of 
that Part of the Indian Traffick which paffed this Way, it 
has, after fome Variation, been in a great meafure fixt to 
Aleppo, particularly that Part of it which is the Confe- 
quence of an Intercourfe with the Perftans, fome Provinces 
of that Empire being, within this Period, always regarded 
as Part or the Indies. But it is now Time to quit the 
Story of this City’s Ruin, in order to purfue the Thread 
of 0111 Narration, which leads us to another Infurreblion 
againft the Emperor Aurelian , which was faid to take Rife 
from tne lame Caufe; I mean, too great Wealth amaffed 
together by the Commerce of the Indies. 
We have, already obferved, that Zenobia had added to 
her Dominions Egypt, as well as fome other Countries. 
On the Ruin of her Affairs, there was a Roman Merchant 
in rLgypt, whofe Name was M. Firmius , who dealt in Paper,. 
Glue, and other Commodities, with which he furiffhed 
the Inhabitants of Arabia, and other Parts of the Eaft ; 
and became thereby fo rich, that he had Money enough 
inAolflUn Die, Caf.u,, lib. , o. « fW Vqifc. In Vi,. Jurellin. ZoRn,. Zenar < p„ 
thefe Letters, V. C. R. I M OR "hich fST *T\ f °? °" e and ° f VSiM* cm the other , w 
M. »• ru. Aurelia,,. t AA , A, ZT “’‘L J . Tv' T 1“”! <***. 
and aa A “°“ nt of ths *»««« State of this City, in the MifathZ ctl/a, TllCf. So, ' S “ * IWcri P tio11 of !k 
