440 The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book I 
to maintain an Army,' which he undertook to raife under not believe the News of his Revolt, fo great was hisConfi- 
Colour of fupporting the Caufe of Zenobia ; but, in fad:, dence in this Man’s Virtue j but when^it was confirmed 
with a View to have fecured to himfelf the Sovereignty of he marched againft him with an Army ; and, after feverd 
Egypt? where he found the People inclined enough to hard-fought Battles, befieged him in a Cattle’; which was 
mutiny ; and was foon in a Condition to render himfelf taken by Storm, and Saturninus killed, in Spite of all the 
formidable ; the rather, becaufe the firft Step he took Care the Emperor took to fave him d . 
was to lay an Embargo upon the Fleet that was bound This Revolt did not hinder Probus from labouring to 
from Alexandria to Rome. But this, inftead of contributing, reftore the Affairs of Egypt to their former flourifhino- 
as he vainly imagined it would, to his Safety, drew upon Condition ; in order to which, he caufed all the Mouths of 
him immediate Ruin ; for Aurelian, knowing well the Con- the Nile to be cleanfed and repaired, and inlaro-ed the 
Sequences that this muft produce at Rome , marched with Ports of that Province : He further declared his TPefolu- 
all imaginable Diligence to Egypt •, and, having eafily made tion to take the fame Care, and employ the fame Pains in 
himfelf Matter of Alexandria , he blocked up Firmius in a all the other Provinces of the Empire. This gracious 
Cattle, and foon after took him Prifoner, and caufed him Difpofition, this Defire of eftablifhing univerfal Peace 
to be put to Death, with horrid Torments a . this Hope of finding it poffible to govern Mankind upon 
He likewife fettled the Trade of that Country on a new Principles of Humanity, infpired him with an Opennefs of 
Foot, by the Regulations which he made, and which Heart, and Freedom of Speech, which drew upon him a 
feem to have been very advantageous to the Romans , Sudden and violent Death: For tho’ it may be a new, a 
whatever Hardships they might bring upon the Egyptians, ftrange, and Seemingly abfurd Maxim, yet Reafon and 
Thefe Precautions, however, could not have affefted the Experience will Shew it a true one, that more Care and 
Inhabitants of this Country fo deeply, or the Severities Art ought to be employed in covering and concealing good 
exercifed by Aurelian have depreffed them to fuch a de- Defigns, than bad ones ; and that, for this plain Caufe, 
gree, as Hiftory mentions, if they had remained at Peace the Majority of the World are bad, or, at leaft, weak 
among themfelves, and had been content to enjoy quietly. Men, who prefer their prefent Interett, or what they think 
what was left them after their Misfortunes : But this they fo, to any future Good, how great foever : And there- 
could not do , for their mutinous and reftlefs Temper threw fore, whoever propofes to ad for the Benefit of all, will be 
the Inhabitants of Alexandria into Such fadious Disputes, Sure to provoke the Difpleafure of many, and awake the 
as occafioned a kind of civil War amongft them ; which Affedions of very few. This was the Cafe of Probus ; 
produced the Ruin of many of the public Buildings, and for his great and good Projcds being interrupted by a 
fined Edifices, that were yet left (landing ; fo that, with War with the Perfians , he was fo indifereet as to hint, in 
their own Hands, they laboured inceffantly to demolifh, the midft of the Preparations for it, that he hoped there 
what had been raifed by the Induftry and public Spirit of would come a Time when Soldiers would be no longer 
their Ancettors ; and thus the Defolation of this great and necejfary *, which, with the hard Labour he put them 
rich City was increafed, and in a manner finifhed, by the upon, in draining the Waters about Syrmium , irritated his 
Madnefs of her Citizens b . Forces to fuch a Degree, that they firft mutinied, and 
Soon after, this Aurelian was murdered by Some of the then murdered him % when he had reigned fix Years with 
principal Officers of his Army *, and the Senate and Sol- univerfal AppJaufe, and had reftored the Affairs of the 
diers were, for fome time, in Sufpenfe, before they pro- Empire miraculoufly. 
ceeded to an Election, which, at laft, fell upon Tacitus , After his Death, the Army, A. D. 282 declared Cams 
who was at the Head of the Senate, and feventy-five Years Emperor, who entered on a Scene of Trouble •, and en- 
of Age: For which Reafon, he laboured, with the utmoft tered only to go off again : For the barbarous Nations be- 
Diligence, to have avoided, had it been poffible, the Accep- gan, on every Side, to be in Motion, as foon as the Death 
tation of this Dignity, but, finding that his Endeavours of Probus was known. And his Succeffor, advancing with 
were vain, and knowing that it was fometimes as dan- the Army as far as the River Tigris , was there found dead 
gerous to refufe the Purple as to accept it, he yielded, at in his Tent, in the midft of a Storm of Thunder and 
laft, to the Intreaties of the Senate, and became, as it Lightning, in the fecond Year of his Reign. He had af- 
were, Emperor by Force. fociated his eldeft Son Cdrinus in the Empire, and his 
6. The Reign of Tacitus began and ended in the younger Son Numer tarns , who was with him, and who 
Year 276. For, having fent a Relation of his to govern was acknowledged by the Army, and continued the War 
Syria, while himfelf was in the Neighbourhood of that fome time after his Father’s Death, till by the Treachery 
Province, and this Man having difeharged his Duty but of Aper, who was Captain of his Guard, and who hoped 
indifferently, the People firft murdered him ' and then, to fucceed him, he was murdered in his Tent : Upon which 
fearing they might be punifhed for this Aftion, endeavour- the Army chofe Diocleftan Emperor, who revenged the 
ed to fecure to themfelves Impunity, by cutting off the Death of his Predeceffor, by killing Aper with his own . 
Emperor alfo c . He was fucceeded by Probus , who was Hands f . 
a mod excellent Prince : For he firft fettled Peace at home, Diocleftan was raifed to the Empire A. D. 284. and as 
and then vifited the Provinces, where he, likewife, gained foon as he found himfelf eftablifhed, entered into a War ■ 
great Honour, and fecured the Empire from all Appre- with Carinus , in which the latter was (lain. In 286. Dio- 
henfions' of Difturhance from any of the barbarous Nations cleft an affociated Maximinian in the Empire, that they 
that had hitherto interrupted its Quiet. His Reign, how- might be the more able to aft againft all the Enemies of the * 
ever, was difturbed by an Infurreftion in Egypt , where Romans ; and the Troubles (till increafing, the two Em- 
the Soldiers and the People made Saturninus , a worthy perors named Conjlantius Chlonis, and Maximinian Ga- ■ 
Officer, Emperor againft his Will. Probus had made him lerius , Cafars. At this Time one Achilleus had drawn \ 
General of the Forces in the Eaft, with a particular Cau- Egypt to revolt, and affumed there the Imperial Ornaments, , 
tion, that on no Account whatever, he (hould enter and maintained himfelf better than five Years •, but when 1 
Egypt : But he, being extremely defirous to fee the Cu- other Parts of the Empire were quieted, Diocleftan , in • 
riofities of that Country, and, perhaps, not the lefs fo for the Year 296. entered Egypt, attacked, defeated, and 1 
this Prohibition, made a Journey to Alexandria •, which killed Achilleus , and, as fome Writers fay, differed his ; 
City he had fcarce entered, when the People, out of that Soldiers to pillage the City of Alexandria . But the Nubians , , 
Spirit of Ficklenefs, of Flattery, and of Folly, for which who inhabited the Country between Egypt and Ethiopia , , 
they were famous, faluted him Augufius. He afted right, were now become fo powerful, and the Affairs of the Ro- 
at firft, by quitting the Place inftantly, and returning to mans in that Province were in fuch Confufion, that Diocle- 
Palefiine ; but, fearing afterwards, that he fhould be pu- fan could find no better Expedient for (ecu ring' the Peace a 
niftied for what the People had done, he changed his Con- and Safety of the Province, than yielding up a large Traft 1 
duft, and affumed the Purple. Probus , at firft, would of Country to that Nation, with whom he concluded a ? 
8 Zofirn. lib. i. Fopifc. in Fit. Aurelian . b Ammian. Marcell. lib. xxii. c Zofm. lib. i. Aurel. V t 3 . d Zofinti 
lib. i. -Zonar. p. 240. * Zojm. lib. i. Zonar. p. 241. Fopifc. in Fit. P rob. Aurel. Fill. Spit. f Chronic,. Alex, p. 638. Eutrdp. i 
Aurel. : ViA. Epit. - •’ ' 
* perpetual a 
