274 The Empire. R O 
Trajan, an utter stranger to his family, who was then go¬ 
vernor in Upper Germany, to succeed him. 
The adoption of this admirable man, proved so great a curb 
to the licentiousness of the soldiery, that they continued in 
perfect obedience during the rest of his reign: and Casparius 
being sent to him, was by his command either banished, 
or put to death. 
The adopting Trajan was the fast public act of Nerva. 
In about three months after, having put himself in a violent 
passion with one Regulus, a senator, he was seized with a 
fever, of which he shortly after died, after a short reign of 
one year four months and nine days. He was the first 
foreign emperor who reigned in Rome, and justly reputed a 
prince of great generosity and moderation. He is also ce¬ 
lebrated for his wisdom, though with less reason, the great¬ 
est instance he gave of it during his reign, being in the 
choice of his successor. 
Trajan’s family was originally from Italy, but he him¬ 
self was born at Seville in Spain. He very early ac¬ 
companied his father, who was a general of the Ro¬ 
mans, in his expeditions along the Euphrates and the 
Rhine; and while yet very young, acquired a consi¬ 
derable reputation for military accomplishments. He 
enured his body to fatigue; he made long marches on 
foot; and laboured to acquire that skill in war which was 
necessary for a commander. When he was made general 
of the army in Lower Germany, which was one of the most 
considerable employments in the empire, it made no altera¬ 
tion in his manners or way of living; and the commander 
was in no way different from the private tribune, except in 
his superior wisdom and virtues. The great qualities of his 
mind were accompanied with all the advantages of person. 
Upon being informed of the death of Nerva, he prepared 
to return to Rome, whither he was invited by the united 
intreaties of the state. He therefore began his march with 
a discipline that was for a long time unknown in the armies 
of the empire. The countries through which he passed 
were neither ravaged nor taxed, and he entered the city, 
not in a triumphant manner, but on foot, attended by the 
civil officers of the state. His application to business, his 
moderation to his enemies, his modesty in exaltation, his 
liberality to the deserving, and his frugality in his own 
expenses ; have all been the subject of panegyric among his 
contemporaries. Upon giving the prefect of the praetorian 
bands the sword, according to custom, he made use of this 
remarkable expression, “ Take this sword, and use it, if I 
have merit, for me; if otherwise, against me.” After 
which he added, That he who gave laws was the first who 
was bound to observe them. The first war he was 
engaged in after his coming to the throne was with the 
Dacians, who, during the reign of Domitian, had com¬ 
mitted ravages upon the provinces of the empire. He 
therefore raised a powerful army, and with great expedition 
marched into those barbarous countries, where he was 
vigorously opposed by Decebalus, the Dacian king, who, 
for a long time, withstood his boldest efforts; but was at last 
last entirely reduced, and his kingdom made a Roman 
province. 
Having thus given peace and prosperity to the empire, 
Trajau continued his reign, loved, honoured, and almost 
adored, by his subjects. He adorned the city with public 
buildings; he freed it from such men as lived by their vices; 
he entertained persons of merit with the utmost familiarity; 
and so little feared his enemies, that he could scarcely be 
induced to suppose that he had any. 
It had been happy for this great prince’s memory, if he had 
shown equal clemency to all his subjects: but, about the 
ninth year of his reign, he was persuaded to look upon the 
Christians with a suspicious eye. The extreme veneration 
which he professed for the religion of the empire, set him 
sedulously to oppose every innovation; and the progress of 
Christianity seemed to alarm him. A law had for some time 
before been passed, in which all Heteriae, or societies dissent¬ 
ing from the established religion, were considered as illegal, 
M E. The Empire. 
being imputed nurseries of imposture and sedition. Under 
the sanction of this law, the Christians were persecuted in all 
parts of the empire. Great numbers of them were put 
to death, as well by popular tumults as by edicts and judi¬ 
cial proceedings. However, the persecution ceased after 
some time; for the emperor having advice from Pliny, the 
proconsul in Bithynia, of the innocence and simplicity of the 
Christians, and of their inoffensive and moral way of living, 
he suspended their punishments. But a total stop was put 
to them upon Tiberianus the governor of Palestine’s send¬ 
ing him word, that he was wearied out with executing the 
laws against the Galileans, who crouded to execution in such 
multitudes, that he was at loss how to proceed. Upon this 
information, the emperors gave order, that the Christians 
should not be sought after; but if any offered themselves, that 
they should suffer. In this manner the rage of persecution 
ceased, and the emperor found leisure to turn the force of his 
arms against the Armenians and Parthians, who now began to 
throw off all submission to Rome. 
While he was employed in these wars, there was a dread¬ 
ful insurrection of the Jews in all parts of the empire. This 
people took the advantage of Trajan’s absence in the east to 
massacre all the Greeks and Romans whom they got into 
their power, without reluctance or mercy. This rebellion 
first began in Cyrene, a Roman province in Africa; from 
thence the flame extended to Egypt, and next to the island of 
Cyprus. These places w'ere in a manner dispeopled with 
ungovernable fury. Their barbarities are reported to have 
been such, that they ate the flesh of their enemies, wore their 
skins, sawed them asunder, cast them to wild beasts, made 
them kill each other, and studied new torments by which to 
destroy them. However, these cruelties were of no long 
duration: the governors of the respective provinces making 
head against their tumultuous fury, soon treated them with a 
retaliation of cruelty. In Cyprus a law was enacted, by 
which it was made capital for any Jew to set foot on the 
island. 
During these bloody transactions, Trajan was prosecuting 
his successes in the east. His first march was into Armenia, 
the king of which country had disclaimed all alliance with 
Rome, and received the ensigns of royalty and dominion 
from the monarch of Parthia. However, upon the news of 
Trajan’s expedition, his fears were so great, that he aban¬ 
doned his country to the invaders; while the greatest part of 
his governors and nobility submitted to the emperor. He 
next marched into the dominions of the king of Parthia. He 
reduced Mesopotamia into the form of a Roman province- 
From thence he went against the Parthians, marchmg on foot 
at the head of his army; in this manner crossing the rivers, 
and conforming to all the severities of discipline which 
were imposed on the meanest soldier. His successes against 
the Parthians were great and numerous. He conquered 
Syria and Chaldea, and took the famous city of Babylon. 
Here, attempting to cross the Euphrates, he was opposed by 
the enemy, who were resolved to stop his passage: but he 
secretly caused boats to be made upon the adjoining moun¬ 
tains ; and bringing them to the water side, passed his army 
with great expedition, not, however, without great slaughter 
on both sides. From the rapid streams of the Tigris, he 
advanced to the city of Ctesiphon, which he took, and opened 
himself a passage into Persia, where he made many conquests 
that were rather splendid than serviceable. After subduing 
all the country bordering on the Tigris, he marched southward 
to the Persian gulf, where he subdued a monarch.who pos¬ 
sessed a considerable island made by the divided streams of 
that river. Here, winter coming on, he was in danger of 
losing the greatest part of his army by the inclemency of the 
climate and the inundations of the river. He, therefore, with 
indefatigable pains, fitted out a fleet, and sailing down the 
Persian gulf, entered the Indian ocean, conquering even to 
the Indies, and subduing a part of them to the Roman empire. 
He was prevented from pursuing further conquests in this 
distant country, both by the revolt of many of the provinces 
he had already subdued, and by the scarcity of provisions, 
which 
