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having heaped together a large pile of books, in order to burn them, one of their commanders diffuaded them from the defign, alledging, That the time which the Grecians fhould waste on books, would only render them more unqualified for war. But the empire feemed to tremble, not only on that fide, but almoft in every quarter. At the fame time, above three hundred thoufand of thefe barbarians (the Heruli, the Trutangi, the Virtugi, and many nameless and uncivilized nations) came down the river Danube, with two thoufand fhips, fraught with men and ammunition, fpreading terror and devaftation on every fide.

In this ftate of univerfal difmay, Claudius, alone, feemed to continue unfhaken. He marched his difproportioned army against the favage invaders, and though but ill prepared for engaging with them, as the forces of the empire were then employed in different parts of the world, he came off victorious, and made an incredible flaughter of the enemy. The whole of their great army was either cut to pieces or taken prisoners; houses were filled with their arms, and scarce a province of the empire that was not furnished with flaves, from those that furvived the defeat.

Thefe fucceffes were followed by many others in different parts of the empire; fo that the Goths, for a confiderable. time, made but a feeble oppofition.

The reign of Claudius was active and fuccefsful; and fuch is the character given of him by hiftorians, that he is faid to have united in himself, the moderation of Auguftus, the valour of Trajan, the piety of Antoninus, and all the virtues of the good princes who had reigned before him.

Longinus and Porphyry flourished at this time.

Immediately after the death of Claudius the A. D. 270. army made choice of Aurelian, who was at that time mafter of the horse, and efteemed the most valiant commander of his time. Being foon after univerfally acknowledged by all the ftates of the empire, he affumed the government with a greater fhare of power than his predece fors had enjoyed for fome time before.

The Franks, and Batavians were compelled to repafs the Rhine, and the power of Aurelian was established in tranquillity from the wall of Antoninus to the columns of Hercules.

He then turned his arms againft Zenobia, the queen of Palmyra and the Eaft. This extraordinary woman claimed her descent from the Macedonian kings of Egypt; her beauty was only to be equalled by her understanding, her chastity by her valour; fhe poffeffed in equal perfection the Greek, the Syriac, and the Egyptian languages, and had compared

the

the merits of Homer and Plato under the tuition of the fub

lime Longinus.

Odenathus, who had raifed himself from a private ftation to the dominion of the Eaft, courted and obtained her hand, and his fuccefs was in a great meafure afcribed to her prudence. They twice purfued the Perfian monarch to the gates of Ctefiphon; but the Palmyrenian prince invincible in war, fell a victim to domeftic treafon, and was affaffinated in the midft of a great entertainment, by his nephew Maonius, who had fcarce time to affume the title of Auguftus before he was facrificed by Zenobia to the memory of her her husband.

Zenobia had long difclaimed the Roman power and 'eftablifhed an empire of her own. To oppofe this extraordinary woman, Aurelian led his army into Afia and furmounting all the obftructions that were oppofed againft him, he at length fat down before Tyana, a city of Cappadocia; which feemed refolved to hold out against him, and actually, for fome time, topped his progrefs. The unexpected obftinacy of the befieged ferved not a little to enrage the Emperor, who was naturally precipitate and furious. He vowed, that upon taking the city, he would fo punifh the inhabitants, as not to leave a dog alive among them. After fome time the city was taken: and when his whole army expected the plunder of fo wealthy a place, and reminded him of his former proteftations, he reftrained their impetuofity, and only ordered all the dogs in the place to be deftroyed. He afterwards pretended that he was reftrained. from fatiating his refentment on the inhabitants, by an apparition of the famous Apollonius, that warned him not to destroy his birth-place. This excufe was no doubt fictitious, but we can eafily pardon fallehood, when it is brought to the affiftance of humanity.

From Tyana he marched to meet the enemy, who waited his approach, near the city of Emefa in Syria. Both armies were very powerful and numerous; the one trained up under the moft valiant leader of his time; the other led on by a woman, who feemed born to control the pride of man. The battle was long and obftinate, victory for fome / inclined to the fide of the Afiatics; but the perfeverance of Aurelian's generals, at laft, carried the day. The enemy was defeated, and Zenobia was obliged to flee to Palmyra for fafety. She prepared for a vigorous defence, and declared the laft moment of her reign fhould be the last of hier life.

Palmyra, fituated amid the barren deferts of Arabia, derives its name from the multitude of adjacent palm-trees;

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the purity of the air, and fome valuable fprings which wa tered the foil, first preferred it to notice. The fituation be tween the gulph of Perfia and the Mediterranean, rendered it convenient to the caravans; and Palmyra, by the elevation of Odenathus and Zenebia, was exalted into a temporary rival of Rome.

The Emperor purfuing Zenobia to this city, did all in his power to induce her to fubmiffion; but the haughty queen refufed his proffered terms of life and fecurity with fcorn, relying on the fuccours which the expected from the Perfians, the Saracens, and the Armenians. However, Aurelian's diligence furmounted every obftacle; he intercepted the Pertian auxiliaries and difperfed them; the Saracens fhared the fame fate; and the Armenians were, by plaufible promifes, induced to efpoufe his intereft: Thus Zenobia, deceived in her expected fuccours, and defpairing of relief, attempted to fly into Perfia; but was taken by a chofen body of horie fent to purfue her. The city of Palmyra likewife fubmitted to the conqueror.

The conduct of Zenobia when captive, diminished her former fame. She implored the mercy of Aurelian, acknowledged the guilt of refiftance, and imputed it to the counfels of her fecretary, Longinus, the celebrated critic. The unlettered mind of Aurelian was not to be moved by genius or learning, the unhappy minifter was doomed to immediate execution; but the fame of Longinus will furvive that of the queen who betrayed him, and the Emperor who condemned him.

Zenobia was referved to grace the Emperor's triumph; to whom he afterwards behaved with a generous clemency. She was prefented with an elegant villa at Tivoli, her daughters married into noble families, and her race was not extinct in the fifth century.

Hiftorians give us the following account of his death. Meneftheus, his principal feeretary, having been threatened by him, for fome fault which he had committed, began to confider how he might prevent the premeditated blow. For this purpofe he forged a lift of the names of feveral perfons, whoin he pretended the Emperor had marked out for death, adding his own, to ftrengden him in the confidence of the party. The forell, thus contrived, was fhown with an air of the utmoft fecrecy to fome of the perfons concerned; and they, to procure their fafety, immediately agreed with hin to deftroy the Ea-peror. This refolution was foon put into execution, fer as the Emperor paffed with a small guard, from Uraclea, in Thrace, towards Byzantium, the confpiFators fet upon him, and flew him with very little refiftance.

The

The people, in his death, lamented a great and fortunate prince, the army regretted a warlike com:nander, and the flate loft a ufeful though fevere reformer.

Aurelian is generally ftiled the Reftorer of the Empire, which, after the misfortunes that it had fuffered by the captivity of Valerian, and the indolence of Galienus, began to revive under Claudius, and was, in fome measure, restored to its former luftre by Aurelian.

He is faid to have been the firft Roman Emperor that dared to appear in public with a diadem on his head. Some of the fucceeding princes followed his example in that repect; but that royal ornament was not commonly worn till the time of Conftantine,

CHAP. XLIX.

Tacitus, when made Emperor, gives his Eftate to the Public. Works of Tacitus, the Hiftorian, greatly honoured by him. Atchievements of Probus.-Carus and his two Sons.

TACITUS, a man of recitus, the cele A. D. 275.

ACITUS, a man of great merit, and a

brated hiftorian, fucceeded Aurelian in the

empire.

When he afcended the imperial throne, he gave his eftate to the public, and his money to the foldiers. He was extremely temperate, fond of learning, and the memory of fuch men as had deferved well of their country. The works of Tacitus, in particular, were greatly honoured by him. He commanded that they thould be placed in every public library throughout the empire, and that many copies of them fhould be tranfcribed at the public charge.

A reign begun with fuch moderation and juftice, only wanted continuance, to have made the empire happy; but after enjoying the empire about fix months, he died of a fever, in his march to oppofe the Perfians and Scythians, who had invaded the caflern parts of the empire,

Florianus, the brother of Tacitus, inflantly ufurped the purple, without awaiting the approbation of the fenate. Probus, the heroic general of the caft, declared himself the avenger of the infulted authority of that affembly. Though the effeminate troops of Syria appeared unequal to encounter the hardy legions of Europe, yet the activity of Probus triumphed

S3

umphed over every obftacle. The veterans of his rival fickened in the fultry heats of Cilicia; and Florianus after enjoying the imperial title about three months, fell at Tarfus a facrifice to the contempt of his foldiers.

The victorious Probus was, with Claudius and Aurelian, defcended from a race of peasants in Illyricum; like his warlike predeceffors, he had rifen by military merit. Africa and Pontus, the Rhine, the Danube, the Euphrates, and the Nile, by turns had witneffed his perfonal prowefs and conduct in war.

As every year produced new calamities to the empire, and fresh irruptions on every fide threatened univerfal defolation; perhaps, at this time, no abilities, except those of Probus, were capable of oppofing fuch united invafions. He haftened with an ariny to reprefs the Germans in Gaul, of whom he flew four hundred thoufand. He then marched into Dalmatia, to oppose and fubdue the Sarmatians. From thence he led his forces into Thrace, and compelled the Goths to fue for peace. The king of Perfia fubmitted at his approach; and upon his returning to Europe, he divided the depopulated parts of Thrace among its barbarous invaders.

The rebellion of Bonofus and Proculus, the former celebrated for his prowess in the combats of Bacchus, and the latter in thofe of Venus, was speedily crufhed. The leaders -funk beneath the fuperior genius of Probus, but their adherents experienced his mercy. Bonofus, who was fo remarkable a votary of Bacchus, that he could drink as much wine as ten men, without being difordered, upon his being defeated, hanged himielf in detpair. Probus, when he faw him, immediately after his death, could not avoid pointing at the body, and faying, "There hangs, not a man, but a bot"tle." But ftill, notwithstanding every effort to give quiet to the empire, the barbarians, who furrounded it, kept it in continual alarms. They were frequently repulfed to their native wilds, but they as duly returned with fresh rage and increafed ferocity. The Goths and Vandals, finding the Emperor engaged in quelling domeftic difputes, renewed their accustomed inroads, and once more felt the punishment of their prefumption. They were conquered in feveral engagements, and Probus returned in triumph to Rome.

The difcipline, which had been introduced into the camp by Aurelian, was maintained, though with leis cruelty, by Probus; the troops were exercited in covering with rich vineyards the hills of Gaul and Pannonia; and an unhealthy tract of marthy ground near Sirmium, where Probus was born, was converted into tillage by their labour; but the

Emperor

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