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CHA P. exhaufted people. However virtuous was their character, however pure their intentions, they found themselves reduced to the hard neceffity of fupporting their ufurpation by frequent acts of rapine and cruelty. When they fell, they involved armies and provinces in their fall. There is ftill extant a moft favage mandate from Gallienus to one of his minifters, after the fuppreffion of Ingenuus, who had affumed the purple in Illyricum. "It is not enough," fays that foft but inhuman prince," that you "exterminate fuch as have appeared in arms: "the chance of battle might have served me "as effectually. The male fex of every age "must be extirpated; provided that, in the "execution of the children and old men, you "can contrive means to fave our reputation. "Let every one die who has dropt an expreffion, who has entertained a thought against "me, against me, the fon of Valerian, the "father and brother of fo many princes 166. "Remember that Ingenuus was made emperor;

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tear, kill, hew in pieces. I write to you with my own hand, and would infpire you with my own feelings 167." Whilft the public forces of the state were diffipated in private quarrels,

166 Gallienus had given the titles of Cæfar and Auguftus to his fon Saloninus, flain at Cologne by the ufurper Pofthumus. A fecond fon of Gallienus fucceeded to the name and rank of his elder brother. Valerian, the brother of Gallienus, was alfo affociated to the empire: feveral other brothers, fifters, nephews, and nieces of the Emperor, formed a very numerous royal family. See Tillemont, tom. iii. and M. de Brequigny in the Memoires de l'Academie, tom. xxxii. p. 262.

16 Hift. Auguft. p. 88.

the

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the defenceless provinces lay expofed to every CHA P. invader. The braveft ufurpers were compelled, by the perplexity of their fituation, to conclude ignominious treaties with the common enemy, to purchase with oppreffive tributes the neutrality or fervices of the Barbarians, and to introduce hoftile and independent nations into the heart of the Roman monarchy 168.

Such were the Barbarians, and fuch the tyrants, who, under the reigns of Valerian and Gallienus, difmembered the provinces, and reduced the empire to the lowest pitch of disgrace and ruin, from whence it feemed impoffible that it should ever emerge. As far as the barrennefs of mateterials would permit, we have attempted to trace, with order and perfpicuity, the general events of that calamitous period. There ftill remain fome particular facts; I. The diforders of Sicily; II. The tumults of Alexandria; and, III. The rebellion of the Ifaurians, which may ferve to reflect a ftrong light on the horrid picture.

I. Whenever numerous troops of banditti, Disorders multiplied by fuccefs and impunity, publicly of Sicily. defy, instead of eluding the juftice of their country, we may fafely infer, that the exceffive weakness of the government is felt and abufed by the lowest ranks of the community. fituation of Sicily preferved it from the Barbarians; nor could the difarmed province have fupported an ufurper. The fufferings of that

The

168 Regillianus had fome bands of Roxolani in his fervice. Pofthumus a body of Franks. It was perhaps in the character of auxiliaries that the latter introduced themfelves into Spain.

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452

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CHAP. once flourishing and ftill fertile ifland, were inflicted by bafer hands. A licentious crowd of flaves and peasants reigned for a while over the plundered country, and renewed the memory of the fervile wars of more ancient times 9. Devaftations, of which the husbandman was either the victim or the accomplice, muft have ruined the agriculture of Sicily; and as the principal estates were the property of the opulent fenators of Rome, who often enclosed within a farm the territory of an old republic, it is not improbable, that this private injury might affect the capital more deeply than all the conquefts of the Goths or the Perfians.

Tumults of Alexandria.

II. The foundation of Alexandria was a noble defign, at once conceived and executed by the fon of Philip. The beautiful and regular form of that great city, fecond only to Rome itself, comprehended a circumference of fifteen miles 170; it was peopled by three hundred thoufand free inhabitants, befides at leaft an equal number of flaves". The lucrative trade of Arabia and India flowed through the port of Alexandria to the capital and provinces of the empire. Idleness was unknown. Some were employed in blowing of glass, others in weaving of linen, others again manufacturing the papyrus. Either fex, and every age, was engaged in the purfuits of induftry, nor did even the blind or the lame want

169 The Auguftan Hiftory, p. 177, calls it fervile bellum. See Diodor. Sicul. I. xxxiv.

170 Plin. Hift. Natur. v. 10.

17 Diodor. Sicul. 1.xvii. p. 590. Edit. Weffeling.

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óccupations fuited to their condition "72. But the CHA P. people of Alexandria, a various mixture of nations, united the vanity and inconftancy of the Greeks with the fuperftition and obftinacy of the Egyptians. The moft trifling occafion, a tranfient scarcity of flesh or lentils, the neglect of an accustomed falutation, a mistake of precedency in the public baths, or even a religious difpute13, were at any time fufficient to kindle a fedition among that vaft multitude, whofe refentments were furious and implacable 174. After the captivity of Valerian and the infolence of his fon had relaxed the authority of the laws, the Alexandrians abandoned themfelves to the ungoverned rage of their paffions, and their unhappy country was the theatre of a civil war, which continued (with a few short and fufpicious truces) above twelve years 75. All intercourfe was cut off

between the feveral quarters of the afflicted city, every street was polluted with blood, every building of ftrength converted into a citadel; nor did the tumults fubfide, till a confiderable part of Alexandria was irretrievably ruined. The fpacious and magnificent district of Bruchion, with its palaces and mufæum, the refidence of the

17 See a very curious letter of Hadrian in the Auguftan History, .p. 245.

173 Such as the facrilegious murder of a divine cat. See Diodor. Sicul. 1. i.

174 Hift. Auguft. p. 195. This long and terrible sedition was firft occafioned by a difpute between a foldier and a townsman about a pair of fhoes.

175 Dionyfius apud Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. vol. vii. p. 21. Ammian. xxii. 16.

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CHAP. kings and philofophers of Egypt, is defcribed above a century afterwards, as already reduced to its present state of dreary folitude ".

Rebellion

of the Ifaurians.

III. The obfcure rebellion of Trebellianus, who affumed the purple in Ifauria, a petty province of Afia Minor, was attended with ftrange and memorable confequences. The pageant of royalty was foon deftroyed by an officer of Gallienus; but his followers, defpairing of mercy, refolved to shake off their allegiance, not only to the Emperor, but to the empire, and fuddenly returned to the favage manners, from which they had never perfectly been reclaimed. Their craggy rocks, a branch of the wide-extended Taurus, protected their inacceffible retreat. The tillage of fome fertile vallies "" fupplied them with neceffaries, and a habit of rapine with the luxuries of life. In the heart of the Roman monarchy, the Ifaurians long continued a nation of wild barbarians. Succeeding princes, unable to reduce them to obedience either by arms or policy, were compelled to acknowledge their weaknefs, by furrounding the hostile and independent fpot, with a strong chain of fortifications 179 which often proved infufficient to restrain the incurfions of thefe domeftic foes. The Ifau rians, gradually extending their territory to the fea-coaft, fubdued the western and mountainous part of Cilicia, formerly the neft of thofe daring

176 Scaliger. Animadver. ad Eufeb. Chron. p. 258. Three dif fertations of M. Bonamay, in the Mem. de l'Academie, tom. ix. 177 Strabo, l. xiii. p. 569.

278 Hift. Auguft. p. 197.

pirates,

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