■ DION Caffins (1. liv. p. 736.), with the annotations of Reymar, who has collected all that Roman vanity has left upon the subject. The marble of Ancyra, on which Auguftus recorded his own exploits, afferts that he compelled the Parthians to restore the enfigns of Craffus.

2 Strabo (1. xvi. p. 780.), Pliny the elder (Hift. Natur. 1. vi. c. 32. 1. 85.), and Don Caffius (1.ning 12 and Tiek maz34.), Advertit ves very curious details concerning thefe wars. The Romans made themselves masters of Mariaba, or Merab, a city of Arabia Felix, well known to the Orientals (fee Abulfeda and the Nubian geography, p. 52.) They were arrived within three days journey of the Spice country, the rich object of their invafion.

3 By the slaughter of Varus and his three legions. See the first book of the Annals of Tacitus. Sueton. in Auguft. c. 23. and Velleius Paterculus, 1. ii. c. 117, etc. Auguftus did not receive the melancholy news with all the temper and firmness that might have been expected from his character.

4 Tacit. Annal. 1. ii. Dion Caffius, 1. lvi. p. 833. and the fpeech of Auguftus himself, in Julian's Cæfars. It receives great light from the learned notes of his French translator, M. Spanheim.

5 Germanicus, Suetonius Paulinus, and Agricola, were checked and recalled in the courfe of their victories. Corbulo was put to death. Military merit, as it is admirably expreffed by Tacitus, was, in the ftricteft fenfe of the word, imperatoria virtus.

6 Cæfar himfelf conceals that ignoble motive; but it is mentioned by Suetonius, c. 47. The British pearls proved, however, of little value, on account of their dark and livid colour. Tacitus obferves, with reason (in Agricola, c. 12), that it was an inherent defect. "Ego facilius "crediderim, naturam margaritis deeffe quam nobis avaritiam. "

7 Claudius, Nero, and Domitian. A hope is expreffed by Pomponius Mela, 1. iii. c. 6. he wrote under Claudius that, by the fuccefs of the Roman arms, the island and its favage inhabitants would foon be better known. It is amufing enough to perufe fuch paffages in the midst of London.

See the admirable abridgment given by Tacitus, in the life of
Notes.
A

Agricola, and copiously, though perhaps not completely, illuftrated by our own antiquarians, Camden and Horfley.

The Irish writers, jealous of their national honour, are extremely provoked on this occafion, both with Tacitus and with Agricola. 1° See Horsley's Britannia Romana, l. i. c. 10.

11 The poet Buchanan celebrates, with elegance and fpirit (fee his Sylvæ V.), the unviolated independence of his native country. But, if the fingle teftimony of Richard of Cirencester was fufficient to create a Roman province of Vefpafiana to the north of the wall, that independence would be reduced within very narrow limits.

12 See Appian (in Proem.) and the uniform imagery of Offian's Poems, which, according to every hypothefis, were compofed by a native Caledonian.

13 See Pliny's Panegyric, which feems founded on facts.

14 Dion Caffins, 1. Ixvii.

15 Herodotus, . iv. c. 94. Julian in the Cæfars, with Spanheim's obfervations.

16 Plin. Epift. viii. 9.

17 Dion Caffius, 1. lxviii. p. 1123. 1131. Julian in Cæfaribus. Eutropius, viii. 2. 6. Aurelius Victor in Epitome.

18 See a Memoir of M. d'Anville, on the Province of Dacia, in the Académie des Infcriptions, tom. xxviii. p. 444-468.

19 Trajan's fentiments are reprefented in a very juft and lively manner in the Cæfars of Julian.

20 Eutropius and Sextus Rufus have endeavoured to perpetuate the illufion. See a very fenfible differtation of M. Freret in the Académie des Infcriptions, tom. xxi. p. 55.

21 Dion Caffius, 1. lxviii; and the Abbreviators.

22 Ovid. Faft. 1. ii, ver. 667. See Livy, and Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, under the reign of Tarquin.

23 St. Auguftin is highly delighted with the proof of the weakness of Terminus, and the vanity of the Augurs. See De Civitate Dei,

iv. 29.

24 See the Auguftan Hiftory, p. 5. Jerome's Chronicle, and all the Epitomifers. It is fomewhat furprifing, that this memorable event should be omitted by Dion, or rather by Xiphilin.

25 Dion, I. xix. p. 1158. Hift. Auguft. p. 5. 8. If all our hiftorians were loft, medals, infcriptions and other monuments, would be

fufficient to record the travels of Hadrian.

26 See the Auguftan History and the Epitomes.

27 We muft, however, remember, that, in the time of Hadrian, a rebellion of the Jews raged with religious fury, though only in a fingle province Paufanias (1. viii. c. 43.) mentions two neceflary and fuccefsful wars conducted by the generals of Pius. 1ft, Against the wandering, Moors, who were driven into the folitudes of Atlas. 2d, Against the Brigantes of Britain, who had invaded the Roman province. Both thefe

wars (with several other hoftilities) are mentioned in the Auguftan Hiftory, p. 19.

28 Appian of Alexandria, in the preface to his Hiftory of the Roman

wars.

29 Dion, I. lxxi. Hift. Auguft. in Marco. The Parthian victories gave birth to a crowd of contemptible hiftorians, whofe memory has been refcued from oblivion, and expofed to ridicule, in a very lively piece of criticism of Lucian.

30 The poorest rank of foldiers poffeffed above forty pounds fterling (Dionyf. Halicarn. iv. 17.), a very high qualification, at a time when money was fo fcarce, that an ounce of filver was equivalent to feventy pound weight of brafs. The populace, excluded by the ancient conftitution, were indifcriminately admitted by Marius. See Salluft. de Bell. Jugurth. c. 91.

31 Cæfar formed his legion Alauda, of Gauls and ftrangers: but it was during the licence of civil war; and after the victory, he gave them the freedom of the city for their reward.

32 See Vegetius de Re

Militari, 1. i. c. 27.

annually

33 The oath of fervice and fidelity to the emperor, was ann renewed by the troops, on the

January.

34 Tacitus calls the Roman Eagles, Bellorum Deos. They were placed in a chapel in the camp, and with the other deities received the religious worship of the troops.

35 See Gronovius de Pecunia vetere, 1. iii. p. 120, etc. The emperor Domitian raised the annual ftipend of the legionaries to twelve pieces of gold, which, in his time, was equivalent to about ten of our guineas. This pay, fomewhat higher than our own, had been, and was afterwards, gradually increased, according to the progrefs of wealth and military government. After twenty years fervice, the veteran received three thoufand denarii (about one hundred pounds fterling), or a proportionable allowance of land. The pay and advantages of the guards were, in general, about double thofe of the legions.

36 Exercitus ab exercitando, Varro de Linguâ Latinâ, 1. iv. Cicero in Tufculan. 1. ii. 37. There is room for a very interefting work, which should lay open the connexion between the languages and manners of nations.

37 Vegetius, 1. ii. and the rest of his first book.

38 The Pyrrhic Dance is extremely well illuftrated by M. le Beau in the Académie des Infcriptions, tom. xxxv. p. 262, etc. That learned academician, in a series of memoirs, has collected all the paffages of the ancients that relate to the Roman legion.

39 Jofeph. de Bell. Judaico, 1. iii. c. 5. We are indebted to this Jew for fome very curious details of Roman difcipline.

4° Plin. Panegyr. c. 13. Life of Hadrian, in the Auguftan Hiftory. See an admirable digreffion on the Roman difcipline, in the fixth book of his hiftory.