CHAP. IX.

(Of Rome, 836—Of Christ, 96.)

[1]Cocceius Nerva succeeded Domitian in the empire. He reigned but one year, four months, and eleven days; an [2]excellent prince, but [3]despised for his age. He [4]annulled all the [5]acts of Domitian, and [6]restored what had been [7]taken from the people by [8]violence and [9]injustice: but he [10]wanted [11]authority to [12]keep the soldiers within [13]due bounds; wherefore those who were [14]concerned in the death of Domitian, from whom he had [15]received the empire, were [16]killed by the [17]guards, [18]in spite of all he could do to [19]prevent it. He made Trajan, [20]lieutenant of Germany, his [21]adopted son, with whom he lived three months.

Trajan [22]took upon him the [23]government of the empire at [24]Cologn, being then in the 42nd year of his age; and a man [25]excellently [26]skilled in the [27]military art. He was likewise a person of great prudence, [28]moderation, and [29]meekness of [30]temper; so that he was thought by all to [31]deserve the [32]surname of [33]Optimus. He [34]added Dacia to the empire, and, [35]marching into the [36]East, [37]subdued the [38]Armenians, the [39]Iberians, the [40]Colchians, the [41]Sarmatians, the [42]Osrhoenians, the [43]Arabians, and the [44]Bosphoranians. He likewise [45]fell upon the Parthians, and [46]took the cities Seleucia, [47]Ctesiphon, and [48]Babylon, with several others. But upon his [49]taking a voyage in the [50]Red Sea, almost all those nations [51]rose in rebellion. He, however, [52]quickly [53]reduced them either in person or by his [54]lieutenants. There was in his time a great [55]earthquake, which [56]ruined the city of [57]Antioch: it [58]happened in the year of Christ 115, in the [59]consulship of Messala and Pedo, the latter of whom was [60]buried in the [61]ruins of the [62]place, and Trajan was [63]drawn through a [64]window, and had [65]much ado to [66]escape. The Jews of [67]Syrene [68]took up arms, and [69]exercised all manner of [70]cruelty upon the Romans and Greeks throughout [71]Egypt and [72]Cyprus. Trajan [73]suppressed this rebellion with infinite [74]slaughter, by his lieutenant Martius Turbo. [75]Whilst he was [76]preparing to march against the Parthians, who were up in arms, having [77]forced from amongst them the king that had been [78]given them by the Roman emperor; this excellent prince [79]fell ill, and [80]died at [81]Selinus in Cilicia. He reigned nineteen years, six months, and fifteen days.

[82]Ælius Hadrianus, Trajan’s [83]cousin and [84]countryman, [85]obtained the empire after him, by the [86]favour of Plotina, Trajan’s wife; a man very [87]fickle in his [88]temper and [89]genius, [90]equally [91]formed for virtue and [92]vice. He [93]went through all the [94]provinces of the empire, so that nobody had ever [95]travelled over so much of the [96]world as he. After the death of Trajan, he [97]abandoned Armenia, Syria, and Mesopotamia, to the Parthians, and [98]intended likewise to [99]leave Dacia, had he not been [100]apprehensive of [101]ruining the many thousands of Romans that were there.

He [102]rebuilt Jerusalem, which he [103]called Ælia Capitolina, and [104]settled a colony there; and in the same place where the [105]temple had [106]stood, [107]built another in [108]honour of [109]Jupiter; which so [110]provoked the Jews, that, [111]taking up arms, they [112]carried on the war with more [113]fury than ever, under the [114]conduct of Barchochebas; against whom, amongst other [115]skilful generals that he [116]employed, Hadrian [117]sent for Julius Severus out of [118]Britain, by whom the Jews were by [119]degrees [120]suppressed and utterly [121]destroyed; there being no less than 50,000 slain in that war, besides an [122]innumerable [123]multitude that were [124]consumed by [125]famine, [126]pestilence, and [127]fire; so that [128]Palestine became almost a [129]wilderness. After that time, the Jews were [130]forbidden, [131]under pain of death, to come to Jerusalem, unless one day in a year to [132]lament their [133]misery.

At last Hadrian [134]growing old and [135]infirm, having no [136]children of his own, [137]adopted [138]Arrius Antoninus, who was afterwards [139]surnamed [140]Pius, [141]upon condition that he should adopt Annius Verus, son of Ælius Verus, and [142]M. Aurelius Antoninus. After which he died at Baiæ, in the year of Christ 138, having lived sixty-two years, and reigned twenty-one and eleven months.

Antoninus Pius, adopted by Hadrian, [143]governed the Roman empire with so much virtue and [144]goodness, that he [145]surpassed all [146]example; for he [147]managed the [148]commonwealth rather with the [149]affection of a father, than with the authority of a prince, and [150]kept the world in [151]peace during his whole reign, for which [152]reason he was [153]compared to Numa. [154]Foreign and [155]remote princes and [156]nations [157]feared him to that degree, that they [158]referred the [159]decision of their [160]controversies to him. He [161]forbade any [162]scrutiny to be made after those, who had [163]entered into a [164]plot against his [165]life. He died in the seventieth year of his age, and twenty-fourth of his reign.

After him reigned M. Antonius Verus, [166]son-in-law of Pius; for he had married his daughter Valeria Faustina. He had from [167]his youth been [168]educated as well in the [169]knowledge of other [170]arts as the [171]studies of [172]wisdom, which he [173]made appear no less in his life and [174]conduct, than his [175]words and [176]professions. In the [177]beginning of his reign, he made L. Ælius Verus his [178]partner of the empire, to whom he married his daughter Lucilla. They reigned together eleven years, being of very [179]different [180]inclinations; for Verus was of a [181]listless, [182]luxurious, and [183]morose temper, but was [184]kept within [185]bounds through the [186]respect he had for his father-in-law; by whom he was [187]sent against the Parthians, and [188]carried on the war [189]successfully for four years, by his lieutenants; wherefore they both [190]triumphed over the Parthians. Afterwards they [191]undertook an [192]expedition against the Marcomanni, but upon their [193]march, Verus was [194]seized with an [195]apoplexy, between Concordia and [196]Altinum, and died. M. Aurelius carried on the war for three years against the Marcomanni, to whom the Quadi, [197]Vandals, [198]Sarmatians, and Suevi, [199]joined themselves. His army in [200]want [201]of water, was [202]relieved by a [203]legion of [204]Christians that was in it, who, by their [205]prayers [206]procured [207]rain from [208]heaven, according to [209]Eusebius. The [210]exchequer being quite [211]exhausted by the great [212]expense of the war, that he might not [213]burthen the people with [214]taxes, he [215]produced all the imperial [216]furniture and [217]sold it; and after the victory [218]restored the [219]price to those [220]purchasers who [221]were willing to [222]part with what they had [223]bought. Avidius Cassius, upon [224]false advice that he was [225]dead, [226]seized the [227]government, and was slain three months after. M. Aurelius died at Vienna, after a reign of nineteen years, and eleven months.