place. Every kind of success may be expected from so valiant a nation; and I enjoin you to inform the general officers, and others, and even the whole army, that I am highly satisfied with them. You need not doubt my having the same sentiments with regard to you; to assure you of which is the sole motive of this letter; and, cousin, I beseech the Almighty to have you in his keeping, and direct you.

"Versailles, July 23, 1734."

I now return to the history. After Manlius had ended the speech repeated above, the army discovered, by their shouts, how impatiently they desired to be led against the enemy; and, accordingly, the consul entered their territories. The Gauls did not once suspect that the Romans would invade them, as their country lay so remote from them; and, therefore, were not prepared to oppose them. But, notwithstanding this, they made a long and vigorous resistance. They laid wait for Manlius in defiles; disputed the passes with him; shut themselves up in their strongest fortresses, and retired to such eminences as they thought inaccessible. However, the consul, so far from being discouraged, followed, and forced them wherever he came. He attacked them separately, stormed their cities, and defeated them in several engagements. I shall not descend to particulars, which were of little importance, and, consequently, would only tire the reader. The Gauls were obliged, at last, to submit, and to confine themselves within the limits prescribed them.

By this victory, the Romans delivered the whole country from the perpetual terrors it was under, from

those barbarians, who hitherto had done nothing but harrass and plunder their neighbours. So happy a tranquillity was restored on this side, that the empire of the Romans was established there, from the river Halys to mount Taurus; and the kings of Syria were for ever excluded from all Asia Minor. m We are told, that Antiochus said, on this occasion,, that he was highly obliged to the Romans, for having freed him from the cares and troubles, which the government of so vast an extent of country must necessarily have brought upon him.

Fulvius, one of the consuls, returned to Rome, in order to preside in the assembly. The consulate was given to M. Valerius Messala, and C. Livius Salinator. The instant the assembly broke up, Fulvius returned to his own province. Himself, and Manlius, his colleague, were continued in the command of the armies for a year, in quality of proconsuls.

Manlius had repaired to Ephesus, to settle, with the ten commissioners who had been appointed by the senate, the most important articles of their commission. The treaty of peace with Antiochus was confirmed, as also that which Manlius had concluded with the Gauls. Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia, had been sentenced to pay the Romans six hundred talents, six hundred thousand crowns, for having assisted Antiochus ; however, half this sum was accepted, at the request

Cic. Orat. pro Dejot. n. xxxvi. Val. Max. l. iv. c. 1.

* Antiochus magnus; dicere est solitus, benigne sibi a populo Romano esse factum, quod nimis magna procuratione liberatus, modicis regni terminis uteretur.

Cic.

A. M. 3816. Ant. J. C. 188. Liv. 1. xxxviii. n. 35.

of Eumenes, who was to marry his daughter. Manlius made a present to Eumenes, of all the elephants which Antiochus, according to the treaty, had delivered up to the Romans. He repassed into Europe, with his forces, after having admitted the deputies of the several cities to audience, and settled the chief difficulties.

P Antiochus was very much puzzled how to raise the sum he was to pay the Romans. He made a progress through the eastern provinces, in order to levy the tribute which they owed him; and left the regency of Syria, during his absence, to Seleucus, his son, whom he had declared his presumptive heir. Being arrived in the province of Elymais, he was informed, that there was a very considerable treasure in the temple of Jupiter Belus. This was a strong temptation to a prince, who had little regard for religion, and was in extreme want of money. Accordingly, upon a false pretence that the inhabitants of that province had rebelled against him, he entered the temple, in the dead of night, and carried off all the riches which had been kept there, very religiously, during a long series of years. However, the people, exasperated by this sacrilege, rebelled against him, and murdered him, with all his followers. Aurelius Victor says, that he was killed by some of his own officers, whom he had beat, one day, when he was heated with liquor.

This prince was highly worthy of praise, for his humanity, clemency, and liberality. A decree, which

PA. M. 3817. 1. xxxiii. c. 2.

Ant. J. C. 187. Diod. in Excerpt. p. 298. Justin Hieron. in Dan. c. xi.

De viris illust, c. 54.

we are told he enacted, whereby he gave his subjects permission, and even commanded them not to obey his ordinances, in case they should be found to interfere with the laws, shows that he had a high regard for justice. Till the age of fifty, he had behaved, on all occasions, with such bravery, prudence, and application, as had given success to all his enterprises, and acquired him the title of the Great. But, from that time, his wisdom, as well as application, had declined very much, and his affairs in proportion. His conduct in the war against the Romans; the little advantage he reaped by, or rather contempt for the wise counsels of Hannibal; the ignominious peace he was obliged to accept; these circumstances sullied the glory of his former successes; and his death, occasioned by a wicked and sacrilegious enterprise, threw an indelible blot upon his name and memory.

The prophecies of the eleventh chapter of Daniel, from the tenth to the nineteenth verse, relate to the actions of this prince, and were fully accomplished.

"But his sons," of the king of the north, "shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces; and one," Antiochus the Great, "shall certainly come and overflow, and pass through; then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress." 'This king of the north was Seleucus Callinicus, who left behind him two sons, Seleucus Ceraunus, and Antiochus, afterwards sirnamed the Great. The former reigned but three years, and was succeeded by Antiochus, his brother. The latter, after having pacified the troubles of his kingdom, made war against

VOL. 7.

Ver. 10.

4

• See Ver. 8

Ptolemy Philopator, king of the south, that is, of Egypt; dispossessed him of Celosyria, which was delivered to him by Theodotus, governor of that province; defeated Ptolemy's generals in the narrow passes near Berytus, and made himself master of part of Phenicia. Ptolemy then endeavoured to amuse him by overtures of peace. The Hebrew is still more expressive. "He," meaning Antiochus, "shall come. He shall overflow the" enemy's country. "He shall pass over" mount Libanus. "He shall halt," whilst overtures of peace are making him. "He shall advance with ardour as far as the fortresses," that is, to the frontiers of Egypt. Ptolemy's victory is clearly pointed out in the following verses.

"And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he shall set forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand." Ptolemy Philopator was an indolent, effeminate prince. It was necessary to excite and drag him, in a manner, out of his lethargy, in order to prevail with him to take up arms, and repulse the enemy, who were preparing to march into his country; provocatus. At last, he put himself at the head of his troops, and by the valor and good conduct of his generals, obtained a signal victory over Antiochus at Raphia.

"And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up, and he shall cast down many ten thousands; but he shall not be strengthened by