II.

Asia *? The capitals of Syria and Egypt held a CHA P. still superior rank in the empire: Antioch and Alexandria looked down with disdain on a crowd of dependent cities †, and yielded, with reluctance to the majesty of Rome itself,

Rom

All these cities were connected with each other, and with the capital, by the public highways, roads. which, issuing from the Forum of Rome, traversed Italy, pervaded the provinces, and were terminated only by the frontiers of the empire. If we carefully trace the distance from the wall of Antoninus to Rome, and from thence to Jerusalem, it will be found that the great chain of communication, from the north-west to the south-east point of the empire, was drawn out to the length of four thousand and eighty Roman miles . The public roads were accurately divided by mile-stones, and ran in a direct line from one VOL. I.

G

city

* See a dissertation of M. de Boze, Mem. de l'Academie, tom, xviii. Aristides pronounced an oration which is still extant, to recommend concord to the rival cities.

↑ The inhabitants of Egypt, exclusive of Alexandria, amounted to seven millions and a half (Joseph. de Bell. Jud. ii. 16.). Under the Military government of the Mamalukes, Syria was supposed to contain sixty-thousand villages (Histoire de Timur Bec,

1. v. c. 20.

The following Itinerary may serve to convey some idea of the direction of the road, and of the distance between the principal towns. I. From the wall of Antoninus to York, 222 Roman miles. II. London 227. III. Rhutupia or Sandwich 67. IV, The navigation to Boulogne 45. V. Rheims 174. VI. Lyons 330. VII. Milan 324. VIII. Rome 426. IX. Brandusium 360. X. The navigation to Dyrrachium 40. XI. Byzantium 711. XII. Ancyra 283. XIII. Tarsus 301. XIV. Antioch 141 XV, Tyre 252. XVI. Jerusalem, 168. In all 4080 Romang or 8740 English miles. See the Itineraries published by Wesseling, his annotations; Gale and Stukeley for Britain, and M. d'Anville for Gaul and Italy.

II.

T

CHA P. city to another, with very little respect for the obstacles either of nature or private property. Mountains were perforated, and bold arches thrown over the broadest and most rapid streams*. The middle part of the road was raised into a terrace which commanded the adjacent country, consisted of several strata of sand, gravel, and cement, and was paved with large stones, or in some places near the capital, with granite f. Such was the solid construction of the Roman highways, whose firmness has not entirely yielded to the effort of fifteen centuries. They united the subjects of the most distant provinces by an easy and familiar intercourse; but their primary object had been to facilitate the marches of the legions; nor was any country considered as completely subdued, till it had been rendered, in all its parts, previous to the arms and authority of the conqueror. The advantage of receiving the earliest intelligence, and of conveying their orders with celerity, induced the emperors to establish, throughout their extensive dominions, the regular institution of posts. Houses were every where erected at the distance only of five or six miles; each of them was constantly provided with forty horses, and by the help of these relays, it was easy to travel an hundred miles

Posts.

* Montfaucon, l'Antiquite Expliquee, (tom. iv. p. 2. l. i. c. 5.) has described the bridges of Narni, Alcantara, Nismes, &c.

† Bergier Histoire des grands Chemins de l'Empire Romain. 1. ii. c. 1-28.

Procopius in Hist. Arcana, c. 30. Bergier Hist. des grands Chemins, 1. iv. Codex Theodosian. 1. vii. tit. v. vol. ii. p. 506~~563. with Godefroy's learned commentary.

miles in a day along the Roman roads *. The CHA P. 101 who claimed use of the posts was allowed

it by an Imperial mandate; but though ori

ginally intended for the public service. it was

II.

sometimes indulged to the business or conveniency of private citizens t. Nor was the com- N vigation. munication of the Roman empire less free and open by sea than it was by land. The provinces surrounded and inclosed the Mediterranean; and Italy, in the shape of an immense promontory, advanced into the midst of that great lake. The coasts of Italy are, in general, destitute of safe harbours; but human industry had corrected the deficiencies of nature; and the artificial port of Ostia, in particular, situate at the mouth of the Tyber, and formed by the emperor Claudius, was an useful monument of Roman greatness ‡. From this port, which was only sixteen miles from the capital, a favourable breeze frequently carried vessels in seven days to the columns of Hercules, and in nine or ten, to Alexandria in Egypt §.

2

Whatever evils either reason or declamation Improvehave imputed to extensive empire, the power of

* In the time of Theodosius, Cæsarius, a magistrate of high rank, went post from Antioch to Constantinople. He began his journey at night, was in Cappadocia (165 miles from Antioch) the ensuing evening, and arrived at Constantinople the sixth day about noon. The whole distance was 725 Roman, or 665 English miles. See Libanius Orat. xxii. and the Itineraria, p. 572-581.

† Pliny, though a favourite and a minister, made an apology for granting post-horses to his wife on the most urgent business. Epist. x. 121, 122.

Bergier Hist. des grands Chemins, 1. iv. c. 49.

Plin. Hist. Natur. xix. 1.

ment of agriculture,

II.

in the western coun

empire.

CHA P. Rome was attended with some beneficial conse¡quences to mankind and the same freedom of intercourse which extended the vices,b diffused likewise the improvements, of social life. In the tries of the more remote ages of antiquity, the world was unequally divided:q The east was in the immemorial possession of arts and luxury whilst the west was inhabited by rude and warlike barbarians, who either disdained agriculture, or sto whom it was totally unknown. Under the protection of an established government, the productions of happier climates, and the industry of more civilized nations, were gradually introduced into the westerns countries of Europe; and the natives were encouraged, by an open and profitable commerce, to multiply the former, as well as to improve the latter. It would be almost impossible to enumerate all the articles, either of the animal or the vegetable reign, which were successively imported into Europe, from Asia and Egypt; but it will not be unworthy of the dignity, and much less of the utility, of an historical work, slightly to touch on a few of the Introduc principal heads. 1. Almost all the flowers, the herbs, and the fruits, that grow in the European gardens, are of foreign extraction, which, in many cases, is betrayed even by their names: the apple was a native of Italy, and when the Romans had tasted the richer flavour of the apricot, the peach,

tion of

fruits, &c.

the pomegranate, the citron, and the orange,

they

*It is not improbable that the Greeks and Phoenicians introduced some new arts and productions into the neighbourhood of Marseilles and Gades.

they contented themselves with applying to all CHA P. these new fruits the common denomination o of II. apple, discriminating them from each other by the additional epithet of their country served In The vine. the time of Homer, the vine grew wild in the a1* island of Sicily, and most probably in thepadjacent continent; but it was not improved by the skill, nor did it afford a diquor grateful to the taste of the savage inhabitants Alvthousand - years afterwards, Italy could boast, that of the fourscore, most generous and celebrated wines, more than two-thirds were produced from her soil +. The blessing was soon communicated to the Narbonnese province of Gaul; but so intense was the cold to the north of the Cevennes that, in the time of Strabo, it was thought impossible to ripen the grapes in those parts of Gault. This difficulty, however, was gradually vanquished; and there is some reason to believe, that the vineyards of Burgundy are as old as the age of the Antonines §. 3. The olive, in the western The olive. world, followed the progress of peace, of which it was considered as the symbol. Two centuries after the foundation of Rome, both Italy and Africa were strangers to that useful plant; it was 2001 DO 15 and natu yo move bespuited a 25*See Homer Odyss. 1. ix. v. 358. fo. 1 in sviten & . + Plin. Hist. Natur. 1. xiv.

G3

Strab. Geograph. 1. iv. p. 223. The intense cold of a Gallic winter was almost proverbial among the ancients.

In the beginning of the ivth century, the orator Eumenius (Panegyric. Veter. viii. 6. edit. Delphin.) speaks of the vines in the territory of Autun, which were decayed through age, and the first plantation of which was totally unknown. The Pagus Arebrignus is supposed by M. d'Anville to be the district of Beaune, celebrated, even at present, for one of the first growths of Burgundy.