Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/455

B. vi. c. iv. 2. THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 441 Bosphorus l and the Nomades ; 2 of these the former are in sub- jection to the Romans, and the latter are unprofitable for com- merce on account of their wandering life, and only require to be watched. The rest of the countries [of Asia] are chiefly in- habited by Scenites 3 and Nomades who dwell at a great dis- tance. The Parthians indeed border on them and are very powerful, but they have yielded so far to the superiority of the Romans and our emperors, that they have not only sent back 4 to Rome the trophies which they had at a still more distant period taken from the Romans, but Phraates has even sent his sons and his sons' sons to Augustus Csesar, as hostages, assiduously courting his friendship : 5 indeed the [Parthians] of the present time frequently send for a king from hence, 6 and are almost on the point of relinquishing all power to the Romans. We now see Italy, which has frequently been torn by civil war even since it came under the dominion of the Romans, nay, even Rome herself, restrained from rushing headlong into confusion and destruction by the excellence of her form of government and the ability of her emperors. Indeed it were hard to administer the aftairs of so great an empire otherwise than by committing them to one man as a father. 7 For it would never have been in the power of the Romans and their allies to attain to a state of such perfect peace, and the enjoyment of such abundant prosperity, as Augustus Czesar afforded them from the time that he took upon himself the absolute authority; and which his son Tibe- rius, who has succeeded him, still maintains, who takes his father for a pattern in his government and ordinances. And in their turn his sons, Germanicus and Drusus, 8 who are ex- ercising the functions of government under their father, take him for their model. 1 Strabo -will relate in book vii. chap. iv. 4, that after the defeat of Mithridates Eupator they became subject to the Romans. 2 See more as to these people in book vii. chap. iii. 17. 3 Inhabitants of tents. 4 In the year 20 B. c. See book xvi. chap. i. 28. 5 Compare Tacitus, Annales, lib. ii. 1. 6 As Vonones, mentioned by Tacitus in his second book. 7 Compare the words of Tacitus, Annal. lib. i. 9, Non aliud dis- cordantis patriae remedium fuisse, quam ut ab uno regeretur. 8 Germanicus was appointed to take charge of the East in A. D. 17, in 18 he took possession of his government, and died in 19. Drusus was in command of the armies of Germany in A. D. 17. Thus we may safely conclude this 6th book of Strabo's Geography to have been written in A. D. 18.