The lives of the Roman emperors from Domitian, where Suetonius ends, to Constantine the Great containing those of Nerva and Trajan from Dion Cassius : a translation of the six writers of the Augustéan history and those of Dioclesian and his associates from Eusebius and others by John Bernard ...

THE EMPEROR Valerian the First.

BY TREBELLIUS POLLIO.

VALERIAN was in the Province of Rhaetia, when the Army set him up to be Emperor, with the unanimous consent and approbation of the Senate and the People. He was a Man of an Honourable Birth, the Son of Valerius; and he was one, who in his time had passed through all the Gradual Offices and Honours of the State, with great applause, which paved the Way for him to the Throne.

To let you see the Esteem, which the Pub∣lick had of his Merits, and how well he stood in the opinion of the most Noble Senate, at the time when he was chosen to be a Censor, I will give you the Act of the Senate, which passed for his Election.

Upon the sixth of the Kalends of November, the Year in which the two Decii were the Con∣suls, the Senate having received from those Princes Letters, in which they left it to the Senate's Power to appoint a Person to the Place of a Censor, met for the purpose in the Temple of Castor and Pollux, and the Motion being made and the Question put, whom they should Choose, instead of waiting to be asked their Votes severally according to the Custom, they all cried with one Voice, in the absence of Valerian, who was then in the Field with the Emperors:

The Life of Valerian is a continued Censorship. As his Manners are Better than all the World besides; so let him be the Judge of the Manners of all the World. Let him judge of the Crimes of the Senate, who hath none of his own: Let him give Judg∣ment upon our Lives, who leads such a one himself, as nothing can be objected to it. Valerian hath been a Censor from his Infancy. Valerian hath all his Life been a Censor. He is a Prudent, a Modest, a Grave Senator; a Friend to the Good, an Enemy to Rebellion, an Enemy to all Vice and Wickedness. We all Accept him to be our Censor. We will all Observe him. A Man of the First Quality, Noble by Blood, of a Correct Life, and Singular Manners, Eminent in his Learning, and a perfect Model of Antiquity. This was often repeated, and then the Senate Adjourned.

When the Emperor Decius had received this Act, which was sent to him from the Senate, he assembled all those of his Court, and a∣mongst the rest, he order'd Valerian to be cal∣led;

and after the Act of the Senate was read to the Company, he made the following Speech to Valerian.

You are Happy Valerian, in the Judgment which all the Senate hath of you, and in the share that you bear in their Hearts and Affections. Re∣ceive the Office of being a Censor to the whole Roman World, unto which they have appointed you, and which you alone deserve to bear. By this you are made a Judge of our Manners. You will Judge, who ought to abide in the Senate: You will reduce the Equestrian Order unto its Antient State: You will prescribe Bounds to the Revenues of all. You will confirm the Tribute which is raised upon the People. You will take an Account of all Offices in the Government. You will have the Authority of making Laws, of Judg∣ing of the Orders of the Soldiers, and of having your Eyes upon the Conduct and the Employs of Arms. You will have the Power of carrying your Judg∣ment to my own Court, and to the Governours of the Provinces, and the most Eminent Commanders in my Service. Excepting only the Governour of the City of Rome, the two Consuls for the Year, the Chief Officer of the Sacrifices, and the Mother of the Vestal Virgins, provided that she keep her self Uncorrupt, there is no Body, nor no Cause, but will fall under your Sentence. And even those who are excepted, will labour nevertheless to please you, and to be agreeable in your sight.

The Reply which Valerian made to the Em∣peror, was in this manner:

May it please Your most Excellent Majesty, I beseech you, not to tie me to such a necessity of

Judging of the People, the Soldiers, the Senate, and all the World indeed, the Magistrates of the Provinces, the Tribunes, and the Generals. These are things, for which your Majesty possesses the Name of an Emperor; the Censorship revolves upon your self; a private Man cannot perform it. I beg therefore, that I may be excused from this Honour: Neither my Life, nor my Assurance makes me suitable for it: The Times also are so re∣pugnant, that it is the Voice of Mankind, to desire not to see a Censorship of a private Person of this Nature.

However Valerian acquitted himself in his Censorship with all Equity. I could produce several other Instances of the Favour, both of the Senate and the Emperors towards him, if they were not things that are already generally known. From whence, I would only observe, that it appears, that when Valerian was after∣wards called to the Empire, it was not done by a Tumultuary concourse of the People, nor by a Noise of the Soldiers, but he was chosen justly for his Merits, and as it were by the U∣nanimous Voice of Mankind: in which, if every Person in particular had been to be al∣lowed the power of speaking his Opinion, they would all have made choice of no other than Valerian.

After Valerian was upon the Throne, no Man acted in the disposition of Commands and Offices, better, and more justly than he. His Son Gallienus, the Brother to Valerian the Second, by another Venter, was at the same time made Caesar, at the request of the People.

In fine, the fatal Overthrow of Valerian and his Captivity that followed it, makes me almost asham'd to extol him so highly, as he otherwise deserves. For this Prince marching with a great Force against Persia, and invading that Kingdom, and being through the Conduct, whether Treacherous or Unfortunate, I know not, of one of his Officers, on whom he greatly relied, brought into such Circumstances, that no Force, nor no Military Discipline, could save him, was Conquer'd, and fell a Prisoner into the hands of Sapores King of Persia; who swelled with the success of so glorious Victory, not only proudly detained him, contrary to the Honour of Arms, but treated him in the Language of a vile and abject Slave, and some say, condemned him to the infamous Office of making his Back a Footstool to him to tread upon, whenever he mounted his Horse. How∣ever that is, it is certain, that several of the Neighbouring Kings, who had assisted on the side of Sapores against Valerian in the War, sent Letters afterwards of kind Intercession to Sa∣pores on behalf of the Royal Prisoner, where∣of two or three were as follows:

To Sapores the King of Kings, Belsotus sendeth Greeting.

IF I could think it possible, that the Romans were to be totally at last Vanquished, I should Congratulate you upon the Exalted manner, in which you use your Victory. But as they are a

Nation who by the power of Fate, and their own Virtue together, are of an extraordinary Force in the World, you will do well to have a care, that your taking into Captivity the Old Emperor, and that too by a Fraud, does not redound to the Ill of you and your Posterity. You may please to observe, what great Nations the Romans have, of Enemies, made their own; and Nations that have often had the advantage of beating them too. It is certain we have heard, how the Gauls beat them, and set fire to their great City. But yet the Gauls are now Slaves to the Romans. What! Have not the Africans Beat them? But yet the Africans now serve the Romans. And not to instance in Examples, which are of a great distance from us, and therefore the less known, Mithridates King of Pontus, was once the Ma∣ster of all Asia. But yet Mithridates was Con∣quered, and Asia is now certainly under the Obe∣dience of the Romans. If you will be advised by me, embrace the Means of Peace, which you have in your hands, and restore Valerian to his Country again. I Congratulate your Felicity, pro∣vided this altogether, that you know how to use it well.

Balerus, the King of the Cadusii, writ thus.

I Am glad, that the Succours with which we furnished you, are remitted to me again entire and safe, as I have received them: But I can∣not wish you so much Joy of your carrying into

Captivity that Great Prince Valerian, as I should Congratulate you, if he was Restored again. The Romans are the most dangerous Enemies for be∣ing beaten; Act therefore as it becomes you in Prudence; nor let Fortune puff you up, which hath deceived so many. Valerian hath a Son an Emperor, and a Grandson a Caesar. And what! Hath he not all the Roman World on his side, which will universally rise up against you? Therefore Restore him, and make a Peace with the Romans; which will also be an Advantage to us, as well as you.

Artabasdes, the King of Armenia, sent this Letter to Sapores.

I Share with you in the Glory of your Victory. But yet I fear, that you have not so much Conquer'd, as sown the Seeds of more and more Wars. The Son of Valerian, and his Grandson, and the Captains of the Romans, all Gallia, all Africa, all Spain, all Italy, all the Nations which are in Illyricum, and in the East and Pontus, that either are the Allies, or the Subjects of the Romans, will be sure to re-demand the Person of Valerian. So you have a Prisoner of one Old Man, and in the mean time you render all the Nations of the Earth implacable Enemies to you, and it may be to us, who sent you our Suc∣cours, as we are your Neighbours, and are al∣ways concerned in the Troubles of your State.

Other Nations of the Bactriani, the G〈…〉〈…〉∣gians, the Albanians and the Tartars, rejected

the Applications of Sapores to them, and writ to the Roman Generals to promise them their assistances, to deliver Valerian out of his Cap∣tivity. Valerian nevertheless remained and died a Prisoner in Persia, at an advanced Age. His Quarrel was pretty well reveng'd by Odenatus of Palmyra: who getting together an Army, asserted the Roman Interest greatly in those Parts; insomuch that he took the Treasures of the King of Persia, and what those Kings hold dearer to them than their Treasures, he took his Concubines Prisoners. Upon which, King Sapores retired himself immediately with∣in his own Kingdom, and so ended the Persian War.

This is the Story of Valerian the Father; who was 70 Years Old, when he was with great Applauses first advanced to be Emperor. I come next to Valerian, the Son.

Notes

• A. Christi CCLIV.
• Respect of the Senate to him.
• Speech of the Empe∣ror to him.