A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

I-HADRIAN US HADRIANUS. 321
provinces, -was that he cancelled an enormous sum he crossed over to Africa, where he suppressed an
due to the state as taxes, viz. all the arrears of the insurrection in Mauritania, and then travelled
last 15 years, and to remove all fears from the through Egypt into Asia. A war with the Parminds of the people, he had'the documents publicly thians was on the eve of breaking out, but Hadrian
burnt in the forum of Trajan. He further endea- averted it by an interview which he had with their
voured to secure his government by winning the king. He next travelled through the provinces of
good will of the senate; he not only denied the Western Asia, probably during the early part of
charge brought against him respecting the four A. D. 123, visited the islands of the Aegean, and
consulars, but swore that he would never punish a then went to Achaia, where he took up his resenator except with the sanction of the senate; and sidence at Athens. It would.' seem that he stayed
the senate was, in fact, made to believe that it had there for three years, till A.D. 126. Athens was his
never been in the enjoyment of such extensive and favourite place, and was honoured by him above all
unlimited powers as now. At the same time, how- the other cities'of the empire: he gave to the people
ever, he found it necessary to remove his former of Athens new laws, and showed his reverence for
friends Attianus and Similis from their office of their institutions by being initiated in the Eleusipraefects of the praetorians, and to appoint Marcius nian mysteries, by acting the part of agonothetes
Turbo and Septicius Clarus their successors. at their public games, and by allowing himself to
The war. against the Sarmatians was continued be made archon eponymus. From Athens he rein the meantime by Hadrian's legates, and lasted turned' to Rome by way of Sicily, either in A. D.
for several years, if we may believe the chronicle 126 or. 127. He was saluted at Rome as pater
of Eusebius, which mentions it as still going on in patriae, and his wife distinguished by the title of
A. D. 120. In the year A. D. 119 Hadrian began Augusta. The next few years he remained at
his memorable journey through the provinces of his. Rome, with only one interruption, during which he
empire, many portions of which he traversed on visited Africa. He seems to have chiefly employed
foot. His desire to promote the good of the empire his time at Rome in endeavouring to introduce the
by convincing himself every where personally of Greek institutions and modes of worship, for
the state of affairs, and by applying the necessary which he had conceived a great admiration at
remedies wherever mismanagement was discovered, Athens. It seems to have been about A. D. 129
was unquestionably one of the motives that led him that Hadrian set out on his second journey to the
to this singular undertaking; but there can be east. He travelled by way of Athens, where he
little doubt that the restlessness of his mind and stayed for some time to see the completion of the
the extraordinary curiosity which stimulated him numerous buildings which he had commenced
to go and see himself every thing of which he had during his previous visit, especially to dedicate the
heard or read, had as great a share in determining temple of the Olympian Zeus, and an altar to himhim thus to travel through his vast empire, as his self. In Asia he conciliated the.various princes in
desire to do good. These travels occupy the greater the most amicable and liberal manner, so that those
part of his reign; but the scanty accounts we have who did not accept his invitation had afterwards
of them do not enable us to follow them step by themselves most reason to regret it. He sent back
step, or even to arrange them in a satisfactory to Cosrhoes a daughter who had been taken prichronological order. In A. D. 119 he left Rome soner by Trajan; and the governors and procuraand first went to Gaul, where he displayed great tores in the provinces were punished severely
liberality in satisfying the wants of the provincials. wherever they were found unjust or wanting in the
From Gaul he proceeded to Germany, where he discharge of their duties. From Asia Minor he
devoted most of his attention to the armies on the proceeded through Syria and Arabia into Egypt,
frontier. - Although he was more desirous to main- where he restored the tomb of Pompey with great
tain peace than to carry on war, he trained the splendour. During an excursion on the Nile he
soldiers always as though a great war had been lost his favourite, Antinous [ANTINOUS], for whom
near at hand; and the excellent condition of his he entertained an unnatural affection, and whose
troops, combined with the justice he displayed in death was to him the cause of deep and lasting
his foreign policy, and the sums of money he. paid grief. From Egypt, Hadrian returned, through
to barbarian chiefs, were the principal means of Syria, to Rome, where he must have spent the
keeping the enemies away from the Roman pro- latter part of the year A. D. 131, and the first of
vinces. The limes in Germany was fortified, and 132, for in theformer year he built the temple of
several towns and colonies were greatly benefited Venus and Roma, and i the latter he promulgated
by him. From Germany he crossed over into the edictumn pjrpetu m.
Britain, where he introduced many improvements Not long after his return to Rome the Jewish
in the administration, and constructed the famous war broke out, the only one that disturbed the
wall dividing the Roman province from and protect- peace of his long reign. The causes of this war
ing it against the barbarous tribes of the north; it were the establishment of a colony under the
extended from the Solway to the mouth of the name of Aelia Capitolina on the site of Jerusalem,
river Tyne, a distance of 80,000 feet, and traces and an order issued by Hadrian forbidding
of it are to be seen even at the present day. From the Jews the rite of circumcision. The war was
Britain Hadrian returned to Gaul, and constructed carried on by the Jews as a national struggle with
a magnificent basilica at Nemausus (Nismes), in the most desperate fury; it lasted for several
honour of his wife, Sabina, although during his years, and it was not till the general Julius Severus
absence in Britain, her conduct was such that he is came over from Britain, that the Romans gradually
reported to have said he would divorce her if he succeeded in paralysing or annihilating the Jews;
lived in a private. station. After this he went to and the country was nearly reduced to a wilderness
Spain, where he spent the winter, probably of A. D. when peace was restored.. The Jews were hence121 and 122, and held a conventus of all the forth not allowed to reside at Jerusalem and its
Romans residing in Spain. In the spring of.122 immediate vicinity; and from this time they
VOL. II. Y