Having thus wisely arranged the public institutions of the empire, Augustus felt himself obliged to attack the Cantabrians and Asturians, two Spanish nations, who had never yet yielded to the Roman power. In that war, the Romans met with a formidable resis tance, and it was with great difficulty that they suc ceeded in subjugating these warlike nations.
The reputation of Augustus, not only as a warrior, but as a legislator and statesman, had extended to the remotest kingdoms. Phrahates, king of Parthia, offered to enter into a treaty with him on his own terms; and Porus, king of India, sent to him three ambassadors, intrusted with a letter in the Greek lan guage, informing him that he held dominion over 600 kings, and that he valued so highly the friendship of Augustus, that he would meet him at any place he should appoint, and would assist him in any right cause. Of these three ambassadors, two died on the journey; the third, who was a Gymnosophist, and named Zarmar, met Augustus at Samos, and accom panying him to Athens, he there burnt himself in his presence.
The Roman empire had now extended itself far be yond those limits which nature had assigned it. Rome, venerable from its antiquity, distinguished by its liter ature, by its arts, and by its arms, was indeed a powerful centre, capable of holding together, and of drawing into its vortex the most distant and scattered elements; but the equilibrium which it enjoyed was one of tottering stability, which one impulse might disturb, and which one irruption might forever de stroy. That stable poise which tends to right itself when it is disturbed, and which can arise only in a state consolidated by common interests, and held to gether by the frame-work of equal laws, was unknown to Rome in her best days, and has perhaps been wit nessed only as a•phenomenon of modern legislation. The wide-spread dominions of the Romans embraced many heterogeneous elements. Bounded by states little raised above savage life, frequent incursions were made into its remote provinces; and encouraged by success, the Germans in the north of Europe made a formidable irruption into Gaul. Though at first re pulsed with loss, yet they had set the example of dis obedience; and the Rhxti, who lived near the Lake of Constance, entered Italy, laying waste every territory through which they passed, and putting man, woman and child to the sword. Drusus, the second son of the Empress Livia, was sent out against the invaders, and gained a complete victory over them; and the remnant of that army having been joined by the Vin delici and Norici were reduced by Tiberius, Drusus's elder brother, and yielded to the Roman power. In
order to maintain these tribes in subjection Augustus established two colonies in Vindelici, and constructed a road from thence into Noricum and Rhxtia. For the defence of these colonies he built two cities, Dry somagus and .qugusta Vindelicorum, now Nimeguen and Au gsburg.
Augustus was now raised to the spiritual honour of Pontifex Maximus; an office which was filled by all his successors; and in this new capacity he improved the calendar, and burned 2000 pontifical books, reserving only those of the Sybilline oracles.
Agrippa, who, since the elevation of Augustus, had held the important situation of governor of Rome, died of a violent fever in Campania, (see our article and was succeeded in the government of Rome by Tiberius. Augustus, however, commanded him to divorce his wife. Agrippina, and to marry Julia, the wife of Agrippa, and the daughter of the emperor, whose abandoned conduct had been kept a secret only from her father.
Although Aggrippa had subdued the Pannonians, yet the news of his death had inclined them to shake off the Roman yoke, and Tiberius and Drusus were sent to subdue them. After having achieved several bril liant victories in Germany, Drusus was carried off by a violent fever; and Tiberius, after reducing the Pan nonians, succeeded to the chief command in Germany, where he obtained several victories which restored the general tranquillity. On his return to Rome Tiberius received the honour of a triumph, and was appointed to the tribuneship for five years; but disgusted proba bly by the debaucheries of his wife Julia, or offended at the honours and titles which Augustus had con ferred on his grandchildren, he asked leave to quit Rome, and retired to Rhodes. Notwithsthanding the remonstrance of his mother Livia, and the positive refusal of Augustus to comply with his request, Tibe rius persisted in his resolution and confining himself to his apartment, he refused for whole days to take any food. Augustus finding it without avail to resist so implacable a temper, permitted him to retire to Rhodes. Tiberius, however, soon repented of the rash ness of this scheme, and requested leave to return to Rome ; but Augustus compelled him to remain at Rhodes for seven years; and though Livia obtained for him the appointment of the emperor's lieutenant in these countries, yet Tiberius during the whole of his stay at Rhodes appeared only in the character of a private individual.