After detecting a conspiracy against his life, by loo: persons of consular dignity, whom he ordered to be pet to death, Adrian arrived at Rome, A. D. 118. Bill though he was received with great demonstrations m joy, on his approach to the capital, he refused to accept of the triumph which had been decreed to him by the Senate; and he had before declined the title of "Father of his Country," in imitation of Augustus, who would not allow himself to be addressed by that title, till he had established his claim to it, by governing well for a certain number of years. At Rome, lie endeavoured to acquire popularity by all the arts which were com mon at that time. He was very liberal in his donations to the people. He remitted debts which cities or in dividuals owed to the revenue of the emperor, or to the public treasury', equal in amount to 7,000,0001. sterling. Ile freed Italy from the tax paid for decorating the triumphs of victorious leaders; and increased the funds which Trajan had set apart for the education of youth, by very considerable additions. IL: was respect ful in his behaviour towards the Senate, and assiduous in cultivating their good will ; relieving those who were poor from the pressure of indigence ; enabling them to defray the expense connected with the situations in which he had placed diem ; and granting the consul ship for the third time to such as desired that honour.
Having by these means established his power at home, and having checked the inroads or the barbarians, who had invaded Illyricum, Adrian formed the resolution of visiting in person the whole of the provinces under the dominion of Rome : that lie might examine, for himself the state of each country subject to his government, and hear the complaints, and redress the grief ances of his people. Nor clid he rest satisfied with the speculative grandeur of this resolution, but carried it into effect without dday. Accordingly, he visited Gaul in the 120th or 121st year of Christ, A. U. C. 871, and showed a wonderful liberality towards the inhabitants of that province ; encouraging agriculture and industry by every method in his power. From Gaul lie went into Germany; and, the print ipal army of the empire being there, he inspe r tech it, and restored it to its lOrmer lis t iplute. In the succeeding year, he passed over into Britain, w here he introduced many regulations, all favourable to the natives : and by these, as well as his conduct in other respects, he rendered their subjection to the Romans more tolerable than it was before. While in this island, his love of peace, ur desire of security, •thowud itself in one remarkable instance : Alter the de parture of Agricola, the Scots, Picts, and other northern tribes, had rebelled against the authority of Rome, and cftectually recovered their ancient liberty ; and, being of a warlike and restless disposition, they disturbed the inhabitants of the south by continued inroads and depre dations. Instead of pursuing these freebooters to their mountains, and reducing them to a nominal dependence, Adrian resolved to keep possession only of that part of the island which is now called England ; and to provide for its security, by constructing a wall or rampart, above 70 miles in length, and extending quite across the country, from the Solway frith on the west, to the mouth of the Tyne on the east. In the prosecution of
this design, both a rampart and a ditch were completed in a short time ; and the tranquillity of the Roman dominions in Britain was restored and established. Some portions of this rampart are yet to be seen ; and it still has the name of .1driaa's Wall. Upon his return to the continent, he erected a magnificent palace at Nismes, in honour of the empress Plotina, who had con tributed so much to his elevation : and passing from Gaul into Spain, he rebuilt the temple of Augustus, which had been founded by the emperor Tiberius. In the latter country, a maniac attempted to put an end to his life ; but Adrian, having fortunately escaped from the danger, took no other notice of the assault than that of committing the unhappy person to medical care. He then returned to Rome ; and, proceeding from the capital to Athens, he visited the most distant pro vinces or the East. After remaining for some time in Asia, he passed through the islands of the Archipelago, building cities, and reforming abuses ; and arrived again at Athens, where he spent the winter, and was initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries. In these journeys he was influenced by the spirit of a philosopher, as well as that of an emperor. it was to gratify his love of knowledge, or to indulge a reasonable curiosity, that he went from Athens to Sicily, in order to examine the appearances of that remarkable island, and to observe the rising sun from the top of Ha\ ing celebrated at Rome the funeral of Plotina with extraordinary pomp, he pursued his journey into Asia Minit•; and having spent sonic time in that country, and in Egypt, where he repaired the tomb of Pompey the Great, he returned to Syria ; and, passing through Macedonia, continued for a while to reside at Athens. While at Athens, he appeared in the character of Archon, and performed a chief part at the festival in honour of Bacchus. Ile endowed the city, which had long been the seat of knowledge and the centre of refinement, with a library, containing many precious volumes ; and he built a house, of a most asto nishing structure, for its reception. Yet, notwithstand the ma; y and suniptuous edifices which he raised, notwithstanding his profusion of expense in almost every city which he visited, though the property of his subjects was hol ly at hid, command, and though he had many cif moacily in the conduct of his predecessors, he newt. seized unjustly the possessions of any man, nor stained his government by tyrannical exactions. lie would not even accept of legacies, if the persons mho bequeathed them were unknown to hint: and in the case of his friends, he would take nothing as heir to any one who had children for whom provision ought to be made.