exhorted him to save the government, which was now in danger. Now
Vespasian's concern had been for a considerable time about the public,
yet did he not intend to set up for governor himself, though his actions
showed him to deserve it, while he preferred that safety which is in a
private life before the dangers in a state of such dignity; but when he
refused the empire, the commanders insisted the more earnestly upon his
acceptance; and the soldiers came about him, with their drawn swords
in their hands, and threatened to kill him, unless he would now live
according to his dignity. And when he had shown his reluctance a great
while, and had endeavored to thrust away this dominion from him, he at
length, being not able to persuade them, yielded to their solicitations
that would salute him emperor.

5. So upon the exhortations of Mucianus, and the other commanders, that
he would accept of the empire, and upon that of the rest of the army,
who cried out that they were willing to be led against all his opposers,
he was in the first place intent upon gaining the dominion over
Alexandria, as knowing that Egypt was of the greatest consequence, in
order to obtain the entire government, because of its supplying of corn
[to Rome]; which corn, if he could be master of, he hoped to dethrone
Vitellius, supposing he should aim to keep the empire by force [for he
would not be able to support himself, if the multitude at Rome should
once be in want of food]; and because he was desirous to join the two
legions that were at Alexandria to the other legions that were with him.
He also considered with himself, that he should then have that country
for a defense to himself against the uncertainty of fortune; for Egypt
[23] is hard to be entered by land, and hath no good havens by sea. It
hath on the west the dry deserts of Libya; and on the south Siene, that
divides it from Ethiopia, as well as the cataracts of the Nile, that
cannot be sailed over; and on the east the Red Sea extended as far as
Coptus; and it is fortified on the north by the land that reaches to
Syria, together with that called the Egyptian Sea, having no havens in
it for ships. And thus is Egypt walled about on every side. Its length
between Pelusium and Siene is two thousand furlongs, and the passage by
sea from Plinthine to Pelusium is three thousand six hundred furlongs.
Its river Nile is navigable as far as the city called Elephantine, the
forenamed cataracts hindering