For five hundred years after this, Tripoli remained in the
hands of the mohammedans, when Roger, the first king of Sicily,
took it from them, about the middle of the twelfth century. By
the emperor Charles V it was given to the knights of M alta, from
whom the turks took it in 1551.
I t now ran k s as th e th ird c ity in Africa, an d it’s te rrito ry ,
g o v e rn ed b y a d ey , ex ten d s from T u n is to E g y p t.
T h e trium p h a l a rch a t this place, o f wh ich a view is annexed,
was d ed icated , as appears b y w h a t rem ain s o f th e in scrip tio n , to
M arcus A u reliu s A n to n in u s , su rn am ed th e Philo so p h er, a n d his
co lleague in th e em p ire, L u c iu s V e ru s; an d was ere c ted p ro b ab ly
ab o u t th e y e a r l6 6 .
I] y av o it prè s de c in q c en ts an s de c e tte époque q ue T rip o li é to it e n tre les mains
des ra ahom é tans, lorsque Roge r, p rem ie r ro i de Sicile, la p r it su r eu x , ve rs le m ilieu
d u douzième ficelé. L ’em p e reu r C h a rle s -q u in t la d o n n a a u x chevaliers de M a lte , su r
le sque ls les T u r c s la p rire n t en 1551.
T rip o li e st a c tu e llem e n t comme la tro is ièm e ville de l’A friq u e , e t so n te rrito ire , q ui
e s t g o u v e rn é p a r u n d ey, s’é ten d depuis T u n is ju s q u ’e n E g y p te .
L ’a rc de triom p h e de c e tte ville, d o n t on a do n n é la v ue , é to it dédié, com m e il p a ro
it p a r les restes de l’in sc rip tio n , à Ma rc A u rè le A n to n in , su rn om m é le p h ilosophe , e t
à son collèg-ue dans l ’empire , L uc ius V e rus, e t fu t p ro b ab lem en t é rigé v e rs l'a n l6 6 .