No More Learning

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PRINTED AND COPYRIGHTED BY EDMUND EVANS, LTD. ,
ROSE PLACE, GLOBE ROAD, LONDON, E. 1. ]






PINNOCK'S

IMPROVED EDITION OF




DR. GOLDSMITH'S

HISTORY OF ROME:




TO WHICH IS PREFIXED AN

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF ROMAN HISTORY,

AND

A GREAT VARIETY OF VALUABLE INFORMATION ADDED THROUGHOUT THE WORK, ON
THE

MANNERS, INSTITUTIONS, AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE ROMANS;

WITH

NUMEROUS BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTES;

AND

QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION

AT THE END OF EACH SECTION.

ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS.

[Illustration: Coliseum. ]

BY

WM. C. TAYLOR, LL. D. ,

OF TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN.

AUTHOR OF MANUAL OF ANCIENT AND MODERN HISTORY, ETC. ETC.




THIRTY-FIFTH AMERICAN, FROM THE TWENTY-THIRD ENGLISH EDITION

PHILADELPHIA:

THOMAS, COWPERTHWAIT & CO.

1851.





Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1848, by

THOMAS, COWPERTHWAIT & CO.

In the clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

PRINTED BY SMITH & PETERS,

Franklin Buildings, Sixth Street below Arch, Philadelphia.




PREFACE.

The researches of Niebuhr and several other distinguished German
scholars have thrown a new light on Roman History, and enabled us to
discover the true constitution of that republic which once ruled the
destinies of the known world, and the influence of whose literature
and laws is still powerful in every civilized state, and will probably
continue to be felt to the remotest posterity. These discoveries have,
however, been hitherto useless to junior students in this country; the
works of the German critics being unsuited to the purposes of schools,
not only from their price, but also from the extensive learning
requisite to follow them through their laborious disquisitions. The
editor has, therefore, thought that it would be no unacceptable
service, to prefix a few Introductory Chapters, detailing such results
from their inquiries as best elucidate the character and condition of
the Roman people, and explain the most important portion of the
history. The struggles between the patricians and plebeians,
respecting the agrarian laws have been so strangely misrepresented,
even by some of the best historians, that the nature of the contest
may, with truth, be said to have been wholly misunderstood before the
publication of Niebuhr's work: a perfect explanation of these
important matters cannot be expected in a work of this kind; the
Editors trust that the brief account given here of the Roman tenure of
land, and the nature of the agrarian laws, will be found sufficient
for all practical purposes. After all the researches that have been
made, the true origin of the Latin people, and even of the Roman city,
is involved in impenetrable obscurity; the legendary traditions
collected by the historians are, however, the best guides that we can
now follow; but it would be absurd to bestow implicit credit on all
the accounts they have given, and the editor has, therefore, pointed
out the uncertain nature of the early history, not to encourage
scepticism, but to accustom students to consider the nature of
historical evidence, and thus early form the useful habit of
criticising and weighing testimony.

The authorities followed in the geographical chapters, are principally
Heeren and Cramer; the treatise of the latter on ancient Italy is one
of the most valuable aids acquired by historical students within the
present century. Much important information respecting the peculiar
character of the Roman religion has been derived from Mr. Keightley's
excellent Treatise on Mythology; the only writer who has, in our
language, hitherto, explained the difference between the religious
systems of Greece and Rome. The account of the barbarians in the
conclusion of the volume, is, for the most part, extracted from
"Koch's Revolutions of Europe;" the sources of the notes, scattered
through the volume, are too varied for a distinct acknowledgment of
each.

* * * * *





CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

CHAPTER

I. Geographical Outline of Italy

II. The Latin Language and People--Credibility of the Early History

III. Topography of Rome

IV. The Roman Constitution

V. The Roman Tenure of Land--Colonial Government

VI. The Roman Religion

VII. The Roman Army and Navy

VIII. Roman Law. --Finance

IX. The public Amusements and private Life of the Romans

X. Geography of the empire at the time of its greatest extent

HISTORY.

I. Of the Origin of the Romans

II. From the building of Rome to the death of Romulus

III. From the death of Romulus to the death of Numa

IV. From the death of Numa to the death of Tullus Hostilius

V. From the death of Tullus Hostilius to the death of Ancus Martius

VI. From the death of Ancus Martius to the death of Taiquinius Priscus

VII. From the death of Tarquinius Priscus to the death of Servius Tullius

VIII. From the death of Servius Tullius to the banishment of Tarquinius
Superbus

IX. From the banishment of Tarquinius Superbus to the appointment of the
first Dictator

X. From the Creation of the Dictator to the election of the Tribunes

XI. From the Creation of the Tribunes to the appointment of the Decemviri,
viz.

Section 1. --The great Volscian war

---- 2. --Civil commotions on account of the Agrarian law

XII. From the creation of the Decemviri to the destruction of the city
by the Gauls, viz.

Section 1. --Tyranny of the Decemviri

---- 2. --Crimes of Appius--Revolt of the army

---- 3. --Election of Military Tribunes--Creation of the
Censorship

---- 4. --Siege and capture of Veii--Invasion of the Gauls

---- 5. --Deliverance of Rome from the Gauls

XIII. From the wars with the Samnites to the First Punic war, viz.

Section 1. --The Latin war

---- 2. --Invasion of Italy by Pyrrhus, king of Epirus

---- 3. --Defeat and departure of Pyrrhus

XIV. From the beginning of the First Punic war to the beginning of the
Second, viz.

Section 1. --Causes and commencement of the war--Invasion of Africa by
Regulus

---- 2. --Death of Regulus--Final Triumph of the Romans

XV. The Second Punic war, viz.

Section 1. --Commencement of the war--Hannibal's invasion of Italy

---- 2. --Victorious career of Hannibal

---- 3. --Retrieval of the Roman affairs--Invasion of Africa by
Scipio--Conclusion of the war

XVI. Macedonian, Syrian, Third Punic, and Spanish wars

XVII. From the Destruction of Carthage to the end of the Sedition of the
Gracchi, viz.

Section 1. --Murder of Tiberius Gracchus

---- 2. --Slaughter of Caius Gracchus and his adherents

XVIII. From the Sedition of Gracchus to the perpetual Dictatorship of
Sylla, viz.

Section 1. --The Jugurthine and Social wars

---- 2. --The cruel massacres perpetrated by Marius and Sylla

XIX. From the perpetual Dictatorship of Sylla to the first Triumvirate

XX. From the First Triumvirate to the death of Pompey, viz.

Section 1. --Cæsar's wars in Gaul--Commencement of the Civil war

---- 2. --Cæsar's victorious career

---- 3. --The campaign in Thessaly and Epirus

---- 4. --The battle of Pharsalia----5. --Death of Pompey

XXI. From the Destruction of the Commonwealth to the establishment of the
first Emperor, Augustus, viz.

Section 1. --Cæsar's Egyptian campaign

---- 2. --The African campaign

---- 3. --Death of Cæsar

---- 4. --The Second Triumvirate

---- 5. --The Battle of Philippi

---- 6. --Dissensions of Antony and Augustus

---- 7. --The Battle of Actium

---- 8. --The Conquest of Egypt

XXII. From the accession of Augustus to the death of Domitian, viz.

Section 1. --The beneficent Administration of Augustus

---- 2. --Death of Augustus

---- 3. --The reign of Tiberius--Death of Germanicus

---- 4. --Death of Sejanus and Tiberius--Accession of Caligula

---- 5. --Extravagant cruelties of Caligula--His death

---- 6. --The Reign of Claudius

---- 7. --The reign of Nero

---- 8. --Death of Nero--Reigns of Galba and Otho

---- 9. --The reigns of Vitellius and Vespasian--The siege of
Jerusalem by Titus

---- 10. --The Reigns of Titus and Domitian

---- 11. --The assassination of Domitian

XXIII. The Five good emperors of Rome, viz.

Section 1. --The Reigns of Nerva and Trajan

---- 2. --The Reign of Adrian

---- 3. --The Reign of Antoninus Pius

---- 4. --The reign of Marcus Aurelius

XXIV. From the accession of Commodus to the change of the seat of
Government, from Rome to Constantinople, viz.

Section 1. --The Reigns of Commodus, Pertinax, and Didius

---- 2. --The Reigns of Severus, Caracalla, Maximus, and Heliogabalus

---- 3. --The reigns of Alexander, Maximin, and Gordian

---- 4. --The Reigns of Philip, Decius, Gallus, Valerian, Claudius,
Aurelian, Tacitus, and Probus

---- 5. --The reigns of Carus, Carinus, Dioclesian, and
Constantius--Accession of Constantine

---- 6. --The reign of Constantine XXV.

XXV. From the death of Constantine, to the reunion of the Roman empire
under Theodosius the Great, viz.

Section 1. --The Reign of Constantius

---- 2. --The Reigns of Julian Jovian, the Valentinians, and
Theodosius

XXVI. From the death of Theodosius to the subversion of the Western Empire,
viz.

Section 1. --The division of the Roman dominions into the Eastern and
Western empires

---- 2. --Decline and fall of the Western empire

XXVII. Historical notices of the different barbarous tribes that aided in
overthrowing the Roman empire

XXVIII. The progress of Christianity

Chronological Index

* * * * *




HISTORY OF ROME




* * * * *




INTRODUCTION.


CHAPTER I.

GEOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE OF ITALY.

Italia! oh, Italia! thou who hast
The fatal gift of beauty, which became
A funeral dower of present woes and past,
On thy sweet brow is sorrow plough'd by shame,
And annals traced in characters of flame. --_Byron_.

1. The outline of Italy presents a geographical unity and completeness
which naturally would lead us to believe that it was regarded as a
whole, and named as a single country, from the earliest ages. This
opinion would, however, be erroneous; while the country was possessed
by various independent tribes of varied origin and different customs,
the districts inhabited by each were reckoned separate states, and it
was not until these several nations had fallen under the power of one
predominant people that the physical unity which the peninsula
possesses was expressed by a single name. Italy was the name
originally given to a small peninsula in Brut'tium, between the
Scylacean and Napetine gulfs; the name was gradually made to
comprehend new districts, until at length it included the entire
country lying south of the Alps, between the Adriatic and Tuscan seas.
2. The names Hespéria, Satúrnia, and Oenot'ria have also been given
to this country by the poets; but these designations are not properly
applicable; for Hespéria was a general name for all the countries
lying to the west of Greece, and the other two names really belonged
to particular districts.

3. The northern boundary of Italy, in its full extent, is the chain of
the Alps, which forms a kind of crescent, with the convex side towards
Gaul. The various branches of these mountains had distinct names; the
most remarkable were, the Maritime Alps, extending from the Ligurian
sea to Mount Vésulus, _Veso_; the Collian, Graian, Penine, Rhoetian,
Tridentine, Carnic, and Julian Alps, which nearly complete the
crescent; the Euganean, Venetian, and Pannonian Alps, that extend the
chain to the east.

4. The political divisions of Italy have been frequently altered, but
it may be considered as naturally divided into Northern, Central, and
Southern Italy.

The principal divisions of Northern Italy were Ligu'ria and Cisalpine
Gaul.

5. Only one half of Liguria was accounted part of Italy; the remainder
was included in Gaul. The Ligurians originally possessed the entire
line of sea-coast from the Pyrennees to the Tiber, and the mountainous
district now called _Piedmont_; but before the historic age a great
part of their territory was wrested from them by the Iberians, the
Celts, and the Tuscans, until their limits were contracted nearly to
those of the present district attached to Genoa. Their chief cities
were Genúa, _Genoa_; Nicoe'a, _Nice_, founded by a colony from
Marseilles; and As'ta, _Asti_. The Ligurians were one of the last
Italian states conquered by the Romans; on account of their inveterate
hostility, they are grossly maligned by the historians of the
victorious people, and described as ignorant, treacherous, and
deceitful; but the Greek writers have given a different and more
impartial account; they assure us that the Ligurians were eminent for
boldness and dexterity, and at the same time patient and contented.

6. Cisalpine Gaul extended from Liguria to the Adriatic or Upper Sea,
and nearly coincides with the modern district of Lombardy. The country
is a continuous plain divided by the Pa'dus, _Po_, into two parts; the
northern, Gallia Transpada'na, was inhabited by the tribes of the
Tauri'ni, In'subres, and Cenoma'nni; the southern, Gallia Cispada'na,
was possessed by the Boi'i, Leno'nes, and Lingo'nes. 7. These plains
were originally inhabited by a portion of the Etrurian or Tuscan
nation, once the most powerful in Italy; but at an uncertain period a
vast horde of Celtic Gauls forced the passage of the Alps and spread
themselves over the country, which thence received their name.

8. It was sometimes called Gallia Toga'ta, because the invaders
conformed to Italian customs, and wore the toga. Cisalpine Gaul was
not accounted part of Italy in the republican age; its southern
boundary, the river Rubicon, being esteemed by the Romans the limit of
their domestic empire.

9. The river Pa'dus and its tributary streams fertilized these rich
plains. The principal rivers falling into the Padus were, from the
north, the Du'ria, _Durance_; the Tici'nus, _Tessino_; the Ad'dua,
_Adda_; the Ol'lius, _Oglio_; and the Min'tius, _Minzio_: from
the south, the Ta'narus, _Tanaro_, and the Tre'bia. The Ath'esis,
_Adige_; the Pla'vis, _Paive_; fall directly into the Adriatic.

10. The principal cities in Cisalpine Gaul were Roman colonies with
municipal rights; many of them have preserved their names unchanged to
the present day. The most remarkable were; north of the Pa'dus,
Terge'ste, _Trieste_; Aquilei'a; Pata'vium, _Padua_; Vincen'tia,
Vero'na, all east of the Athe'sis: Mantua; Cremo'na; Brix'ia,
_Brescia_; Mediola'num, _Milan_; Tici'num, _Pavia_; and Augusta
Turino'rum, _Turin_; all west of the Athe'sis. South of the Po we find
Raven'na; Bono'nia, _Bologna_; Muti'na, _Modena_; Par'ma, and
Placen'tia. 11. From the time that Rome was burned by the Gauls (B. C.
390), the Romans were harassed by the hostilities of this warlike
people; and it was not until after the first Punic war, that any
vigorous efforts were made for their subjugation. The Cisalpine Gauls,
after a fierce resistance, were overthrown by Marcell'us (B. C. 223)
and compelled to submit, and immediately afterwards military colonies
were sent out as garrisons to the most favourable situations in their
country. The Gauls zealously supported An'nibal when he invaded Italy,
and were severely punished when the Romans finally became victorious.

12. North-east of Cisalpine Gaul, at the upper extremity of the
Adriatic, lay the territory of the Venetians; they were a rich and
unwarlike people, and submitted to the Romans without a struggle, long
before northern Italy had been annexed to the dominions of the
republic.

13. Central Italy comprises six countries, Etru'ria, La'tium, and
Campa'nia on the west; Um'bria, Pice'num, and Sam'nium, on the east.

14. Etru'ria, called also Tus'cia (whence the modern name _Tuscany_)
and Tyrrhe'nia, was an extensive mountainous district, bounded on the
north by the river Mac'ra, and on the south and east by the Tiber. The
chain of the Apennines, which intersects middle and Lower Italy,
commences in the north of Etru'ria. The chief river is the Ar'nus,
_Arno_. 15.
The names Etruscan and Tyrrhenian, indifferently applied
to the inhabitants of this country, originally belonged to different
tribes, which, before the historic age, coalesced into one people. The
Etruscans appear to have been Celts who descended from the Alps; the
Tyrrhenians were undoubtedly a part of the Pelas'gi who originally
possessed the south-east of Europe. The circumstances of the
Pelasgic migration are differently related by the several historians,
but the fact is asserted by all. [1] These Tyrrhenians brought with
them the knowledge of letters and the arts, and the united people
attained a high degree of power and civilization, long before the name
of Rome was known beyond the precincts of Latium. They possessed a
strong naval force, which was chiefly employed in piratical
expeditions, and they claimed the sovereignty of the western seas. The
first sea-fight recorded in history was fought between the fugitive
Phocians,[2] and the allied fleets of the Tyrrhenians and the
Carthaginians (B. C. 539. )

16. To commerce and navigation the Etruscans were indebted for their
opulence and consequent magnificence; their destruction was owing to
the defects of their political system. There were twelve Tuscan cities
united in a federative alliance. Between the Mac'ra and Arnus were,
Pi'sæ, _Pisa_; Floren'tia, _Florence_; and Fæ'sulæ: between the Arnus
and the Tiber, Volate'rræ, _Volterra_; Volsin'ii, _Bolsena_; Clu'sium,
_Chiusi_; Arre'tium, _Arrezzo_; Corto'na; Peru'sia, _Perugia_, (near
which is the Thrasamene lake); Fale'rii, and Ve'ii.

17. Each of these cities was ruled by a chief magistrate called
_lu'cumo_, chosen for life; he possessed regal power, and is
frequently called a king by the Roman historians. In enterprises
undertaken by the whole body, the supreme command was committed to one
of the twelve _lucumones_, and he received a lictor from each city.
But from the time that Roman history begins to assume a regular form,
the Tuscan cities stand isolated, uniting only transiently and
casually; we do not, however, find any traces of intestine wars
between the several states.

18. The Etrurian form of government was aristocratical, and the
condition of the people appears to have been miserable in the extreme;
they were treated as slaves destitute of political rights, and
compelled to labour solely for the benefit of their taskmasters. A
revolution at a late period took place at Volsin'ii, and the exclusive
privileges of the nobility abolished after a fierce and bloody
struggle; it is remarkable that this town, in which the people had
obtained their rights, alone made an obstinate resistance to the
Romans.

19. The progress of the Tuscans in the fine arts is attested by the
monuments that still remain; but of their literature we know
nothing; their language is unknown, and their books have perished. In
the first ages of the Roman republic, the children of the nobility
were sent to Etru'ria for education, especially in divination and the
art of soothsaying, in which the Tuscans were supposed to excel. The
form of the Roman constitution, the religious ceremonies, and the
ensigns of civil government, were borrowed from the Etrurians.

20. La'tium originally extended along the coast from the Tiber to the
promontory of Circe'ii; hence that district was called, old La'tium;
the part subsequently added, called new La'tium, extended from Circeii
to the Li'ris, _Garigliano_. The people were called Latins; but
eastward, towards the Apennines, were the tribes of the Her'nici, the
Æ'qui, the Mar'si, and the Sabines; and on the south were the Vols'ci,
Ru'tuli, and Aurun'ci. The chief rivers in this country were the
A'nio, _Teverone_; and Al'lia, which fall into the Tiber; and the
Liris, _Garigliano_; which flows directly into the Mediterranean.

21. The chief cities in old Latium were ROME; Ti'bur, _Tivoli_;
Tus'culum, _Frescati_; Al'ba Lon'ga, of which no trace remains;
Lavin'ium; An'tium; Ga'bii; and Os'tia, _Civita Vecchia_; the chief
towns in new Latium were Fun'di, Anx'ur or Terraci'na, Ar'pinum,
Mintur'næ, and For'miæ.

22. CAMPA'NIA included the fertile volcanic plains that lie between
the Liris on the north, and the Si'lanus, _Selo_, on the south; the
other most remarkable river was the Voltur'nus, _Volturno_. The chief
cities were, Ca'pua the capital, Linter'num, Cu'mæ, Neapo'lis,
_Naples_; Hercula'neum, Pompe'ii, Surren'tum, Saler'num, &c. The
original inhabitants of Campa'nia, were the Auso'nes and Op'ici or
Osci, the most ancient of the native Italian tribes. The Tyrrhenian
Pelas'gi made several settlements on the coast, and are supposed to
have founded Cap'ua. The Etruscans were afterwards masters of the
country, but their dominion was of brief duration, and left no trace
behind. Campa'nia was subdued by the Romans after the Volscian war.

23. The soil of Campa'nia is the most fruitful, perhaps, in the world,
but it is subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Mount
Vesu'vius in the early ages of Italy was not a volcano; its first
eruption took place A. D. 79.

24. UM'BRIA extended along the middle and east of Italy, from the
river Rubicon in the north, to the Æ'sis, _Gesano_, dividing it
from Pise'num, and the Nar, _Nera_, separating it from Sam'nium in the
south. The Umbrians were esteemed one of the most ancient races in
Italy, and were said to have possessed the greater part of the
northern and central provinces. They were divided into several tribes,
which seem to have been semi-barbarous, and they were subject to the
Gauls before they were conquered by the Romans. Their chief towns were
Arimi'nium, _Rimini_; Spole'tium, _Spoleto_; Nar'nia, _Narni_; and
Ocricu'lum, _Otriculi_.

25. PICE'NUM was the name given to the fertile plain that skirts the
Adriatic, between the Æ'sis, _Gesano_, and the Atar'nus, _Pescara_.
The chief cities were Anco'na and Asc'ulum Pice'num, _Ascoli_. The
Picentines were descended from the Sabines, and observed the strict
and severe discipline of that warlike race, but they were destitute of
courage or vigour.

26. SAM'NIUM included the mountainous tract which stretches from the
Atar'nus in the north, to the Fren'to in the south. It was inhabited
by several tribes descended from the Sabines[3] and Ma'rsi, of which
the Samnites were the most distinguished; the other most remarkable
septs were the Marruci'ni and Pelig'ni in the north, the Frenta'ni in
the east, and the Hirpi'ni in the south.

27. The Samnites were distinguished by their love of war, and their
unconquerable attachment to liberty; their sway at one time extended
over Campa'nia, and the greater part of central Italy; and the Romans
found them the fiercest and most dangerous of their early enemies. The
chief towns in the Samnite territory were Alli'fæ, Beneventum, and
Cau'dium.

28. Lower Italy was also called Magna Græ'cia, from the number of
Greek[4] colonies that settled on the coast; it comprised four
countries; Luca'nia and Brut'tium on the west, and Apu'lia and
Cala'bria on the east.

29. LUCA'NIA was a mountainous country between the Sil'arus, _Selo_,
on the north, and the Lä'us, _Lavo_, on the south. The Lucanians were
of Sabine origin, and conquered the Oenotrians, who first
possessed the country: they also subdued several Greek cities on the
coast. The chief cities were Posido'nia or Pæstum, He'lia or Ve'lia,
Sib'aris and Thu'rii.

30. Brut'tium is the modern Cala'bria, and received that name when the
ancient province was wrested from the empire. It included the tongue
of land from the river Läus to the southern extremity of Italy at
Rhe'gium. The mountains of the interior were inhabited by the
Bruta'tes or Brut'tii, a semi-barbarous tribe, at first subject to the
Sibarites, and afterwards to the Lucanians. In a late age they
asserted their independence, and maintained a vigorous resistance to
the Romans. As the Brut'tii used the Oscan language, they must have
been of the Ausonian race. The chief towns were the Greek settlements
on the coast, Consen'tia, _Cosenza_; Pando'sia, _Cirenza_; Croto'na,
Mame'rtum, Petil'ia, and Rhe'gium, _Reggio_.

31. Apu'lia extended along the eastern coast from the river Fren'to,
to the eastern tongue of land which forms the foot of the boot, to
which Italy has been compared. It was a very fruitful plain, without
fortresses or harbours, and was particularly adapted to grazing
cattle. It was divided by the river Au'fidus, _Ofanto_, into Apu'lia
Dau'nia, and Apu'lia Peuce'tia, or pine-bearing Apu'lia. The chief
towns were, in Dau'nia, Sipon'tum and Luce'ria: in Peuce'tia, Ba'rium,
Can'næ, and Venu'sia.

32. Cala'bria, or Messa'pia, is the eastern tongue of land which
terminates at Cape Japy'gium, _Santa Maria_; it was almost wholly
occupied by Grecian colonies. The chief towns were Brundu'sium,
_Brindisi_: Callipolis, _Gallipoli_: and Taren'tum.

33. The islands of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia, which are now
reckoned as appertaining to Italy, were by the Romans considered
separate provinces.

_Questions for Examination_.

1. How is Italy situated?

2. By what names was the country known to the ancients?

3. How is Italy bounded on the north?

4. What districts were in northern Italy?

5. What was the extent of Liguria, and the character of its
inhabitants?

6. How was Cisalpine Gaul divided?

7. By whom was Cisalpine Gaul inhabited?

8. Why was it called Togata?

9. What are the principal rivers in northern Italy?

10. What are the chief cities in Cisalpine Gaul?

11. When did the Romans subdue this district?

12. Did the Venetians resist the Roman power?

13. What are the chief divisions of central Italy?

14. How is Etruria situated?

15. By what people was Etruria colonized?

16. What were the Tuscan cities?

17. How were the cities ruled?

18. What was the general form of Tuscan government?

19. For what were the Tuscans remarkable?

20. What was the geographical situation of Latium?

21. What were the chief towns in Latium?

22. What towns and people were in Campania?

23. For what is the soil of Campania remarkable?

24. What description is given of Umbria?

25. What towns and people were in Picenum?

26. From whom were the Samnites descended?

27. What was the character of this people?

28. How was southern Italy divided?

29. What description is given of Lucania?

30. By what people was Bruttium inhabited?

31. What is the geographical situation of Apulia?

32. What description is given of Calabria?

33. What islands belong to Italy?

FOOTNOTES:

[1] See Pinnock's History of Greece, Chap. I.

[2] See Historical Miscellany, Part II. Chap. I.

[3] These colonies, sent out by the Sabines, are said to have
originated from the observance of the Ver sacrum (_sacred spring_. )
During certain years, every thing was vowed to the gods that was born
between the calends (first day) of March and May, whether men or
animals. At first they were sacrificed; but in later ages this cruel
custom was laid aside, and they were sent out as colonists.

[4] The history of these colonies is contained in the Historical
Miscellany, Part II. Chap. ii.

* * * * *




CHAPTER II.

THE LATIN LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE--CREDIBILITY OF THE EARLY HISTORY.

Succeeding times did equal folly call.
Believing nothing, or believing all. --_Dryden. _

The Latin language contains two primary elements, the first intimately
connected with the Grecian, and the second with the Oscan tongue; to
the former, for the most part, belong all words expressing the arts
and relations of civilized life; to the latter, such terms as express
the wants of men before society has been organized. We are therefore
warranted in conjecturing that the Latin people was a mixed race; that
one of its component parts came from some Grecian stock, and
introduced the first elements of civilization, and that the other was
indigenous, and borrowed refinement from the strangers. The traditions
recorded by the historians sufficiently confirm this opinion; they
unanimously assert that certain bodies of Pelasgi came into the
country before the historic age, and coalesced with the ancient
inhabitants. The traditions respecting these immigrations are so
varied, that it is impossible to discover any of the circumstances;
but there is one so connected with the early history of Rome, that it
cannot be passed over without notice. All the Roman historians
declare, that after the destruction of Troy, Æneas, with a body of the
fugitives, arrived in Latium, and having married the daughter of king
Lati'nus, succeeded him on the throne. It would be easy to show that
this narrative is so very improbable, as to be wholly unworthy of
credit; but how are we to account for the universal credence which it
received? To decide this question we must discuss the credibility of
the early Roman history, a subject which has of late years attracted
more than ordinary attention.

The first Roman historian of any authority, was Fa'bius Pic'tor, who
flourished at the close of the second Punic war; that is, about five
centuries and a half after the foundation of the city, and nearly a
thousand years after the destruction of Troy. The materials from which
his narrative was compiled, were the legendary ballads, which are in
every country the first record of warlike exploits; the calendars and
annals kept by the priests, and the documents kept by noble families
to establish their genealogy. Imperfect as these materials must
necessarily have been under any circumstances, we must remember that
the city of Rome was twice captured; once by Porsenna, and a second
time by the Gauls, about a century and a half before Fabius was born.
On the latter occasion the city was burned to the ground, and the
capital saved only by the payment of an immense ransom. By such a
calamity it is manifest that the most valuable documents must have
been dispersed or destroyed, and the part that escaped thrown into
great disorder. The heroic songs might indeed have been preserved in
the memory of the public reciters; but there is little necessity for
proving that poetic historians would naturally mingle so much fiction
with truth, that few of their assertions could be deemed authentic.
The history of the four first centuries of the Roman state is
accordingly full of the greatest inconsistences and improbabilities;
so much so, that many respectable writers have rejected the whole as
unworthy of credit; but this is as great an excess in scepticism, as
the reception of the whole would be of credulity. But if the
founders of the city, the date of its erection, and the circumstances
under which its citizens were assembled be altogether doubtful, as
will subsequently be shown, assuredly the history of events that
occurred four centuries previous must be involved in still greater
obscurity. The legend of Æneas, when he first appears noticed as a
progenitor of the Romans, differs materially from that which
afterwards prevailed. Romulus, in the earlier version of the story, is
invariably described as the son or grandson of Æneas. He is the
grandson in the poems of Nævius and Ennius, who were both nearly
contemporary with Fabius Pictor. This gave rise to an insuperable
chronological difficulty; for Troy was destroyed B. C. 1184, and Rome
was not founded until B. C. 753. To remedy this incongruity, a list of
Latin kings intervening between Æne'as and Rom'ulus, was invented; but
the forgery was so clumsily executed, that its falsehood is apparent
on the slightest inspection. It may also be remarked, that the actions
attributed to Æneas are, in other traditions of the same age and
country, ascribed to other adventurers; to Evander, a Pelasgic leader
from Arcadia, who is said to have founded a city on the site
afterwards occupied by Rome; or to Uly'sses, whose son Tele'gonus is
reported to have built Tus'culum.

If then we deny the historical truth of a legend which seems to have
been universally credited by the Romans, how are we to account for the
origin of the tale? Was the tradition of native growth, or was it
imported from Greece when the literature of that country was
introduced into Latium? These are questions that can only be answered
by guess; but perhaps the following theory may in some degree be found
satisfactory. We have shown that tradition, from the earliest age,
invariably asserted that Pelasgic colonies had formed settlements in
central Italy; nothing is more notorious than the custom of the
Pelasgic tribes to take the name of their general, or of some town in
which they had taken up their temporary residence; now Æne'a and Æ'nus
were common names of the Pelasgic towns; the city of Thessaloni'ca was
erected on the site of the ancient Æne'a; there was an Æ'nus in
Thrace,[A] another in Thessaly,[A] another among the Locrians, and
another in Epi'rus:[1] hence it is not very improbable but that some
of the Pelasgic tribes which entered Latium may have been called
the Æne'adæ; and the name, as in a thousand instances, preserved after
the cause was forgotten. This conjecture is confirmed by the fact,
that temples traditionally said to have been erected by a people
called the Æne'adæ, are found in the Macedonian peninsula of
Pall'ene,[2] in the islands of De'los, Cythe'ra, Zacy'nthus,
Leuca'dia, and Sicily, on the western coasts of Ambra'cia and Epi'rus,
and on the southern coast of Sicily.

The account of several Trojans, and especially Æne'as, having survived
the destruction of the city, is as old as the earliest narrative of
that famous siege; Homer distinctly asserts it when he makes Neptune
declare,

--Nor thus can Jove resign
The future father of the Dardan line:
The first great ancestor obtain'd his grace,
And still his love descends on all the race.
For Priam now, and Priam's faithless kind,
At length are odious, to the all-seeing mind;
On great Æneas shall devolve the reign,
And sons succeeding sons the lasting line sustain.
ILIAD, xx.

But long before the historic age, Phrygia and the greater part of the
western shores of Asia Minor were occupied by Grecian colonies, and
all remembrance of Æne'as and his followers lost. When the narrative
of the Trojan war, with other Greek legends, began to be circulated in
Lati'um, it was natural that the identity of name should have led to
the confounding of the Æne'adæ who had survived the destruction of
Troy, with those who had come to La'tium from the Pelasgic Æ'nus. The
cities which were said to be founded by the Æne'adæ were, Latin Troy,
which possessed empire for three years; Lavinium, whose sway lasted
thirty; Alba, which was supreme for three hundred years; and Rome,
whose dominion was to be interminable, though some assign a limit of
three thousand years. These numbers bear evident traces of
superstitious invention; and the legends by which these cities are
successively deduced from the first encampment of Æne'as, are at
variance with these fanciful periods. The account that Alba was built
by a son of Æne'as, who had been guided to the spot by a white sow,
which had farrowed thirty young, is clearly a story framed from
the similarity of the name to Albus (_white_,) and the circumstance of
the city having been the capital of the thirty Latin tribes. The city
derived its name from its position on the Alban mountain; for _Alb_,
or _Alp_, signifies lofty in the ancient language of Italy, and the
emblem of a sow with thirty young, may have been a significant emblem
of the dominion which it unquestionably possessed over the other Latin
states.