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these Sabine hordes beyond doubt conquered the district of the Seven 

 Hills, already thinly peopled and imperfectly cultivated by some inde- 

 pendent community. 



But another flood of conquerors was to sweep over Rome and Latium 

 before the seeds of that organic development could take root, by which 

 the country has remained characterised for many ages. The Etruscans — 

 a race that has walked over the stage of history under a disguise, show- 

 ing the exterior of a Greek form of life, of Greek art, Greek religion, 

 and even Greek characters in their writing, without possessing any of 

 the essential qualities of the Hellenic nation, their vivacity, pliability, 

 versatility, and genius, and without the least perceiveable affinity of 

 language — this race, mysterious in its origin and in its monuments, 

 was at one time during the infancy of Rome a nation of conquerors, 

 colonisers, and civilisers. The fertile valley of the Po, and all Etruria, 

 were subject to the Etruscans ; and that their conquests were not 

 bounded on the south by the Tiber, is evident from traces which, 

 though not very distinct, are sufficient to establish the fact. Rome was 

 really subdued and conquered by Porsena, as admitted by Tacitus and 

 Pliny, who state, that the Etruscan king prohibited the use of iron for 

 any other purpose but agriculture. The popular account of Livy, flat- 

 tering the national pride of the Romans, passes over this humiliating 

 confession by the well-known story of Porsena's generosity, the result 

 of his admiration of Roman courage and patriotism. The tradition, 

 nevertheless, contradicts itself ; for Porsena's object in attacking Rome 

 being represented to be the restoration of the Tarquinii, it is quite 

 absiurd to suppose that out of love and admiration for his enemies, whom 

 he had forced to submit, he should have sacrificed his ally, for whose 

 benefit the war was undertaken. But according to the common account, 

 Tarquinius was left to attempt his restoration by other means, and the 

 Romans retained their freedom. 



Now, whatever may be the genuine truth of all these accounts, so much 

 seems certain, that Rome was at one time conquered by Etruscans. It is 

 also clear, that the chronology of that period is worth nothing. There is 

 no measure for spaces of time, without contemporary historical documents. 

 We are therefore justified in supposing it possible, that the Etruscan 

 conquest of Rome took place a long time before the alleged year of the 

 war of Porsena. It is not likely that this conquest should have taken 

 place at a later period, for henceforth Roman history becomes more 

 authentic, and there is no room for the insertion of such an important 

 event as a national conquest ; but the period of the monarchy can hardly 

 be called historical, and gives us greater liberty for conjecture. Now is it 

 quite evident, and admitted by everybody but Niebuhr, that the Roman 



