166 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. IT. 



doubtless benevolent persons were found who compassionated the distress 

 of poverty and aided to relieve it. But there was no acknowledgment 

 of any r^ghi of the poor to relief, nor any sense of duty among the 

 prosperous to contribute to their support. Laws were indeed passed 

 against usury, and from time to time others were proposed for the divi- 

 sion of the public lands ; but yet the poor had no asylum in which the\' 

 could seek shelter ; there existed no law that concerned thenn, unless it 

 were that which fixed the amount of funeral expenses, introduced in 

 their favour as a means of preventing the ruin of families. 



At a later period, (300-650) the more considerable independence 

 acquired by the Plebeians, but especially the progress of the republic in 

 wealth and power, resulted in numerous projects tending to procure for 

 all the Romans, without distinction, the many conquests they had made. 

 In this category may be ranged, ist, the Agrarian laws, relative to the 

 division among the poor citizens of the lands, the ownership of which no 

 one denied belonged to the whole people, or at least had at first belonged 

 to it ; 2nd, laws as to the pay and other privileges of the soldiers ; 3rd, 

 laws for the distribution of grain ; 4th, the abolition of the custom that 

 obliged private persons to maintain the roads at their own expense ; and 

 5th, the abolition of all imposts which were previously apportioned accord- 

 ing to the census. During this period the poor, in consequence of the 

 number of enfranchisements, increased daily and formed the major part of 

 the Plebeians. Many tribunes of the people hastened to profit by this, and 

 spared no means of conciliating the multitude. They succeeded best by 

 modifying, at least momentarily, the excessive rigour of the relations 

 between a creditor and his debtors. The severity of the execution on 

 the person of the debtor was abrogated. It was prohibited to put debtors 

 in chains, but the creditor might take him home and exact service from 

 him. Wealthy men, ambitious of power, cultivated the people with as 

 much assiduity as a modern candidate for parliament — furnished food and 

 amusements, maintained large numbers of retainers, and protected them 

 in violating the laws. Successful tribunes obtained and perpetuated their 

 popularity by securing the enactment of laws for extinguishing debts, 

 either wholly or in part, or enlarging the time for payment. A large part 

 of the public expenditure consisted in the distribution of grain to certain 

 classes, which completely destroyed agriculture in Italy, for the grain was 

 bought at a low price and imported for the purpose. 



In writing this I overlooked the benevolence of Trajan and some 

 wealthy men of his time. Trajan provided for the maintenance of 

 nearly 5000 children of free parents in the different cities of Italy. Pliny 

 Panegry, 26, 28. Arnold, History of Later Rom. Com., 2, 414. Pliny 



