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646 
they having acquired his esteem by their 
heroic bravery: be himself is represented 
-“ as intoxicated with panegyrics aud 
success, disdaining the glory of restoring 
to Rome her ancient liberty; and pre- 
ferring the more perilous alternative of 
subjugating her freedom. This Julius” 
adds he “ received bis death on the very 
steps of that throne, which a few cow- 
ardly adulators had prepared for him. 
These too were the first to insult the 
memory of the hero, whose tablets were 
filled with maxims dear to every friend of 
liberty.” ‘ 
At length the excessive augmentation 
of the taxes under Tiberius, together 
with the pride of the magistrates deputed 
from Rome, and the atrocitics commit- 
ted by the cruel generals of the cruel 
Vitellius, induced the Gauls once ore 
to revolt. But after two campaigns, re- 
plete with military exploits, they snil 
remained disunited by jealousy, and Ci- 
vilis was constrained to receive terms of 
peace from Vespasian, “ who practised 
on the throne those virtues, which before 
his elevation he had appeared to dis- 
own.” 
“« During the space of two centuries” 
it is added, “ the intrigues of a debased 
senate, together with the caprice of a 
tumultuous soldiery, become strangers to 
the ancient discipline, had successively 
sold to, or ravished the power from 
twenty-seven emperors, the greater part 
of whom were incapable of exercising it; 
but even among these, humanity and 
philosophy take pleasure in recounting 
the names of Titus, Trajan, Antoninus, 
and Marcus Aurelius. Of the sixty-three 
emperors who succeeded each other, 
from the time of Juiius Cesar to the di- 
vision of the empire into eastern and 
western, no fewer than forty-seven pe- 
rished by a violent death, most of them 
having been assassinated by their own 
guards. Philip, the first among thei 
who professed christianity, was the son 
of a captain of robbers, and caused his 
iinmediate predecessor to be put to 
death.” 
While treating of the reign of Galienus, 
the author quotes a letter from that em- 
peror, recommending ‘9 one of his gene- 
rals, not to remain content with exter- 
minating all those who had carried arms 
on the opposite side, but “ throughout 
every city to cut oft all the males both 
young and old, and to spare no one who 
had spoken ill of him. ‘ Kill, added 
he, ‘ hew in pieces without pity, You 
2 
Retrospect of French Literature—Ht wstory. 
understand me. . You are to do what you 
know I would do myself, I who write 
this to you with my own hand.’ 
_ “A brave captain sent to another ge- 
neral of Galienus, to advise him to con- 
quer with more prudence, and to recol- 
lect that there was one to whom his 
victories gave umbrage.” The tyraut 
himse!f was assassinated in his camp, by 
two of his own officers, and deified after 
his death, by that assembly of slaves, 
who still called themselves the Roman se- 
nate. Dioclesian, whom the monks have 
so much calumniated, and the ferocious 
Constantive, whom they have so much 
celebrated, dismembered in succession, 
this colossal empire. Constantine gain- 
ed by means of the Gauls, who were 
then organized in the same manner as the 
ancient Roman legions, a number of ad- 
vantages over the Franks, whose soldiers, 
leaders, and kings, he delivered to be 
devoured by wild beasts. This barbari- 
ty, great as it was, found apologists in 
his court. His flatterers compared his 
labours to those of Hercules, while they 
were prodigal of bestowing the titie of 
barbarians on the Franks, ‘O great 
Constantine! exclaimed they, may your 
enemies still hate you, provided they 
conunue to fear you.’ 
- “ The arms of this nation were 
still employed to support the worst of 
human passions, and at the battle of 
Mursa, although defeated by the unskil- 
fulness of the Emperor Magnentius, they 
persevered in the comhat, not being able 
to alford the incredible spectacle to the 
universe of the soldiers of Gaul turning 
their backs on an enemy ! 
“Under the celebrated Julian, and 
Aetius the famous general, they still up- 
eld the empire against the redoubtable 
Franks. But Valentinian himself, haying 
poniarded this very Aetius, the sole sup- 
port of his falling fortunes, the barbari- 
ans henceforth found no barriers to op- 
pose their inroads. The wreck and re- 
volution became general at this famous 
epoch, every thing changed its appear- 
ance—the goverument—the laws—the 
manners—the religion, and the language 
—the names of provinces—of rivers—of 
seas, were all replaced by other names, 
Men themselves experienced a change, 
says Machiavel, and they were called 
Peter and Matthew, instead of Caesar 
and Pompey. After struggling some 
years longer against their destiny, deso- 
lated alike by fiscal impositions, by 
wars, and by intestine disorders; the 
Gauls 
