210 ON THE NATIONAL CHARACTER OF THE ROMANS. 



The conquest of Spain, followed by that of Carthage, had intro- 

 duced, not only wealth, but that which is really the poisonous cha- 

 racteristic of wealth — a love for it — into Rome. Gold was now 

 their God, and they would do anything to obtain it. It is not suf- 

 ficient, in order to corrupt the heart of man, that he should become 

 rich : on the contrary, many have passed the ordeal, and their cha- 

 racters have justly risen from the trial. But only let a man be rich 

 and make his riches an idol, he is indeed corrupted beyond all hope 

 for the future. The sentiment is curiously expressed in the mad old 

 play, Hurtothrumbo, wherein one of the fictitious worthies, Dologo 

 Delmo by name, curses an enemy to the following effect : — " Lay on 

 him the honey curse, the gilded pill, the bitter blessing, that, whilst 

 it satisfies desire, infects the mind. Give him riches and make him 

 love them." 



The conquest of Spain, I repeat, with those of Sicily and Car- 

 thage, converted Rome from a poor state into a very rich one ; and 

 thus far tended to the demoralization of the national manners. Her 

 eastern conquests completed the work of evil, for they not only 

 increased her riches beyond every limit of moderation, but they in- 

 troduced, likewise, every possible variety of vice and immorality. 

 From this time we may date the complete dissolution of the old 

 Roman character : nay, it would even appear as if the harder and 

 sterner features which had distinguished her pristine fortitude and 

 virtue served in this her second period to unite the most savage cru- 

 elty to every kind of vice, and thus still further to disgrace her. 



In speaking, however, of the Roman character, there is one par- 

 ticular and independent testimony borne to it, which I am not 

 aware that any historian of modern times has noticed. It occurs in 

 or about what we may properly entitle the transition stage ; that is 

 to say, whilst Rome was in the act of prosecuting her Eastern con- 

 quests, or about a century and a half before the Christian era. I 

 am referring to the 8th chapter of the Book of Maccabees, and the 

 passage runs as follows : — " Now Judas had heard of the fame of 

 the Romans, that they were mighty and valiant men and such as 

 would lovingly accept all that joined themselves unto them, and 

 make a league of amity with all that came unto them, and that 

 they were men of great valour. It was told him also of their wars 

 and noble acts which they had done amongst the Galatians. And 

 how they had conquered them and brought them under tribute ; 

 and what they had done in the country of Spain, for the winning 

 of the mines of the silver and gold which is there ; and that by their 

 policy and ■patience they had conquered all the place, though it 



