( 3S ) 



purchailng land with the fruits of their com- 

 merce or rapacity ; their primary objeft, al- 

 ways, was the pofleflion of land ; and fo ex- 

 a6t were they in the improvement of it, that, 

 in the early ages of the republick, a fingle a- 

 cre was fufficient to maintain a Roman family ; 

 which, it may be fuppofed, was laboured with 

 the fpade. Hence, it is eafy to account for 

 the numbers of people with which ancient 

 Rome abounded, as well as the eafe with 

 which her armies were recruited, in cafe of 

 any misfortune. 



In procefs of time, it became neceflary to 

 fend forth colonies from the city, and thefe 

 were fent out, not for the purpofes of com- 

 merce, or traffick, but for thofe of agricul- 

 ture. The colonifts were complimented with 

 the citizenlhip of Rome, by which means 

 they were attached to the parent ftate. There 

 is good reafon to believe, that the firft im- 

 provements in agriculture, Britain received 

 from the Romans, who did much with the 

 fpade, at the fame time that vaft armies were 

 every where kept on foot, fufficient to pre- 

 vent difturbances in the countries where co- 

 lonies were fituated, as well as to defend them 

 from the incurfions of barbarians. By flea- 



dily 



