322 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



cities ; but in a London street, of much thoroughfare, I 

 have no idea of anything but pavement resisting the 

 effects of a six or eight weeks' frost and a heavy fall of 

 snow. If the M'Adam system, however, can be brought 

 to perfection on the improved plan I have just mentioned, 

 the advantage to the town of London will be great. 



Looking into history we find that, though several 

 cities had paved streets previous to the Christian era, 

 those which are the ornament of Europe (Rome and 

 one or two others excepted), had not this advantage till 

 about the twelfth or thirteenth century. The Greek and 

 Roman authors speak more of paved highways than of 

 paved streets, though, no doubt, great expense was 

 incurred in paving the streets before the doors of rich 

 inhabitants of the countries about which they write. 



That Thebes was paved, even in the time of Epami- 

 nondas, we collect from the circumstance of that great 

 general being condemned to the care of the streets, and, by 

 his good conduct, rendering that abject office an honour- 

 able one, and afterwards sought for as such. Whether 

 Jerusalem was paved I am at a loss to say, as mention is 

 only made in the Bible of the fore-court of the Temple ; 

 although in the Talmud it is stated that the streets were 

 swept every day, which implies some hard surface. 

 When Rome was paved does not, I believe, clearly 

 appear, though certainly not in the time of its kings. Livy 

 mentions that in the year of the city 584, a the streets 

 were paved from the Oxen-market to the Temple of 

 Venus, and around the seats of the magistrates in the 

 great Circus ; and, in the course of time, officers were 



1 r..c. 170. 



