CHAP. vnr. TO THE CAPITAL. 



Spain, notwithstanding the large sums which at 

 an early period had been drawn from them, con- 

 tinued to increase in wealth and prosperity up 

 to the final close of the Roman dominion over 

 those countries. 



It appears thus fair to conclude that the only 

 metallic tribute transmitted to the capital from 

 the provinces, under the reign of Augustus and 

 of his immediate successors, was that surplus 

 which remained after discharging the expenses 

 of the civil and military departments of the 

 several districts, and such sums as the prefects 

 and other officers nominated by the emperor 

 from among the nobility of the capital could 

 extort by their oppressions, or save by their 

 parsimony. 



Whatever the annual amount may have been, 

 in the course of three centuries it would rise to 

 an enormous sum, and furnish sufficient to ac- 

 count for the plunder found in Rome when it 

 was captured by Alaric and by the African Van- 

 dals for the great expenditure which must have 

 been occasioned by the erection of Byzantium, 

 and for the sums which were necessary to sup- 

 port those armies which were so feebly opposed 

 to the invading hordes of the barbarous nations 

 that assailed the empire on every frontier. 



o 



