lo HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



the tranquillity of which the safety of the Emperor 

 and Empire depended, was kept in awe by a body 

 of 20,000 soldiers distinguished from the remainder 

 of the army by the Emperor's especial favour and 

 higher pay. They were called the Pretorian Guard. 

 But, as this is not a history of Rome, I must return to 

 the subject of roads. 



Widely as the Empire extended, Mr. Gibbon in 

 his *•' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," 

 after enumerating all the cities in the different parts 

 of the Empire, says : "All these cities were connected 

 with each other and with the capital by the public 

 highways, which, issuing from the Forum of Rome, 

 traversed Italy, pervaded the provinces, and were 

 terminated only by the frontiers of the Empire. If we 

 carefully trace the distance from the wall of Antoninus 

 (in Britain) to Rome, and from thence to Jerusalem, 

 it will be found that the great chain of communication 

 from the north-west to the south-east part of the 

 Empire was drawn out to a length of 4080 Roman 

 miles, or 3740 English miles. The public roads were 

 accurately divided by milestones, and ran in a direct 

 line from one city to another, with very little respect 

 for the obstacles either of nature or private property ;. 

 mountains were passed, and bold arches thrown over 

 the broadest and most rapid streams. The road in 

 low-lying districts was raised into a terrace or embank- 

 ment, which commanded the adjacent country, and 

 consisted of several strata of sand, gravel, and cement, 

 and was paved with large stones, which, in some places 

 near the capital, were of granite." 



The following are Mr. Pickerton's observations on 

 the Roman roads : 



" One of the grand causes of the civilisation intro- 



