ROME. 



the Roman republic may be confidered as having pafi"ed 

 completely from the higher order into the hands of the 

 people. 



Hitherto the Romans had no written laws. So long as 

 the monarchy fubfilted, the will of their kings was to 

 them inftead of laws : while the ancient ufages, the de- 

 cifions of the confuls and of the fenate were founded, or 

 fuppofed to be founded, on the principles of natural equity. 

 To fupply this defect in the government, the tribunes pro- 

 pofed an eftab'.ifhment of laws, to which, but with great 

 reluctance, the fenate affented. Commifiioners were ac- 

 cordingly appointed to bring from Athens the laws of 

 Solon, that fuch of them might be adopted as were fuited 

 to the exifting conflitution of the Roman republic. Ten 

 perfons were chofen out of- the fenatorial order to com- 

 pofe a code of laws from thofe of Greece, and from the 

 ancient ufages of Rome. This fyftem was divided into 

 twelve tables, fragments of which are ftill to be found in 

 the hiftory of that early period, and which are the bans 

 of the great ftructure of the Roman jurifprudence. An 

 acquaintance therefore with thefe ancient laws is deemed of 

 importance. Even in the moft flourifhing times of the re- 

 public, they continued to be of the higheit authority. 

 Cicero palled upon them a very high encomium, and from 

 him we learn, that to commit thefe laws to memory was an 

 effential part of a liberal education. From the twelve 

 tables the jurifconfulti compofed a fyftem of judicial forms 

 for the regulation of the different tribunals. The Decem- 

 viri were invefted with all the powers of government ; each 

 decemvir prefided in his turn a fingle day, and was during 

 that period invefted with fovereign authority, with its in- 

 fignia the fafces. The other nine officiated folely as judges 

 in the determination of law-fuits, and the correction of 

 abufes. An abufe, however, of the moft flagrant nature, 

 committed by Appius Claudius, (fee his article,) the 

 chief of their number, was deftined to bring their office 

 to an end. Prompted alfo by the ambition and artifices of 

 this man, the whole body confpired againft the public 

 liberty, and even bound themfelves by an oath to endea- 

 vour to make the government perpetual. The fenators, 

 the foldiers, and the people, roufed by the tyranny of thefe 

 ufurpers, inflicted the punifliment which their crimes fo 

 juftly merited, and at the fame time reftored the confular 

 and tribunitian power. This was in the year 449 B.C. 



The fcale of the people was daily acquiring weight at 

 the expence of that of the higheft order. There were 

 hawever two barriers, which ftill feparated the patricians 

 and plebeians ; the one a law, which prevented their inter- 

 marriage, and the other, the limitation of all the higher 

 offices to the order of patricians. It was the object of the 

 people to remove thefe reftraints, becaufe then the patri- 

 cians and plebeians would be on an equality. The firft, 

 after a long conteft, was agreed to by the fenate. This 

 conceflion Simulated the people to inflexible perfeverance 

 in their ftruggle for the latter. The fenate fought a pallia- 

 tive by the creation of fix military tribunes inftead of con- 

 fuls, of whom three were to be patricians, and three ple- 

 beians. This meafure fatisfied the people for a fhort time : 

 the confuls were, however, foon reftored. The diforders of 

 the republic, and the frequent wars in which the country 

 was engaged, had interrupted the regular furvey of the 

 citizens. This was remedied by the creation of two officers, 

 under the title of Cenfors, 437 B.C. whofe bufinefs was 

 not only to make the cenfus every five years, but to infpect 

 the morals, and regulate the duties of the people. The 

 diflentions continued with but little variation, and the people 

 uniformly, as their laft refource, refufed to enrol themfelves, 



till overawed by the fnpreme authority of a dictator. T» 

 obviate the frequent neceffity of this meafure, which en- 

 forced but an unwilling obedience, the fenate had recourfe 

 to the expedient of paying the foldiery, who before had 

 ferved without hire, as was ufual in other countries under 

 the feudal fyftem. To defray this expence, a tax was levied 

 from every perfon in proportion to his means, and thus 

 a fund was eftablifhed for the maintenance of the army. 

 The Roman fyftem of warfare now affumed a new afpeft. 

 The fenate always found foldiers at command, and the army 

 was under its controul : the enterprises of the republic 

 were more extenfive, and its fucceffes more fignal and im- 

 portant. 



One of the early effects of the new fyftem was a war de- 

 clared againft the Veii, the proud rival of Rome, and its 

 equal in extent and population. After a fiege of feveral 

 years their capital was taken by Camillus, and the Veian 

 territory was added to the Roman empire, in the year 

 B.C. 396. Their dominions, till now confined to the 

 territory of a few leagues, was at this period rapidly extended, 

 and the Romans were, from this circumftance, an over- 

 match for all their neighbours. 



The glory, and other good effects of the conqueft over 

 the Veii, were more than overbalanced by the fubfequent 

 fatal cataftrophe in a war with the Gauls, who, under the 

 command of Brennus, invaded Italy, plundered Rome, and 

 actually burnt it to the ground, B.C. 390. They then 

 retired to their own country loaded with fpoils. To the 

 burning of the city, on this occafion, as we have before 

 obferved, the Roman writers attribute the lofs of all the 

 records and monuments of their early hiftory. The city 

 was fpeedily rebuilt, but the effects of this calamitous event 

 were long felt. The neighbouring ftates combined to pre- 

 vent the Romans from recovering their former power; "but," 

 fays the hiftorian, " neither the united efforts of foreign 

 enemies, nor inteftine divifions, could ruin a city deftined to 

 be the miftrefs of the world." The Gauls in 367 returned 

 to Italy, but they were no longer fuccefsful, and were 

 forced to retreat with the utmoft precipitation. About 

 the fame time a plebeian was raifed to the confulfhip, and 

 the offices of Prjetor and Edile were created ; the one to ad- 

 minifter juftice, and the other to infpect the temples and 

 public places. In the mean time hoftilities were carried on 

 by the Romans againft thofe provinces that refufed to fub- 

 rnit to their power, or who made the leaft attempt at re- 

 volt. The war with the Samnites, a hardy nation, who 

 inhabited a large track of fouthem Italy, which began about 

 this period, was continued for half a century : but its fuc- 

 cefsful termination was fpeedily followed by the reduction 

 of all the Italian ftates. In the courfe of this important 

 war, the Tarentines, allies of the Samnites, fought the aid 

 of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, one of the moft illuftrious 

 generals of his age. Pyrrhus landed in Italy with 30,000 

 men and a train of elephants, abont the year 280 B.C. 

 For a few years he was fuccefsful, but fo foon as the 

 Romans underftood his mode of warfare, they became more 

 than a match for him ; and when he was making a laft effort 

 near Beneventum, he was totally defeated with the lofs of 

 26,000 men. He then abandoned all further views to 

 Italy, and returned with precipitation to his own country, 

 274 B.C. The hoftile ftates fubmitted to the victorious 

 power, and Rome, 480 years from its foundation, was now 

 lovereign of all Italy. It may be obferved, that the ex- 

 tent of their conquefts was as much the effect of wife 

 policy, as of power. They removed to Rome all the 

 leading men of the principal conquered cities, admitting 

 them into their tribes, and thus, in a meafure, foothed the 



pride 



