146 Epitome of the Progress of JVatural Science^ » 



senate. The want of great living examples of excellence, finally 

 degraded the public mind. We have the complete proof in the 

 Attic Nights of Aulus Gellius,* of the decline of Roman letters. 

 Sulpicius ApoUinarius, whom he' extols, boasted of being the only 

 one who could comprehend the history of Sallust, who died not 

 quite one hundred and seventy years before. So insensible had 

 the Romans become to the beauty and force of their ancient 

 language. The other individuals, of whom Gellius speaks, are 

 obscure orators and grammarians, and the work itself has nothing 

 in common with the sublime spirit of thought, which distinguishes 

 most of the writings of the older Romans : indeed, the men of 

 this day, appear to have almost lost sight of the pre-eminent 

 citizens who had preceded them. It is true, there were still 

 regular schools of philosophy in Rome, which had their disciples 

 and their disputations. Plutarchf was of this period, and was 

 much honoured of the emperor Trajan, who appointed him gover- 

 nor of Illyricum ; but Plutarch was a Greek, and his protector 

 was one of the superior men of his time. The only school which 

 enjoyed much reputation at this period, was the Eclectic school. 

 PlotinusJ and Porphyry, who flourished somewhat later, were of 

 this school. 



Whilst Roman literature was thus passing away, the multi- 

 plicity of laws, inseparable from the constant changes of their 

 masters, were favourable to Roman jurisprudence, which con- 

 tinued to flourish. Nevertheless, those distinguished jurists, Pa- 

 pinian and Ulpian, became victims to the irreverent violence of 

 the times. The first was assassinated by order of Caracalla,^ 

 the second was murdered by the Praetorian guards,|| whilst under 

 the immediate protection of the emperor Alexander Severus. 

 The confusion attendant upon these anarchical times, was great- 

 ly increased by the bloody persecutions the Christians underwent, 

 which only terminated by the accession of Constantine to the 

 throne, who, having embraced the Christian religion, took them 

 publicly under his protection.^ Low as the state of Roman in- 

 tellect was at this time, by his removal of the seat of empire to 

 Byzantium, the ancient capital of Thrace,** he accelerated its 

 total ruin, as well as that of the empire. The removal of the 

 whole machine of government, drew along with it nearly all the 



, * A. D. 130. t Died A. D. 140. t Died A. D. 270. § A, D. 212, 

 II A. D. 220. H A. D. 319. ** A. D. 328. 



