294 
made an offer to the Senate to lay it 
down, though nothing was farther from 
his intentions. Thewhole Senate united in 
refuling his offer: forme from affection, fome 
from fear,and ome fromaregard to political 
interefts ; fo that be might affirm, that he 
had been forced to accept of the govern- 
ment by the importunities of both the Se- 
nate and the People. But, in order to 
infinuate himfelf fill farther into the 
efteem of the great, and the confidence of 
the people, he immediately declared that 
he would not accept of the fovereign dig- 
nity for a longer term than five years, 
although, at the expiration of the term, he 
continued for ten years longer, and after- 
wards twenty. 3 
In the mean time he preferved all the 
offices and dignities of the ftate; 10 
that, during his whole reign, there 
were Confuls, Pretors, Aédiles, and 
all the other public officers, even Tri- 
bunes of the People. Thele perform- 
ed the funétions of their refpeétive em- 
ployments, though they were all of them 
dependent on a fuperior power, by which 
only they were actuated. Czfar, as a 
proof that he had no defign of invading 
the liberties of the People, admitted, the 
Senate to a participation in the govern- 
ment of the provinces. But then he 
took particular care to refign to them fuch 
only as lay in the centre of the empire, 
and which might be maintained without 
guards or garrifons, while he took upon 
himfelf the adminifiration of thofe that 
were expofed to the incurfions of the Bar- 
barians ; by which means the fenate was 
inactive, and without confequence, and the 
whole force of the Empire was concentrated 
in his own perfon. 
On his acceffion to the fovereign power, 
the Temple of Janus was fhut: and, 
though he forefaw the neceflity of de- 
fending the frontiers, it became a maxim 
of his, which he tranfimitted to his fuc- 
ceffors in the adminiftration of govern- 
ment, never to think of enlarging the 
boundaries of the Empire. Having efia- 
blifhed peace and good order in the fiate, 
and endeavoured to conciliate all men, by 
refpeéting prejudices, cuftoms, and forms 
of government—by only a gradual aflump- 
tion of power—by difcovering, from time 
to time, an inclination to reflore the people 
to their ancient liberty, and to eftablifh 
good order in the ftate ; he further, and 
with more refined, though equally folid, 
views, ufed all means in his power for 
drawing off the public mind from the tur- 
bulence of civil difcord and war, and 
foitcaing it by the facnces and aris. Re 
Parallel between Augufius C2far and Bonaparte. | [OGober 1s 
was the bountiful patron and friend of . 
men diftinguifhed for genius and Jearning. 
He laboured to fuftain the dignity and the 
fplendour of the Roman name, and to 
f{pread the Roman laws and refinements 
over all the nations of the Empire. Thus 
he weilded the imperial fceptre during his 
life, and was thus an object of regret at 
his death. It was commonly faid of him, 
** that it had been well if he had never 
been born, or had never died.”” ‘The lat- 
ter claufe is well-founded ; the firft quef- 
tionable. The moft intelligent and dif- 
cerning of the cotemporary, and more 
immediate fucceflors of Auguftus ac- 
knowledged, that the Romans were no 
longer to be governed by the forms of the 
ancient republic. Galba, chofen Emperor 
by the army, protefted, “¢ that if it were 
pofiible for the magnitude of the empire 
to be governed like Rome in former 
times, the glory of reftoring the empire 
fhould be his.’ It is fearcely poffible, 
onarecollection of the maximsin the conduét 
of Auguftus, and the times in which he 
lived and reigned, and a review of the. 
conduét of Bonaparte, in the circums 
fiances in which he is placed, not 
to perceive fuch a degree of refemblance 
as may lead to an idea (which, afterall, 
may be illufive) that the moft diftinguith- 
ed Italian of this day may have had, and 
ftill have, in his eye the moft illuflrious 
Italian of a former period, the moft ana- - 
logous in hiftory to the prefent Rate of 
the French Empire. Or 
There was another diftinguithed charac- 
ter too, whom it is poflible that Bonaparte 
may have had in his eye: —Cofmo de Me- © 
dicis, by preferving names, ruled in the 
Republic of Florence. The fame appa- 
rent re{pett to forms, the fame apparent 
deference to the will of the people, and 
the fame policy in giving a fubordinate 
{nare of power to the moft diftinguithed 
Romans, under the name of Prefeéts, Lieu- 
tenants, Pro-confuls, and other names that | 
charaéteriled the government of Auguf- 
tus, alfo appear in that of Bonaparte : 
the fame anxiety to divert, to foothe, 
tranquillize, and unite the public mind 
by {pectacles, and all manner of pomp and 
parade, and, above all things, patron- 
fin good and liberal arts. 
Yet, under all thefe circumftances of 
fimilarity,; there are alfo fome ftriking 
circumftances of diverfity, in their con- 
duéi, even where the fimilitude of their 
features isthe moft prominent. Auguftus 
proceeded to eftablifh his abfolute power 
by long, as it were, and leifurely fteps: 
Bonaparte had ne fooner made peace 
with 
es 
a 3 
oll 
gall 
