SECT. XXIV.

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC.

THE ROMANS, after having banished their KINGS, appointed CONSULS annually; a circumstance which contributed to raise them to fo exalted a pitch.—In the lives of all princes there are certain periods of ambition, and these are afterwards fucceeded by other paffions, and even by indolence; but the commonwealth being governed by magiftrates, who were changed every year, and who endeavoured to fignalize themselves in their employment, in the view of obtaining new ones, ambition had not a moment to lofe.-Hence it was that these magistrates were ever perfuading the senate to flir up the people to war, and pointed out to them new enemies every day.

This body (the fenate) was inclined enough to do this of their own accord; for, being quite tired of the complaints and demands of the people, they endeavoured to remove the occafion of their difquiet, and to employ them in foreign wars.

Now, the common people were generally pleased with war, because a method had been found to make it beneficial to them, by the judicious diftribution that was made of the spoils.

Rome being a city in which neither trade nor arts flourifhed, the feveral individuals had no other way of enriching themselves but BY RAPINE.

In fine, those citizens who ftaid at home fhared allo in the fruits of the victory; for part of the conquered lands was confifcated, and this was fubdivided into two portions, one of which was fold for the benefit of the public, and the other divided by the commonwealth among fuch citizens as were but in poor circum

ftances.

As the confuls had no other way of obtaining the honour of a triumph than by a conqueft or a victory, this made them rufh into the field with unparalleled impetuofity; they marched directly to the enemy, when force immediately decided the contest.

ROME was therefore engaged in an eternal and ever-obftinate war.Now, a nation that is al

ways

a The more ancient Romans lived in perpetual war with all their neighbours and in old LATIN, the term HOSTIS, expreffed both a stranger and

an

ways at war, and that too from the very frame and effence of its government, must neceffarily be destroyed, or fubdue all other nations; but these being fometimes at war, and at other times in peace, could never be so able to invade others, nor fo well prepared to defend themselves.

By this means the Romans attained a perfect knowledge in the military arts: in tranfient wars most of the examples are loft; peace fuggefts different ideas, and we forget not only our faults but even virtues.

Another confequence of the maxim of waging perpetual war, was, that the Romans never concluded a peace

an enemy. This is remarked by CrCERO; but by him is afcribed to the humanity of his ancestors, who softened, as much as poffible, the denomination of an enemy, by calling him by the fame appellation which fignified a ftranger. De Off. lib. ii. It is, however, much more probable, from the manners of the times, that the ferocity of those people was fo great as to make them regard all ftrangers as enemies, and call them by the fame name. It is not, besides, consistent with the most common maxims of policy or of nature, that any state should regard its public enemies with a friendly eye, or preferve any fuch fentiments for them as the ROMAN orator would ascribe to his ancestors. Not to mention, that the early ROMANS really exercifed piracy, as we learn from their first treaties with CARTHAGE, preserved by POLYBIUS, lib. iii. and confequently, like the SALLEE and ALGERINE rovers, were actually at war with most nations, and a stranger and an enemy were with them almost synonymous.—HUME.

The Romans confidered foreigners as enemies: Hoftis, according to Varro de Lingua Lat. lib. 4. fignified at firft a foreigner who lived according to his own laws.-MONTESQUIEU.

but

but when they were victorious; and, indeed, to what purpose would it be to make an ignominious peace with one nation, and afterwards go and invade another?

In this view their pretenfions rofe always in proportion to their defeat; by this they furprised the conquerors, and laid themselves under a greater neceffity of conquering.

Being for ever obnoxious to the most severe vengeance, perfeverance and valour became neceffary virtues: and these could not be distinguished, among them, from felf-love, from the love of one's family, of one's country, and of whatever is dearest among men.

The world in that age was not like the world in ours: voyages, conqueft, traffic; the establishment of mighty ftates; the invention of poft-offices, of the fea-compass, and of printing; thefe, with a certain general polity, have made correfpondence much eafier, and given rise, among us, to an art, called by the name of POLITICS: every man sees at one glance whatever is transacting in the whole universe; and if a people difcover but ever fo little ambition, all the nations round them are immediately terrified.

It was manifeftly feen, during the short time that the tyranny of the DECEMVIRS lafted, how much the ag

grandizing

grandizing of Rome depended on its liberty.-The government seemed to have loft the a foul which animated even to the minutest part of it.

There remained at that time but two forts of people in the city, those who fubmitted to flavery, and those who, for their own private intereft, endeavoured to enflave the rest.— The fenators withdrew from Rome as from a foreign city; and the neighbouring nations did not meet with the leaft refiftance from any quarter.

As the people of EUROPE, in this age, have very near the fame arts, the fame arms, the fame difcipline, and the fame manner of making war; the prodigious fortune to which the ROMANS attained, feems incredible to us. Besides, power is at this time divided fo difproportionably, that it is not poffible for a petty state to raise itself, merely by its own ftrength, from the low condition in which Providence has placed it.

This merits fome reflections, otherwise we might behold several events without being able to account for them; and for want of having a perfect idea of the different fituation of things, we should believe, in perufing

a Thefe Decemviri, upon pretence of giving written laws to the people, feized upon the government. See D. Halicarnass. Lib. 11.