"though more gentle and less heavy than others so "hard and stiff, are however much stronger with re gard to duration, and contribute more firmly to "the support of the state: that besides, a prince is "neither honoured, nor esteemed, for being richly "apparelled, for his furniture or retinue, or for spending his days in luxury and pleasures, if he has no advantage in point of reason and understanding over the least of his subjects, and is so wholly em"ployed in the decoration of his body apartments as "to neglect adorning the palace of his mind as becomes the majesty of a king." 66 ARTICLE II. OF THE ROMAN HISTORY. HOW prejudiced soever Livy may seem, in favour of the people whose history he writes, we cannot deny, but the high encomium he gives them in the beginning of his work, is very well grounded; and it must be owned with him, that there never was a republic more powerful, or governed with greater justice, or more abundant in glorious examples; where avarice and luxury were later introduced, or where poverty and frugality were had in so great honour during so great a length. Ceterùm, says Livy, aut me amor negotii suscepti fallit, aut nulla unquam respublica nec major, nec sanctior, nec bonis exemplis ditior fuit; nec in quam tam seræ avaritia luxuriaque immigraverint; nec ubi tantus ac tamdiu paupertati ac parsimoniæ honos fuerit. Providence, having shewn in Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander, with what ease it subverts the greatest empires and erects new ones, was pleased to establish one of a very different kind, which should in no respect resemble the impetuosity of the former, or be owing to those tumultuous circumstances, wherein chance seemed to have a greater share than wisdom; an empire, which was to increase by just degrees and pro proportions, which should conquer by method, and grow strong by the wisdom of counsels and patience; whose power should be the fruit of every human virtue, and which in all these particulars should deserve to become the model of every other government. With this view such distant foundations were laid, as were sufficient to support the mighty edifice designed to be raised upon them. Providence had made preparations for it, by a long succession of great men, and a chain of singular events, which the heathen world could not avoid admiring, and over which they were forced to own the divinity presided. [g] Livy in the beginning of his history says, that the original and foundation of the greatest empire in the world could be no other than the work of the fates, and the effect of the peculiar protection of the gods. [h] He makes Romulus declare, as soon as he is admitted into heaven, that it is the will of the gods, that Rome should become the capital of the universe, and that no human power should be able to withstand it. [i] He industriously enumerates the prodigies which from the first foundation of the city announced its future greatness, and takes notice of a kind of secret instinct and certain foresight of the power for which it was intended, in several of those who governed it at first. [k] Lastly, Plutarch says in express terms, that whoever considers the conduct and actions of the Romans with the least attention, must clearly discover, that they could never have attained to that height of glory they did, if the gods had not taken care of them from the beginning, and there had not been something miraculous and divine in their original. And in another place, which in my opinion is well worth notice, [] he attributes that incredible rapidity of conquests, which astonished the universe, not to the efforts of human prudence and valour, but to the special protection of the gods, whose favour, like an impetuous wind, in the swift progress of successes, seemed in haste to augment and extend the Roman power. It is of the history of this people that I am now undertaking to give some idea. To this end I shall produce only some select pieces of it, as I have done already in treating the history of the Greeks; and I shall chuse such as will best explain the character and spirit of the Roman people, and which present the greatest virtues and most excellent examples. I shall also add some reflections, to shew youth, in what manner they may make the best advantage of what they read. The first piece of this history shall treat of the foundation of the Roman empire by Romulus and Numa; the second of the expulsion of the kings, and the establishment of liberty; the third shall be much larger, though it takes in but the space of about fifty years, from the beginning of the second Punic war, to the defeat of Perseus king of Macedon, during which the greatest events in the Roman history happened; and the fourth and last shall be of the changing the Roman republic into a monarchy, foretold in a particular manner by Polybius in his history. THE FIRST PIECE OF THE ROMAN HISTORY. THE FOUNDATION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE BY ROMULUS AND NUMA. WE find all the principles and foundations of the Roman greatness united in Romulus and Numa, the causes of its rise and continuance, the maxims of its policy, the rules of its government, the peculiar ῥόθιον τῆς εἰς τοσαύτην δύναμιν καὶ αὔξησιν ὁρμῆς, ὁ χερσὶν ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ ἁρμαῖς προχορέσαν ἡγεμονίαν, θεία δὲ πομπῆ καὶ πνεύματι τύχης επιταχυνα μένης ἐπιδείκνυται τοῖς ὀρθῶς λογιζομένοις. Plut. de Fort. Rom. genius of its people, and the spirit with which it was animated in its whole conduct, and in all its different circumstances for above twelve hundred years. It was in these two reigns the Roman people imbibed the peculiar and singular characters by which they were afterwards distinguished with so much glory and success; and which took so deep root, that they survived without alteration, not only during the time of the kings and of the republic, but under the emperors, and even to the dissolution of the empire. THE FIRST CHARACTER OF THE ROMANS. Valour. One of the prevailing characters of the Romans was, that they were a warlike, enterprising, victorious people, devoting themselves entirely to the profession of arms, and preferring the glory arising from military expeditions, to every thing besides. Their founder Romulus seems to have inspired them with this disposition. This prince, brought up from his infancy to the laborious fatigues of hunting, and accustomed to contend with robbers, obliged afterwards to defend the privileges of the asylum he had opened, and having no other subjects in his new kingdom, than a band of resolute, desperate, and savage fellows, who had no hopes of security for their persons but in force, and, having no possessions, were able to subsist only by the sword; this prince, I say, was wont to have always the sword in his hands, and passed his reign in successively making war upon the Sabines, the Fidenates, the Veïans, and all the neighbouring people. He placed military courage in great honour, by the frequent victories he gained, and his own personal exploits. And the glory with which he was twice seen to enter Rome, bearing a trophy at the head of his conquering troops, amidst a large train of captives, and the acclamations of all the people, gave place to the triumphs which were introduced in after ages, and were at the same time a most powerful incentive to the ambition of the generals, and the highest pitch of grandeur to which they could aspire. Romulus was no less careful to animate the courage of the common soldiers by rewards and different military honours, than by the allurement of the conquered lands, which he divided. among them. THE SECOND CHARACTER OF THE ROMANS. Prudent Measures taken for extending their Another great character of the Romans consists in the wise measures they always took for extending and aggrandizing their empire, whereof Romulus had set them an example. This prince, persuaded that the power of a state consisted in the multitude of its subjects, made use of two expedients for augmenting the number of his. The first was the moderate and prudent use he made of his victories and conquests. Instead of treating the vanquished as his enemies, according to the custom of other conquerors, by cutting them off, plundering them of their effects, reducing them to slavery, or forcing them, by the severity of the yoke imposed upon them, to hate the new government, he looked upon them all as his natural subjects, made them live with him in Rome, communicated to them all the privileges of the ancient citizens, adopted their feasts and sacrifices, left the way open for thein indifferently to all civil and military employments; and by all these advantages making the good of the state a common interest, he attached them to it by such powerful and voluntary ties, as they were never after tempted to break through. The Romans having always at heart a tacit prescience of the grandeur to which they were destined, punctually observed this maxim of profound and beneficial policy. We know it was usually the general himself, who had conquered a city or a province, that became |