the ststa composed of three orders, each a check np<»i the other: the people resolved whedier the proposals of the king were pleasing to them, the senate deliberated upon the expediency of the measure, and the king gave vigour and spirit by directing the execBtion. Bat thov^ the pei^le by these regulations seemed in possession of great pow«, yet th«re was one cdr-onmstaace which c<nitiibuted greatly to its dimmntion, nara^, the rights of patronage which wece lodged in the smate. I^ king, sensible that in every state there must be a 'dependaoee of the poor upon the powerful, -gave permission to every |:4e- beian to choose one among the senators for a patron. Tke bond between them was of the strongest kind; the patron was to give [woteotion to his client, to assist him with lus advice and fortune, to plead for him before the judge, and to rescue him from every oppression. On the other hand, the climt attached himself to the interests of his patron, assisted han, if poor, to portion his daughters, to pay his debts,, or his rmuom - in case of being, taken prisoner. He was to follow him on every service of danger; whenever he stood candidate for an office, he was obliged to give him his sufi&age, and was proUbited from giving testimony in a court of justioe whenever his evidence affected the int^ests of his patron. These reciprocal dotias were held so sacred, that any who violated them were ever after held infamous, and excluded 6x»n all the pro- tection of the taws : so that from hence we see the senate in effect possessed of the snffirages of &ea clients, nnce all that was left the people was <Hily the poww of choonng what patron Ibery should obey. Amoaf a nRtion m> tMibstont and fierce as the first Romans, it was wise to enforce obedience ■t &6 most reqnidte dnty. lie first care of the new-created king was to attend to the interests of religion, and to endeavour to hnmantse his subjects, by the notion of other rewards and pnnishnients than diose of hnman law. The precise form of their worship is nn- known; bat die greatest part of the religion of that age con- siMed in a firm relianoe upon Ae credit of their soothsi^ers, irito fvetended, from observations on the flight of birds and the entrails of beasts, to direct the present, and to dive into fntmrity. This pioos fhrad, wbich first uvse from ignorance, soon became a most usefnl machine in the hands of government. Romnlns, by an express law, commanded, that no election should be made, no enterprise undertaken, witfa- flat first conaolting die soothsayers. With equal wisdom he •rdained, that no new divinities should be introdoced into pnhlic worship, that the priesthood should continue for fif, and that Aone shonM be elected into it before the age of fifty. ' He fort>ade them to mix fable witb the masteries of their reUgion; And, timt they mi^t be quaKfied to teach others, he ordered Aat tiiey should be tiie iHstoriographns of tiie times; so tiia^ while instructed by priests Bk^ these, the people cordd never degenerate into total barbarity. Of his other laws we have but few fragments remmnii^. In these, however, we learn, that wives were forbid, upon any pretext whatsoever, to separate from tbeir husbands; wUle, on the contrary, the husbaod was empowered to repudiate the wife, and even to put her to death with the consent of hef retatioQB, in case she was detected in adultery, in at- tempting to poison, in making false keys,. or even of having drank too much vine. His laws between children and their parents w«'e yet sdll more severe; the father had entire power over his offspring, both of fortune and fife; he conid ■ell them or imprison them at any time of their lives, or in any ttations to which they were arrived. The father might expose his clnldren, if bom witii any deformities, having previoasly eommunicated bis intentions to his five next of kindred. Our lawgiver seemed moze kind even to his enemies, for his subjectswere prt^hited from killing them after they bad surren- dM«d, m even from sdling them: his ambition only aiaied at .,Coo<^lc r of luB ateaaeB i^ mak After M> many endeaToiiTs to inoraase bia BnbjeotBi aad m mmy Inra to r^nlate them, he next gave ordeis to ascertna tbeir numbers. Tbb whole amoanled bat to three tbooMnd foot, and about as many bnndred horsemen, capable of beari^ arms. These, therdbre were divided equally into three tribes, and to each he asiigaed a different part of the taty. Each of these tribes were sabdivided into ten cmin or compame, consiBting of an hundred men each, with a oentnrioB to command it, a priest c^ed curio to perform the sacrifioes, and two of the principal inhatntants, called duumviri, to distribute jnstioe. Aocordijigly to the number of ooriv he dividedthe lands into thirty parts, reserving one portion for public uses, and another for religiaus ceremonies. Tbo «m- ■phaty and fingality of tha times will be best iindeistood by observing, that dach citizen had not id>ove two ictea of ground for his owB subsistence. Of the horsemen mentioned above, dtere were chosen ten from eei^ curia; tfaey were particularly appointed to fi^t round the person of the king; of them hU gaud was composed, and from tbeir alacrity in battle, or fhuB the >ame of their first commander, ^ey were called ceUrat, a word equivalent to our light horsemen. A goremmcot thus wisely instituted, it may be suppoaed, nduced numbers to come and live under it: each day added to its strength, maltitudes flocked in from all the adjacent towns, and it only seemed to waqt women to ascertain its du- ration. In this exiaeiatx, Romulus, by the advice of the se- nate, sent deputies among the Sabines, his neighbours, en- treatingtheir alliance, and upon these terms- ofiering to cement the most strict confederacy with them. The Sabines, . who were then considered as the moat warlike people of Italy, r^ected the proposition with disdain, and some even added raillery to the refusal, demanding, that as he had opened a sanctuary for fugitive slaves, why he had not also opened another for prostitute women. Tbis answer quickly raised the indignation of the Rpmans; and the king, in order to gratify their resentaient, while he at the same time should people hb ci^, resolved to obtain by force what was denied to intrea^. For this purpose he proclaimed a feast, in honour of N^tane, diron^ut all the nMghboitring villagea, and made the meet KAPB OF THK BABINBS. t mmgaiAMat pnftamtkmi for it Tbets feuta wen guan^ preceded by sacrifices, and ended in' shows of wreeden, ^ft- diaton, and chariot-^onrses. The Salnnes, as he had expected, were among the foremost who came to be spectalon^ fannging their wives and daughters with them to share t^ pkasore of the sight. The inhabitants also of maaj of tht ueig^hoariDg to^os came, who were received by the RomaM with marks of the most cordial hospitality. lo the mean time ' the games began, and while the strangers were most intent upon the spectacle, a number of the Roman yonth rushed la mnoag them wiUi drawn swords seized the yotingedt and meet beaatilid women, and earned them off by violence. , In vain the parents protested against this bre&cfa of hospitali^; in vain the virgins themselves at first opposed the attempts of th^ raviBfaers; perseverance and caresses obtained those &• TOWS which timidi^ at firstdenied: so that the betrayera, frma being objects of aversion, soon became partners of their dearest affections. But however the afiront might have been botne by them, it was not BO easily pnt up by their parents; a bloody war ei^ sued. The cities of Cenioa, Antemna, and Cnutuminm, wen the &at who resolved to revenge the common cause, which the Salnses seemed too dilatory in pursuing. These, by making aeparate inroads, becamea more easy conquest to Romulus, who first ovothrew the Ceoinenses, slew dieir king Acron in sio combat, -and made an offering of the royal spoils to Jupiter Feretrius, on the spot where the capitol was afterwards built The Antemnates and Crustuminians shared the same. fate; their armies were overthrowu, and their cities takes. The conqueror, however, made the most merciful use of las victny; for instead (rf destroying their towns, or lessemi^l tbent nnmbeis, he only placed colonies of Romana in them, to. serve as a frontier to repress more distant invasions. Tattos, king of Cures, a Sabine city, was the last, althou^ the most formidable who undertook to cevuige the disgrace his country had suffered. He entered the Roman territoriea at the head of twenty-five thousand men| and not content with a superiority of forces, he added stratagem also. Tarpeia, who was daughter to the commander of. the Cajutolme hill, happened to &11 into his hands, as she went without 4>e walls of the city to fetch water. Upon her he prevailed, by meant of hrga pttuSaet, to bebrajr aae of the ^^ates to his army. Tlie i«<irwd she eagdgei for was vfaat the soldiers wore on their atteB, by vfaich the meaot their bracelets. They, however, cotber miataking^ her meaning, or wiUing to panish her peifidy, ttvew tlieir bncklera upon her as they entered, and crushed ber to death beneath them. The Sabines, being thus possessed of the Capitoline, had the advantage of continning the War at tbeir pleasure; and for some time only slight enconnters passed between them. At length, however, the tedionsness of this contest began to weary out both parties, so that each wished, but neither would stoop to sue for peace. The desire of peace ofteii gives vigour to measures in war ; wherefore boUt sides resolving to terminate their doubts by a detMsive action, a general engagement ensued, which was renewed for several days, with almost equal success. They both fon^t for all that was vEduable in life, and neither could think of submitting: it was in the valley between the Capitoline and Qui- rinal hills, that the last engagement was fought between the Romans and the Sabines. The engem«it became general, and the slaughter prod^ioua, when the attention of both sides was suddenly turned from the scene of horror before them, to (mother infinitely more striking. The Sabine women, who h^ been carried off by the Romans, were seen with their hair loose and iheir ornaments neglected, fiying in between tbe combatants, regardless of their own danger, and with loud outcries only solicitous for that of their parents, their husbands, and their cUIdren. " If," cped ihey, " you are resolved upon daughter, turn your atma upon us, since we only are the cause <tf your animosity. If any must die, let it be us; since if oar parents orour husbands faU, we must be equally miserable in being the surviving cause." A spectacle so moving could not be resisted by the combatants; both sides for a wtiile, as if by mutual impulse, let fall their weapons, and beheld the distress - in silent wnazement The tears and entreaties of thdr wives and daughters at length prevaUed; an accommodation ensued, by which it was' agreed, that Romulus and Tatius should t«ign jointly in Rome, with equal power and prerogative; diat an bailed Sabines should be admitted into the senate; that the city should still retain its farmer name, but that As citizens should bctdled Qnirites, after Cures, the principal town of the Sabines; and that both nations being thus united. 11 •aoh of the Sabtees u i^ose it shoiM be sdnAted to Bniad eDJoy all the privilegea of citizens oi Rome. llaH erery •torm, vhich seemed to threateo this growing empire, only served to increase itvigour. That army, wfaich in die mondug had resolved upon its destruction, came in the evetlin^ with j(^ to be enrolled uiDoag the number of its ctttzens. RomfoloB saw his dominions and his sul^ects increased by more then half in the space of a few hours; and, as if fortune meant every way to assist his greatness, Tatins, his partner in the govem- ment, was killed about five years after by the Lavinians, for having protected some servants of his, who had plundered them and slain their ambassadors; so that by this accident Romulus once more saw himself sole monarch of Rome. Rome being greatly strengthened by this new acquisition of power, began to grow formidable to her neighbours ; and it -aiay be supposed, that pretexts for war were not wanting, when prompted by jealousy on their ride, and by ambition on that of the Romans. Fidena and Cameria, two oe^hbonring cities, were stibdoed and tAken. Veii also, one of the most power Ail states of Etruria, shared nearly the same fate; after two fierce engagements tiiey sued ftM* a peace and a league, which was granted upon giving np the seventh part of tbev dominions, their salt-pits near the river, and hostages for greater security. Successes like these produced an equal share of pride in the oonqneror. From being contented with those limits which had been wisely fixed to his power he began to affect absolute sway, and to govern those laws, to which he had himself formerly professed implicit obedience. The senate was particularly displeased at his conduct, finding themselves only used as instrom^its to ratify the rigour of his commands. We are not told the precise manner which they made use of to get rid of the tyrant: some say that be was torn in pieces in the senate botise; otiters that he disappeared while reviewing his army: eertain it is, that from the secrecy of the fact, and the concealment of the body, tbey took occasion to persuade the multitude, that he was taken np into heaven; thus him whom they oonld not bear as a king, tbey were contented to worship as a god: Romnlns reigned tlnrty-seven yean, and after his death bad a temple built to turn under the name of Quirinus, one of the Hwrton wilwMly vffiiniaff, that be had appeared to hm, and desired to be isTtAed by that tide. We see little more in the obaraeter of this princ, than vhat mi^t be expected in andk an a^, great temperance and great valour, wbich generally make np the catalt^e of sar^^e virtues.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment