when he says, "and as iron shall it break in pieces and bruise." Of the early Romans Sallust says; "As soon as their youth would permit, they learnt the art of war by experience and labour in the camp: theyenjoyed much greater pleasure in arms and in horses for war than in lewd pursuits and revellings. To men like these, no labour was unusual; no place was unpleasant or difficult, no armed foe was fearful. Their fortitude made every thing yield; their greatest contest was for glory. Every one was eager to strike the foe, to scale the wall, to be distinguished, whilst he attempted such exploits. To do these things they considered as their riches, their fame, their nobility. They were avaricious of praise, but liberal of money; they wished for vast glory, but were content with little wealth." Men of these dispositions, and brought up in a discipline so severe, and almost entirely military, were well fitted to bruise and break the nations of the earth by war and conquest. But however their education might fit them for conquerors, their vices, in the later ages of the commonwealth, when many nations were subject to them, made them still more dreadfully oppressive to the rest of mankind, and also to one another. The same Author Sallust, shall prove this statement. Speaking of the moral character of the Romans in the times of Catiline, he says; "After that riches were considered as an honour and glory, empire and power accompanied them; virtue began to decline, poverty was thought a disgrace, and innocence was esteemed as malevolence. In proportion to their wealth, our youth became filled with luxury, avarice, and pride. 2 Sallust. Bell. Cat, They plundered, and then wasted what they got; they considered their own possessions of little worth, but coveted others; they paid no regard to modesty or chastity, to things human or divine.-They plundered from their very allies, all those things which their victorious ancestors, the bravest men, left to their enemies. They acted, as if the commission of injury was the proper exercise of power." a Such then was the character of the Romans, when their empire was near to its greatest height, and when many people were subject to them; and from such men, what nation could expect justice, not to mention mercy? But the induction of a few instances of their continued exertions for universal empire, and of their cruelty in carrying their designs into effect, will shew still more clearly how as iron they did break in pieces and bruise the nations of the earth. The ancient Romans were men of no ordinary sternness of character; for Brutus one of the first two consuls, attended the execution of his own sons who were put to death for attempting to restore kingly power. Their military discipline was carried at times to ferocity; Manlius Torquatus had his own son put to death, because he fought contrary to orders; as also had Posthumius. The Romans often complained of the infraction of treaties by the neighbouring states; but their history proves, that they never had serious intentions of maintaining peace with their neighbours, but were determined either to conquer or incorporate every state of Italy with themselves. At the very beginning of their empire, when their territory extended but a few miles round their city, they plundered their neighbours of their daughters by force and artifice. Their foundation was in murder and rapine. And as they began, so they continued. The most noble cities in Italy were exterminated by them, either to remove their rivals, or to consolidate their own power. Alba they levelled with the ground; Gabii they took by treachery and murder; and Veii was so effectually destroyed by the slaughter of its inhabitants and the destruction of its buildings, that Florus says: "History is scarcely able to make one believe it ever existed." b When they had either destroyed or subdued every city of note in Italy, they then pushed their conquests into distant countries. Carthage, which for many years they held as their most powerful rival, they destroyed to the ground with circumstances of the utmost cruelty and ferocity. Cato, who is often falsely extolled as a model of excellence, always incited them to its destruction, and, with what Florus calls "inexpiable hatred, in every debate, whatever might be the subject, took care to exclaim, Carthage must be exterminated." Corinth, one of the finest cities in Greece they entirely sacked, burned and destroyed. Cæsar has often been praised for clemency; but surely he was as a massy iron hammer to break and bruise the Gauls, the Germans, the Britons, and those nations who assisted Pompey. Of the Veneti, he "slew their senate, and sold the rest: "d After the people of Uxellodunum had surrendered, "he cut off the hands of all who had borne arms;"e and it is said that between one and two millions of people fell beneath his sword. His clemency was more the exercise of policy than kindness; his acts of cruelty and tyranny corresponded with his ambition and love of power. b Florus. L. 1. C. 12. c Florus. L. 2. C. 15. e L. 8. C. 44. Nor were the distant provinces of the Roman empire much less harassed in time of peace and submission, than when contending with their conquerors for their independence: for the governors considered them as spoil which they might plunder and consume in every excess of extravagance and debauchery. If a prince was permitted to reign over his people, he was generally obliged to buy his throne by continual gifts to the leading men at Rome, and to leave himself little more than the name of king. As iron, therefore, did the Romans break in pieces and bruise the nations of Italy, Gaul, Spain, Germany, Britain, Greece, Asia minor, Syria, and Africa; the most distant countries felt their oppression, and many, whom they did not conquer were willing to buy peace by acknowledging their superiority. For the space of seven hundred years, the Romans were only three times in a state of peace. Their object was to make Rome mistress of the world; universal empire was that at which they ever aimed, and their efforts were successful, till the time appointed of God for their decay. However strong the Roman empire might be, yet it had the seeds of decay in itself; for, "Whereas, (v. 41-43) thou sawest the feet and toes, part of Potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong · and partly broken. And, whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." Throughout the whole human race there exists a principle of discordance and opposition; and though many empires have been exceedingly large and powerful, yet, difference of language, manners, and pursuits, mightily operates to produce a spirit of independence among nations, and to make them hostile to each other; and hence, to prevent any one nation from possessing a very extended empire for any great length of time. If we look at individuals, we find very few instances of two people being much united in cordial affection and esteem, without frequent instances of disagreement; and of families it is still more the case; in the same nation between the common people of the country and of towns there is generally a spirit of quarrel and opposition, which leads them to acts of violence against each other; and the people of different towns will often preserve a kind of hereditary hatred towards each other. Since then there exists such a principle of opposition among individuals, families, and towns of the same nation, much more will it exist in different nations against each other, And as the source of all differences is generally the love of preeminence or independence, and as the love of independence or preeminence constantly operates upon us, it must follow, that nations will not be long subject to each other without great struggles for their independence, which must necessarily tend to weaken, and eventually to destroy every empire which includes many different nations. The Roman empire, therefore, like every other of the same description, had the seeds of decay within itself. The opposition of individuals, the love of power and independence in the nations which it subdu, ed, the indolence and effeminacy which success and luxury produced, all united to divide and dismember that iron kingdom, |