Class-Book of Roman History. A history of Rome from the earliest periods. With illustrations. By the authors of the 'Class-Book of Modern Science,' etc

Preface

. In the preparation of the " Class-Book of Roman History," the writers, without blindly adopting in the mass the conclusions of modern critics, have freely availed themselves of the useful and well-established results of recent research in the history of Rome. These results will be found to make much more simple, intelligible, and consistent many portions of Roman history, without, it is hoped, rendering the narrative less attractive to youthful readers, or in any way less acceptable to those of maturer years. As military operations filled so large a space in the annals, and occupied so high a place in the opinion of the Romans, these operations have here been described with sufficient fulness to render intelligible the general progress of events ; but the elaborate details, which are usually as unprofit able to the general reader as they are uninteresting to the youthful student, have not been attempted in the " Class-Booh of Roman History" in order that additional space might be available for the more useful and important purpose of exhibiting the condition of the people, the struggles of parties, the progress of the constitution, and the developments of power.

With the design of fitting this History for class instruction, the narrative has been made as lively and interesting as possible, those portions likely to be most attractive and useful to the student have been made most pro minent, and the convenience both of Teachers and Students has been kept in view in the arrangement of the whole into Chapters of moderate length, and in the constant juxtaposition of the years from the founding of Rome with the corresponding years from the Christian era. January 1, 1869. THE AUTHORS. CONTENTS. CHAPTER. PAGE. I. — Italy and its Earliest Inhabitants 7 II— ,. » „ 11 III. — Romulus 16 IV. — Numa Pompilius ; Tullus Hostilius : Ancus Marcius 21 V. — L. Tarquinius Priscus : Servius Tullius 27 VI. — L. „ Superbus 33 VII. — The Roman Constitution 39 VIII. — Modern Criticism and Early Roman History 48 IX. — The Republican Period — To the Battle of Lake Regillus... 64 X. — Power of the Republic : Condition of the Commonalty ... 61 XI.— To the Exile of Coriolanus 66 XII. — To the Permanent Union of the Patrician Order 71 XIII. — To the Assassination of Genucius 77 XIV— „ Flight of K. Quinctius 82 XV. — „ First Decemvirate 87 XVI.— „ Death of Dentatus 92 XVII.— „ „ Virginia 96 XVIII. — „ Establishment of the Censorship 101 XIX— „ Last War with Veii 108 XX— „ Siege of Clusium 114 XXI.— „ Rebuilding of Rome 120 XXII. — The Condition of the Civilized World in the Middle of the Fourth Century before Christ 127 XXIII. — To the Passing of the Licinian Laws 137 XXIV— „ First Samnite War 143 XXV — „ Subjugation of Latium 149 XXVI. — „ Recapture of Luceria 155 XXVII.— „ End of the Second Samnite War 160 XXVIII.— „ Conclusion of the Third Samnite War CONTENTS.

CHAPTER. PAGE. XXIX — Internal History from the Censorship of App. Claudius to the Passing of the Hortensian Law 172 XXX.— To the War with Tarentum 179 XXXI.— The War with Pyrrhus 183 XXXII. — To the complete Conquest of Italy : Progress and Policy of the Republic 189 XXXIII.— The First Punic War— to the Peace with Hiero 195 XXXIV— „ „ „ Invasion of Africa 201 XXXV— „ „ „ Siege of Lilybæum 206 XXXVI.— „ „ „ Conclusion of Peace 211 XXXVII.— To the Beginning of the Second Punic War 217 XXXVIII.— The Second Punic War— to the Battle of Cannæ 222 XXXIX.— „ „ „ Fall of Capua 229 XL.— „ „ „ Death of Hasdrubal ... 236 XLI. — ,, „ „ Conclusion of Peace ... 243 n XLIL— War in Macedon : To the Third Punic War 250 XLIIL— Third Punic War : Spanish and Sicilian Wars 257 XLIV. — Manners, Literature, Arts, Government ; The Death of Tiberius Gracchus 263 XLV. — Caius Gracchus : To the Jugurthine War 269 XL VI. — Jugurthine War : Cimbric War : To the Death of Saturninus 276 XL VII.— Social War : Civil War : First Mithridatic War 283 XLVIIL— Dictatorship of Sulla : To the Abolition of Sulla's Laws 290 XLIX.— Revolt of Gladiators : To the Triumph of Pompey 298 L. — First Triumvirate : To the End of Cæsar's Gallic Wars 306 LI.— The Civil War : To the Return of Cæsar to Rome 314 LII. — Condition of Rome : Numidian War : To the Death of Cæsar 321 LIIL— To the Battle of Philippi 329 LIV. — To the End of the Republic : Roman Manners and Literature 337 LV— The Empire : To the Death of Domitian 346 LVI. — „ From Nerva to the Fall of the Empire ...

VIEW OF MCDEFaN ROME. ROME. CHAPTEK I. ITALY AND ITS EARLTEST INHABITANTS. 1. Influence of Ancient Rome on the Nations of Modern Europe — 2. Latin Language — Old Roman Towns — Roman Colonization — Laws and Legislators — 3. Situation and Extent of Modern Italy — i. Physical Features — Climate— Plain of Lombardy —The Apennines — Rivers — 5. Geological Formations— Minerals — Straits of Messina — Islands — 6. Boundaries of Ancient Italy — Early Civilization — 7. Earliest Inhabitants — The Pelasgians — Settlements of the Various Tribes — 8. The Opicans or Ausonians — The Cascans and Priscans — The Siculians — The Latins — The Umbrians — Origin of the Latin Language. 1. After Great Britain, no country has so many claims on our attention as Ancient Rome. All the great civilizations of the old world seemed to end there.

The precious art treasures and literatures of ancient Greece to a great extent were taken care of by her, and many of the higher elements of our modern civilization are only extensions, outgrowths of her civilization. As all the great nations of antiquity terminated in Rome, so all our great modem nations spring out of Rome. Even when trampled down by the barbarians of the North, her spirit jet lived and in its turn trampled out the very barbarism that subdued her. Though much of her outward glory was destroyed, yet everywhere she left images of her greatness. 2. Ail through Southern and Western Europe we have marks of Roman affluence and power. In the languages of Italy, France,' Spain, Portugal, and, to a less extent, of England the Romans have impressed themselves for ever. Up to the eighteenth century Latin was the tongue in winch all great scholars and philosophers through out Europe clothed the riches of their genius.

The science and HOME. [Chap. 1 literature of the Middle Ages were all preserved in the language of Ancient Rome, and the foundation of numberless towns in Southern and Central Europe still bears witness of her past greatness. Her splendid system of colonization — only rivalled by the still more wonderful system of Great Britain — did much to preserve and perpetuate in many lands her enterprise and her glory. Rome military, and Rome political, fell ; but the spirit of her institutions yet lives and influences almost every State in Europe. The greatest of all her monuments — the Roman law — still has and will continue for ages to have a wide and potent influence. As legislators, no Pagan nation ever displayed the wisdom of the ancient Romans, and by no modem nation has that wisdom ever been surpassed. 3.

Italy is situated in the South of Europe, and forms a considerable peninsula running in a south-easterly direction into the Medi terranean Sea. On the north modem Italy is bounded by France, Germany and Switzerland ; on the south by the Mediterranean (Mare Internum); on the east by the Adriatic, or "Upper Sea" (Mare Superum) ; and on the west by the Tyrrhenian, or " Lower Sea" (Mare Inferum). No European country has a better coast line, whether for defensive or commercial purposes. The greatest length of Italy is about 750 miles, its greatest breadth about 350, though its average breadth would not exceed 150 miles. It extends from the foot of the Alps to the Straits of Messina. 4. Italy is a rich and beautiful country, with mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, atmosphere and climate rarely equalled in any other part of the world.

Its natural scenery and brilliant sky are the delight of travellers, while its fruitful plains, covered with vineyards and orchards, make it in reality the " Garden of Europe." The lofty Alps — by which it is cut off from the great European continent — protect it in its widest part from the north winds. Here, in the north, is the great Plain of the Po, probably the richest spot in Europe, where the vineyards teem with fruit, and the meadows yield five or six crops a year. The Plain of Lombardy occupies the whole tract of country comprised within the Alps, the Apennines, and the Adriatic Sea, and is watered by the River Po and its tributaries. The mountain range, called the Apennines, issuing from the Western Alps, and often covered with fine timber-trees, runs from north to south, and forms a kind of backbone, whence issue branches east and west, from which again rivers descend and make gay and fertile the lovely plains and valleys from the banks of the Amo to Cape Sparti vento.

Italy has numerous rivers, among which are the Po, the Chap: l] riALY AND ITS EARLIEST INHABITANTS. 9 Tanaro, the Ticino, the Adda, the Adige, the Anio, the Tiber, the Voltumo, and the Garigliano, several of which are navigable. 5. The two portions into which Italy is divided by the Apennines are totally different geologically. Eastward, on the side of the " Upper Sea," the country is of secondary and often of tertiary formation ; westward, and towards the " Lower Sea," it is volcanic and similar to the formations in Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. Vesuvius, in the Bay of Naples, and other volcanos are still active. The interior of the Apennines is of granite, but over this are formations of limestone. Italy is not without mineral wealth. Its mines, however, have not been well worked, but its fine and varied marbles have been celebrated for more than twenty centuries.

In the Apennines are found alabaster and jasper. Tradition tells of a time —far beyond the reach of authentic history — when Sicily was united to the mainland, hut affirms that, by some volcanic convulsion, they were torn asunder, the sea let into the rent, and the Straits of Messina formed. These straits are from two to five miles in width. The principal islands, after the fruitful Sicily, are on the western coast. Amongst them are Corsica, Sardinia, Ischia, the twelve Lipari Isles, and Elba. 6. The name Italy (Italia) was at first confined to the southern most part of the peninsula, afterwards called Bruttium ; it was then extended to the whole country south of the River Laos westward, and of the town of Metapontum eastward — Tarentum, further east', being beyond the limits Later still, Italia embraced all the country south of a line drawn from Pæstum on the west coast to Tarentum.

When the Romans had conquered all the South of Italy (b.c. 278), the entire territory south of the Tiber, and part of Picenum north eastward, were comprised in Italia ; and, at length, about the time of the Mstorian Polybius (b.c. 204 — 122), Italia comprehended the whole country from the rivers Macra and Rubicon to the straits of Sicily. The country from these rivers to the foot of the Alps was inhabited by Gallic tribes, and called Cisalpine Gaul. Italy, through its whole extent, has been thickly peopled, and well cultivated from the earliest times, nor have we any reason to believe that its inhabitants were ever naked, savage, acorn-eaters, lest by Providence to a state of barbarism. The traditions of the Greeks, and the monuments which remain of the ancient inhabitants, indicate a comparatively advanced civilization. 7.

It is probable that, in the earliest times, two distinct peoples inhabited Italy, the one residing chiefly on the coasts and plains, the I. other dwelling among the mountains, inland. The people of the coasts and plains are generally regarded as a portion of the extensive race known as the Pelasgians, who are supposed to have originally peopled Greece, and the west coast of Asia Minor, down as far as Mycale. They were principally agriculturists, though some were probably traders, herdsmen, and fishers. They settled mostly in plains, where they built on the streams rude castles of huge stones without mortar or cement. These castles — larissæ — were, in later ages, called Cyclopian, as if built by the mythical giants called Cyclopes, and are still to be seen in Italy, Greece, and Asia Minor.

Of the other people who lived in the mountains little is known further than that they were of the Caucasian race. When they entered Italy, not even a reasonable conjecture can be formed, and under certain restrictions they have been regarded as the aborigines, though the Pelasgians, by some writers, have been so considered. It has been thought probable that the Pelasgians entered Italy on the north-east, and occupied the fruitful Plain of the Po, and probably the east coast as far as Mount Garganus, where they were known as Venetians and Liburnians. From this point to the Bay of Tarentum and westward they lived under the names of Peucetians, Daunians, and Messapians ; then they probably spread over the country, from the " Upper " to the " Lowrer Sea," down to the southernmost point of Italy, as Chones, Morgetes, and Oenotrians, and, finally, they were settled as Tyrrhe nians and Siculians along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, as far as the Tiber, and perhaps the Umbro in Tuscany.

Thus we see the Pelasgians, under different names, encircled the whole peninsula. 8. From some unknown cause the peoples of the mountains, at length, descended to the plains and conquered the Pelasgians. A tribe named Opicans, sometimes called Oscans, beat and partly ex pelled and partly absorbed the Daunians, and other Pelasgians on the east coast, and being afterwards known as Apulians they named that part of the country Apulia. Thence these Opicans fought their way across the peninsula to the west coast and northwards towards the Tiber. Here they bore the names of Saticulians, Volscians, Æquians and Sidicinians, but were all known under the general term of Ausonians. Another mountain tribe, called Cascans and Priscans, pressed from behind, probably by the Sabines, descended from their heights and pushed along the Anio conquering the Siculians, now named Latins.

Some of the Siculians fled southward and occupied the island of Sicily, which received its name from them, while the rest joined the conquerors, and the united people were Chap. II.] 11 ITALY AND ITS EARLIEST INHABITANTS. named " Priscans and Latins," or, simply " Latins." Their territory was called Latium. More northward the Umbrians left the mountains, conquered the country to the Po, and reached the " Lower Sea " and the valley of the Tiber. The Latin language is supposed to have been formed principally from the Pelasgian and those of the Sabellian tribes, much as the English arose from the Anglo-Saxon and Norman-French.