nation is a συνοικισμός, οι "union of households" on a great scale; The Latins were a branch of the Indo-Germanic family of nations, and at a pre-historic time migrated into Italy from the North. They made settlements in Campania and South Italy, but we shall confine ourselves to the Latins of Latium. In very early times this territory was divided into a number of clan-districts, i.e., districts belonging to communities actually descended from one progenitor, or supposing themselves to be so, and holding the land in common. They were specimens of village-communities, of which we hear so much now-a-days. They formed the basis of the "tribus rusticae," the very names of which, Claudia, Cornelia, Fabia, &c., show that they belonged to families originally. These village communities could not long exist entirely isolated; those near one another were wont to form unions, to have some system of general law between themselves, and often to unite for military purposes. Such an union forms the canton. The canton had its capital, which was a town in contradistinction to the villages, as a common meetingplace for judicial and religious purposes, and as a place of refuge in time of war. Many such cantons existed in Latium in early times, and we hear of a League of thirty of them under the presidency of Alba. There was held the religious meeting of the Latin League (reminiscences of which were kept up in historical times by the "Latinae feriae" held on the Alban Mount), and hard by, in the grove of Ferentina, was held the political and judicial meeting of the League (Liv. I, 50). By this League the cantons had rights of intermarriage, a system of law to which all were bound, and a tribunal of arbitration, but they were independent as regards making war and peace, though at times no doubt most of them joined for war defensive and offensive. The presidency of Alba, however, was only a nominal one, like that of Elis in Greece, because therein lay the meeting-place of the League; and so it was not at all like the regular political rule that Rome afterwards exercised. Meanwhile, about the hills where Rome still stands we find, as far back as we can discern, an amalgamation of three cantons into one commonwealth-the Ramnes (who were of Latin stock), the Tities (probably of Sabellian), and the Luceres (of which nothing is known). The first gave the distinctive character to the little state thus formed; for the Tities only made their influence felt in some religious institutions. Their capital was on the Palatine and a few little adjacent eminences. The position had no peculiar advantages in itself; but we must recollect that the Roman territory in early times stretched down to the sea along a navigable river, and accordingly was fitted to be an excellent emporium of commerce for the interior of Latium, far better than a city on the sea, which would have been exposed to pirates. And a considerable commerce did spring up, and this helped to make Rome a regular city; and it was just this city-type of character that was its mark of distinction from the other villages of Latium. But on the Quirinal Hill too there was another community. It and the community on the Palatine were united finally; but that they were separate originally may be seen from a number of duplicate political and religious institutions that were retained in later times, e.g., the patres minorum gentium, as well as those majorum gentium (35-6), the priores and posteriores Ramnes, Tities, and Luceres (36-7), the Double Worship of Mars on the Palatine and Quirinal, there being Salii and Luperci of the Quirinal as well as of the Palatine (25, 11); but in all these the representatives of the Quirinal community held a subordinate position in the united state. Well, these two communities were for a long time in rivalry and feud with each other before they were amalgamated into one; indeed, there is always a long period of unstable equilibrium among smaller political units before they are fully united into a larger whole; but finally we see a sign of their union, when, as the tradition tells us, Servius Tullius drew a wall round the city, enclosing the Palatine, Quirinal, Aventine, and Capitoline; and this was the true foundation of historical Rome. Legally in early Rome there were only citizens and slaves. The King was the supreme manager of the community, elected for life, like the manager the Joint Family used to elect to stand in the same relation to it as the father did to the family. The King was like the father absolute, but really both were morally bound to act for the good of those governed, and restricted by traditions, e.g., the King was expected to consult his council of elders (Senate) in all important matters. But as Rome increased there grew up another class between the citizens and slaves-the inhabitants of conquered towns and their descendants, foreigners who settled for commerce, manumitted slaves, &c.,-who were dependents, "listeners" (clientes, connected with khúc) of great houses. These had no political rights, and so legally were in the position of slaves, but actually formed a different class. As their dependence on the great families gradually lost its force, their want of political rights became their predominant characteristic, and the clients became the plebs, the "listeners" became "the multitude." But if they had no rights neither had they the burdens the citizens had to bear, e.g., serving in war, but shared the security of the city which was won by the military labour of the citizens. This course, if continued, would have led to the extermination of the citizens; but the wise mind of some great organizer, the traditions say Servius Tullius, made an arrangement of the citizens, whereby the service in the army was changed from a personal burden to one on property. This arrangement must have entailed military service on many of the clients who had no doubt become rich by commercial dealings. It was the "comitia centuriata," which we must not suppose an answer to a democratic demand, for the people got thereby duties but no rights except such as might come indirectly. But while this internal progress was being effected, the Roman arms had been gradually assuming pre-eminence in Latium. After severe struggles Rome conquered many of the Latin communities around her. Towards these conquered communities she pursued a course of rigorous and consistent centralization (see note to 11, 4); but of these conquests that of Alba was the most important. Its importance lies in this, that Rome thereby stepped into the rights of Alba as president of the Latin League, and then formed a Romano Latin League, nominally on equal terms between the Roman community and the Latin confederacy; but as the Romans were necessary to the Latins for protection both by sea and land against the surrounding nations, Greeks, Carthaginians, Etruscans, Sabines, and as she was one city over against an ill-united confederacy, she soon acquired the real practical superiority that usually arises in such cases, quite different from the previous nominal presidency of Alba. We have seen that the King was manager of the people, elected for life, and theoretically absolute, but morally and traditionally bound to govern for the peoples' good. But in such cases the King gradually becomes a tyrant. Such was the case with the last King at Rome. We may consider it certain that the Tarquins reigned at Rome, and that the last of them violated all the traditions of the exercise of the King's authority, did not consult the senate, sentenced to death on his own mere authority without the consent of his councillors, exacted excessive labour from the citizens, and in other such ways acted tyrannically, till finally the people rose against him, expelled him and his family, and in the most solemn manner abolished for ever the life-rule of the president of the community. V. ON THE TEXT. Just a word on the Text of the First Book of Livy. The two chief MSS. of it are the Medicean (M.), at Florence, of the eleventh century, and the Paris (P.), of the tenth century. Both are derived from a recension made in the fourth century, partly by one Victorianus, and partly by Nicomachus Flavianus and Nicomachus Dexter. All the other MSS., about eight in number, are also derived from this recension, but are not nearly so accurate as the two mentioned above. TITI LIVII HISTORIARUM ROMANARUM. FACTURUSNE PRAEFATIO. rem 2 operae pretium sim, si a primordio urbis res populi Romani perscripserim, nec satis scio, nec, si sciam, dicere ausim, quippe qui quum veterem, tum vulgatam esse videam, dum novi semper scriptores aut in rebus certius aliquid allaturos se aut scribendi arte rudem vetustatem superaturos credunt. Utcunque erit, iuvabit tamen rerum gestarum 3 memoriae principis terrarum populi pro virili parte et ipsum consuluisse; et si in tanta scriptorum turba mea fama in obscuro sit, nobilitate ac magnitudine earum me, qui nomini officient meo, consoler. Res est praeterea et immensi operis, 4 ut quae supra septingentesimum annum repetatur, et quae ab exiguis profecta initiis eo creverit, ut iam magnitudine laboret sua. Et legentium plerisque haud dubito quin primae origines proximaque originibus minus praebitura voluptatis sint, festinantibus ad haec nova, quibus iam pridem praevalentis populi vires se ipsae conficiunt; ego contra hoc quoque laboris prae- 5 mium petam, ut me a conspectu malorum, quae nostra tot per annos vidit aetas, tantisper certe, dum prisca illa tota mente repeto, avertam, omnis expers curae, quae scribentis animum, etsi non flectere a vero, sollicitum tamen efficere possit. Quae ante conditam condendamve urbem poeticis magis 6 decora fabulis quam incorruptis rerum gestarum monumentis traduntur, ea nec affirmare nec refellere in animo est; datur 7 haec venia antiquitati, ut miscendo humana divinis primordia urbium augustiora faciat; et si cui populo licere oportet con |