Copyright, 1912, BY HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I Introductory 7 II The Advance of Rome in Italy 28 III The Training of the Roman Character 55 IV The Struggle with Carthage and Hannibal 84 V Dominion and Degeneracy 111 VI The Revolution: Act I. 136 VII The Revolution: Act II. 161 VIII Augustus—The Revival of the Roman Spirit 187 IX Life in the Roman Empire 212 X The Empire under the Antonines—Conclusion 229 Bibliography 253 Index 255 ROME CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY Let us suppose an ordinary Englishman, with no special knowledge of classical history, to be looking at a collection of Roman antiquities in the cases of a museum. He will probably not linger long over these cases, but will pass on to something more likely to attract his interest. The objects he is looking at are, for the most part, neither striking nor beautiful, and the same are presented for his inspection over and over again as collections from various Roman sites. They are chiefly useful things, implements and utensils of all kinds, and fragments of military weapons and armour. In the coins he can take no delight, because, apart from the fact that, uninterpreted, they have no tale to tell him, they do not excite his admiration by beauty of design and workmanship. If, indeed, he were visiting a museum at Rome, he would find plenty of beautiful things in it; but these are works of Greek artists, imported by wealthy or tasteful Romans in the later ages of Rome’s history. A typical collection of genuine Roman antiquities would probably have the effect I describe. Utility, not beauty, would seem to have been the motive of the people who left these things behind them.