OCR Text |
Show == ©Lhe fift Bookeofthefirst part es Cparar.§u3 vate the Hill,he addédthislight punifhment', That aslong'as they ferued in the wars, Cuar3.§.13. ofthe Hiftorie ofthe World, ° ~Senate; following;7:bat allfucl deere notéd with infamit bpthefecenfors,foould.bee rhey {hGuldeithereat nor drink otherwife than ftanding, vnlefle fickneffe forced them tebtcakehis order? S6 the vidotious Armie returned to Beneuentum:wherethe newly _ tranfporeed inte' Sécil, thereto ferns Untill the end of the warre, under the‘farae hard con= enftanchifed fouldiers were feafted in publike by thetownmen; fome fitting, fome ofthe:Clinfors was, totakethe Tift andaccot ptofthe:Citizens;t¢ choofe or-difplace ftandid@andall 6Fthem having their heads couered Cas'was the cuftome offlanes manumifed J with Caps ofwhite wooll. The picture of this Feaft (as athing worthyofre. memibfanice ) was afterward hung vp in a Table by Gracchws, in the Temple ofLiberties which his father had builrand dedicated. This wasindeedthefirft Barrell, Worthy of great note,which thé Carthaginianshadloft fince the comming of HanmibatintoItaly: the'vidtSries of Murct//as at Nola,and of thisGracehas before at Hamz, being things of favall importance. f ‘Phusthe Romansthrough induftry,by little andlittle, repaired that gteat Breach in their Bftate,which Hannibal had made at Cann. Butall this while, and longafterthis, theit Preafurie wasfo poore,that to induftrie norart could ferneto helpeit. The frnits of their grounds did 6nely (and perliaps hardly) ferue, to feed their Townesand Ar mies, Without any furplufage, that might be exchanged for other needfull commodities. Fewthey werein Italy,that continuedto pay them tribute: which alfo they could worfe doé than before; as liuiig vpon the fame trade,and fabiect to the fameinconuehiences,which enfecbled Rome itfelfe.Sicil & Sardinia, that were wontto yeeld great profit, Hardly now maintained thé Roman Armies,thatlay in thofe Provinces, to Hold them fafe,aid in good order. Asforthe Citizens of Rome,euery one of them fuffered 54 hispattiofthe detriment, which the Common-wealthfuftained, and could now doe feaft for his Countréy, when moft need was: as alfo the numberof them was much de- ereafed-, fo as if money fhould be raifed vpon them by the Pol, yet mutt it be farre leffe, that'in former times:The Senate therefore,diligently confidering the greatnefleof the Wwatrewithin the bowels ofItaly, that could not be thence expelled,without the exceedingCharge ofmany good Armies;theperill, wherein Siciland Sardinia ftood,both of the ‘Catthaginians, and of many among the Naturalls declining fromthe friend(hip or fubieétion of Ride} the threats ofthe Macedoniait, ready to land in the Eafterne parts of Ttaly, ifthey were not at'the coft to finde him worke at homie, the greater threats of Afarubal, to Followhis brother ouer the Alpes,a8 fooneas he could rid himfelfe ofthe Sespiov in Spaine; and the pouertie ofthe Comnion-wealth, which had not money for any one ofthefe moftall dangers;were drinen almoft even to extreme wantofcounfell. But beitig-vrged bythe violence offwift neceffitie,fignifiedin theletters ofthe two S¢pio's from Spaine; they refoluedvpon the onely courfe, without the whiehthe Citi¢ could nothaue fubfitted. They called the peopletoaffémbly : wherein Quintas Faluivs the Ptetorlaid open the publique wants: and plainely faid, That in this exigent, there mult beno ‘taking of iioney for vidtuall, weapons, apparell, or the like things needfull to the Souldicrs; butthat fuch as hadftiiffe, or were Artificers, muft' truft the Common-wealth with the Loatie of theircommodities,and labours vntill the warre were ended. Hereuntohe 4g fo effeGtually extiorred all men, efpecially the Publicans or Cuftomers,and thofe which informer times had lined vpon their dealingin the common Reuenues, thatthe charge was vndertaken by priuate men ;andthe Armie in Spaine as well fipplied, as ifthe Preafurie had beene full. Shortly afterthis; Marems atilins Regulus, and Publias Faris Philus the Romaii Cenfors, taking in hand the'tedrefle of dilorders withinthe Citi¢ Were chiefly intentine tothe corre@ion ofthofe! that had‘mif-behatied theinfelues 1 this prefent warre!' They began with 2. Cecihins Metel/us': who,after the battell at ‘Canne, had held'difcourfe with fome ofhis Companions, about fying beyond the ‘Seas ; a8 if Rome, andall Italy, had beeneno better than loft. After himthey tooke #4 hand thofe,that hating brought to Rome the tieflage oftheir fellowes made pree * at Cannz,returned not backeto Hannibal, asthey were bound by oath ; but thong ‘themfelues thereof fiifficiently difcharged, inthatthey had ftepped once backe into _ ‘Campes with' pretence ofaking better notice ofthe Captities names: "All thele 1 Hew pronounced infamous by the Cenfors asalfo vere a great may more; CUS wWHolotuer hadnot fertied in the warres, afterthe terme which the Lawes appornnl 2 either was tenote ofthe Cenfois at this timetas orherwile it had vfedtobe) ae oucly in reputation + ‘but greater weight wasadded thereunto,by this ed te"} ditions,that were impofedwpon ‘the Remainder ofthe Armpit beaten at;,Canna, The office the Seharoussyandto'fet notes of difgrace ¢withoutfurther; punifhment) vpon thofe; whofevnhoneft or-vnfeemely behanour fell not within-the compaffe ofthe Law. They tookealfoan accompr ofthe Roman:‘Gentlemen:iamongft whom they diftributed the publique Horfes offeruice, vntolichasthey thought meets: or-took them away. for theimisbehaviour." Generally, sthey:hadthe oner-fight ofmetis lines and,manners: andtheir cenfure was muchreueremced-and feared; though.it extended no further; than to putting mem out of rancke; or nhaking them change their, Tribe; or (vvhich was themoftthat they.could-doe) canfingtthem to pay, fome Duties tothe Treafutie; front which others were exempted: But bel ides thecare of this, generall /Taxe, and matters ofMoraliti¢, ‘they had'the charge difall: publique-Workes; ds mending of. Highs wayes, Bridges; and Water-courfes;:thc:reparations-of ‘Temples, Porches, and fiichos ther buildings. If any man incroached -vpon'the ftreets, High-wayes, or other places that ought to be common; the Cenfors:compelled him to makeamends., They-had-alfotli¢ letting ont ofLands, Cuftoinessand: othen publique Revenues, tofarme'+-fo that moftofthe Citizens of Rome weré-beholding-vato this Office;.as\ maintaining them= 20 felues by fome ofthe Tradesthercta belonging: Andthis was ‘no-fimall helpe to cons feruethe dignitie of the Senate : ithe icomasonalty being obnoxins| yntothe-Genforg;| which were alwaies ofthat Order, and careful to vp-hold the reputation thereof. But' the Common-weale being now imponerifhed by warre,and hauing {mallftore oflands tolet, or of cuftomes, that were worth the fatming; Regu/wsand Philws troubled not themfelties much with purufing the Temples, ox other decayedplaces, that"needed re~ patations :"or ifthey took a view ofwhat was texuilite to be doneia this'kinde ; yet forbote they to fet any thing in hand) becaufethtey had'notwherWwith to pay. Herein againe appeared a notable generofitie gfthe Romians, They that had been accuftomed, in more happy times, tovadertake,fych piecesiof worke, offered. noty, themf{elués\as 30 willingly to the Cenfors,asiftherehad been.no fireh want: premifing liberally their coftandrrauell ;. without expectation of any, paymiknt, before the end of the warres In likefort, the Maftersofthofe flaugs, that lately, had, been infranchifed. by Gracchus, Were very well contentedto forbeare the priceofthe tn, yntill the Citic werein better cafe to pay. Inthis génerall inclination ofthe Multitude,to relicue, as farre. forth as ex uery onewas able,the common neceffity; all thegood's ofOrphans, and of Widowes wing vader Patronage, were broughtinro the ‘Trealurfes and there the Queeftor kepe 2 Booke ofall that was layed our forthe futtenance of thefe Widowesand Orphans; Whileftthe whole {tocke was vied by.the Citic. This good example ef thofe which temained in the Towne, preuailedwith the Souldiers abroad: fothat (the poorer fort 40excepted) they refufedto, také pay-s,and called thofe, Addveenarses, that did acceptit, when their. country. was.inifo. great want. 153 : Shes ‘te _ Thetweluc hundred Talents, wrongfully extorted from rhe Carthaginians;nor, an iniusiesfollowing,doric by the Romansin the height of their-pride; yecldedhalfe fo much commoditie,,as mightbe laid in ballance againft thele miferies, whereioto, their Eftate was now reduced. Neuerthelefle, if we, contider things aright, the. calamitics ofthis Warre did rather inabl¢Rometo.deale with thofe Enemies, whom the -forthe With vnder-tooke, than abateor flacken the growth of that large Dominion, whereto theattained, ere the youngeft of thofe men was dead, whofe names we have already mentioned. Forby this hammering, the Romanmettall grew more hard and folides Jo and by paring the branches ofpriate fortunes,.the Rootand Heart ofthe. Common; wealth was corroborated. So. grew the Citic. of, Athens; when xérxes. had burnt thg Towne toafhies, and taken from, ‘euery, particular Citizen, allhope ofother felicity, than thatwhich reftedin the common happinefle of theyniuerfality, Certaine itis, as Sir Francis @acow hathindicioully ablenied) That.a State, whofe. dimention ox femmeis final], mayaptly ferue to be foundation ofa great Monarchie; which.c hictly, comes to paile, whereall regard of domefticall profperity is laid afide; and cuéry mans careaddreffedto the benefit ofhis Country., Hereof I might fay, that our Age hath {een a great example, inthe ynjted Provinces in the Netherlands;whole prefent niches |