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1310. About two centuries after, a still more despotic power was en trusted to three individuals, always chosen from the above council of ten, and forming the court called the state inquisition. The inquisitors likewise kept the keys of chests which are placed in several parts of the ducal palace, enclosed within the open jaws of lions' heads carved in the walls; through which notes were conveyed by any one who was disposed to drop them; and thus notice was secretly given to the government of whatever might concern it to know.

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The history of Venice furnished a dreadful instance, in the beginning of the seventeenth century, of a number of confederated villains, who concerted their measures so artfully as to frame false accusations against some of the Venetian nobles, which, in the opinion of their judges, convicted them of treasonable practices against the state, and one at least was publicly executed. At length the frequency of accusations created suspicions, which led to a full detection of the infernal scheme; upon which every possible reparation was made to the manes of the innocent victim, the honour of whose family was fully restored; but the tribunal, which decreed the sentence, was suffered to possess the same unlimited power; the only alteration being that anonymous information was somewhat more cautiously received; for it was a political maxim in Venice, that "it is of more importance to the state to intimidate every one even from the appearance of crime, than to allow a person, against whom a presumption of guilt appears, to escape, however innocent he may be." How different this from the merciful spirit of those laws which hold it better ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent person should suffer!

The history of Venice furnishes two instances which bear a strong similarity to the conduct of the Roman Brutus. In the year 1400, Antonio Venier being doge, his son having committed an offence of no great enormity, was condemned in a fine of one hundred ducats, and to be imprisoned for a certain time. During his confinement, he fell sick, and petitioned to be removed to a purer air. The doge rejected the petition, declaring that the sentence must be executed literally, and that his son must take the fortune of the rest in the same situation. The youth was much beloved, and many applications were made that the sentence might be softened, on account of the danger which threatened him, but the father was inexorable, and the son died in prison. Fifty years after this, a son of another doge, named Foscari, being suspected of having been the instigator of the murder of a senator, who was one of the "council of ten," was tortured, banished, and on his application to the duke of Milan, soliciting him to exert his interest for his recall, was brought back tó Venice, for the purpose of again undergoing the torture, and being closely confined in the state prison; the only mercy shown him being that of granting permission for the doge, the father of the unfortunate youth, to pay him a visit in his confinement. The father, who had held his office for thirty years, and was very old, exhorted his son to support his hard fate with firmness; whilst the son protested not only his innocence, but that he was utterly incapable of supporting the confinement to which he was doomed. In an agony of grief he threw himself at his father's feet, imploring him to take compassion on a son whom he had ever loved with the fondest affection, and conjuring him to use his influence with the council to mitigate their sentence, that he might be saved from the most cruel of all deaths, that of expiring under the consuming torture of a broken heart. secluded from every creature whom he loved. This melting intercession had no other effect upon the father than to draw from him the following reply:- My son, submit to the laws of your country, and do not ask of me what it is not in my power to obtain.” After this interview, the miserable youth languished for a while, and then expired in prison; but the

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violence which his father, as a magistrate, did to his paternal feelings, terminated his life somewhat sooner. A short time after this catastrophe, a Venetian of noble rank, being on his death-bed, confessed, that, urged by private resentment, he was the murderer of the senator whose assassina tion had given rise to this tragic scene.

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If it is hard to carry back our ideas of Rome from its actual state to the period of its highest splendour, it is yet harder to go back in fancy to a time still more distant, a time earlier than the beginning of its authentic history, before the art of man had completely rescued the soil of the future city from the dominion of nature. Here also it is vain to attempt accuracy in the details, or to be certain that the several features in our description all existed at the same period. It is enough if we can image to ourselves some likeness of the original state of Rome, before the undertaking of those great works which are ascribed to the late kings.

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The Pomerium of the original city on the Palatine, as described by Tacitus, included not only the hill itself, but some portion of the ground immediately below it; it did not, however, reach as far as any of the other hills. The valley between the Palatine and the Aventine, afterwards the site of the Circus Maximus, was in the earliest times covered with water; so also was the greater part of the valley between the Palatine and the Capitoline, the ground afterwards occupied by the Roman forum. But the city of the Palatine hill grew in process of time, so as to become a city of seven hills. Not the seven famous hills of imperial or republican Rome, but seven spots more or less elevated, and all belonging to three only of the latter seven hills, that is to the Palatine, the Cælian, and the Esquiline. At this time Rome, already a city on seven hills, was distinct from the Sabine city on the Capitoline, Quirinal, and Viminal hills. The two cities, although united under one government, had still a separate existence; they were not completely blended in one till the reigns of the latter kings. The territory of the original Rome during its first period, the true Ager Romanus, could be gone round in a single day. It did not extend beyond the Tiber at all, nor probably beyond the Anio; and on the east and south, where it had most room to spread, its limit was between five and six miles from the city. This Ager Romanus was the exclusive property of the Roman people, that is of the houses; it did not include the lands conquered from the Latins, and given back to them again when the Latins became the plebs, or commons of Rome.

Well may the inquiring historian exclaim," What was Rome, and what was the country around it, which have both acquired an interest such as can cease only when the earth itself shall perish?" The hills of Rome are such as we rarely see; low in height, but with steep and rocky sides. Across the Tiber the ground rises to a greater height than that of the Roman hills, but its summit is a level unbroken line, while the heights, which opposite to Rome rise immediately from the river, under the names of Janiculus and Vaticanus, then sweep away to some distance from it, and return in their highest and boldest form at the Mons Marius, just above the Milvian bridge and Flaminian road. Thus to the west the view is immediately bounded; but to the north and north-east the eve

ranges over the low ground of the Campagna to the nearest line of the Apennines, which closes up, as with a gigantic wall, all the Sabine, Latin, and Volscian lowlands, while over it are still distinctly to be seen the high summits of the central. Apennines, covered with snow, even at this day, for more than six months in the year. South and south-west lies the wide plain of the Campagna; its level line succeeded by the equally level line of the sea, which can only be distinguished from it by the brighter light reflected from its waters. Eastward, after ten miles of plain, the view is bounded by the Alban hills, a cluster of high bold points rising out of the Campagna, on the highest of which (about three thousand feet) stood the temple of Jupiter Latiarius, the scene of the common worship of all the people of the Latin name. Immediately under this highest point lies the crater-like basin of the Alban lake; and on its nearer rim might be seen the trees of the grove of Ferentia, where the Latins held the great civil assemblies of their nation. Further to the north, on the edge of the Alban hills, looking towards Rome, was the town and citadel of Tusculum; and beyond this, a lower summit crowned with the walls and towers of Labicum, seems to connect the Alban hills with the line of the Apennines, just at the spot where the citadel of Præneste, high up on the mountain side, marks the opening into the country of the Her nicans, and into the valleys of the streams that feed the Lyris.

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Returning nearer to Rome, the lowland country of the Campagna is broken by long green swelling ridges. The streams are dull and sluggish, but the hill sides above them constantly break away into little rock cliffs, where on every ledge the wild fig now strikes out its branches, and tufts of broom are clustering, but which in old times formed the natural strength of the citadels of the numerous cities of Latium. Except in these narrow dells, the present aspect of the country is all bare and desolate, with no trees nor any human habitation. But anciently, in the early times of Rome, it was full of independent cities, and in its population and the careful cultivation of its little garden-like farms, must have resembled the most flourishing parts of Lombardy. Such was Rome, and such its neighbourhood.

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The foregoing topographical observations appear to be necessary, the reader enters upon even a brief recital of any of those circumstances which-whether legendary or strictly true, whether fabulous or merely exaggerated-have been handed down from age to age as the veritable history of Rome. We are told, in the first place, that Æneas, after the destruction of Troy, having arrived in Italy, married Lavinia, the daughter of Latinus, fifth king of the Latins, and succeeded his father-in-law, after having deprived Turnus, king of the Rutuli, first of his sceptre and then of his life. Ascanias, after the death of Æneas, his father, united with it the kingdom of Alba, of which he was the founder. We cannot, however, proceed without remarking, that whatever relates to the origin of Rome is attended with the greatest uncertainty; and that the records of some of the ancient writers are more worthy of a place in the Æneid of Virgil, than the page of history. In illustration of this remark, we shall take the liberty of quoting the Legend of Romulus.”

"Numitor was the eldest son of Procras, king of Alba Longa, and he had a younger brother called Amulius. When Procras died, Amulius seized by force on the kingdom, and left to Numitor only his share of his father's private inheritance. After this he caused Numitor's only son to be slain, and made his daughter Silvia become one of the virgins who watched the ever-burning fire of the goddess Vesta. But the god Mamers, who is called also Mars, beheld the virgin and loved her, and it was found that Then Amulius order she was going to become the mother of children.

ed that the children, when born, should be thrown into the river. It happened that the river at that time had flooded the country; when, therefore

the two children in their basket were thrown into the river, the waters carried them as far as the foot of the Palatine hill, and there the basket was upset, near the roots of a wild fig tree, and the children thrown out upon land. At this moment there came a she-wolf down to the water to drink, and when she saw the children, she carried them to her cave hard by, and gave them suck; and while they were there, a woodpecker came backwards and forwards to the cave, and brought them food. At last one Faustulus, the king's herdsman, saw the wolf suckling the children; and when he went up, the wolf left them and fled; so he took them home to his wife Laurentia, and they were bred up along with her own sons on the Palatine hill; and they were called Romulus and Remus.

"When Romulus and Remus grew up, the herdsmen of the Palatine hill chanced to have a quarrel with the herdsmen of Numitor, who stalled their cattle on the hill of Aventinus. Numitor's herdsmen laid an am bush, and Remus fell into it, and was taken and carried off to Alba. But when the young man was brought before Numitor, he was struck with his noble air and bearing, and asked him who he was. And when Remus told him of his birth, and how he had been saved from death, together with his brother, Numitor marvelled, and thought whether this might not be his own daughter's child. In the meanwhile. Faustulus and Romulus hastened to Alba, to deliver Remus; and by the help of the young men of the Palatine hill, who had been used to follow him and his brother, Romulus took the city, and Amulius was killed; and Numitor was made king, and owned Romulus and Remus to be born of his own blood. The two brothers did not wish to live at Alba, but loved rather the hill on the banks of the Tiber, where they had been brought up. So they said that they would build a city there; and they inquired of the gods by augury, to know which of them should give his name to the city. They watched the heavens from morning till evening, and from evening till morning; and as the sun was rising, Remus saw six vultures. This was told to Romulus; but as they were telling him, behold there appeared to him twelve vultures. Then it was disputed again, which had seen the truest sign of the god's favour; but the most part gave their voices for Romulus. So he began to build his city on the Palatine hill. This made Remus very angry; and when he saw the ditch and the rampart which were drawn round the space where the city was to be, he scornfully leapt over them, saying, 'Shall such defences as these keep your city? As he did this, Celer, who had the charge of the building, struck Remus with the spade which he held in his hand, and slew him; and they buried him on the hill Remuria, by the banks of the Tiber, on the spot where he had wished to build the city.

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"But Romulus found that his people were too few in numbers; so he set apart a place of refuge, to which any man might fleé, and be safe from his pursuers. So many fled thither from the countries round about; those who had shed blood, and fled from the vengeance of the avenger of blood, those who were driven out from their own homes by their enemies, and even men of low degree who had run away from their lords. Thus the city became full of people; but yet they wanted wives, and the nations round about would not give them their daughters in marriage. So Romulus gave out that he was going to keep a great festival, and there were to be sports and games to draw a multitude together. The neighbours came to see the show, with their wives and their daughters; there came the people of Cænina, and of Crustumeriujn, and of Antemna, and a great multitude of the Sabines. But while they were looking at the games, the people of Romulus rushed out upon them, and carried off the women to be their wivés. Upon this the people of Canina first made war upon the poople of Romulus; but they were beaten, and Romulus with his own

and slew their king Acron. Next the people of Crustumerium, and of Antemna, tried their fortune, but Romulus conquered both of them. Last of all came the Sabines, with a great army under Titus Tatius, their king. There is a hill near to the Tiber, which was divided from the Palatine hill by a low and swampy valley; and on this hill Romulus made a fortress, to keep off the enemy from his city. But when the fair Tarpeia, the daughter of the chief who had charge of the fortress, saw the Sabines draw near, and marked their bracelets and collars of gold, she longed after these ornaments, and promised to betray the hill into their hands if they would give her those bright things they wore upon their arms. So she opened a gate, and let in the Sabines; and they, as they came in, threw upon her their bright shields which they bore on their arms, and crushed her to death. Thus the Sabines got the fortress which was on the hill Saturnius; and they and the Romans joined battle in the valley between the hill and the city of Romulus. The Sabines began to get the better, and came up close to one of the gates of the city. The people of Romulus shut the gate, but it opened of its own accord; once and again they shut it, and once and again it opened. But as the Sabines were rushing in, behold there burst forth from the temple of Janus, which was near the gate, a mighty stream of water, and swept away the Sabines, and saved the city. For this it was ordered that the temple of Janus should stand ever open in the time of war, that the god might be ever ready, as on this day, to go out and give aid to the people of Romulus.

"After this they fought again in the valley; and the people of Romulus were beginning to flee, when Romulus prayed to Jove, the stayer of flight, that he might stay the people; and so their flight was stayed, and they turned again to battle. And now the fight was fiercer than ever: when, on a sudden, the Sabine women, who had been carried off, ran down from the hill Palatinus, and ran in between their husbands and their fathers, and prayed them to lay aside their quarrel. So they made peace with one another, and the two people became as one: the Sabines with their king dwelt on the hill Saturnius, which is called Capitolium, and on the hill Quirinalis; and the people of Romulus with their king dwelt on the hill Palatinus. But the kings with their counsellors met in the valley between Saturnius and Palatinus, to consult about their common matters; and the place where they met was called Comitium, which means the place of meeting.' Soon after this, Tatius was slain by the people of Laurentum, because some of his kinsmen had wronged them, and he would not do them justice. So Romulus reigned by himself over both nations; and his own people were called the Romans, for Roma was the name of the city on the hill Palatinus: and thè Sabines were called Quirites, for the name of their city on the hills Saturnius and Quirinalis was Quirium. The people were divided into three tribes; the Ramnenses, and the Titienses, and the Luceres: the Ramnenses were called from Romulus, and the Titienses from Tatius; and the Luceres were called from Lucumo, an Etruscan chief, who had come to help Romulus in his war with the Sabines, and dwelt on the hill called Cælius. In each tribe there were ten curiæ, each of one hundred men; so all the inen of the three tribes were three thousand, and these fought on foot, and were called a legion. There were also three hundred horsemen, and these were called Celerians, because their chief was that Celer who had slain Remus. There was besides a council of two hundred men, which was called a senate, that is, a council of elders. Romulus was a just king and gentle to his people: if any were guilty of crimes, he did not put them to death, but made them pay a fine of sheep or of oxen In his wars he was very successful, and enriched his people with the spoils of their enemies. At last, after he had reigned nearly forty years, it chanced that one day he called his people together in the field of Mars, near the Goats

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