II. CHAP. long reign of the Macedonian kings had introduced a filent revolution into Syria and Egypt. In their pompous courts thofe princes united the elegance of Athens with the luxury of the Eaft, and the example of the court was imitated, at an humble distance, by the higher ranks of their fubjects. Such was the general divifion of the Roman empire into the Latin and Greek languages. To thefe we may add a third diftinction for the body of the natives in Syria, and especially in Egypt. The ufe of their ancient dialects, by fecluding them from the commerce of mankind, checked the improvements of those barbarians 2. The flothful effeminacy of the former, expofed them to the contempt, the fullen ferocioufnefs of the latter, excited the averfion of the conquerors 43. Those nations had fubmitted to the Roman power, but they feldom defired or deferved the freedom of the city and it was remarked, that more than two hundred and thirty years elapfed after the ruin of the Ptolemies, before an Egyptian was admitted into the fenate of Rome 44. General It is a juft though trite obfervation, that vicufe of both torious Rome was herself fubdued by the arts languages. of Greece. Thofe immortal writers who ftill command the admiration of modern Europe, foon became the favorite object of study and 42 The curious reader may fee in Dupin (Bibliotheque Ecclefiaftique, tom. xix. p. 1. c. 8.) how much the use of the Syriac and Egyptian languages was ftill preserved. 43 See Juvenal, Sat. iii. and xv. Ammian. Marcelin. xxii. 16. under the reign of Septimius Severus. imitation II. imitation in Italy and the western provinces. CHA P. But the elegant amusements of the Romans were not fuffered to interfere with their found maxims of policy. Whilft they acknowledged the charms of the Greek, they afferted the dignity of the Latin tongue, and the exclufive ufe of the latter was inflexibly maintained in the administration of civil as well as military government 4. The two languages exercised at the fame time their feparate jurifdiction throughout the empire: the former, as the natural idiom of fcience; the latter, as the legal dialect of public tranfactions. Thofe who united letters with bufinefs were equally converfant with both; and it was almoft impoffible, in any province, to find a Roman fubject, of a liberal education, who was at once a ftranger to the Greek and to the Latin language. It was by fuch inftitutions that the nations of Slaves. the empire infenfibly melted away into the Roman name and people. But there ftill remained, in the centre of every province and of every family, an unhappy condition of men who endured the weight, without fharing the benefits, of fociety. In the free ftates of antiquity, the domeftic flaves were expofed to the wanton rigour of defpotifm. The perfect fettlement of Their the Roman empire was preceded by ages of vio- treatment. lence and rapine. The flaves confifted, for the most part, of barbarian captives, taken in thou 45 See Valerius Maximus, 1. ii. c. 2. n. 2. The Emperor Claudius disfranchised an eminent Grecian for not understanding Latin. He was probably in fome public office. Suetonius in Claud. c. 16. fands II. CHAP. long reign of the Macedonian kings had introduced a filent revolution into Syria and Egypt. In their pompous courts thofe princes united the elegance of Athens with the luxury of the Eaft, and the example of the court was imitated, at an humble distance, by the higher ranks of their fubjects. Such was the general divifion of the Roman empire into the Latin and Greek languages. To thefe we may add a third diftinction for the body of the natives in Syria, and especially in Egypt. The ufe of their ancient dialects, by fecluding them from the commerce of mankind, checked the improvements of those barbarians. The flothful effeminacy of the former, expofed them to the contempt, the fullen ferocioufnefs of the latter, excited the averfion of the conquerors 43. Thofe nations had fubmitted to the Roman power, but they feldom defired or deferved the freedom of the city and it was remarked, that more than two hundred and thirty years elapfed after the ruin of the Ptolemies, before an Egyptian was admitted into the fenate of Rome 4. General It is a juft though trite obfervation, that vicufe of both torious Rome was herself fubdued by the arts languages. of Greece. Thofe immortal writers who ftill command the admiration of modern Europe, foon became the favorite object of ftudy and 42 The curious reader may fee in Dupin (Bibliotheque Ecclefiaftique, tom. xix. p. 1. c. 8.) how much the use of the Syriac and Egyptian languages was still preserved. 43 See Juvenal, Sat. iii. and xv. Ammian. Marcelin. xxii. 16. 44 Dion Caffius, 1. lxxvii. p. 1275. The firft inftance happened under the reign of Septimius Severus. imitation II. imitation in Italy and the western provinces. CHA P. But the elegant amufements of the Romans were not fuffered to interfere with their found maxims of policy. Whilft they acknowledged the charms of the Greek, they afferted the dignity of the Latin tongue, and the exclufive use of the latter was inflexibly maintained in the administration of civil as well as military government. The two languages exercised at the fame time their feparate jurifdiction throughout the empire: the former, as the natural idiom of fcience; the latter, as the legal dialect of public tranfactions. Thofe who united letters with bufinefs were equally converfant with both; and it was almoft impoffible, in any province, to find a Roman fubject, of a liberal education, who was at once a ftranger to the Greek and to the Latin language. It was by fuch inftitutions that the nations of Slaves. the empire infenfibly melted away into the Roman name and people. But there still remained, in the centre of every province and of every family, an unhappy condition of men who endured the weight, without fharing the benefits, of fociety. In the free ftates of antiquity, the domestic flaves were expofed to the wanton rigour of defpotifm. The perfect fettlement of Their the Roman empire was preceded by ages of vio- treatment. lence and rapine. The flaves confifted, for the moft part, of barbarian captives, taken in thou 45 See Valerius Maximus, 1. ii. c. 2. n. 2. The Emperor Claudius disfranchised an eminent Grecian for not understanding Latin. He was probably in fome public office. Suetonius in Claud. c.16. fands II. CHAP. fands by the chance of war, purchased at a vile price 4, accustomed to a life of independence, and impatient to break and to revenge their fetters. Against fuch internal enemies, whofe defperate infurrections had more than once reduced the republic to the brink of deftruction"", the most severe regulations, and the most cruel treatment, feemed almost justified by the great law of felf-prefervation. But when the principal nations of Europe, Afia, and Africa, were united under the laws of one fovereign, the fource of foreign fupplies flowed with much lefs abundance, and the Romans were reduced to the milder but more tedious method of propagation. In their numerous families, and particularly in their country estates, they encouraged the marriage of their flaves. The fentiments of nature, the habits of education, and the poffeffion of a dependent fpecies of property, contributed to alleviate the hardships of fervitude". The exiftence of a flave became an object of greater value, and though his happiness ftill depended on the temper and circumftances of the mafter, the humanity of the latter, instead of being restrained by fear, was encouraged by the fenfe of his own 46 In the camp of Lucullus, an ox fold for a drachma, and a slave for four drachmæ, or about three fhillings. Plutarch. in Lucull. p. 580. 47 Diodorus Siculus in Eclog. Hift. l. xxxiv. and xxxvi. Florus, ini. 19, 20. 45 See a remarkable inftance of feverity in Cicero in Verrem, v. 3. 49 See in Gruter, and the other collectors, a great number of inscriptions addreffed by flaves to their wives, children, fellow-fervants, mafters, &c. They are all, most probably, of the Imperial age. interest, |