. Six thousand years of history. normous load of debt, and could only hopeto pay his creditors and acquire a fortune for himself bythe proceeds of his term of office in a province as Proprae-tor or Proconsul. It is true that a provincial governorwas liable to prosecution at Rome on his return, for crimescommitted in his public capacity; but the Senatorial judgesbefore whom he would have to appear were as much opento bribes as the voters in the Comitia, and part of the plun-der of the provinces was thus devoted to securing im-punity at Rome for those who robbed Romes unhappysubjects. The old cl
. Six thousand years of history. normous load of debt, and could only hopeto pay his creditors and acquire a fortune for himself bythe proceeds of his term of office in a province as Proprae-tor or Proconsul. It is true that a provincial governorwas liable to prosecution at Rome on his return, for crimescommitted in his public capacity; but the Senatorial judgesbefore whom he would have to appear were as much opento bribes as the voters in the Comitia, and part of the plun-der of the provinces was thus devoted to securing im-punity at Rome for those who robbed Romes unhappysubjects. The old class of Roman citizens, under the militarysystem of universal service and the losses of the Punicand other wars, had greatly diminished in numbers. Thesoldiers of the armies that went out to the provinces oftenremained there as military colonists, and Rome and Italyreceived in exchange millions of foreign slaves. Thesemen, frequently set free, became Roman citizens, and theold race, both in the city and in Italy at large, rapidly. oz Z U -J HISTORY OF ROME 225 degenerated through intermarriages of Italians with theseforeigners from all quarters of the Roman world. Thelower order in Rome thus became in time a mere mob,living in idleness by the price of its votes, and on the cheapor gratuitous corn from Sicily and Africa, which wasdistributed by the Senate to appease popular original Patricians and Plebeians had become classesof rich men and paupers, with no middle class of yeoman-farmers (or peasant-proprietors) and merchants to holdthe political balance, and give stability to the constitutionalorder of things. The sudden and vast increase of wealth flowing toRome from such conquests as those of Carthage, Greece,and Asia, brought with it great luxury and its attendantvices. The newly-enriched Senators and knights, spurn-ing the protests and scorning the example of such men asCato the Censor, and those who kept to the olden simplestyle of life, plunged into al
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