The ancient world, from the earliest times to 800 AD . ition, voted to put the entire household ofslaves to death, according to the old custom of the city populace rose in indignant insurrection to prevent such 522 THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 31 [§ 636 unjust cruelty ; and in Hadrians time, the law was modified, soas to apply only to those slaves who could be proven to have beennear enough to hear the masters cries. During the reign ofNero, a special judge was appointed to hear the complaints ofslaves and to punish c/uelties to them, and Seneca tells us thatcruel masters were
The ancient world, from the earliest times to 800 AD . ition, voted to put the entire household ofslaves to death, according to the old custom of the city populace rose in indignant insurrection to prevent such 522 THE ROMAN EMPIRE, 31 [§ 636 unjust cruelty ; and in Hadrians time, the law was modified, soas to apply only to those slaves who could be proven to have beennear enough to hear the masters cries. During the reign ofNero, a special judge was appointed to hear the complaints ofslaves and to punish c/uelties to them, and Seneca tells us thatcruel masters were jeered in the streets. Law began to protectthe slave, and imperial edicts improved his condition (§§ 586,588). Is not the slave of the same stuff as you,his master!exclaims Seneca. (See Davis Headings, II, No. 98.) 636. Sympathies Broadened. — The unity of the vast Romanworld prepared the way for the thought that all men are were fond of dwelling upon the idea. Said Mar-cus Aurelius, As emperor I am a Roman; but as a man my. A Detail from Trajans Column (page 510): Trajan sacrificing a bullat the bridge over the Danube, just completed by his soldiers. This bridgewas a remarkable structure, — probably the most wonderful bridge in theworld until the era of iron and steel brJdge-wpr^ jn the nineteenth century. §638] A GENTLER SOCIETY 523 city is the world. Even the rabble in the Roman theater waswont to applaud the line of Terence : I am a man; no calam-ity that can affect man is without meaning to me. The age prided itself, justly, upon its enlightened humanity,much as our own does. Trajan instructed a provincial governornot to act upon anonymous accusations, because such conduct does not belong to our ageJ 637. The Gentler Spirit of Imperial Law. — This broad human-ity was reflected in imperial law. The harsh law of the Re-public became humane. Women and children shared its pro-tection. Torture was limited. The rights of the accused werebetter rec
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