The ancient world, from the earliest times to 800 AD . rity. The calamities of great wars strikeour imagination; but they cause infinitely less suffering thanthe everlasting petty wars of neighbors, with pillage andslaughter diffused everywhere. Roman supremacy put astop to these endless and wasting feuds. Moreover, sofar as Italy was concerned, the field of conflict, even in Romesgreat wars, was thenceforth to be mostly beyond her borders. 394. Romes Policy. — The citizens enrolled in the thirty-fiveRoman tribes were the rulers of Italy. None others possessedany of the imperial power. They, o
The ancient world, from the earliest times to 800 AD . rity. The calamities of great wars strikeour imagination; but they cause infinitely less suffering thanthe everlasting petty wars of neighbors, with pillage andslaughter diffused everywhere. Roman supremacy put astop to these endless and wasting feuds. Moreover, sofar as Italy was concerned, the field of conflict, even in Romesgreat wars, was thenceforth to be mostly beyond her borders. 394. Romes Policy. — The citizens enrolled in the thirty-fiveRoman tribes were the rulers of Italy. None others possessedany of the imperial power. They, or their ofiicers, decidedupon war and peace, made treaties, issued the only coinage 344 ROME AND UNITED ITALY [§394 permitted, and fixed the number of soldiers which the subjectcities must furnish for war. It should be noted that there are two phases of the Romangenius for rule, — one admirable and the other mean but effec-tive. a. Incorporation and Tolerance. Rome grew strong first bya wise and generous incorporation of her conquests. With this. The Appian Way To-day, with Ruins of the Aqueduct of ClaudiusIN THE Background. The Aqueduct was carried for long distances onarches. It was built nearly four centuries later than the Appian pp. 468, 490. strength, she won wider physical victories. And over her sub-jects she won also spiritual dominion by her intelligence, jus-tice, and firmness, and especially by a marvelous toleration forlocal customs and rights. h. Jealousy and Isolation. At the same time, Rome strictlyisolated the subject communities from one another. She dis-solved all tribal confederacies j she took skillful advantage of §395] ROMAN ROADS 345 the grades of inferiority that she had created among her de*pendents to foment jealousies and to play off one class of com-munities against another. Likewise, within each city, she setclass against class, on the whole favoring an aristocratic organ-ization. In politics as in war, the policy of her statesmenwas
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