. History of Rome and of the Roman people, from its origin to the Invasion of the Barbarians;. fall. Nothing in this picture unist be forgotten if we seek tounderstand one of the greatest events of history, — the foundationof the Roman Empire. Writers, like nations, are naturally inclined to attach too greatimportance to the action of historical personages. A scholar maychange the whole aspect of a science, a general that of a war ;but a statesman can never change the face of a society, becausepolitics are a resultant, and because constitutional law, being theexpression of a harmony between id
. History of Rome and of the Roman people, from its origin to the Invasion of the Barbarians;. fall. Nothing in this picture unist be forgotten if we seek tounderstand one of the greatest events of history, — the foundationof the Roman Empire. Writers, like nations, are naturally inclined to attach too greatimportance to the action of historical personages. A scholar maychange the whole aspect of a science, a general that of a war ;but a statesman can never change the face of a society, becausepolitics are a resultant, and because constitutional law, being theexpression of a harmony between ideas, manners, and institutions,has only a relative value, unlike moral law, whose value is abso-lute. Tlie greatest statesmen are tliose who respond l)est to theideas, unconscious or premeditated, of their fellow-citizens. Theyreceive more than they give; and their strength lies less in tlicirown genius than in the logical sequence of ideas and facts of wliichthey have made the necessary servants. Whence itfollows that success or faihire, lionor or disgrace, come to theui as. ITALY AND THE ROMAN IEUlLE. 41 jmicli from tlie crowd which uphold as from the ambition whichimpels them. The sajing is hard, Imt just, that nations have the governmentsthey deserve, as man has the condition he makes for doctrine destroys no mans responsibility, but rather extendsit to those who find an advantage in throwing it off ; and if theverdict is severe for the usurper who attacks ancient laws, it is noless so for the multitude who applaud the usurpation. Only, injudging both, it takes account of events which have rendered trans-formations necessary or useless, dural)le or transitory ; it absolvesthose who have gone in the direction of the great current ofnational life ; and it condemns all revolutionary attempts, either atthe top or at the bottom of society, which have been contrary tothe current or have sought violently to alter its course. Let us apply these principles
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