. The grandeur that was Rome; a survey of Roman culture and civilisation:. a thrill at the name of Greece,scarcely any one /oves Ancient Rome. At the first mentionof her name the average mans thoughts fly to the Colosseumand the Christian martyr facing the lions gory mane tothe music of Neros fiddle. His second thought is to formu-late his explanation of her decline and fall. The explanationsare as various as political complexions. Luxury, says themoralist, Heathendom, says the Christian, Christianity,replies Gibbon. The Protectionist can easily show that itwas due to the importation of free c
. The grandeur that was Rome; a survey of Roman culture and civilisation:. a thrill at the name of Greece,scarcely any one /oves Ancient Rome. At the first mentionof her name the average mans thoughts fly to the Colosseumand the Christian martyr facing the lions gory mane tothe music of Neros fiddle. His second thought is to formu-late his explanation of her decline and fall. The explanationsare as various as political complexions. Luxury, says themoralist, Heathendom, says the Christian, Christianity,replies Gibbon. The Protectionist can easily show that itwas due to the importation of free corn, while the FreeTrader draws attention to the enormous burdens which Romantrade had to bear. Militarism, explains the peace-lover; neglect of personal service, replies the Liberal and the Conservative can both draw valuableconclusions from Roman history in support of their respectiveattitudes of mind. If it had not been for demagogues likeMarius and the Gracchi, says the Conservative, Romemight have continued to exhibit the courage and patriotism4. INTRODUCTIONwhich she displayed under senatorial guidance in the waragainst Hannibal, instead of rushing to her doom by way ofsedition and disorder. With equal justice the Liberal pointsto the stupid bigotry with which that corrupt oligarchy, thesenate, delayed necessary reforms. That, he says, was thecause of the downfall of Rome. That was the writing on thewall. Whether it is or is not possible to love Ancient Rome,I would suggest that this attitude of treating her merely as asubject for autopsies and a source of gloomy vaticinations forthe benefit of the British Empire is a preposterous affront tohistory. The mere notion of an empire continuing to declineand fall for five centuries is ridiculous. It is to regard as afailure the greatest civilising force in all the history of Europe,the most stable form of government, the strongest militaryand political system that has ever existed. It is just at this point t
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