The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 2P.F. Collier, 1900 - Byzantine Empire |
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Africa Alemanni Alexander ancient Antioch Antoninus arms army arts Asia August Augustan History Aurelian Aurelius Victor authority barbarians bishop Cæsar camp Caracalla celebrated character Christians church civil Claudius commanded Commodus conduct conqueror conquest Constantine Cyprian danger Danube death deserved dignity Diocletian Dion Cassius discipline discovered divine edict Egypt Elagabalus emperor enemy esteem Euseb Eutropius faith father favor fortune frontier Galerius Gallienus Gaul Germans Goths Greek guards Hadrian Herodian honor hundred Imperial Italy Lactantius laws legions Licinius magistrates mankind Marcus martyrs Maxentius Maximian merit military monarch multitude nations nature palace Panegyr peace persecution Persian person Pertinax possessed prefect preserved Pretorian princes Probus provinces punishment rank received reign religion republic Roman empire Roman world Rome senate Severus slaves soldiers soon sovereign spirit success successors Tacit Tacitus temple Tertullian thousand throne Tillemont tion Trajan troops tyrant Valerian valor victory virtue Vopiscus in Hist zeal Zosimus
Popular passages
Page 49 - The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true, by the philosopher as equally false, and by the magistrate as equally useful...
Page 107 - Gibbon declares, in a memorable passage, that "if a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world, during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would without hesitation name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus. The vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom.
Page 108 - Rome groaned beneath an unremitting tyranny, which exterminated the ancient families of the republic, and was fatal to almost every virtue and every talent that arose in that unhappy period.
Page 79 - The objects of Oriental traffic were splendid and trifling : silk, a pound of which was esteemed not inferior in value to a pound of gold ; precious stones, among which the pearl claimed the first rank after the diamond ; and a variety of aromatics, that were consumed in religious worship and the pomp of funerals.
Page 65 - But, after weighing with attention every circumstance which could influence the balance, it seems probable that there existed, in the time of Claudius, about twice as many provincials as there were citizens, of either sex, and of every age; and that the slaves were at least equal in number to the free inhabitants of the Roman world.
Page 105 - His reign is marked by the rare advantage of furnishing very few materials for history ; which is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.
Page 113 - But the power of instruction is seldom of much efficacy, except in those happy dispositions where it is almost superfluous.
Page 546 - ... fancied gods, groaning in the lowest abyss of darkness; so many magistrates, who persecuted the name of the Lord, liquefying in fiercer fires than they ever kindled against the Christians; so many sage philosophers blushing in redhot flames with their deluded scholars; so many celebrated poets trembling before the tribunal, not of Minos, but of Christ; so many tragedians, more tuneful in the expression of their own sufferings; so many dancers...
Page 17 - ... of more than fourscore years the public administration was conducted by the virtue and abilities of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines. It is the design of this, and of the two succeeding chapters, to describe the prosperous condition of their empire ; and afterwards, from the death of Marcus Antoninus, to deduce the most important circumstances of its decline and fall : a revolution which will ever be remembered, and is still felt by the nations of the earth.
Page 363 - Instead of the little passions which so frequently perplex a female reign, the steady administration of Zenobia was guided by the most judicious maxims of policy. If it was expedient to pardon, she could calm her resentment ; if it was necessary to punish, she could impose silence on the voice of pity. Her strict economy was accused of avarice ; yet on every proper occasion she appeared magnificent and liberal. The neighboring states of Arabia, Armenia, and Persia, dreaded her enmity, and solicited...