Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A39837
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The imperfection of most governments taken out of the Epitomy of the Roman history written by Lucius Annæus Florus : where it plainly appears that the liberty of the most flourishing common-wealth of the Romans destroyed written by Roger Trusty.; Epitomae de Tito Livio bellorum omnium annorum DCC libri II. English. Selections
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Florus, Lucius Annaeus.; Trusty, Roger.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing F1381A; ESTC R3394
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7,338
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6
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THE IMPERFECTION Of most Governments Taken out of the EPITOMY of the ROMAN HISTORY Written by Lucius Annaeus Florus Where it plainly appears that the Liberty of the most Flourishing Common-wealth of the Romans destroyed all Property and its own Government turned to Levelling Discord and Confusion till it brought in the Government it most hated With a Reason or two added why all Great and Free Commonwealths will be subject to the same Written by Roger Trusty To all my Country Men whose only Love of their Nation inclines them to a Commonwealth I would but shew all Powers equally frail GENTLEMEN I Had no Design to cry down Liberty nor disparage Common-wealths I love no coercive power in Church or State more than is necessary for preservation of the publick â—eace but I presume you would not incline your Nation in Blood and Rapine on a mistake â—specially when the Major part of our own three Kingdoms are like to differ from you and â—wo hundred thousand French in Arms are neglecting their other advantages on Christenâ—ome to incorporate themselves in your Common wealth by yoar own Fire-sides with your â—ives and Daughters when you Rebel I suppose those Jealousies will be more insupportaâ—le to you than your present ones when you have Read here what you may find in Florus 〈◊〉 not I must conclude you are more inclined to bring in Popery than I could wish you for â—our supposed unerring Government I would have many Readers and therefore have contracted a Subject fit for a â—ollume to a two-peny Pamphlet which can be but half an hours trouble to any man if â—â—y endeavours do you and my Contry a kindness I have the only End aimed at by Your humble Servant Roger Trusty IT is unknown to no Body that reads Historys that the Romans had seven Kings in their Infancy most of them Elected and six of them good Princes who did cultivate them with Religion Virtue Arts and Arms according to their Mode but the seventh was a Usurper Tarquin the Proud a Man naturally Wicked but necessitated by his Usurpation to continue a Tyrant because all Persons or Powers must maintain such Wrongs by a standng Army which turns the best Gover-ments that can be to the worst But his Own and his Wives insupportable Humor with his Sons barbarous Rape of the fair and vertuous Lus â—coelia gave the icensed Romans a unanimous Courage to revolt from him and Kingly Government together But though their attempts was successful it was hardly maintained against their Neighbours the Latins and especially against Pâ—rsenna King of the Hetourians who Armed for Tarquin though they could find nothing Lovely in him because they did not like such a president for deposing of Kings But the Romans I find in the ninth Chapter and first Book of Florus did submit to the Model and Persons of Brutus and Colla-tine the Husband of Lucretia whom they first obeyed as Consuls or Annual Kings but the People removed Collatine because aliened to Tarquin and chose Valerius Publicola in his place in whose Consulship it was ordained that there should be Appeals from the Sentences of the Consuls to the People which made the Government an absolute Common wealth and this seemed alasting Foundation of Liberty and their continual Wars with their Neighbours kept them at Unity longer than so great a Common-wealth could otherwise have been for the Grecian and Italian Common-wealths subsisted by their smalness Venice is an Aristocracy or Tyranny of the Nobility and the States of Holland are so little accountable to their People and so great Taxers even of Travellers on their necessary occasions that they may be called so too But to come to the sirstr Buds of disorders in the only considerable Common-wealth that ever was except the Carthaginian Florus his first Book and two and twentieth Chapter begins with their Armies who presuming on Liberty stoned their General Posthumus for disappointing them of a Booty he had promised and another time when they might have vanquished the Enemy under their General Apius Claudius they refused to Fight And in the same Chapter is mentioned that one Valeron having animated the People against their Consul they all refused to be involved for Souldiers and broke the Rods carried before the Consul as well as his Commands this Chapter farther says that they grew so hardy as to send into Banishment the most excellent of the nobility whom they believed opposite to their unbridled desires and Coriolanus would have obliged them to till the Earth for which they banished him but he was able to besiege Rome for this and had Ruin'd their Government had not Intercession prevailed Camillius was also banished by them because they pretended that he had not made an equal partition of the spoils of the Veens Conquered by him between the Army and People Though this gallant and honest man Armed afterward at their intercession against the Gauls possest at Rome and sav'd them from Ruine by beating them out and then without Revenge lived and died peaceably amongst them And this pregnant Chapter tells us of two vehement Contests between the Senate and People which Past the Bounds of Reason and Equity for the Sedition was so great that the People abandoned their Houses and threatned to make a Desart of the Town and bury it in its Ruines The three and twentieth Chapter first Book mentions a Civil discord but on a more Just occasion against Usurers which was appeased by an Oration The four and twentieth Chapter and first Book tells us of an other Sedition caused by the Usurpation of the Decemury chief Citizens Commanded by the people to contract the Greek Laws into twelve Tables but these Favorites of the people were so insolent when they had executed their Commission to continue their Authority and so far to Tyrannise that Appius one of their number attempted to Ravish a noble Maid procur'd an unjust Sentence to pass against her and caused her to be draged as a Slave till her Father Virginius tore her from them killed her in the Street and than found a party strong enough to subdue and imprison that insolent Magistrate The twentieth fifth Chapter first Book mentions a Sedition of the people about Marriage into the Familys of Senators and Cammilus tribune of the people was the Author of that Tumult The twenty sixth Chapter first Book mentions another Commotion about admittance to Dignities equally with the Nobles which they extorted from the Senate They caused Spurius Cassius to be Murdered on a bare suspition of affecting Royalty They also destroyed Metius on the same distrust meerly for being liberal to themselves And for Manlius who had defended the Capital for them against the Gaules they for a punishment of his Pride precipitated from the top of the Rock which he had preferved as the last stake of his ingrateful People and these were the Diseases of this infant Commonwealth all in the first Book of Florus whilst Italy was scarce yet sebdued But