File:History of Nero (1881) (14772631552).jpg

Identifier: historyofnero00abbo (find matches)
Title: History of Nero
Year: 1881 (1880s)
Authors: Abbott, Jacob, 1803-1879
Subjects: Nero, Emperor of Rome, 37-68 Emperors
Publisher: New York : Harper
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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rose above the rest, like the public edifices ofa city. The encampment of a Roman legionwas, in fact, an extended and populous city,only that the dwellings consisted of tents in-stead of being formed of solid and permanentstructures of wood or stone. Roman legions were encamped in this wayin various places throughout the empire,wherever the Senate thought proper to stationthem. There were some in Syria and theEast; some in Italy; some on the banks ofthe Rhine ; and it was through the instru-mentality of the vast force thus organized,that the Romans held the whole Europeanworld under their sway. The troops weresatisfied to yield submission to the orders oftheir commanders, since they received throughthem in return, an abundant supply of foodand clothing, and lived, ordinarily, lives ofease and indulgence. In consideration ofthis, they were willing to march from placeto place wherever they were ordered, and tofight any enemy when brought into the field ^ -, , l«llh^,ill.<»!:■;l 1
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) &*^^^)lliltfll; A.D. 37.) Needs Mother. 23 Useful functions of the Roman armies. The commanders obtained food and clothingfor them by means of the tribute which theyexacted from conquered provinces, and fromthe plunder of sacked cities, in times of actualwar. These armies were naturally interestedin preserving order and maintaining in gen-eral the authority of law, throughout thecommunities which they controlled ; for with-out law and order the industrial pursuits ofmen could not go on, and of course they werewell aware that if in any country productionwere to cease, tribute must soon cease too.In reading history we find, indeed, it must beconfessed, that a fearful proportion of thenarrative which describes the achievementsof ancient armies, is occupied with detailingdeeds of violence, rapine, and crime ; but wemust not infer from this that the influence ofthese vast organizations was wholly evil.Such extended and heterogeneous masses ofpopulation as those which were spread over

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