thee free;' the people were roused, and the tyrants were impeached and exiled. A few years afterwards Mælius, a rich plebeian, excited the jealousy of the upper classes by selling corn at a nominal price to the poor, and they raised the cry that he was seeking to make himself a king, which led to an uproar, and once more Cincinnatus was made dictator; Mælius was summoned to appear before him, and, refusing to do so, was killed by a force of young patricians. From this time the Romans began to extend their dominion, and laid siege to Veii, a strong Etruscan town, which they took and plundered. Livy remarks that this was the first occasion of the question of war being referred to the people, and of the troops receiving pay. Under the skilful generalship of Camillus other towns were captured; but, after being honoured with a truimph, he was impeached on a charge of secreting some of the plunder, and exiled. Tidings now came that the yellow-haired, half-naked Gauls, who had already attacked the Etruscans, were marching on Rome, and the forces hastily sent against them were completely overpowered at the river Allia. Adopting the popular legend, Livy proceeds to describe how they massacred the senators as they sat in the vestibules of their houses, and how the city would have been utterly destroyed but for some geese having given warning of an attack on the Capitol, and the slaughter of the barbarians by the exiled Camillus, whose eloquence subsequently induced the Romans to repair the injuries which their temples and buildings had sustained, rather than desert the sacred shrines and household gods of their ancestors by a general migration to Veii; but how much there is of fact, and how much of fiction, in the historian's exciting story, will never now be ascertained. He commences a new book with the city rebuilt and re-peopled, and an account of fresh victories gained by Camillus over hostile neighbours, who had sought to take advantage of the Romans in their adversity. Taxation and debt, however, pressed heavily upon the people, and Manlius, a citizen, devoted his wealth to the relief of those in difficulties. For this he was impeached on the charge of making himself a king, and thrown from the Tarpeian rock. A woman's jealousy of the superior social position of her sister's husband, was the cause of fresh laws being enacted to diminish the privileges of the patricians. Warfare with the Volscians and Latins was still going on, and Camillus was made dictator for the fifth time to repulse another incursion of the Gauls. It was at this time that a chasm suddenly opened in the forum, and Livy records how Marcus Curtius, in compliance with the declaration of the oracle that it could only be closed by casting into it the best thing that Rome possessed, inquired could there be anything better than a stout heart, and leapt into the opening on horseback. In a war with the Etruscans three hundred Roman soldiers were sacrificed by them as an act of faith,' in revenge for which as many Etruscan citizens were scourged and beheaded. Rome now began a struggle which lasted, with little intermission, for more than fifty years, with the Samnites, who occupied the Campania. At first the Romans were victorious, but the luxury of a winter spent in Capua led to a mutiny among the soldiers, followed by a political agitation for further concessions to the people, which were carried. A civil war then ensued with the Latins, with whom the Romans had fraternised and intermarried, and from whom, as Livy puts it, they differed in nothing except courage. He relates some heroic instances of self-sacrifice on the part of his countrymen, and the issue was that the Latins were worsted, and henceforth formed one commonwealth with the Romans. The war with the Samnites was continued, and they were compelled to make most humiliating terms after a great defeat. The following year, however, they entrapped the Romans in a defile named the 'Caudine Forks,' from which escape was impossible, and forced them to lay down their arms, instead of slaughtering their whole army, as they might have done. But the people at Rome refused to ratify the conditions agreed to by the consuls; and, after maintaining the struggle for many years, the Romans obtained another decisive victory, the brilliant armour of the Samnites being borne in the triumph which followed. During this war, imprisonment for debt was abolished, the first of the famous aqueducts was commenced, and the celebrated road from Rome to Capua, called the 'Appian Way,' was constructed, with the aid, it is supposed, of Samnite prisoners. The Romans had other neighbouring enemies still to contend with, and were also threatened with a third invasion of the Gauls, which emboldened the Samnites to resume an offensive position, and to combine with the Gauls and the Etruscans. This led to a general battle, and the war-chariots of the Gauls created such panic in the Roman ranks that everything seemed lost, until Decius, one of the consuls, devoting himself for his country, charged where the enemy was thickest, and fell covered with wounds. Fabius, the other consul, then succeeded in driving back the Samnites, and, having taken the Gauls in rear, the victory was complete, though won with a heavy loss. Another desperate struggle was made by the Samnites, but their general was captured, with twenty thousand other prisoners, and so the long contest between them and the Romans was ended. Thus far the extant portions of Livy's works have supplied a continuous chain of narrative, if not of actual history, for upwards of four centuries; but now the link is broken by the next ten books of his Annals having been lost, and it is necessary to gather from other sources the principal events of seventy-five years to fill the gap thus created. During this interval Rome established her supremacy in Italy, and began to entertain the idea of foreign conquest. The first country with which she tried her strength was Epirus, whose king, Pyrrhus, was ambitious to become a second Alexander. The Macedonian tactics, and the confusion caused by his elephants, secured him two victories, but the Romans ultimately drove him out of Italy. They were next tempted to interfere in Sicily, and thus came in collision with the Carthaginians, one of the Phoenician colonies whose seamen had ventured, through the Mediterranean, as far as Cornwall, and the west coast of Africa. For twenty-three years the two nations were struggling against each other, and at length the Romans obtained a great naval victory, which made them masters of Sicily, and concluded the first Punic War, so called from Pœni, the Latin name for the Phoenicians. ssy of the superior social position of her vs the cause of fresh laws being enacted st the proleges of the patricians. Warfare with stats and Latins was still going on, and Camillus vas max actor for the fifth time to repulse another prve of the Gauls. It was at this time that a chasm succes opened in the forum, and Livy records how Mars Carrus in compliance with the declaration of the ince this could caly be closed by casting into it the best in my that Rome possessed, inquired could there be anithing better than a stout heart, and leapt into the openg on borseback In a war with the Etruscans three Aindred Roman soldiers were sacrificed by them as an act of fat in revenge for which as many Etruscan citizens were scourged and beheaded. Rome now began a struggle wach lasted, with little intermission, for more than fifty years, with the Samnites, who occupied the Campania. At first the Romans were victorious, but the luxury of a winter spent in Capua led to a mutiny among the soldiers, followed by a political agitation for further concessions to the people, which were carried. A civil war then ensued with the Latins, with whom the Romans had fraternised and intermarried, and from whom, as Livy puts it, they differed in nothing except courage. He relates some heroic instances of self-sacrifice on the part of his countrymen, and the issue was that the Latins were worsted, and henceforth formed one commonwealth with the Romans. The war with the Samnites was continued, and they were compelled to make most humiliating terms after a great defeat. The following year, however, they entrapped the Romans in defile named the 'Caudine Forks,' from which escap impossible, and forced them to lay down their arms of slaughtering their whole army, as they might But the people at Rome refused to ratify t agreed to by the consuls; and, after maintain for many years, the Romans obtained victory, the brilliant armour of the S in the triumph which followed. LIVY celebrated road from Rome to Latin with a third invasion of the La I Samnites to resume an ofensre 201 with the Gauls and the Eme battle, and the war-chan panic in the Romar. until Decius, one of t country, charged where covered with wound succeeded in driving the Gauls in rear, with a heavy loss. by the Samnites. 5. twenty thousand between them and Thus far the exam p a continuous chant of upwards of four cen the next ten books of eaten 艺 ose which, materially ative of the stirring and completed by lected consul; 1 Africa, as he vatch the moveheld his ground xation, he was resail with a picked campaign by destroyand sixty thousand m Carthage sued for missive terms, when the Hannibal, and the two The fight was long and |