"It was at Rome, on the 15th of Oct. 1764, as he sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, while the bare-footed friars were singing vespers in the temple of Jupiter (now the church of the Zoccolantes, or Franciscan friars), that the idea of writing the decline and fall of the city (empire) first started to his mind."-Sheffield's Life of Gibbon, 1796. THIS EDITION HAS BEEN CAREFULLY EDITED BY ALEX. MURRAY. BRITISH MUSEUM JOHN CHILDS AND SON, PRINTERS. PREFACE. IT is not my intention to detain the reader by expatiating on the variety, or the importance of the subject, which I have undertaken to treat; since the merit of the choice would serve to render the weakness of the execution still more apparent, and still less excusable. But as I have presumed to lay before the Public a first volume only 1 of the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, it will perhaps be expected that I should explain, in a few words, the nature and limits of my general plan. I The memorable series of revolutions, which, in the course of about thirteen centuries, gradually undermined, and at length destroyed, the solid fabric of human greatness, may, with some propriety, be divided into the three following periods. I. The first of these periods may be traced from the age of Trajan and the Antonines, when the Roman monarchy, having attained its full strength and maturity, began to verge towards its decline; and will extend to the subversion of the Western Empire, by the barbarians of Germany and Scythia, the rude ancestors of the most polished nations of modern Europe. This extraordinary revolution, which subjected Rome to the power of a Gothic conqueror, was completed about the beginning of the sixth century. II. The second period of the Decline and Fall of Rome, may be supposed to commence with the reign of Justinian, who by his laws, as well as by his victories, restored a transient splendour to the Eastern Empire. It will comprehend the invasion of Italy by the Lombards; the conquest of the Asiatic and African provinces by the Arabs, who embraced the religion of Mahomet; the revolt of the Roman people against the feeble princes of Constantinople; and the elevation of Charlemagne, who, in the year eight hundred, established the second, or German, Empire of the West. III. The last and longest of these periods includes about six centuries and a half; from the revival of the Western Empire, till the 1 The first volume of the quarto is now contained in the two first volumes of this octavo edition-in twelve volumes,-all given in this edition. taking of Constantinople by the Turks, and the extinction of a degenerate race of princes, who continued to assume the titles of Cæsar and Augustus, after their dominions were contracted to the limits of a single city; in which the language as well as manners of the ancient Romans had been long since forgotten. The writer who should undertake to relate the events of this period, would find himself obliged to enter into the general history of the Crusades, as far as they contributed to the ruin of the Greek Empire; and he would scarcely be able to restrain his curiosity from making some inquiry into the state of the city of Rome, during the darkness and confusion of the middle ages. I As I have ventured, perhaps too hastily, to commit to the press, a work, which, in every sense of the word, deserves the epithet of imperfect, I consider myself as contracting an engagement to finish, most probably in a second volume, the first of these memorable periods; and to deliver to the Public the complete history of the Decline and Fall of Rome, from the age of the Antonines, to the subversion of the Western Empire. With regard to the subsequent periods, though I may entertain some hopes, I dare not presume to give any assurances. The execution of the extensive plan which I have described, would connect the ancient and modern history of the World; but it would require many years of health, of leisure, and of perseverance. BENTINCK-ST., Feb. 1, 1776. [See Preface to Vol. II. of this Edition.] [BIOGRAPHIC NOTICE. The grandfather and father of Edward Gibbon were both in Parliament. At Putney, near London, on April 27, O.S. 1737, the future historian was born, a sickly child. In 1749 he was entered at Westminster School; and, April 3, 1752, he matriculated, as a gentleman commoner, at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he spent, "unprofitably," he declares, fourteen months. His course of reading induced him to join the Catholic church in London; which so annoyed his father, that, with scant allowance, he was sent to live in the family of a Calvinistic clergyman at Lausanne, whose instruction so wrought on his pupil, that "on full conviction" he rejoined the Protestant church on Dec. 25, 1754. The first and the last love of E. G. was Miss Curchod, which his parent disapproving, she became the wife of M. Neckar, the mother of Madame de Staël, but continued throughout the literary correspondent of the historian. In 1759 Gibbon returned home; in 1761 he produced, in French, a work on "the study of "literature ;" and became captain, afterwards commandant, of a militia regiment in Hampshire. In 1763-4 he was in Paris, at Lausanne, and Rome, where, on Oct. 15, 1774, "the idea of writing the decline "and fall of the Empire first started to his mind." It proved the loving labour of the succeeding twenty years, and its completion has earned for him an undying reputation. In 1770 his father died; in 1774 he entered Parliament, and was in office under Lord North. In 1782 he went back to the home of his youth, Lausanne, and lived there until the troubles of the French Revolution drove him to England, which he reached in 1793; and, residing chiefly in London, he died there on Jan. 15, 1794; and was interred at Fletching, Sussex, in the Mauso- leum of his executor, Lord Sheffield, who, in 1796, gave to the world CHAP. I.—The Extent and military Force of the Empire, in the Age INTRODUCTION, 17. Moderation of Augustus, 18. Conquest of Britain, 19; of Dacia, 20; conquests of Trajan in the East re- signed by Hadrian, 21; contrast of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, 22. Military establishment of the Roman emperors: discipline, 23; exercises, 24; the legions, arms, 25; cavalry, 26; auxiliaries, artillery, encampment, 27; march, number and disposition of the legions, 28; navy, 29; amount of the whole establishment, 30. The provinces of Spain, Gaul, 30; Britain, Italy, 31; the Danube and Illyrian frontier, Rhætia, Noricum, and Pannonia, 32; Dal- matia, Mæsia and Dacia, Thrace, Macedonia, and Greece, Asia Minor, 33; Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine, Égypt, 34; África, the Mediterranean, 35; the Roman empire, 36. CHAP. II.—Of the Union and internal Prosperity of the Roman Em- pire in the Age of the Antonines. Principles of government, 36; spirit of toleration at Rome, 37 -39. Freedom of Rome, Italy, the provinces, colonies, and municipal towns, division of the Latin and the Greek provinces, 40-43. Use of both the Greek and Latin languages, 44. Slaves, their treatment, numbers, 44-46. Populousness of the empire, obedience and union, 47; Roman monuments, erected for pub- lic use, temples, theatres, aqueducts, 50; number of the cities of the empire, in Italy, Gaul and Spain, Africa, Asia, 51, 52; Roman roads, posts, navigation, 52, 53; agriculture in the empire, 54; introduction of the vine, the olive, flax, artificial grass, 54, 55; general plenty, arts of luxury, 55; foreign trade, gold and silver, Idea of a monarchy, 59. Situation of Augustus; he reforms the senate; his power; under the title of emperor or general, 59, 60. The Roman generals, 61. Division of the provinces between the. emperor and the senate, 62; consular and tribunitian powers, 62; imperial prerogatives, 63; the magistrates; the senate, 64. The imperial system, 65; court of the emperors; deification, 65, 66. Titles of Augustus and Cæsar, 66; policy of Augustus, 67; image of liberty for the people, 67; attempts of the senate after the death of Caligula, 68. Image of government for the armies; their obedience, 68. The race of the Cæsars, and Flavian family, 69. 96 Adoption and character of Trajan; A. D. 117, of Hadrian; adop- 138-180 tion of the elder and younger Verus, 70, 71; adoption of the two Antonines, 71. Reign of Pius and Marcus, 72. Hap- piness of the Romans; its precarious nature, 73. Peculiar misery of the Romans under their tyrants, 74; insensibility of the Orien- tals, 74; knowledge and free spirit of the Romans, 74; extent of their empire left them no place of refuge, 75. CHAP. IV.—The Cruelty, Follies, and Murder of Commodus. Indulgence of Marcus to his son Commodus, 76, 77. A. D. 180, 183 accession of Commodus, 77; his character, 78. A. D. 183, is wounded by an assassin, 78; hatred of Commodus towards the 186 senate, 79. 189 der; his avarice and cruelty, 81. A. D. 189, sedition and death of Cleander, 82; dissolute pleasures of Commodus, 82; his low sports; hunting of wild beasts, 83; exhibits his skill in the amphitheatre, 192 84. His infamy; conspiracy of his domestics, 85. A. D. 192, death of Commodus, 86; Pertinax emperor, 86; acknowledged, 87; legal jurisdiction of the senate over the emperors, 87. Virtues of Per- tinax; he endeavours to reform the state, 88, 89. Murder of Per- tinax by the Prætorians, 89, 90. CHAP. V.-Public Sale of the Empire to Didius Julianus by the A.D. Proportion of the military force to the number of the people, 90. 193 They offer the empire to sale; A. D. 193, it is purchased by Julian, 92, 93; Julian acknowledged by the senate, 93, 94. Clodius Albinus, Pescennius Niger, Pannonia and Dalmatia, declare against Julian, 94–96. Septimius Severus declared emperor by the Pannonian legions; he marches into Italy, 96, 97. Distress of Julian, who is executed by order of the senate, 98, 99. Disgrace of the Prætorian guards, 99; apotheosis of Pertinax, 99; suc- 193-197 cess of Severus against Niger and Albinus, 100. Arts of Severus towards Niger and Albinus, 100, 101; siege of Byzan- |