XIV. CHAP. affected by the severity of the law. The honourable merchant of Alexandria, who imported the gems and spices of India, for the use of the western world; the usurer, who derived from the interest of money a silent and ignominious profit; the ingenious manufacturer, the diligent mechanic, and even the most obscure retailer of a sequestered village, were obliged to admit the officers of the revenue into the partnership of their gain: and the sovereign of the Roman empire, who tolerated the profession, consented to share the infamous salary of public prostitutes. As this general tax upon industry was collected every fourth year, it was styled the Lustral Contribution: and the historian Zosimus* laments that the approach of the fatal period was announced by the tears and terrors of the citizens, who were often compelled by the impending scourge to embrace the most abhorred and unnatural methods of procuring the sum at which their property had been assessed. The testimony of Zosimus cannot indeed be justified from the charge of passion and prejudice; but, from the nature of this tribute, it seems reasonable to conclude that it was arbitrary in the distribution, and extremely rigorous in the mode of collecting. The secret wealth of commerce, and the precarious profits of art or labour, are susceptible only of a discretionary valuation, which is seldom disadvantageous to the interest of the treasury; and as the person of the trader supplies the want of a visible and permanent security, the payment of the imposition, which, in the case of a land-tax, may be obtained by the seizure of property, can rarely be extorted by any other means than those of corporal punishments. The cruel treatment of the insolvent debtors of the state is attested, • Zosimus, 1. ii. p. 115. There is probably as much passion and prejudice in the attack of Zosimus, as in the elaborate defence of the memory of Constantine by the zealous Dr. Howell. Hist. of the World, vol. ii. p. 20. a rhaps mitigated, by a very humane edict tine, who, disclaiming the use of racks rges, allots a spacious and airy prison for their confinement *. CHAP. XIV. eneral taxes were imposed and levied by Free gifts. e authority of the monarchy; but the fferings of the coronary gold still retained nd semblance of popular consent. It was ustom that the allies of the republic, who eir safety or deliverance to the success of arms; and even the cities of Italy, who e virtues of their victorious general, e pomp of his triumph by their voluntary wns of gold, which, after the ceremony, rated in the temple of Jupiter, to remain nument of his glory to future ages. The eal and flattery soon multiplied the numcreased the size, of these popular donathe triumph of Cæsar was enriched with d eight hundred and twenty-two massy ose weight amounted to twenty thousand ed and fourteen pounds of gold. This immediately melted down by the prudent o was satisfied that it would be more o his soldiers than to the gods: his exitated by his successors; and the custom ed, of exchanging these splendid ornae more acceptable present of the current the empire t. The spontaneous offering n exacted as the debt of duty; and ing confined to the occasion of a triumph, sed to be granted by the several cities s of the monarchy, as often as the em descended to announce his accession, his ■ the birth of a son, the creation of a Cæsar, ver the Barbarians, or any other real or event which graced the annals of his reign. ar free gift of the senate of Rome was stom at sixteen hundred pounds of gold, ty-four thousand pounds sterling. The ubjects celebrated their own felicity, that ign should graciously consent to accept but voluntary testimony of their loyalty de. could no longer alarm, might some the successors of Augustus, that th over a nation of Slaves or Barbarian Thet public establishment of Chri be considered as one of those impor which excite the most lively curiosit most valuable instruction. The v 0 policy of Constantine no long state of Europe; but a considerabl globe still retains the impression w from the conversion of that monarch siastical institutions of his reign are by an indissoluble chain, with the o interests of the present generation. In the consideration of a subject w amined with impartiality, but cannot indifference, a difficulty immediately unexpected nature; that of ascertaini precise date of the conversion of Com eloquent Lactantius, in the midst of impatient to proclaim to the world the ple of the sovereign of Gaul, who in th of his reign acknowledged and adored the true and only God. The learne ascribed the faith of Constantine to sign of the cross which was displayed whilst he meditated and prepared the tion; but it is certain that his baptis till the moment of his death. elated by pride, or soured by discontent, qualified to form a just estimate of their ion. The subjects of Constantine were f discerning the decline of genius and e, which so far degraded them below the eir ancestors; but they could feel and age of tyranny, the relaxation of discihe increase of taxes. The impartial hiacknowledges the justice of their comobserve some favourable circumstances d to alleviate the misery of their cone threatening tempest of Barbarians, n subverted the foundations of Roman as still repelled, or suspended, on the The arts of luxury and literature were and the elegant pleasures of society were ne inhabitants of a considerable portion The forms, the pomp, and the expense ministration contributed to restrain the ce of the soldiers; and although the ated by power, or perverted by subtlety, iples of the Roman jurisprudence preof order and equity, unknown to the nments of the east. The rights of t derive some protection from religion w; and the name of freedom, which As long as Constantine exercised reignty over the provinces of Gaul, The great Theodosius, in his judicious advice to his Consulat. Honorii, 214, &c.), distinguishes the station of that of a Parthian monarch. Virtue was necessary for suffice for the other. The following short sketch of the legal establishmen gion in the reign of Constantine is taken from various par of Mr. Gibbon's History, but the words with very few alt of the original author.EDITOR. XIV. onger alarm, might sometimes admonish, CHAP. blic establishment of Christianity may here of Constantine no longer influence the rope; but a considerable portion of the retains the impression which it received nversion of that monarch; and the eccleitutions of his reign are still connected, oluble chain, with the opinions and the the present generation. nsideration of a subject which may be eximpartiality, but cannot be viewed with a difficulty immediately arises of a very nature; that of ascertaining the real and of the conversion of Constantine. The ctantius, in the midst of his court, seems proclaim to the world the glorious examereign of Gaul, who in the first moments acknowledged and adored the majesty of only God. The learned Eusebius has faith of Constantine to the miraculous ross which was displayed in the heavens litated and prepared the Italian expediis certain that his baptism was delayed nt of his death. s Constantine exercised a limited sovethe provinces of Gaul, his Christian dosius, in his judicious advice to his son (Claudian. in iv. 14, &c.), distinguishes the station of a Roman prince from nonarch. Virtue was necessary for the one; birth might hort sketch of the legal establishment of the Christian reliConstantine is taken from various parts of the 20th chapter tory, but the words with very few alterations are the words -EDITOR. XIV. CHAP. had not yet been seen in Italy, the cause of this amazing desolation, which is recorded in the laws, can be ascribed only to the administration of the Roman emperors. Assessed in the form of Either from design or from accident, the mode a capitation. of assessment seemed to unite the substance of a land-tax with the forms of a capitation. The returns which were sent of every province or district expressed the number of tributary subjects, and the amount of the public impositions. The latter of these sums was divided by the former; and the estimate, that such a province contained so many capita, or heads of tribute, and that each head was rated at such a price, was universally received, not only in the popular, but even in the legal computation. The value of a tributary head must have varied, according to many accidental, or at least fluctuating circumstances: but some knowledge has been preserved of a very curious fact, the more important, since it relates to one of the richest provinces of the Roman empire, and which now flourishes as the most splendid of the European kingdoms. The rapacious ministers of Constantius had exhausted the wealth of Gaul, by exacting twenty-five pieces of gold for the annual tribute of every head. The humane policy of his successor reduced the capitation to seven pieces. A moderate proportion between these opposite extremes of extravagant oppression and of transient indulgence, may therefore be fixed at sixteen pieces of gold, or about nine pounds sterling, the common standard perhaps of the impositions of Gaul*. But this calculation, or rather indeed the facts from whence it is deduced, cannot fail of suggesting two difficulties to a thinking mind, who * In the calculation of any sum of money under Constantine and his successors, "we need only refer to the excellent discourse of Mr. Greaves on the Denarius. From him we may compute the Roman pound of gold, the usual method of reckoning large sums, at forty pounds sterling, and we may fix the currency of the aureus at somewhat more than eleven shillings. |