Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-09-19


ana sustained its conquests. But the
destruction OF Carthage and the plumber
oft!ic east filed the city with riches
these in time. occas;oned vast ;ncGnaIi-
~ OF property, which, on the ono hand
produced Incidence, pride, and person
III ambition whilst on the other, it
infused into the lower classes spirit
ofscryiiily and Indifference for nation
al prosperity. Virtue. the great prop
ofna!ions, bcinSdissipatedby sucl, eau
SEES. the eniperors l,adto seek the means
OF defending their provinces and sus-
tanning their grandeur in discipline.
WHICH, so long as il lasted, CONNECTED
Whh tie ancient rcn0wn Oi'ihe lesions.)
ccessNi!y guarded thc Roman world
pm Sie incuifions ofthc Barbayians.
~ whas had appened among the pco-
pie During The republic, in the election
81 their eOnsnls, in time occurred a.
inong the soldiery in the election OF Che
emper0rs: Donations and iargesses
corrupted the enc as they had co,rrp-
ted the other: And as the corruption
oil the people had Occasioned the de-
sifuciion Of the republic. SO dill the
corruption Of the soidicry bring on the
ruin of the empire. Relaxed in their
discipline. and feeling their own power,
the legiOns made a traffic OF the Iinpe-
rial throne. and on one occasion actual
ly set ii up at public sale, when il was
purchased by rich Senatorof the name
of Didius Julianus. silly old man.
who was behcaded as common crinli-
nal after reign OF sixty-six days. The
legioU Nof the provinces held out the
long&t against corruption; but the
circ,l ancethat chiefly upheld their
militia: fepytation proved pernicious
to the stAte.e Their ranks were coca
sionally recruited from among the Bar
barians, who, acquiring the art OF war,
in the sequel turned their arms against
the empire, invited horlcs OF invaders
FROM the most remote situations, and
ffally annihilated the dominion Of the
m stegSsef the world.
| $ufNLat which more than any thing
IsSprsipitafd the downfall of the Ro-
man raWer,<kas the transfer OF the seat
| of empire from Rome 10 Byzantium, by
Constantine, from whom il has since
borne the name Of ConstantinOple.
This event occurred A. ID. 32i, when
Constantine adopted the Christian re-
ligieh, and fought under the auspices
OF TIC HNy Gross. At length, A. ID.
| S6i,A 6Iemp partition of the empire
took place, n alentinian presiding over
the empire of the West and Valens
presiding over that of the east. This
was death-blOw to the Western en-
: pire, which included the city of Rome,
: for 1tIid not survive this diyisionmucl
lougerthQn one century. The eastern
cnPird can in reality, be considered
as 4ePy&Rittlemore than a fragment oil
the Old Reman empire; the province;
appertaining to it were situated chiefly
in Asia; and after having been gratu
ally diminished by the different attacks
Of the Barbarians Oftllat quarter Oftht
| world, it entirely disappeared under
the Turks, who took COnstantinople by
assault, and put an end TO a dominion
which had subsisted, from the time O
Valens to that Of Constantine PaleOgO
Jus, for nearly eleven hundred years
during which it successfully bore tn,
/. names of empire of the east, the Greel
: empire. the empire Of Constantinoplc
and the lower empire. 1t fell by th'
: vices of the government and Of th'
people. In the twelfth century it dit
, not extend much further than the wall
| of the capital. In the thirteenth cen
. fury Constantinoplc was captured b,
the Crusaders, of whom The create
part were French. They kept posses
sion 0fsit more than sixty years, unGe
the denomination Of empire of th'
n Franks oxEatins. The principal hOu
E ses tor royal famNies) seated upoI
the throne IF ConstantiHoplc, during
r the eleven cdsturies that the empire 0
the east had subsistcd, were the TheO
f dosian, the Justinian, the HeracIian
: the Isaurian, the Phrygian, the Mace
= DOMAIN those Of Ducas, Of Commend
= ofAngelo, Of Flanders. of Courtenay
o of Bricnne, of Cantacuzene, and Of Pa
/ leogolus. IL was A. ID. 3453 that Ma
+ hOmct the secondly possession Of Con
= staniinopic, and commenced tho 'Iuril
!. ish empire in Europe. Which has con