Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-03-15
ANCIENT NEWS PAPERS.

The Romans .thnnol -" ~. $50
look the fact. had registers of politics and in
tellgence which were really not unlike our
own newspapers, in their contents, but i'm
measurably inferior in the mode of circula-
ton. The journals of the Senate and Ma
tonal Convention long contained little more
than entries resembling those in our collec-
ted Acts of Parliament. These furnished
most of the materials from which, till 6S5,
the ponllllS compiled their annals; and there
is also proof that after the republic had en-
tended its dominions, those official journals
we're regularly copied and transmitted to
public men living at distance. But these
sources we're not enough. Every man abroad
had his correspondents in Rome; and when
the task of collecting news became more diff
licult, several persons assumed newsmonger-
ing as trade, taking in short hand notes OF
the proceedings at public meetings, and SELL
ing copies of them, as well as of the common
gossip of the day, and the official journals.
Julius Caesar, in 694, established a regular
system Of recording the deliberations, both OF
the senate and conventions, in form much
like our reports of Parliamentary debates
and he allowed these accounts to be copied
and freely circulated. Although Augustus
stopped the publication of the reports, the re-
slrant was soon afterwards withdrawn, and,
ever after their Introduction by julius, these
and all other archives Of the state were So
unreservedly open to the public, and ,heil
contents were difFused in so many shapes
that we are often uncertain whether the sour.
ces to winch the Roman authors refer art
these official reports, or the notes of profess
sional shorthand writers; or finally, those
collections of common news that were baud
ed about with the other pieces of information
But we are less curious to dsentangle th
confusion than to learn some Of the subject
which were discussed IN the news journals.
The accounts of the political debates EN-
braced the acts and resolutions, the receipt
OF the empcrors, the reports of magistrate
or committees, tho names of voters, Oik
that of Thrasea Pptus, whose silent dissen
was watched with such eagerness by the pro
vincials.) the speeches, their reception, an,
the sqnabbles ofthe debaters. Stray article
of law intelligence seems to have found thei
way into these collections. They were, like
wise, occasional notices extracted from th,
local registers birth. and announcements O
marriages. divorces, deaths, and funerals, IA
also descriptions of new public buildings
shows of gladiators, and suchordinary themes
Julius Caesar, who read The news sheet ever
morning, gave strict orders that Cicero's wit
ty saying should be regularly added to tn
other current matter. The journals too, lik
our own, were the acceptacles for all tragi
cal and marvellous occurrences; and Pin
derived from them many of the odd storie
inserted IN his encyclopedia ,amone which III
following may be cited (; The gazettes rcla
ted, that on the day when Cicero defrnde
Milo, there descended a shower Of bricks
that, under Augustus, a bergher of esula
walked to the Capitol in procession iorne
by his own sIxly-lhree descendants, TIA
f when slave of the unfortunate Titus Sa
blnus had been executed by Tilurius, his do
watched the corpse, earring food to its moull
and on its being thrown into tho Tiber, swaI
after it and s,rove to bring i, to land; an
| that, in the reign of CIaudius, a PhGnl
| from Egyp, was publicly exhibited at Rome
which last story. however, Pliny truly al
nounces to be NANTES, inventIon.-Cdt
4 met Library. No. XXX. Italy and n
a Italian Islands, VOL ].