The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-12-08
The Roman Forum

TlVer, lying as III ulu between the tnree
chief hills of Rome, became naturally
the common meeting. place of Its citi-
zens. The old Forum was an oblong
space, the longer sides of which meas
ured about two hundred yards; the
shorter not far from seventy. Round
this confined space were grouped the
most important buildings of Republic
an Rome-the temples Of the most an.
cient and venerated gods, the Senate
house, the Comitium, and the Rostra.
Upon 1t stood the statues OF legion Of
national heroes, and above il rose on
one side the glittering temple of Capt..
tolne Jove and theinviolate citadel and
on the other sides the mansions of the
senators, or, in later times, the palaces
of the emperofs.
BY the artists aid the reader may
stand upon the slope of Capitoline Hill
and look down upon this, the most in
teresting spot of ancient Rome. In the
foreground, upon the lett, are all that
remain Of the once magnificent temples
Of Vespasian and ofSaturn. Upon the
right the site Of the Basiica JULIA is
marked by recent excavations. Those
solitary pillars indicate the probable
location of temple of Castor. In the
distance are to be seen the Arch of Con-
stantine and the ruin OF the Coliseum.
In this Forum, if we may believe the
records of ancient Rome, in which
myth and history are inextricably in
termixed. Virginius, whose deed Of
doubtful heroism Macaulay has celebra-
ted in his "Lays Of Ancient Rome,"
slew his daughter to save her from dis
honor; and from the crowd here gath.
cred to avenge her death Appius Claud-
ius fled to the refuge in the neighboring
Mount Palatine. Here, in token Of the
vengeance Of the gods, the earth yawn-
ed into fearful chasm, which noth-
ing could close till into IL had been cast
the most precious thing in Rome and
into it rode full armed for battle Man.
Illus Curtius, type of the Roman hero,
and the vengeance of the gods was sat
ed, and the solid earth closed again
die of this Forum, in the days of Cice-
70, paraded the briefless barristers wait
ing for a cause. II antiquity gives re-
spectability, the peripatetc advertisers,
who ornament our public streets are
pursuing most respectable avocation
Here stump-speaking had its birth
Hence we derive our name of rostrum
for, from wooden platforms here con
structed, and decorated with the beak
of captured ships, the demagogues O
ancient Rome harangued the tumultu
Gus people. In this Forum, which
!, like New England courthouse, wa
i both the site of judicial trials and c
J. public popular gatherings, Cicero dt
II livered those orations whose eloquenC
. has outlived .the temples of gods an
the memorials Of empires. Here, wit
: grand but undeserved honors, took plac
, the funeral of Claudius, his shameless
= foe. Here the horrible wars of Syll
and Marius were followed with execu
, tions yet more horrible, until the Fo
um ran red with blood, and the peopl,
wearied with internecine strife, wer
ready to accept the comparative peac
and prosperity which the empire afford
ed. Here Cesar fell, victor of man
battles, to be at last the victim of assas
sins; and this is the scene of that gran
funeral occasion which Shakespeare hi
q converted into drama more true, b,
y cause more life-like, than history itsel
q Up the Sdcra Via passed those magn
fcent triumphal professions whic
;. characterized the reign of the emperor
9 and marked by their ostentation an
v display the decay and dapproach ing di
+ solution Of Rome; for he who devote
If to celebrating exploits those energi'
~ which should be devoted to perfor
"a them has already ceased to be grea,
"a and this is as true of nations as of ind
y viduals. Surrounded by the temple
a upon whose ruins We are looking, (
" within their walls, took place the tri
v of the primitive Christians, whose on
"a ofIense against good morals was th
n they refused to participate in religiC
a which Rome's wisest philosophers, wi
|, unanimous voice, pronounced frauC
@. and nus in imperial Rome grew |
t. that spirit Of persecution which tt
t. Christian Church failed to exerci:
NJ but which, driven from the city for
!. season, returned to ecclesiastical Ror
ly in sevenfold force, like the devil in
I'd PARABLE Harper's Mago=he.