The sun., 1889-02-10

| A task OF no small difficulty has been ad-
mirably performed in the abrldgment of
Mommsen's History Of the Roman Republic,
made by Messrs. c. BRYANs and L. j. r. HESDY,
| and reprinted BY the Scribners. The four ca
pacious volumes, in which Mommsens work is
| comprised. are, by reason Of their very bulk.
! more often consulted by the mature student
| than by the school boy or undergraduate. and
| teachers must have long desired to see the con-
| cusiohs and opinions OF tho foremost inter-
prefer OF Roman history presented in COM
| pact form. There are. indeed. certain features
OF the original book. such rs the discussions Of
Roman literature. art, religion. and political
economy, which had to be excluded or. at
| most. only outlined in this compendium
but tho political and military history OF tho
Roman republic is fully and clearly set FORTH
We should point out also that the editors have
been careful to reproduce the views of Momm-
sen. no matter how strenuously these may
have been controver;ed by other authorities
the two or three departures from the rulo be-
ing marked In foot notes. So faithfully and
effectively has the process of condensation
been carried out that even those who arc IA
miliar with tho larger wor. will find this syn
opsis extremely useful. And we are tempted
to recall some OF tho particulars IN which
Mommsen diflcrs from other German and Eng
lish writer's who have treated the same subject.
We observe. for instance strongly accented
in Mommsen the reaction from the movement
started by Niebuhr which tended 10 discard as
legendary the whole OF tho history OF Rome
preceding tho burning OF the city by the Gauls
1890 i. c. Even in this abridSment eighty
pages arc devoted to tho period antcccdent TO
that event and nothing is said about tho de-
struction OF the records by the Celtic invaders.
In this part Of the book will be found con-
densed all that WIS known of the Etruscans
whon Mommsens history was written. about
thirty years ago. The conquest OF Rome by
the Etruscans under Lars Porsenna 1907 B. c.
Is accepted as n fact: but tho notion embodied
by Macaulay In his Lays" is reJected-the
notion. namely that tho Etrurian invasion was
undertaken for the purpose Of restoring the
expelled house Of Tarluin, Another inter-
esting point preserved by tho compilers OF
this summary Is the following: The title city
OF the seven hills" was exclusively reserved
for tho narrow old Rome OF an epoch anterior TO
tina: associated with Servius Tullius. This
ancient city Oi tho seven mounts embraced
the Paaiine. tho palatine slope called Ccrnu-
lus. tho Nclin or ridge connecting the paiatine
and the Esquiine. tho three peaks Of the Is
outline. and tho fortress OF Suhurra." The
modern list Of the seven hills. which Is still re-
peatod In many school and college text books.
and which comprises the mounts embraced by
tho Servian wall. viz, Palatino, Ayentne. Cu-
Han. Esduine Viminal, Quirinal. Capitolno
Is unknown 10 any ancient author. 1t follows
that the memories OF generations OF UNDER
graduates have boon uselessy taxed.
On pago IS of tho compendium will bo found
Mommscns interesting explanation Of the
phrase, pdtres coHSDiDH, which to this day is
translated by many youthful readers OF Cicero
"conscrpt fathers" whereas, to bring out the
terms history anu significance, they should say