The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-27

pared or deferred tho victory Of the Church
II should be distinctly understood that
this work Is the product Of hrst-hand, moi
secondhand, eruditlon and investigation
The author has made 1t . primary duty tc
devote himself to complete survey Of the
literature and inscriptions Of the period
He has not neglected. either, secondary
authorities and monographs. and refer.
ences to those which he has used will be
found In the copious footpotes. We OBJ
servo that no Acknowledges weishty obli-
cations for guidance and suggestions to
Fredlander. Zeller. RSvilie Schiller, Bois-
sier and Marquardt, and particularly to
M. Cumonts exhaustive work on the monu-
ments Of Mithra. -
In q rAview OF this admirable work. not
one Of whose fifteen chapters u devoid Of
illumination and fascination, We must
needs pass over a. dealing with themes
relatively familiar the account OF the
Roman aristooraoy under the Cahgulan,
Claudian aud Neronian Terror. Terror
revived under Domitan, and the discussion
Of the extent to which We can credit the
breadth and depth Of the corruption I'm.
puted to the Roman society Of their own
day by Juvenal Tacitus and Suetonius
We pass over, also. those sections OF tho
book which analyze the part played In
Roman lie by philosophy In Its dual ca
pacity Of director Of conduct and expounder
Of philosophy. as we'll a. certain chapters
which, to many readers. win seem not only
interesting but surprising. on the imported
worships Of the Great Mother. Of lsis and
Scraps. and Of Mithra. which long were
successful rivals OF Christianity. We pre-
fer to devote tho space at our command
to the rise Of the freedmen. . great social
and economical movement; to the life Of
Italian country towns. whereof 90 little
Is to be cleaned from Roman literature.
and to an estimate Of the measure in which
belief in immortality had begun to leaven
the Roman world.
There il no doubt that In the history
Of the early empire the deadly conflict
between the Principe and the Senate, the
carnival Of luxury and tho tragic close OF
90 many reigns have diverted attention
from social changes Of immense moment.
Mr.. Dill shows In his third chapter that not
the least important Of these was the rise
OF tho freedmen In tho face Of the most
violent prejudice, both popular and aristo-
cratic.
II We would appreciate the real signid-
canoe Of the change We must rely almost
exclusively on the inscriptions. for Latin
literature has thrown it's whole weight on
the side Of prejudice, and given full vent
alike to the scorn Of the noble and to the
hate and envy OF tho plebeian. So swift
4 10 liz h. hat
old. conservative instincts might we'll he
alarmed Everywhere in the inscriptions
freedmen are seen mounting to wealth and
consequence throughout the provinces.
as we'll as in Italy, and winning popularity
and influence by profuse benefaottons to
colleges and municipalities. In almost
every district Of the Roman Empire the
order OF the Augustales which was COM
posed to great extent Of wealthy freedmen.
has left it's memorials. In Martial's day
"freedmans wealth" had become proverh
Not only are the members Of this despised
class crowding all the meaner trades. from
which the pride, even Of Roman plebeians
shrank oontemptuously. but by industry.
shrewdness and speculative daring they
are becoming great capitalists and land
owners on Senatorial scale. Our author
is convinced that the Trimalchio Of Petro-
MUS, who is depicted as not having even
seen some Of his estates. IL. II We allow for
some artistic exaggeration the represent
tative Of "a great class. Tadtus records
that in the reign Of Nero a debate arose
in the Senate on the insolence and mis-
conduct Of freedmen. Significantly 1t
was argued by those opposed to any violent
methods OF repression that the class was
widely diffused; that freedmen were found
in overwhelming numbers in the city
tribes, in the lower Offices Of the civil service
and in the establishments Of the magistrates
and priests; and that a considerable num-
Dor, even OF the knights and Senator'S drew
their origin from this source. The warning
was added that II freedmen were marked
Oh sharply as a separate grade the scanty
numbers OF the free born would be revealed.
As a matter OF fact, no efficient measures
we're taken to check what may be described
az a species OF social revolution.
The immense force Of old Roman con-
.ervatism and social prejudice is brou ght
out distinctly when we note that men so
cultivated yet OF such widely different
temperaments and associations as Pliny
and Tacitus, Juvenal and Martial and
PetrOnl'l6. OenOunCe or TlulCup an uTe.
sistib social movement. Mr.. Dill submits
that. az political economists. we can now
rec that the rise Of the emancipated slaves
was not only inevitable. but that it was.
on the whole. salutary and rich in promise
for the future. The slave class Of antiquity
really correspondent to our free laboring
class Blair computes that in the age OF
the Antonines there were In Italy alone
nearly q 900, 600 slaves as against less than
i,Ooo,o 900 freemen. Unlike the mass Of our
artizans, however. the slave class comprised
many who, from accident Of birth and edu-
cation, had a skill and knowledge which
their masters often did not possess"
Epictetus, for example, when young, was a
slave OF ono Of Nero's freedmen. similar
thing may be said Of Terence and Phedrus.
Our author lays due stress upon the fact
that -the slaves who came from the ancient
seats OF civilization in the East arc not to be
compared with the dark, gross races that
seem to be stamped by nature as Of any
inferior breed. The frequent mental and
moral equality of the Roman slave with his
master had forced itself upon men Of the