The sun., 1909-02-28

/ was tno tnmoun GtOuha, t1g AN3bi" wa
fascinated Catnilus and than threw him
over. We have just another glimpse oi
another lady, Of the fashionable type
namely. Sempronia, who according te
Sallust was one Of those who found
steady married life incompatible with
literary and artistic tastes. 'She could
play and dance more elegantly he says
'than an honest woman ahould; she
played fast and loose with her money
and equally 10 with her good name.
She seems TO have been the first OF q
series Of ladies who during the next CEN
tury were to be powers In politics. Even
II We put aside az untrustworthy great
deal Of what il told us Of the relations Of
men and women In the Ciceronian period
| II must be confessed that there Is quite
sufficient evidence 10 show that they were
loose In the extreme and bore witness 10
an unhealthy condition OF family and
social life. Divorce was 90 common a.
10 be almost inevitable. Husbands d.
voroed their wives on the smallest pre-
text, and wives divorced their husbands.
v.
We have already extended the notice
Of this book to a considerable length and
therefore We pass over important chap
ters on the education Of the upper Glasses.
on tho house of the rich man, on holi-
days and amusements. and on religion.
wewould not, however, take leave Of these
interesting pages without paying at least
some attention to what the author has
to say about the slave population. which
played 80 grave part, moral, social and
economic. In ancient civilization and
especially In the Roman State. There
seems to be no doubt that In the last days
OF tho Roman Republic the employment
OF slave labor reached the high water
mark OF its development in ancient his
tory. Ever since the time Of Alexander
and the wars Of his SUCCESSORS with each
other and their neighbors it Ia probable
that the supply of captives sold as slaves
had been increasing. In the second
century b. G. the little island Of Delos
In the Cyolades had come TO be used as
a convenient centre for the slave trade.
Strabo says that ten thousand slaves had
been sold there in a single day. Rome
herself, however. in The time Of Cicero
was the great emporium for slaves. The
wars which were most productive Of pris-
oners had long been waged In the centre
and tbe west Of the Mediterranean basin.
All armies sent out from Rome we're ac-
companied by spectators in the slave
trade. who bought the captives as they
were put up at auction after a battle. and
then undertook TO transport TO Rome all
who were suited for employment in Italy
or were not bought UP in the province
which was the seat of war. The enor-
nous number Of slaves said to have been
made thus available almost surpasses
belief. We take a few examples sufficient
TO give some idea Of practice which had
lasting and lamentable results on Roman
socistv.
After the campaign Of Pydna and the
overthrow Of the Macedonian kingdom
Emilius Psulfus, one Of the most humane
of Romans. sold into slavery under. orders
from the Senate 10000 free inhabitants
OF communities in Epirus which had
sided with Perseus in the war. After
the war with the Cimbri and Teutones
% 600 OF the latter and 90, 900 Of the former
are said to have been sold. Cesar, who
most humane Of Romans. tells us himself
that on a single occasion. the capture
OF the Aduatuoi, he sold 5000 prisoners
on the spot. or course. every war.
whether great or small. while it dimin-
ished the free population by slaughter.
pestilence or capture. added to the num-
Der Of slaves. Cicero himself. after
his campaign in Cilioia. did as all
other commanders did. Mr.. Fowler
points out that we should be getting our
historical perspective quite wrong il
We allowed ourselves TO expect in these
cultured Roman generals any sign OF
for their victims. IL was
a part OF their mental inheritance to
look on men who had surrendered as
simply booty, the property OF the victors;
Roman captives would meet with the
same fate, ard even for them little pity
was ever fat-
War then was Rome's principal source
Of the supply OF slaves. but il was
not the only source. When the slave
trade was in full swing 1t was apt
10 be fostered in many ways. Brigand-
age and kidnapping were rife all over
the empire and in the countries be-
yond it's borders in the disturbed times
amid which Gcero's lot was cast. The
pirates In Cilicis, until they were sup
pressed by Pompeius in 81 b. c., swarmed
all over the Mediterranean and snapped
up victims by raids even on the coasts Of
Italy, selling them in the market OF Delos
hindrance. Cssar himself was
taken by them when a young man and
only escaped with difficulty. Even in
Italy, where there was no police protec-
ton until Augustus took the matter in
hand, kidnapping was by no means un-
known. Slaves escaped from the great
estates, haunted the public roads and
many a traveller disappeared in this way
and passed the rest Of his life in a slave
prison. Slave merchants seem 10 have
been continually carrying on their trade
In regions where no war was going on
and where desirable slaves could be pro-
cured.
There were two other sources OF the !
slave supply. Of which, however. little
need be said. as the contributions they |
made were comparatively small. First. |
slaves were bred from slaves, and on rural
estates this was frequently done as a |
matter Of business. Secondly. certain |
number OF slaves would become such |
under the law Of debt This had been a !
common source Of slavery in the early
periods Of Roman history, but there 10
ZONE reason TO believe that In Cicero's |
Day the practice was relatively infre1uent. |
All these internal sources OF slavery were |
IA nothing compared with the supply |