THE DECLINE AND FALL

82

CHAP.

It.

Posts.

rect line from one city to another, with verylittle respect for the obstacles either of natureor private property. Mountains were perfo-rated, and bold arches thrown over the broad-est and most rapid streams. r The middle partof the road was raised into a terrace, whichcommanded the adjacent country, consisted ofseveral strata of sand, gravel, and cement, andwas paved with large stones, or, in some placesnear the capital, with granite. 5 Such was thesolid construction of the Roman highways,whose firmness has not entirely yielded to theeffort of fifteen centuries. They united the sub-jects of the most distant provinces by an easyand familiar intercourse; but their primary ob-ject had been to facilitate the marches of the.legions; nor was any country considered ascompletely subdued, till it had been rendered,in all its parts, pervious to the arms and autho-rity of the conqueror. The advantage of receiv-ing the earliest intelligence, and of conveyingtheir orders with celerity, induced the emperorsto establish, throughout their extensive domi-nions, the regular institution of posts. 1 Houseswere every where erected at the distance onlyof five or six miles; each of them was constant-ly provided with forty horses, and, by the helpof these relays, it was easy to travel an hundred

r Montfaucon, I’Antiquity Expliquee (fora, iv, p. 2. 1. i, c. 5), has de-scribed the bridges of Narni , Alcantara, Nismes, &c.

s Bergier Histoire des grands Chemins de i’Einpire Roraain, 1. ii, c.1-28.

' Procopius in Hist. Arcana, c. 30. Bergier Hist, des grands Che-mins, 1. iv. Codex Theodosian, 1. viii, tit. v, vol. ii, p. 50G-563, withGodefroy’s learned commentary.