OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

lieve, that a superstitious reverence for omens chap.and prophecies, for saints and astrologers, was Lx v ~only affected as an instrument of policy. In thegovernment of avast empire, he stood alone andabsolute, without a rebel to oppose his power,a favourite to seduce his affections, or a ministerto mislead his judgment. It was his firmestmaxim, that whatever might be the consequence,the word of the prince should never be disputedor recalled; but his foes have maliciously ob-served, that the commands of anger and de-struction were more strictly executed than thoseof beneficence and favour. His sons and grand-sons, of whom Timotir left six-and-thirty at hisdecease, were his first and most submissive sub-jects; and whenever they deviated from theirduty, they were corrected, according to the lawsof Zingis, with the bastonade, and afterwardsrestored to honour and command. Perhaps hisheart was not devoid of the social virtues; per-haps he w'as not incapable of loving his friends,and pardoning his enemies; but the rules ofmorality are founded on the public interest;and it may be sufficient to applaud the ivisdomof a monarch, for the liberality by which he isnot impoverished, and for the justice by whichhe is strengthened and enriched. To maintainthe harmony of authority and obedience, to chas-tise the proud, to protect the w'eak, to rewardthe deserving, to banish vice and idleness fromhis dominions, to secure the traveller and mer-chant, to restrain the depredations of the soldier,to cherish the labours of the husbandman, to eu-