OF '1 HE ROMAN EMPIRE.

the nobles. It was formerly provided, that none,except the supreme magistrate, should possessor command the gates, bridges, or towers, of thestate; that no private garrisons should be intro-duced into the towns or castles of the Romanterritory; that none should bear arms, or pre-sume to fortify their houses in the city or coun-try ; that the barons should be responsible forthe safety of the highways and the free passageof provisions; and that the protection of male-factors and robbers should be expiated by a fineof a thousand marks of silver. But these regu-lations would have been impotent and nugatory,had not the licentious nobles been awed by thesword of the civil power. A sudden alarm fromthe bell of the capitol could still summon to thestandard above twenty thousand volunteers: thesupport of the tribune and the laws required amore regular and permanent force. In eachharbour of the coast, a vessel was statioued forthe assurance of commerce; a standing militiaof three hundred and sixty horse and thirteenhundred foot was levied, Clothed, and paid, inthe thirteen quarters of the city; and the spiritof a commonwealth may be traced in the grate-ful allowance of one hundred florins or poundsto the heirs of every soldier who lost his life inthe service of his country. For the mainte-nance of the public defence, for the establish-ment of granaries, for the relief of widow's, or-phans, and indigent convents, Rienzi applied,without fear of sacrilege, the revenues of theapostolic chamber: the three branches of hearth-money, the salt-duty, and the customs, were

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