eople had
been led by the increasing profligacy of the times, and the expenses of
living. Restrictions were placed on the manumission of slaves. The
personal habits of the imperator were simple, but dignified. His mansion
on the Palatine was moderate in size. His dress was that of a senator, and
woven by the hands of Livia and her maidens. He was courteous, sober,
decorous, and abstemious. His guests were chosen for their social
qualities. Virgil and Horace, plebeian poets, were received at his table,
as well as Pollio and Messala. He sought to guard morals, and revive
ancient traditions. He was jealous only of those who would not flatter
him. He freely spent money for games and festivals, and secured peace and
plenty within the capital, where he reigned supreme. The people
felicitated themselves on the appearance of unbounded prosperity, and
servile poets sung the praises of the emperor as if he were a god.

(M1043) And, to all appearance, Rome was the most favored spot upon the
globe. Vast fleets brought corn from Gaul, Spain, Sicily, Sardinia,
Africa, and Egypt, to feed the four millions of people who possessed the
world. The capital was the emporium of all the luxuries of distant
provinces. Spices from the East, ivory, cotton, silk, pearls, diamonds,
gums thither flowed, as well as corn, oil, and wine. A vast commerce gave
unity to the empire, and brought all the great cities into communication
with each other and with Rome--the mighty mistress of lands and continents,
the directress of armies, the builder of roads, the civilizer and
conservator of all the countries which she ruled with her iron hand. There
was general security to commerce, as well as property. There were order
and law, wherever proconsular power extended. The great highways, built
originally for military purposes, extending to every part of the empire,
and crossing mountains and deserts, and forests and marshes, and studded
with pillars and post-houses, contributed vastly to the civilization of
the world.

(M1044) At this time, Rome herself, though not so large and splendid as in
subsequent periods, was the most attractive place on earth. Seven
aqueducts already brought water to the city, some over stone arches, and
some by subterranean pipes. The sepulchres of twenty generations lined the
great roads which extended from the capital to the provinces. As these
roads approached the city, they became streets, and the houses were dense
and continuous.