he cordial personal relations and that
charming friendship which had existed between the old Hellenes and the
mighty residents of the high Olympian peak.

The Romans did not imitate the Greek form of government, but being of
the same Indo-European stock as the people of Hellas, the early history
of Rome resembles that of Athens and the other Greek cities. They did
not find it difficult to get rid of their kings, the descendants of the
ancient tribal chieftains. But once the kings had been driven from the
city, the Romans were forced to bridle the power of the nobles, and it
took many centuries before they managed to establish a system which gave
every free citizen of Rome a chance to take a personal interest in the
affairs of his town.

Thereafter the Romans enjoyed one great advantage over the Greeks. They
managed the affairs of their country without making too many speeches.
They were less imaginative than the Greeks and they preferred an ounce
of action to a pound of words. They understood the tendency of the
multitude (the "plebe," as the assemblage of free citizens was called)
only too well to waste valuable time upon mere talk. They therefore
placed the actual business of running the city into the hands of two
"consuls" who were assisted by a council of Elders, called the Senate
(because the word "senex" means an old man). As a matter of custom and
practical advantage the senators were elected from the nobility. But
their power had been strictly defined.

Rome at one time had passed through the same sort of struggle between
the poor and the rich which had forced Athens to adopt the laws of Draco
and Solon. In Rome this conflict had occurred in the fifth century B.
C. As a result the freemen had obtained a written code of laws which
protected them against the despotism of the aristocratic judges by the
institution of the "Tribune." These Tribunes were city-magistrates,
elected by the freemen. They had the right to protect any citizen
against those actions of the government officials which were thought to
be unjust. A consul had the right to condemn a man to death, but if the
case had not been absolutely proved the Tribune could interfere and save
the poor fellow's life.

But when I use the word Rome, I seem to refer to a little city of a few
thousand inhabitants. And the real strength of Rome lay in the country
districts outside her walls. And it was in the government of these
outlying provinces that Rome at an