FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443   444   445   446   447   448   449   450   451   452   453  
454   455   456   457   458   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468   469   470   471   472   473   474   475   476   477   478   >>   >|  
soil, which, by every motive of interest and honor, they were bound to defend. A Lombard was born the soldier of his king and his duke; and the civil assemblies of the nation displayed the banners, and assumed the appellation, of a regular army. Of this army, the pay and the rewards were drawn from the conquered provinces; and the distribution, which was not effected till after the death of Alboin, is disgraced by the foul marks of injustice and rapine. Many of the most wealthy Italians were slain or banished; the remainder were divided among the strangers, and a tributary obligation was imposed (under the name of hospitality) of paying to the Lombards a third part of the fruits of the earth. Within less than seventy years, this artificial system was abolished by a more simple and solid tenure. [42] Either the Roman landlord was expelled by his strong and insolent guest, or the annual payment, a third of the produce, was exchanged by a more equitable transaction for an adequate proportion of landed property. Under these foreign masters, the business of agriculture, in the cultivation of corn, wines, and olives, was exercised with degenerate skill and industry by the labor of the slaves and natives. But the occupations of a pastoral life were more pleasing to the idleness of the Barbarian. In the rich meadows of Venetia, they restored and improved the breed of horses, for which that province had once been illustrious; [43] and the Italians beheld with astonishment a foreign race of oxen or buffaloes. [44] The depopulation of Lombardy, and the increase of forests, afforded an ample range for the pleasures of the chase. [45] That marvellous art which teaches the birds of the air to acknowledge the voice, and execute the commands, of their master, had been unknown to the ingenuity of the Greeks and Romans. [46] Scandinavia and Scythia produce the boldest and most tractable falcons: [47] they were tamed and educated by the roving inhabitants, always on horseback and in the field. This favorite amusement of our ancestors was introduced by the Barbarians into the Roman provinces; and the laws of Italy esteemed the sword and the hawk as of equal dignity and importance in the hands of a noble Lombard. [48] [Footnote 38: Maffei (Verona Illustrata, part i. p. 310--321) and Muratori (Antichita Italiane, tom. ii. Dissertazione xxxii. xxxiii. p. 71--365) have asserted the native claims of the Italian idiom; the former with enthusias
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443   444   445   446   447   448   449   450   451   452   453  
454   455   456   457   458   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468   469   470   471   472   473   474   475   476   477   478   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Italians
 
provinces
 
foreign
 

produce

 
Lombard
 

teaches

 

Italian

 

marvellous

 
pleasures
 

acknowledge


Greeks

 
ingenuity
 

Romans

 

Scandinavia

 

unknown

 

master

 

execute

 

commands

 
claims
 

afforded


province

 

enthusias

 

illustrious

 

horses

 
meadows
 

Venetia

 
restored
 

improved

 

beheld

 

Lombardy


depopulation

 

increase

 
forests
 

astonishment

 

buffaloes

 

Scythia

 

boldest

 

Footnote

 

Maffei

 

Verona


dignity

 

importance

 

Illustrata

 

Italiane

 

xxxiii

 

Antichita

 

Muratori

 

native

 

horseback

 

inhabitants