rritory or that of the Roman allies. This seems
particularly true of the period prior to the Gallic inroad of 387.
According to the ancient Roman formula employed in declaring war, that
uttered by the Fetiales, war was looked upon as the last means to obtain
reparation for wrongs that were suffered at the hands of the enemy. Yet,
although the Roman attitude in such matters was doubtless at one time
sincere, we may well question how long this sincerity continued, and
whether the injuries complained of were not sometimes the result of Roman
provocation. Such attempts to place the moral responsibility for a war
upon the enemy are common to all ages and are not always convincing.
However, if we may not convict the Romans of aggressive imperialism prior
to 265, at any rate the methods which they pursued in their relations with
the other peoples of Italy made their domination inevitable in view of the
Roman national character and their political and military organization.
These methods early became established maxims of Roman foreign policy. The
Romans, whenever possible, waged even their defensive wars offensively,
and rarely made peace save with a beaten foe. As a rule, the enemy was
forced to conclude a treaty with Rome which placed his forces at the
disposal of the Roman state. This treaty was regarded as perpetually
binding, and any attempt to break off the relationship it established was
regarded as a _casus belli_. Possibly, the Romans looked upon this as the
only policy which would guarantee peace on their borders, but it
inevitably led to further wars, for it resulted in the continuous
extension of the frontiers defended by Rome and so continually brought
Rome into contact and conflict with new peoples. Nor were the voluntary
allies of Rome allowed to leave the Roman alliance: such action was
treated as equivalent to a declaration of war and regularly punished with
severity. This practice gradually transformed Rome's independent into
dependent allies. From the middle of the fourth century, it seems that
Rome deliberately sought to prevent the development of a strong state in
the southern part of Italy, and to this end gladly took under her
protection weaker communities that felt themselves threatened by stronger
neighbors, although such action inevitably led to war with the latter.
Furthermore, a conquered state frequently lost a considerable part of its
territory. Portions of this land were set aside for the foundation