FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1208   1209   1210   1211   1212   1213   1214   1215   1216   1217   1218   1219   1220   1221   1222   1223   1224   1225   1226   1227   1228   1229   1230   1231   1232  
1233   1234   1235   1236   1237   1238   1239   1240   1241   1242   1243   1244   1245   1246   1247   1248   1249   1250   1251   1252   1253   1254   1255   1256   1257   >>   >|  
such that, if he would not break with the glorious past, if he would not deceive the expectations of his party and in fact of the nation, if he would not be unfaithful to his own sense of duty, he must check the maladministration of public affairs and put an end to the government of the restoration; and if he only possessed the internal qualities of a head of the people, he might certainly dispense with those which he lacked as a popular leader. The New Military Organization He held in his hand a formidable weapon in the newly organized army. Previously to his time the fundamental principle of the Servian constitution--by which the levy was limited entirely to the burgesses possessed of property, and the distinctions as to armour were regulated solely by the property qualification(2)--had necessarily been in various respects relaxed. The minimum census of 11,000 -asses- (43 pounds), which bound its possessor to enter the burgess-army, had been lowered to 4000 (17 pounds;(3)). The older six property-classes, distinguished by their respective kinds of armour, had been restricted to three; for, while in accordance with the Servian organization they selected the cavalry from the wealthiest, and the light-armed from the poorest, of those liable to serve, they arranged the middle class, the proper infantry of the line, no longer according to property but according to age of service, in the three divisions of -hastati-, -principes-, and -triarii-. They had, moreover, long ago brought in the Italian allies to share to a very great extent in war-service; but in their case too, just as among the Roman burgesses, military duty was chiefly imposed on the propertied classes. Nevertheless the Roman military system down to the time of Marius rested in the main on that primitive organization of the burgess-militia. But it was no longer suited for the altered circumstances. The better classes of society kept aloof more and more from service in the army, and the Roman and Italic middle class in general was disappearing; while on the other hand the considerable military resources of the extra-Italian allies and subjects had become available, and the Italian proletariate also, properly applied, afforded at least a very useful material for military objects. The burgess- cavalry,(4) which was meant to be formed from the class of the wealthy, had practically ceased from service in the field even before the time of Marius. It is la
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1208   1209   1210   1211   1212   1213   1214   1215   1216   1217   1218   1219   1220   1221   1222   1223   1224   1225   1226   1227   1228   1229   1230   1231   1232  
1233   1234   1235   1236   1237   1238   1239   1240   1241   1242   1243   1244   1245   1246   1247   1248   1249   1250   1251   1252   1253   1254   1255   1256   1257   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
military
 
property
 
service
 

burgess

 
Italian
 

classes

 
allies
 
pounds
 

Servian

 

Marius


burgesses

 
cavalry
 

middle

 

longer

 

organization

 
armour
 

possessed

 

triarii

 

principes

 

hastati


considerable

 

disappearing

 

brought

 

divisions

 

resources

 

applied

 

properly

 

afforded

 
proper
 
proletariate

extent

 
material
 

subjects

 

infantry

 

militia

 

arranged

 

primitive

 

formed

 

rested

 

Italic


society

 
circumstances
 

suited

 

altered

 

general

 
ceased
 
chiefly
 

imposed

 

wealthy

 
objects