tates throughout
Italy as her companions, who in most respects lived with her on a
footing of equality, while, as has been noted, always reserving to
herself the seat of empire and the titular command, it came about that
these States, without being aware of it, by their own efforts, and with
their own blood, wrought out their own enslavement.

For when Rome began to send armies out of Italy, for the purpose of
reducing foreign kingdoms to provinces, and of subjugating nations who,
being used to live under kings, were not impatient of her yoke, and who,
receiving Roman governors, and having been conquered by armies bearing
the Roman name, recognized no masters save the Romans, those companions
of Rome who dwelt in Italy suddenly found themselves surrounded by Roman
subjects, and weighed down by the greatness of the Roman power; and when
at last they came to perceive the mistake in which they had been living,
it was too late to remedy it, so vast was the authority which Rome had
then obtained over foreign countries, and so great the resources which
she possessed within herself; having by this time grown to be the
mightiest and best-armed of States. So that although these her
companions sought to avenge their wrongs by conspiring against her, they
were soon defeated in the attempt, and remained in a worse plight than
before, since they too became subjects and no longer associates. This
method, then, as I have said, was followed by the Romans alone; but no
other plan can be pursued by a republic which desires to extend its
power; experience having shown none other so safe and certain.

The method which consists in forming leagues, of which I have spoken
above as having been adopted by the Etruscans, the Achaians, and the
Etolians of old, and in our own days by the Swiss, is the next best
after that followed by the Romans, for as in this way there can be no
great extension of power, two advantages result: first, that you do
not readily involve yourself in war; and, second, that you can easily
preserve any little acquisition which you may make. The reason why you
cannot greatly extend your power is, that as your league is made up of
separate States with distinct seats of government, it is difficult for
these to consult and resolve in concert. The same causes make these
States careless to enlarge their territories; because acquisitions which
have to be shared among many communities are less thought of than those
made by a sin