in life, and condemns them to eternal
infamy after death.

CHAPTER XI.--_Of the Religion of the Romans._

Though Rome had Romulus for her first founder, and as a daughter owed
him her being and nurture, nevertheless, when the institutions of
Romulus were seen by Heaven to be insufficient for so great a State, the
Roman senate were moved to choose Numa Pompilius as his successor, that
he might look to all matters which Romulus had neglected. He finding the
people fierce and turbulent, and desiring with the help of the peaceful
arts to bring them to order and obedience, called in the aid of religion
as essential to the maintenance of civil society, and gave it such a
form, that for many ages God was nowhere so much feared as in that
republic. The effect of this was to render easy any enterprise in which
the senate or great men of Rome thought fit to engage. And whosoever
pays heed to an infinity of actions performed, sometimes by the Roman
people collectively, often by single citizens, will see, that esteeming
the power of God beyond that of man, they dreaded far more to violate
their oath than to transgress the laws; as is clearly shown by the
examples of Scipio and of Manlius Torquatus. For after the defeat of the
Romans by Hannibal at Cannae, many citizens meeting together, resolved,
in their terror and dismay, to abandon Italy and seek refuge in Sicily.
But Scipio, getting word of this, went among them, and menacing them
with his naked sword, made them swear never to abandon their country.
Again, when Lucius Manlius was accused by the tribune Marcus Pomponius,
before the day fixed for trial, Titus Manlius, afterwards named
Torquatus, son to Lucius, went to seek this Marcus, and threatening
him with death if he did not withdraw the charge against his father,
compelled him to swear compliance; and he, through fear, having sworn,
kept his oath. In the first of these two instances, therefore, citizens
whom love of their country and its laws could not have retained in
Italy, were kept there by the oath forced upon them; and in the second,
the tribune Marcus, to keep his oath, laid aside the hatred he bore
the father, and overlooked the injury done him by the son, and his own
dishonour. And this from no other cause than the religion which Numa had
impressed upon this city.

And it will be plain to any one who carefully studies Roman History, how
much religion helped in disciplining the army, in uniting the people, in