WE told in our last paper how the old Romans deposed their king and established a Republic, and made laws which were just and equitable: but this did not ensure either internal or external peace for any length of time. War amongst themselves, or against their enemies, was just as frequent during the days of the Tribunes as when the Tarquins ruled.
Ever since sin came into the world and ambitious designs entered the hearts of men, conflict and strife have been inevitable, and will be until Christ comes whose right it is to reign. Not till then will true and lasting peace be known upon this broad earth, and as we read the history of this ancient people, a verse from God’s Word often recurs to our minds which declares, that surely “the wrath of man shall praise Thee, the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain” (Psalm 65:1010Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. (Psalm 65:10)). For men may go to intolerable lengths: they may assert their own wills in an extraordinary fashion: they may exercise commanding influence, as in the days of the Pharaohs, of the Kings of Assyria and Persia and Greece, but a limit seems to be placed upon the power of the mightiest conqueror, and at last he has to bow to the authority of a greater than himself.
We have seen in the history of the nations that have arisen and declined how God’s Hand seemed to be above it all, controlling, and eventually leading to the fulfilment of His great purposes: and so now, although well-nigh five hundred years had yet to be, before the Son of God was to come into this world in Judea’s Land, yet the devout and careful reader can trace the mighty Hand of God in the story, and perceive how events so apparently remote were tending to show that the very “wrath of man” would work out to the “praise” of God, and that His restraining might would hinder even the tyranny of kings or nations going beyond such lengths as were known to, or permitted by, Him, as His Word declares, THE REMAINDER OF WRATH SHALT THOU RESTRAIN.
We can only give the general trend of events in the story of old Rome. It is not our purpose to occupy our readers with all the war and strife and internal tumult that troubled the empire during the period we are now considering. It has well been said that the history of a nation is generally the story of its battles, and this is especially true concerning the second epoch of Rome’s history which we are now considering. The people were increasing in numbers and advancing in power. By alliances with some of the surrounding Latin and other nations, their forces were consolidated, and they were better able to resist the attacks of the barbaric tribes. The incident connected with Coriolanus (amongst many that are manifestly legendary) is generally accepted as true. He had fought bravely for his country, but was ultimately exiled, and then joined the Volscians in their attack against Rome. The people knew how brave he was, and feared the consequences of his anger. At first ten of the foremost men of the Senate went out to appeal to him to forbear, then all the priests and augurs and others associated with the Pagan worship of the temples went out in all their white and beautiful priestly vestments, but to no purpose. Then his aged mother, Venturia, and his wife, Volumnia, went out leading her little children. They were accompanied by the most famous matrons of Rome, and as they appeared before the tent of the warrior, his old mother and his wife prayed him, for their sakes, to spare the city of Rome. Their appeal was irresistible, and Coriolanus said, as he give evidence of his tenderness of heart, “Mother, thou hast saved Rome, but thou hast lost thy son,” because he knew his present masters would condemn him as a traitor for yielding.
The story of Cincinnatus is also interesting. He was found ploughing in the field clad only in the ordinary country costume, when the Senators appeared, calling upon him to take command of the Roman army. He obeyed the summons, and by a series of remarkable maneuvers managed to surround the AEquian army and forced it to entirely surrender.
The way in which he treated the enemies of his country has almost passed into a proverb, as he made them all, as a sign of submission, “pass under the yoke.” Two spears were fixed upright in the ground, and a third secured across the top, and each man had to pass thereunder, and ever since the idea of passing under the yoke has been indicative of complete subjection upon the part of an enemy.