61 quotes
A long period of distress and anarchy, in which empire, and arts, and riches, had migrated from the banks of the Tiber, was incapable of restoring or adorning the city; and, as all that is human must retrograde if it do not advance, every successive age must have hastened the ruin of the works of antiquity.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
[C]aution and vigilance are the most important lessons of the art of war.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
The most civilised nations of modern Europe issued from the woods of Germany, and in the rude institutions of those barbarians we may still distinguish the original principles of our present laws and manners.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
Every mode of religion, to make a deep and lasting impression on the human mind, must exercise our obedience, by enjoining practices of devotion; and must acquire our esteem, by inculcating moral duties analogous to the dictates of our own hearts.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
Our habits of thinking so fondly connect the order of the universe with the fate of man, that this gloomy period of history has been decorated with inundations, earthquakes, uncommon meteors, preternatural darkness, and a crowd of prodigies fictitious or exaggerated.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
The timid are always cruel.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
If we consult the succeeding writers ... their knowledge will appear gradually to increase as their means of information must have diminished, a circumstance which frequently occurs in historical disquisition.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
Antoninus diffused order and tranquility over the greatest part of the earth. His reign is marked by the rare advantage of furnishing very few materials for history; which is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
...in the prosecution of a favourite scheme, the best of men, satisfied with the rectitude of their intentions, are subject to forget the bounds of moderation...
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
The same timid policy, of dividing whatever is united, of reducing whatever is eminent, of dreading every active power, and of expecting that the most feeble will be the most obedient, seems to pervade the institutions of several princes, and particularly those of Constantine.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
[T]he progress of despotism ... tends to disappoint its own purpose.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
Benevolence is the foundation of Justice, since we are forbidden to injure those we are bound to assist. A prophet may reveal the secrets of Heaven and futurity, but in his moral precepts he can only repeat the lessons of our own hearts.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
A warlike nation like the Germans, without either cities, letters, arts, or money, found some compensation for this savage state in the enjoyment of liberty. Their poverty secured their freedom, since our desires and our possessions are the strongest fetters of despotism.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
[E]unuchs, that pernicious vermin of the East...
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
[T]he Christians, in the course of their intestine dissensions, have inflicted far greater severities on each other than they had experienced from the zeal of infidels.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
Constantine was satisfied that secret impunity would be less pernicious than public scandal, and the Nicene council was edified by his public declaration, that, if he surprised a bishop in the act of adultery, he should cast his Imperial mantle over the episcopal sinner.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
This variety of objects will suspend, for some time, the course of the narrative; but the interruption will be censured only by those readers who are insensible to the importance of laws and manners, while they peruse, with eager curiosity, the transient intrigues of a court, or the accidental event of a battle.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
The example and reputation of Constantine seemed to countenance the delay of baptism. Future tyrants were encouraged to believe that the innocent blood which they might shed in a long reign would instantly be washed away in the waters of regeneration; and the abuse of religion dangerously undermined the foundations of moral virtue.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
But this splendid exaggeration, which even at present it would be extremely difficult to reconcile with the real state of mankind, can be considered only as the rash sally of a devout but careless writer, the measure of whose belief was regulated by that of his wishes. But neither the belief nor the wishes of the fathers can alter the truth of history.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)
Some particular instances may occur of eunuchs distinguished by their fidelity, their valour, and their abilities; but if we examine the general history of Persia, India, and China, we shall find that the power of the eunuchs has uniformly marked the decline and fall of every dynasty.
The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)