"included in this celeftial city: whole nations, as Cappadocians, Scythians, and others, having in numberless multitudes at once fettled in Rome." This boaft, in reality, can relate only to the few quarters, or wards, where some individuals of thofe nations, ufed chiefly to live. Vefpa fian's amphitheatre was about a hundred and fifty feet in height; yet Ammianus Marcellinus, book xvi. c. 16. is pleased to fay, that its height is scarce difcernable by human eyes. In Pliny the elder's time, the eastern part of the city was terminated by the Agger Tarquini, or Tarquin's rampart, as it is to this day; and the monument of Ceftius may be concluded to have been the western bounds, as the ancient Romans did not admit of tombs, or fepulchral monuments, within the city. Towards the Ponte Molle, as in modern times, there was an open plain, in which Conftantine the Great drew up his army in order of battle; and the Vatican Mount is known to have been entirely without any buildings. It is very probable, both from the prefent ruins, and paffages of ancient writers, that in moft places the walls of the modern city, were the limits of the ancient, and that the entire circumference of both was nearly equal; but ⚫ there is a very great difference in the number of the buildings on the fame ground plot; for the plan of modern Rome plainly fhews, that one half of it is not built upon; and that thofe places on which the moft fplendid and magni⚫ficent ftructures anciently stood, are now turned to gardens, fields, meadows, vineyards, and even wafte ground. To ⚫ walk round the circuit of the city, including all the windings and angles of the walls, takes up, at moft, but four • hours, being about thirteen fhort Italian miles; whereas a tour round Paris, and its fuburbs, will require fix or seven C ❝ hours. As to the number of inhabitants in ancient and modern Rome, Livy, lib. i. c. 44. informs us, that in the time of Servius Tullius the citizens were computed at eighty thoufand; which in the Confulfhip of Quintius, were increased to a hundred and twenty-four thousand two hundred and fourteen. (Idem. lib. iii. c. 3.) But it is not to be imagined, that this number includes only fuch Roman citizens as ⚫ were housekeepers at Rome; it rather comprehends all who were made free of the city, though they refided in other parts of the empire. This honour at firft was not fo cheap as it was afterwards under the prevalence of corruption, when this privilege was lavishly bestowed on whole cities Rr 2 and ⚫ and provinces; til at lat the Emperor Antoninus declared • all free fubjects of the Roman empire citizens of Rome, and thus fully abrogated the diftination which otherwife had fuffered continual violation. At firft, the Roman legi⚫ons confifted only of citizens of Rome; but this was foon altered. The Luftra were inftituted every fifth year for talking an account of the number of the people, and the pt and proportion of the taxes. In the Dictatorship • of Quiotos Fabius Maximus, the Roman citizens amounted two hundred and fourteen thoufand; and this Luftrum was a work of time, being carried on through all the provinces. (Liv. lib. xxix. c. 37.) Before the civil wars, it appears from Florus's epitome of Livy, that the number of ♦ Roman citizens, at the highest calculation, was four hun• dred and filty thousand; but generally they were reckoned to be betwixt two and three hundred thoufand, till the civil ⚫ difcords reduced them to a hundred and fifty thousand. This ← calculation is attended with no difficulty, Plutarch and Appian concurring in it; and the latter fays, that the civil "wars had deftroyed above half the Roman citizens." Sue. tonius, c. xli. in Cæfare, informs us, "that Cæfar dimi"nished the number of those to whom corn was diftributed "out of the public granaries, and that only three hundred and twenty thousand partook of that donation." But on thefe occafions the queftion was not concerning citizenship, but indigence; and thus all the common people who pre⚫ fented the nfelves were gratified. Thefe calculations being indifputable, we cannot but wonder at reading in Tacitus, what he fays concerning the Emperor Claudius, Condidit lujirum, quo cenfa funt civium LXVIIII cantena & LXIIII • millia. "He ordered a Luftrum, by which the number of citizens was found to be fixty-nine claffes of a hundred, and fixty-four of a thoufand cach;" for before, in the coufe of fome centuries, the number had increased but four or fix fold. In the fhort interval between Cæfar's triumph • and Claudius's Luftrum, which, at moft, was not above eighty years, according to this account, the proportion had at once, as it were, role forty-fix to one. This is either owing to the negligence of tranfcribers, or Tacitus had formed his computation upon very different grounds from Livy. Pofbly the cafe is, that in Tacitus's time the number of pericns, men and women, old and young, intitled to the freedom of Rome, amounted to betwixt fix and fe• ven millions. They who afcribe to ancient Rome fuch an ⚫ incredible number of inhabitants, if they allow that its circumference 7 ⚫cumference did not extend beyond the remains of its ancient walls, must have recourfe to the height of the houles, but to very little purpose: for Strabo, in his fifth book, men⚫tions an order of Auguftus, against building houses above feventy feet high; and according to Aurelius Victor, Trajan reduced the ftandard to fixty feet, which is equal but to about four or five ftorics; cfpecially in het countries, where low rooms are very inconvenient. Now it is well known, that this is the common height of the heufes at Vienna, Paris, and other modern capital cities, and confequently in ⚫ this point Rome had no particular advantage over them. If Rome contained fo many millions of fouls, I fee little reafon why Suetonius, in his Life of Niro, fhould fit it down, as fomething very extraordiny, that the pofilence ❝ in one autumn had fwept away no 1 then thirty thoufind "people" it being known from experice, that in populous cities the annual number of natural deaths is abit ong in twenty-fix, or thirty. Hence it is evident, that a city containing four millions and a half of inhabitants, according to the common courfe of nature, without any pellitance interfering, muft lofe every quarter of a year above thirty thousand of its inhabitants. London contains a million of inhabitants, and the burials are annually about twenty-ux thousand; but the plague in King Charles the fecond's time, ⚫ carried off ninety-feven thousand. Whatever was the nuc ber of the inhabitants of ancient Rome, it greatly exceeded ⚫ thofe of modern Rome. It appears from Ciacconius's Life of Gregory XI. that in 1376, all the fouls in Rome amounted only to thirty-three thoufand. In the quiet and happy reign of Pope Leo, according to Paulus Jovius, they were increased to eighty-five thoufand; but in the tumultuous times, under Clement VII. they funk again fo low as thirtytwo thousand. In the year 1709, the number of births at Rome, were three thoufand fix hundred and fixty-two; ⚫ and the whole number of inhabitants amounted to a hundred thirty-eight thousand five hundred and fixty-eight. Adtong thefe were forty Bifhops, two thousand fix hundred' and ⚫ eighty-fix Priefts, three thousand five hundred and fifty-nine In the year 1716, a wager was laid at Hanover, betwixt Lord Wharton and Count Monceau, concerning the number of inhabitants of London, which the former affirmed to be fifteen hundred thousand. The decifion of this wager was referred, by letter, to the Lord Mayor of London; who allowed my Lord Wharton to be in the wrong, but judged the number to be, at leaft, eleven hundred thousand. Rr 3 • Regulars, Regulars, one thoufand eight hundred and fourteen Nuns, three hundred and ninety-three hree Courtezans, or common • Proftitutes, and fourteen Moors. In the above-mentoned calculation, the Jews, who are generally above eight or nine thoufand, were not thought worthy to be included. <Five years after this calculation was made, viz. 1714, in the month of July, Pope Clement XI ordered Carraccioli to take an account of all the inhabitants of Rome, which • then amounted to an hundred and forty-three thousands whereas Paris can produce, at least, eight or nine hundred thoufand, and London ftill more, as may be evidently seen by their yearly Bills of Mortality. stars or quihw The laft mentioned city, within thefe twenty years, has increased prodigioufly, and the difference between London and Paris, will plainly appear to any one who takes a view of Paris from the tower of Notre Dame, and of London from the upper gallery of St. Paul's. As to the numbers of ♦ inhabitants, London is better adapted for it than Paris, which abounds with fpacious convents, the inhabitants of which bear little proportion to their largenefs. The Seine • alfo employs but few people, whereas the many hundreds of large veffels, and fome thousands of boats, which ply on the Thames, maintain more people than are ufually found in a C large city, Some conjecture may be formed of the number • of inhabitants at London, from the confumption of eatables; for, my Lord Townsend, in the year 1725, aflured the King of Pruffia, at Herenhaufen, which is confirmed by • exact registers, that, one day with another, it amounts to ⚫ twelve hundred oxen, befides which, above twenty thoufand fheep, and twelve thousand hogs and calves, are con• fumed there every week*. The fovereignty of ancient Rome over a great part of the world, may feem to raise it confiderably above modern Rome; but the latter alfo glories in a monarchy raised by the profoundeft policy, and by an artifice of a very fingular nature; and in refpect of dominion, especially before the time of Luther, it almoft furpaffed even ancient Rome, according to Profper's words; According to Maitland's calculation for the fame year, there were confumed in London, in 1725, 98,244 oxen, 711,123 fheep and lambs, 194,760 calves, and 126,932 hogs, and a proportionable quantity of fish, fowl, and vegetables. It must be obfervad, that London is confiderably increafed fince that time.. The number of houfes, according to the fame author, in London, Weftminster, and Southwark, is 95,968. "She is become the metropolis of the world; and those "countries where her arms have not penetrated, fhe holds by the tenure of religion." With regard to external fplendor, its ftately temples, and ⚫ magnificent palaces, I am inclined to think that modern • Rome is fuperior to the ancient; at least in this particular • I differ from St. Auftin, who, preferably to all other things, ⚫ wished to have feen Chriftum in carne, Paulum in ore, Ro• mam in flore.Chrift in the flefh, St. Paul preaching, "and Rome in its ancient glory." What high ideas Petrarch entertained of the grandeur of ancient Rome, appears from the following beautiful lines of < that celebrated poet: Qui fu quella di Imperio antica fede, Rema in Roma non e. Vulcano e Marte no5 Here ftood th' august and ancient feat of empire, Rr 4 • Put |