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Excerpt from The Historical Annals of Cornelius Tacitus, Vol. 1 of 3: With Supplements I. The first form of government that prevailed at Rome was monarchy. Liberty and the consulship were established by Lucius Junius Brutus. Dictators were created 1n sudden emergencies only. The juris diction of the decemvirs did not extend beyond two years; and the consular authority of the military tri bunes soon expired. The domination of Cinna ended in a short time; and that of Sylla was not of long duration. From Pompey and Crassus, the whole power of the state devolved to Julius Casar, and, after the struggle with Lepidus and Antony, centred in Augustus; who, under the mild and well knovvn title of prince or the senate, ' took upon him the management of the commonwealth, enfeebled as it was by an exhausting series of civil wars; But the memorable transactions of the old republic, as' well in her day of adversity, as in the tide of success, have been recorded by writers of splendid genius. Even in the time of Augustus there ourished a race of authors, from Whose abilities that period might have received ample justice: but the spirit of adulation growing epidemic, the. Dignity of the historic charac ter was lost. What has been transmitted to us con cerning Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, can not be received Without great mistrust. During the lives of those emperors, fear suppressed or disfigured the truth; and after'their deaths, recent feelings gave an edge to resentment. For this reason, it is my in. Tention shortly to state some particulars relating to Augustus, chiey towards the close-of his life; and thence to follow downward the thread of my narra. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whi