land. The Roman armies had done their work well, and the national boundaries, which had been such hindrances to intercourse and progress, were wiped out. The once hostile nations were now peaceably passing through the same process; they were becoming Romanized. They were all on the road to Rome.

Great as Rome was in her conquests, she was even greater in her government. Of this, the province, which was her invention, was the peculiar characteristic. All the empire was divided into provinces, whose governors were responsible directly to the Senate, or to the Emperor. It was impossible that one uniform system of laws should everywhere be introduced at once. Roman laws, customs, and institutions could not replace those of the conquered in a day. The process of Romanizing was a slow and difficult one, but Rome had a genius for governing. She knew how much of her yoke a conquered people could bear. She knew how to control without oppressing too severely, and she was wise in subjecting them to influences which in the end would make faithful Roman subjects of those who had once feared and hated her.

The provincial governors had general directions to guide them in their difficult task. The size of the empire made it impossible for the Emperor to oversee everything in person, and the differences that still existed between the various parts of the empire prevented a rigidly uniform application of

the laws. The peculiar circumstances in each province had to be regarded, and so it was imperative that the governors be allowed much liberty and independence of action. Sometimes they were little more than Roman police. But everywhere they had two objects in view: first, to keep the people quiet; and second, to Romanize them. They must make the best of everything, yield when necessary, and take advantage of every opportunity to advance the interests and increase the influence of Rome. Generally, they were left to their own judgment, and only in the more difficult cases did they appeal to the Emperor for instructions. From the nature of the case the legislation had to be special and local, not universal. The Emperors issued edicts for each province as the situation demanded. This lack of uniformity and fixedness in the laws and legislation was, in one respect, of great advantage to Christianity. It made a universal persecution almost impossible, because that must proceed from the Emperor in the form of an edict for the whole empire. The Christians might be persecuted in one province, while in all other parts of the empire they were undisturbed. The result of all this was that the Christian question was a local one until the middle of the third century. That is, there was no general edict against them until that time.

To add to the difficulties of the Emperor's position, the frontier was everywhere threatened by barbarians, and distant provinces were constantly

revolting. So great and distracting were his duties that he could not have accurate knowledge of all that was going on in this vast territory. Through its organization the Church had become a great power, almost a state within a state, before the Emperors discovered that it was a menace to the existing order of things.

The influence of Rome on the conquered peoples was varied and profound. She set for herself the task of assimilating the world. All peoples must become Roman. No other nation has had such remarkable digestive and assimilative powers. She absorbed one after another of the conquered peoples, and of them all only one held fast to its nationality. The Jew remained a Jew, although a Roman. Her greatness awed and dazzled all and filled them with the desire of having a share in her glory. After coming into contact with Rome they lost in great measure their attachment to the little fatherland. They desired to be Roman, for to be Roman was to be a citizen of the world. To be anything else was to be provincial. Roman citizenship was for a long time the synonym of the highest and best that could be obtained. Her government was really a training - school for Roman citizenship. She tried to give all the world Roman laws, Roman culture, Roman modes of thought, Roman ideas. It was her aim to unify all peoples by Romanizing them, by lifting them up to her level. And so far had this process progressed that, in the year 215 A. D., Caracalla actually conferred the right of

Roman citizenship on all the inhabitants of the empire. To be sure, this right had lost much of its value then. It did not actually confer much, because what had been the peculiar possession and privilege of the Roman citizen was now the common property of all. That marks the progress which the world had made under the tutelage and government of Rome.

The change in the form of government hastened this process. The Emperor quickly replaced Rome in the thoughts and affections of the people. The homage that had once been Rome's was now his. He was a kind of personal as well as movable capital. Favors, privileges, and honors were in his hand. The way to fortune passed by his door. The bond of unity between the peoples and the Emperor was personal, and hence stronger than that between them and Rome.

But the Emperors did a still greater service. They brought peace with all its blessings to a world that was worn out with wars. The accession of Augustus marks the beginning of a new era of commerce and travel. The pirates who had infested the Mediterranean were driven from the sea, which was now covered by fleets of freight, passenger, and mail boats. By land, the many bands of brigands and robbers, while not entirely destroyed, were greatly checked in their depredations. Travelers then had little more to fear from these than the traveler of to-day in those parts; certainly much less than the traveler of fifty years

ago. The Emperors made constant war on them, and stationed troops in all the dangerous parts of the empire for the protection of those who passed that way. They built magnificent roads, which covered the empire like a net. For state purposes, Augustus established a regular postal service throughout the empire. Wagons and horses for hire were everywhere to be had. Hotels, though not luxurious, and restaurants were to be found conveniently located along these roads. Commerce flourished, and people traveled as never before. We know of one merchant who made the sea voyage from Asia Minor to Rome seventy-two times.. There was an immense amount of travel; everywhere one fell in with merchants and tradesmen,. professors and students, tourists and pilgrims, physicians and quacks, painters and sculptors, actors, athletes, and musicians. The rich inhabitants of the cities sought the mountains or the sea in summer, and the sick went to the baths then as now.

The advantages of this state of things, which was brought about by the Emperors, are evident. In one word, Christianity could travel. The national barriers were gone. Roads led in all directions. There was a constant flux and flow of people to and from every quarter. Missionaries could go to all lands in safety. And under these circumstances Christianity could easily and quickly reach the utmost parts of the empire.

Of even greater significance is the fact that the world had a universal language. Greece surpassed