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greatness, Andronicus was precipitated by a death more cruel and shameful than that of the malefactor; but the most glorious of his predecessors had much more to dread from their subjects than to hope from their enemies. The army was licentious without spirit, the nation turbulent without freedom: the Barbarians of the East and West pressed on the monarchy, and the loss of the provinces was terminated by the final servitude of the capital. The entire series of Roman emperors, from the first of the Cęsars to the last of the Constantines, extends above fifteen hundred years: and the term of dominion, unbroken by foreign conquest, surpasses the measure of the ancient monarchies; the Assyrians or Medes, the successors of Cyrus, or those of Alexander. End Of Vol. IV.
Volume 5
Chapter XLIX:
Conquest Of Italy By The Franks.
Part I. Introduction, Worship, And Persecution Of Images. -- Revolt Of Italy And Rome. -- Temporal Dominion Of The Popes. -- Conquest Of Italy By The Franks. -- Establishment Of Images. -- Character And Coronation Of Charlemagne. -- Restoration And Decay Of The Roman Empire In The West. -- Independence Of Italy. -- Constitution Of The Germanic Body. In the connection of the church and state, I have considered the former as subservient only, and relative, to the latter; a salutary maxim, if in fact, as well as in narrative, it had ever been held sacred. The Oriental philosophy of the Gnostics, the dark abyss of predestination and grace,