tell "why," simply and clearly, is the exceedingly ambitious aim of this book. Not "how," which is the archaeologist’s affair, but "why,"—why the Forum of Rome became the centre of the nation’s life, why the Romans wore white togas, why the public Treasury was under Saturn’s charge, why the basilicas were built why the donkeys were decked with cakes during Vesta’s festival, why the temples stood on high foundations, why the magnificent monuments crumbled into ruins, and many other "whys" that travelers wish to know, that historical readers seek, that young students enjoy. The stories are but retold, the facts restated, but no legend is narrated, no statement made, that is unvouched for by a recognized authority. It may be added that the illustrations have been inserted more as aids to the imagination than as material for scientific study.


       September, 1902

the story-reader, one word; to the student, three words.

That he who reads for pleasure may go his way smoothly, unhindered by bars of dates and foot-notes, this book is as free from technicalities as possible, they having been omitted also to give a more distinct impression of Roman life, which was an inseparable mixture of stern reality and idealistic religion, of fact and legend.

That he who reads to learn may feel sure of his road, three precautions have been taken. All statements not strictly historical, or purely legendary, or not well authenticated, have been put in question form, or followed or introduced by some such remark as, "so the story goes," "men say that," "now we are told," etc.; only when the gods have been directly mentioned, this has been considered unnecessary. Also, no dates have been inserted, but every story follows the same rule, and begins with the very early times, and ends with those of the Emperors, each incident being places in exact chronological order. And lastly, when first introduced, every unfamiliar thing has been explained, although used there-after in ordinary fashion; one has only to consult the index to find page of definition.

May he who reads for pleasure, learn; and he who reads to learn, have pleasure.


Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Publius Virgilius.
Titus Livius. Flavius Josephus.
P. Ovidius Naso. Mommsen.
Plautus. Henry Thedenat.
M. Valerius Martialis. Orazio Marucchi.
Sextus Aurelius Propertius. Gaston Boissier.
C. Cornelius Tacitus. Rodolfo Lanciani.
Plutarch. J. Henry Middleton.
C. Suetonius Tranquillus. Francis Morgan Nichols.
M. Fabius Quintilianus. H. Jordan.
M. Tullius Cicero. W. Ihne.
Appianus. E. Gibbon.
Dion Cassius Cocceianus. W. Adams.
C. Sallustius Crispus. L. Preller.
Pliny the Elder. Encyclopædias and Classical Dictionaries.
Pliny the Younger.