[29] Cicero, Letters, xix, 20.
[30] See page 185.
[31] See page 127.
[32] See page 160.
CHAPTER IX
THE EARLY EMPIRE: THE WORLD UNDER ROMAN RULE, 31 B.C.-l80 A.D. [1]
66. AUGUSTUS, 31 B.C.-l4 A.D.
[Illustration: AUGUSTUS (Vatican Museum, Rome)]
THE EARLY EMPIRE, 31 B.C.-180 A.D.
The period of two hundred and eleven years, between the accession of Augustus and the death of Marcus Aurelius, is known as the Early Empire. As we shall now learn, it was a time of settled government and of internal tranquillity. Except for a brief period of anarchy at the close of the reign of Nero, it was also a time of regular succession to the throne. Nearly all the emperors were vigorous and capable rulers. The peace and prosperity which they gave to the Roman world amply justify—if justification be needed—the change from republic to empire.