He seemed more ambitious of
power than desirous of glory; his compassion for the oppressed was
equal to his animosity against the oppressors; but unhappily his
passions, rather than his reason, operated even in his pursuits
of virtue; and these always drove him beyond the line of duty. 4. This
was the disposition of the elder Gracchus, who found the lower orders
of people ready to second all his proposals. 5. The above law, though
at first carried on with proper moderation, greatly disgusted the
rich, who endeavoured to persuade the people that the proposer only
aimed at disturbing the government, and throwing all things into
confusion. 6. But Gracchus, who was a man of the greatest eloquence of
his time, easily wiped off these impressions from the minds of the
people, already irritated by their wrongs, and at length the law was
passed.
7. The death of At'talus, king of Per'gamus, furnished Gracchus with a
new opportunity of gratifying the meaner part of the people at the
expense of the great. 8. This king had by his last will made the
Romans his heirs; and it was now proposed, that the money so left
should be divided among the poor, in order to furnish them with proper
utensils for cultivating the lands which became theirs by the late law
of partition.
Pages:
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353