Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/271

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«4C» THE HISIT.OUT' Boqkt » ■ i i .«. C H A P. VIII* L . I • • WHEN the Romans had feen their little vilhge of hurdles

  • nd clay become the magnificent metropolis of Italy, and

when they began to extend her dominions into the territories of the neighbouring powers, they did not model their new conquefts as th^y had previously modelled their old. They militated a new platform of polity for them,, and they dHtinguiflied them by a new denomination- They now divided them into diftrids, they now gave them thp appellation of provinces, and they now fubjeQed them to pnetor* and quaeftors. The ifland of Sicily was the firft <?onqueft of the Romans beyond the barriers of Italy, and was therefore the firft of all their provinces, and re- ceived die firft model of their provincial regimen. And every other of the Roman provinces was governed by its own praetor and its own quatfton The .former wad appointed by the people or the emperor* and the latter was nominated by. the praetor's authority only. The former wa$ charged with the whole ad- miniftration of the government, and the latter was deputed to manage the finances under him And this muft have been equally the conduit of the Romans within our own ifland par- ticularly. The conquered regions of Britain were divided into fix provinces, and were governed by fix praetors and fix quae- ftors. Each province formed a diftind government of itfelf, and each was governed by a diftinft praetor and quaeftor. But they all acknowledged one head within the ifland, and were all fubjeft to the one authority of the proconful the legate or the vtear of Britain For