great delay he made in appearing at Rome to take possession of the empire, but more than all, the cruelties that he committed by his lieutenants, both in the capital and in the rest of the empire, rendered him so vile and odious, that Africa, afterwards the senate, the Roman people, and all Italy, conspíred against him, and were seconded by his own army, who, disgusted with his cruelties and fatigued with the length of the siege of Aquileia, put him to death with so much the less dread, as they saw he was universally detested.
I will not mention either Heliogabalus, or Macrinus, or Julian, who died covered with opprobrium. But I shall in conclusion add that princes of the present day have no occasion to be so attentive to the humour of their troops, because they form not, as at Rome, an independent body, as a power in the government, and are not therefore at any time to be dreaded, provided they are treated with a suitable degree of respect. At Rome, the most essential policy was to content the soldiery; but in our modern states it is the people whose affection is the most important to be obtained, as being the strongest and most powerful. I except only those of Turkey and Egypt. We know that the Grand Signior is obliged to keep on foot an army of twelve thousand infantry and fifteen thousand cavalry, which constitute the strength and security of his government, and it is
