I had thought of reading Gibbon and writing a series of articles based on his Decline and Fall. But the book speaks for itself much better than I can ever do so. Less is more and I can do no better than to recommend anybody who is reading this article (and who is connected with the Government) to read Gibbon himself or depute a competent subordinate to do so.
Another option is to consult and have ready to hand trusted experts in academics on this subject. There may be a few in the Indian universities. As I quoted in an earlier article – the book has become a handy guide to sources of decay in other empires and civilizations.
I said earlier that the book speaks for itself better than I ever could. So I will write only on two topics in this and succeeding articles. One topic is the role of the armed forces and the other is the role of religion as it affected the Roman empire.
So in this article I will give some quotes from the book taken from the first chapter without additional comment. The topic is the role of the armed forces.
The terror of the Roman arms added weight and dignity to the moderation of the emperors. They preserved peace by a constant preparation for war; and while justice regulated their conduct, they announced to the nations on their confines that they were as little disposed to endure as to offer an injury.
(to be considered a Roman citizen) was considered to be either a legal qualification or as a proper recompense for the soldier, but a more serious regard was paid to the essential merit of age, strength and military stature …
The armies were still commanded for most part by officers of liberal birth and education, but the common soldier, like the mercenary troops of modern Europe, were drawn from the meanest and very frequently from the most profligate of mankind.
The public virtue (denominated as patriotism) is derived from a strong sense of our own interest in the preservation and prosperity of the free government of which we are members … (but this) made a very feeble impression of the mercenary soldiers … and it became necessary to supply that defect by other motives of a different but not less forcible nature – honor and religion.
These motives were enforced by fears and hopes of a more substantial kind. Regular pay, occasional donatives and a stated recompense after the appointed time of service alleviated the hardships of the military life, whilst, on the other hand it was impossible for cowardice or disobedience to escape the severest punishment …
It was an inflexible maxim of Roman discipline that a good soldier should dread his officers far more than the enemy …
… the Romans were sensible of the imperfection of valor without skill and practice … Military exercises were the important and unremitted object of their discipline … these exercises comprehended whatever could add strength to the body, activity to the limbs and grace to the movements … the effusion of blood was the only circumstance that distinguished a field of battle from the field of exercise … It was the policy of the ablest generals and even of the emperors themselves to encourage these military studies by their presence and example …
Such were the arts of war by which the Roman emperors defended their extensive conquests and preserved a military spirit at a time when every other virtue was oppressed by luxury and despotism …
Sourced from
All these maxims may not be applicable in the present day and in a democracy (especially the one of a soldier fearing his officers more than the enemy). I’ll leave it to a professional solider to decide that. Anyway I’ll end here by saying that I have read only the first chapter of the Decline and Fall and this are the results. It is more than worthwhile to have expert academics advising the military when required.
I’ll end here. Please explore this blog for more articles that will interest you and let me have your comments. Feedback from my readers keeps me going.
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