The Peril of the Republic of the United States of America - Percy T. Magan

soon assumed a magisterial tone, looked upon their
decrees as irrevocable decisions, were greatly
offended when the most implicit obedience was not
paid to them, and gave the name of rebellion to a
second resistance; thus there arose, in the Roman
senate, a tribunal which judged all nations and
kings, from which there was no appeal. This
tribunal, at the end of every war, determined the
rewards and punishments due to all parties. They
dispossessed the vanquished nations of part of their
territories, in order to bestow them on their allies,
by which they did two things from which they
reaped a double advantage; for they thereby
engaged in the interest of Rome such kings as were
in no way formidable to them, and from whom
they had something to hope; and weakened others,
whose friendship the Romans could not expect, and
whose arms they had reason to dread.
“We shall hear one of the chief magistrates in
the republic of the Achaians inveigh strongly in a
public assembly against this unjust usurpation, and
ask by what title the Romans are empowered to
assume so haughty an ascendent over them;
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