ictorious　legion。　　But　it　was　no　longer　the　ager　publicus　only；　it　was　all　Italy　that　lay　at　the　mercy　of　the　legions。　　The　ager　publicus　disappeared　almost　entirely；　。　。　。　but　the　cause　of　the　evilaccumulated　propertybecame　more　potent　than　ever。〃　（Laboulaye：　　History　of　Property。）
  The　author　whom　I　quote　does　not　tell　us　why　this　division　of　territory　which　followed　civil　wars　did　not　arrest　the　encroachments　of　accumulated　property；　the　omission　is　easily　supplied。　　Land　is　not　the　only　requisite　for　cultivation；　a　working…stock　is　also　necessary；animals；　tools；　harnesses；　a　house；　an　advance；　&c。　　Where　did　the　colonists；　discharged　by　the　dictator　who　rewarded　them；　obtain　these　things？　　From　the　purse　of　the　usurers；　that　is；　of　the　patricians；　to　whom　all　these　lands　finally　returned；　in　consequence　of　the　rapid　increase　of　usury；　and　the　seizure　of　estates。　　Sallust；　in　his　account　of　the　conspiracy　of　Catiline；　tells　us　of　this　fact。　　The　conspirators　were　old　soldiers　of　Sylla；　who；　as　a　reward　for　their　services；　had　received　from　him　lands　in　Cisalpine　Gaul；　Tuscany；　and　other　parts　of　the　peninsula　Less　than　twenty　years　had　elapsed　since　these　colonists；　free　of　debt；　had　left　the　service　and　commenced　farming；　and　already　they　were　crippled　by　usury；　and　almost　ruined。　　The　poverty　caused　by　the　exactions　of　creditors　was　the　life　of　this　conspiracy　which　well…nigh　inflamed　all　Italy；　and　which；　with　a　worthier　chief　and　fairer　means；　possibly　would　have　succeeded。　　In　Rome；　the　mass　of　the　people　were　favorable　to　the　conspirators_cuncta　plebes　Catilinae　incepta　probabat；_　the　allies　were　weary　of　the　patricians'　robberies；　deputies　from　the　Allobroges　（the　Savoyards）　had　come　to　Rome　to　appeal　to　the　Senate　in　behalf　of　their　fellow…citizens　involved　in　debt；　in　short；　the　complaint　against　the　large　proprietors　was　universal。　　〃We　call　men　and　gods　to　witness；〃　said　the　soldiers　of　Catiline；　who　were　Roman　citizens　with　not　a　slave　among　them；　〃that　we　have　taken　arms　neither　against　the　country；　nor　to　attack　any　one；　but　in　defence　of　our　lives　and　liberties。　　Wretched；　poor；　most　of　us　deprived　of　country；　all　of　us　of　fame　and　fortune；　by　the　violence　and　cruelty　of　usurers；　we　have　no　rights；　no　property；　no　liberty。〃＇1＇
  ｛NOTE：　footnote　needs　spell…checked｝　＇1＇　　_Dees　hominesque　　testamur；　　nos　arma　neque　　contra　patriam　cepisse　neque　quo　periculum　aliis　　faceremus；　sed　uti　corpora　nostra　ab　injuria　tuta　forent；　qui　miseri；　egentes；　violentia　atque　crudelitate　foeneraterum；　plerique　patriae；　sed　omncsfarna　atque　fortunis　expertes　sumus；　neque　cuiquam　nostrum　licuit；　more　majorum；　lege　uti；　neque；　amisso　patrimonio；　libferum　corpus　habere。_Sallus：　Bellum　Catilinarium。
  The　bad　reputation　of　Catiline；　and　his　atrocious　designs；　the　imprudence　of　his　accomplices；　the　treason　of　several；　the　strategy　of　Cicero；　the　angry　outbursts　of　Cato；　and　the　terror　of　the　Senate；　baffled　this　enterprise；　which；　in　furnishing　a　precedent　for　expeditions　against　the　rich；　would　perhaps　have　saved　the　republic；　and　given　peace　to　the　world。　　But　Rome　could　not　evade　her　destiny；　the　end　of　her　expiations　had　not　come。　　A　nation　never　was　known　to　anticipate　its　punishment　by　a　sudden　and　unexpected　conversion。　　Now；　the　long…continued　crimes　of　the　Eternal　City　could　not　be　atoned　for　by　the　massacre　of　a　few　hundred　patricians。　　Catiline　came　to　stay　divine　vengeance；　therefore　his　conspiracy　failed。
  The　encroachment　of　large　proprietors　upon　small　proprietors；　by　the　aid　of　usury；　farm…rent；　and　profits　of　all　sorts；　was　common　throughout　the　empire。　　The　most　honest　citizens　invested　their　money　at　high　rates　of　interest。＇1＇　　Cato；　Cicero；　Brutus；　all　the　stoics　so　noted　for　their　frugality；　_viri　frugi_；　Seneca；　the　teacher　of　virtue；levied　enormous　taxes　in　the　provinces；　under　the　name　of　usury；　and　it　is　something　remarkable；　that　the　last　defenders　of　the　republic；　the　proud　Pompeys；　were　all　usurious　aristocrats；　and　oppressors　of　the　poor。　　But　the　battle　of　Pharsalus；　having　killed　men　only；　without　touching　institutions；　the　encroachments　of　the　large　domains　became　every　day　more　active。　　Ever　since　the　birth　of　Christianity；　the　Fathers　have　opposed　this　invasion　with　all　their　might。　　Their　writings　are　filled　with　burning　curses　upon　this　crime　of　usury；　of　which　Christians　are　not　always　innocent。
  ＇1＇　　Fifty；　sixty；　and　eighty　per　cent。Course　of　M。　Blanqui。
  St。　Cyprian　complains　of　certain　bishops　of　his　time；　who；　absorbed　in　disgraceful　stock…jobbing　operations；　abandoned　their　churches；　and　went　about　the　provinces　appropriating　lands　by　artifice　and　fraud；　while　lending　money　and　piling　up　interests　upon　interests。＇1＇　　Why；　in　the　midst　of　this　passion　for　accumulation；　did　not　the　possession　of　the　public　land；　like　private　property；　become　concentrated　in　a　few　hands？
  ｛NOTE：　footnote　needs　spell…checked｝　＇1＇　　_Episcopi　plurimi；　quos　et　　hortamento　esse　oportet　caeteris　et　exemplo；　divina　prouratione　contempta；　procuratores　rerum　saeularium　fieri；　derelicta　cathedra；　plebe　leserta；　per　alienas　provincias　oberrantes；　negotiationis　quaestuosae　nundinas　au　uucu…；　pari；　esurientibus　in　ecclesia　fratribus　habere　argentum　largitur　velle；　　fundos　insidi。sis　fraudibus　rapere；　usuris　multiplicantibus　faenus　augere。_Cyprian：　De　Lapsis。
  ｛NOTE：　what　does　＇2＇refer　to？　This　is　at　bottom　of　pg　341　in　MS｝　＇2＇　　In　this　passage；　St。　Cyprian　alludes　to　lending　on　mortgages　and　to　compound　interest。
  By　law；　the　domain　of　the　State　was　inalienable；　and　consequently　possession　was　always　revocable；　but　the　edict　of　the　praetor　continued　it　indefinitely；　so　that　finally　the　possessions　of　the　patricians　were　transformed　into　absolute　property；　though　the　name；　possessions；　was　still　applied　to　them。　　This　conversion；　instigated　by　senatorial　avarice；　owed　its　accomplishment　to　the　most　deplorable　and　indiscreet　policy。　　If；　in　the　time　of　Tiberius　Gracchus；　who　wished　to　limit　each　citizen's　possession　of　the　ager　publicus　to　five　hundred　acres；　the　amount　of　this　possession　had　been　fixed　at　as　much　as　one　family　could　cultivate；　and　granted　on　the　express　condition　that　the　possessor　should　cultivate　it　himself；　and　should　lease　it　to　no　one；　the　empire　never　would　have　been　desolated　by　large　estates；　and　possession；　instead　of　increasing　property；　would　have　absorbed　it。　　On　what；　then；　depended　the　establishment　and　maintenance　of　equality　in　conditions　and　fortunes？　　On　a　more　equitable　division　of　the　ager　publicus；　a　wiser　distribution　of　the　right　of　possession。
  I　insist　upon　this　point；　which　is　of　the　utmost　importance；　because　it　gives　us　an　opportunity　to　examine　the　history　of　this　individual　possession；　of　which　I　said　so　much　in　my　first　memoir；　and　which　so　few　of　my　readers　seem　to　have　understood。　　The　Roman　republichaving；　as　it　did；　the　power　to　dispose　absolutely　of　its　territory；　and　to　impose　conditions　upon　possessorswas　nearer　to　liberty　and　equality　than　any　nation　has　been　since。　　If　the　Senate　had　been　intelligent　and　just；　if；　at　the　time　of　the　retreat　to　the　Mons　Sacer；　instead　of　the　ridiculous　farce　enacted　by　Menenius　Agrippa；　a　solemn　renunciation　of　the　right　to　acquire　had　been　made　by　each　citizen　on　attaining　his　share　of　possessions；the　republic；　based　upon　equality　of　possessions　and　the　duty　of　labor；　would　not；　in　attaining　its　wealth；　have　degenerated　in　morals；　Fabricius　would　have　enjoyed　the　arts　without　controlling　artists；　and　the　conquests　of　the　ancient　Romans　would　have　been　the　means　of　spreading　civilization；　instead　of　the　series　of　murders　and　robberies　that　they　were。
  But　property；　having　unlimited　power　to　amass　and　to　lease；　was　daily　increased　by　the　addition　of　new　possessions。　　From　the　time　of　Nero；　six　individuals　were　the　sole　proprietors　of　one…　half　of　Roman　Africa。　　In　the　fifth　century；　the　wealthy　families　had　incomes　of　no　less　than　two　millions：　some　possessed　as　many　as　twenty　thousand　slaves。　　All　the　authors　who　have　written　upon　the　causes　of　the　fall　of　the　Roman　republic　concur。
  M。　Giraud　of　Aix＇1＇　quotes　the　testimony　of　Cicero；　Seneca；　Plutarch；　Olympiodorus；　and　Photius。　　Under　Vespasian　and　Titus；　Pliny；　the　naturalist；　exclaimed：　　〃Large　estates　have　ruined　Italy；　and　are　ruining　the　provinces。〃
  ＇1＇　　〃Inquiries　concerning　Property　among　the　Romans。〃
  But　it　never　has　been　understood　that　the　extension　of　property　was　effected　then；　as　it　is　to…day；　under　the　aegis　of　the　law；　and　by　virtue　of　the　constitution。　　When　the　Senate　sold　captured　lands　at　auction；　it　was　in　the　interest　of　the　treasury　and　of　public　welfare。　　When　the　patricians　bought　up　possessions　and　property；　they　realized　the　purpose　of　the　Senate's　decrees；　when　they　lent　at　high　rates　of　interest；　they　took　advantage　of　a　legal　privilege。　　〃Property；〃　said　the　lender；　〃is　the　right　to　enjoy　even　to　the　extent　of　abuse；　_jus　utendi　et　abutendi_；　that　is；　the　right　to　lend　at　interest；to　lease；　to　acquire；　and　then　to　lease　and　lend　again。〃　　But　property　is　also　the　right　to　exchange；　to　transfer；　and　to　sell。　　If；　then；　the　social　condition　is　such　that　the　proprietor；　ruined　by　usury；　may　be　compelled　to　sell　his　posse