Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/491

Rh :Various occurrences of the same period 495.
 * The Etruscan and Gallic wars 497.
 * The Lucanian, Bruttian, fourth Samnite, and Tarentine 0wars 506. Epirus and Pyrrhus 525.
 * The Roman and Macedonian Tactics 543.
 * The war with Pyrrhus 553.
 * Entire subjugation of Italy, and the political rights of the Italian allies 611.
 * Domestic history and miscellaneous occurrences of the period from the Lucanian to the first Punic war 641.
 * The first Punic war 657–732.

On the greater part of the titles in this list we need say nothing for the purpose of rousing the reader's curiosity, and indeed our limits confine us to the simple object already an- nounced. We may however express our belief, that Niebuhr will be found to rise with his theme, and that the present volume contains specimens of historical eloquence which will bear a comparison with the masterpieces of ancient and modern times. These have probably lost little or nothing in not having received the author''s finishing touches. What is much more to be deplored is, that the narrative is not complete down to the end of the period which it comprehends. There is a chasm in the history of the first Punic war, which in fact ends with the occupation of mount Hercte (Monte Pellegrino) by Hamilcar : on the remaining years of the war we have only the heads of the intended narrative. It is however a great consolation for this loss, that we have the conclusion of the chapter, including remarks on the general consequences of the war, and on the constitution of Sicily as a Roman pro- vince, together with a short sketch of the relations in which the Italian allies stood to Rome at the end of the war. This last is the more valuable on account of another chasm which occurs at the close of the chapter on the political rights of the Italian allies, where the author broke off just as he was about to enter upon a description of their consti- tution—the most mortifying blank, as the editor truly ob- serves, in the whole work. On the other hand in the chap- ters relating to the domestic history we have great reason to regret that they did not receive the corrections and enlarge- ments which would have represented Niebuhr's last views on