Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/102

 < 66 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE because it was part of a religious festival which every one was expected to attend. By the time of the Empire they felt under no such obligation, and, as far as amusement was concerned, preferred the exciting combats of the arena or races in the circus. Whatever the reasons, what is called "classicism" in literature and art had for the most part dis- appeared before the end of the second century. There are, it is true, several writers — from the African, Apuleius, a vivid romancer and mystic with a style of unfailing gusto in the second century, to the sober historian and soldier, Ammianus Marcel linus, in the fourth century — whose tone and content interest intensely the student of history; but students of the classics usually regard such writers as of minor importance from their standpoint. Such authors are seldom read in courses given by Latin and Greek depart- ments, and the great period of Latin literature is considered to end with Juvenal and Tacitus. Building upon a large and magnificent scale continued as late as Constantine in the fourth century, for the imperial idea was more of an inspira- tion to art than to letters, and dying antiquity reared im- pressive monuments in its last moments. But we see that the Hellenic genius in sculpture is gone, when we compare, among the friezes and medallions that adorn the Arch of Constantine, the crude carvings executed by contemporary artists with the sculptures which were transferred to this structure from older buildings. The material prosperity, indicated by the costly build- ings in the municipalities of the early Empire, in time End of ceased. As early as Trajan (98-1 17 a.d.) we find municipal the central imperial government sending its prosperity a g en t s j- mana g e the affairs of towns whose finances were in a bad state. This imperial interference kept growing until the cities had little self-government left. By the fourth century the chief function of the curiales, or members of the governing class of the town, had come to be the collection of taxes, for which the emperor held them personally responsible. But the towns had so decreased in prosperity, or else the taxes had so increased, that it was