‘ONE heard nothing,’ says a writer of that time, speaking of the days when revenue was collected, ‘but the sound of flogging and all kinds of torture. The son was compelled to inform against his father, and the wife against her husband. If other means failed, men were forced to give evidence against themselves and were assessed according to the confession they made to escape torment.’*
So great was the misery of the land that it was not an uncommon thing for parents to destroy their children, rather than let them grow up to a life of suffering. This vast system of organised oppression, like all tyranny, ‘was not so much an institution as a destitution,’* undermining and impoverishing the country. It lasted until time brought its revenge, and Rome, which had crushed so many nations of barbarians, was in her turn threatened with a like fate, by bands of barbarians stronger than herself.
Abridged
From De mortibus persecutorum (‘On the Deaths of the Persecutors’) 23, by Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (?250-?325). Salvian (Salvianus) in his De Gubernatione Dei (‘On the Governance of God’, in Migne PL 53) said much the same about Gaul in his day, the fifth century. Both are quoted at length in ‘Origins of the English People and the English Language’ (1888) by Jean Roemer (1815-1892).
From a lecture given by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) at the Smithsonian in Washington DC on January 31st, 1862, in which he called for the abolition of slavery. ‘Well, now here comes this conspiracy of slavery, - they call it an institution, I call it a destitution, - this stealing of men and setting them to work, stealing their labor, and the thief sitting idle himself.’ ‘The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson’ Vol. 11 (Miscellanies) (1909).
Précis
Montgomery adds that it was not simply the rate of tax that stunted economic growth in Roman Britain, but more importantly the violence and corruption which surrounded its collection. Indeed, he claimed that the economic stagnation and social dysfunction it fostered laid the Empire open to the barbarian invasions that eventually brought Rome down. (54 / 60 words)
Montgomery adds that it was not simply the rate of tax that stunted economic growth in Roman Britain, but more importantly the violence and corruption which surrounded its collection. Indeed, he claimed that the economic stagnation and social dysfunction it fostered laid the Empire open to the barbarian invasions that eventually brought Rome down.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, despite, just, or, unless, until, whereas, who.
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Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Confession. Give. Say.
2 Fate. Free. Near.
3 Bring. Herself. Their.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding in-.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
cd (10+2)
aced. acid. cad. cede. cod. coda. code. cooed. cued. iced.
coed. cud.
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