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Quote by Edward Gibbon

“Greek is a musical and prolific language, that gives a soul to the objects of sense, and a body to the abstractions of philosophy.”

Quote by Edward Gibbon

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Work

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

This seminal work provides an in-depth exploration of the political, social, and economic factors that contributed to the fall of one of the greatest empires in history. more

Author

Edward Gibbon was an English historian renowned for his magnum opus, 'The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'. His work has had a profound impact on historical studies. more

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“The people can change Congress but only God can change the Supreme Court.”

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“[The] operation of the wisest laws is imperfect and precarious. They seldom inspire virtue, they cannot always restrain vice.”

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Book:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“But the wisdom and authority of the legislator are seldom victorious in a contest with the vigilant dexterity of private interest.”

Interest Authority Contests Legislators Vigilant Dexterity

Book:The Collected Works of Edward Gibbon: Historical Works, Autobiographical Writings and Private Letters, Including The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The Collected Works of Edward Gibbon: Historical Works, Autobiographical Writings and Private Letters, Including The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“[It] is the interest as well as duty of a sovereign to maintain the authority of the laws.”

Wells Law Interest Duty Authority Sovereign

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“A Locrian, who proposed any new law, stood forth in the assembly of the people with a cord round his neck, and if the law was rejected, the innovator was instantly strangled.”

People Ifs Law Rounds Necks Rejected Assembly Innovators Cords

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“A jurisdiction thus vague and arbitrary was exposed to the most dangerous abuse: the substance, as well as the form, of justice were often sacrificed to the prejudices of virtue, the bias of laudable affection, and the grosser seductions of interest or resentment.”

Wells Form Interest Justice Virtue Dangerous Abuse Prejudice Affection Substance Exposed Resentment Bias Vague Seduction Arbitrary Jurisdiction

Book:History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V4: the History Focus

Source: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V4: the History Focus

“The science of the laws is the slow growth of time and experience.”

Law Growth Slow Growth

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The books of jurisprudence were interesting to few, and entertaining to none: their value was connected with present use, and they sunk forever as soon as that use was superseded by the innovations of fashion, superior merit, or public authority.”

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Book:The Modern Library Essential World History 4-Book Bundle: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Abridged); Montcalm and Wolfe; History of the Conquest of Mexico; The Naval War of 1812

Source: The Modern Library Essential World History 4-Book Bundle: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Abridged); Montcalm and Wolfe; History of the Conquest of Mexico; The Naval War of 1812

“A sentence of death and infamy was often founded on the slight and suspicious evidence of a child or a servant: the guilt [of the defendant] was presumed by the judges [due to the nature of the charge], and paederasty became the crime of those to whom no crime could be imputed.”

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Author:Edward Gibbon

“[The] discretion of the judge is the first engine of tyranny . . .”

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Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire