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The Roman Gods were State Functionaries. Each one managed his own department with great prudence and a deep sense of justice, but in turn he was exact in demanding the obedience of his worshippers. This obedience the Romans rendered with scrupulous care. But they never established the cordial personal relations and that charming friendship which had existed between the old Hellenes and the mighty residents of the high Olympian peak.
他們屬于國家機構的一分子，每一位神都在努力管理著自己負責的部門。他們面目嚴肅，神態方圓，謹慎公正地施灑正義。作為回報，他們要求信徒們一絲不茍的順眼，而羅馬人也小心翼翼地獻上了他們的服從。不過如古希臘人與奧林匹斯山顛的諸神之間存在著的和諧親密、發自肺腑的神人關系，羅馬人和他們的神抵之間則是從未有過。
The Romans did not imitate the Greek form of government, but being of the same Indo-European stock as the people of Hellas, the early history of Rome resembles that of Athens and the other Greek cities. They did not find it difficult to get rid of their kings, the descendants of the ancient tribal chieftains. But once the kings had been driven from the city, the Romans were forced to bridle the power of the nobles, and it took many centuries before they managed to establish a system which gave every free citizen of Rome a chance to take a personal interest in the affairs of his town.
雖然羅馬人與希臘人同屬印歐種族而且羅馬早期的歷史跟雅典和其他的希臘國家很相近，但他們沒有模仿希臘人的政治制度。他們發現擺脫他們的國王也就是古老的部落酋長的后裔的束縛并不是那么難。但是一旦國王被驅除出這個城市，羅馬人必須被迫束縛貴族的權利。羅馬人需要很長的時間來建立一個使羅馬的每個公民都能夠支配自己的利益的體系。
Thereafter the Romans enjoyed one great advantage over the Greeks. They managed the affairs of their country without making too many speeches. They were less imaginative than the Greeks and they preferred an ounce of action to a pound of words. They understood the tendency of the multitude (the "plebe," as the assemblage of free citizens was called) only too well to waste valuable time upon mere talk. They therefore placed the actual business of running the city into the hands of two "consuls" who were assisted by a council of Elders, called the Senate (because the word"senex" means an old man).
他們不愿靠發表一大堆枯燥的言論和滔滔演講來治理國家，他們的想象力和表現欲不如希臘人豐富，他們寧肯以一個現實的行動代替一百句無用的言辭。在他們看來，平民大會（"pleb"，即自由 民的集會）往往是一種空談誤國的惡習 ，無可救藥。因此，他們將管理城市的實際事務交由兩名執政官負責，并設立一個由一群老年人組成的"元老院"去輔佐他們。
