1.62 to 1.66

Roman citizenship was extended to all free men throughout the Empire, and Roman law was administered in every court. In this period of peace Christianity had an opportunity to grow slowly, in spite of repeated waves of persecution instigated by some of the emperors. In the reign of Constantine the Great it became the official faith of the Roman Empire. Finally the Christian religion spread throughout the Western world. The "Roman peace" (Pax Romana) extended over the civilized world. Even the most remote lands were ransacked in order to supply the wealthy Roman citizens with luxuries and delicacies. Art and letters were prized and fostered. In this era, however, there were signs that the national character was decaying. The fundamental seriousness (gravitas) which had characterized the conduct of ancient Romans was gone. The old reverence for the family, for the state, and for the gods was gone as well. Prosperity had brought corruption with it. In place of Brutus offering up his sons on the altar of duty to the state, there was Nero murdering his mother and his wife at the prompting of Poppaea. The passion for a life of luxurious ease existed in all classes. The rich amused themselves by giving splendid feasts. The poor had their panem et circenses—that is, free bread and free shows. Slave labor had degraded the once sturdy peasantry to the status of serfs or beggars. The middle class, which once had been the backbone of the nation, had almost disappeared. In Roman society there were only the rich and the very poor. After the reign of Diocletian the Empire was under an absolute one-man rule. Society became stagnant—politically, industrially, and mentally.