Abraham Lincoln: An Illustrated History of His Life and Times

It is the same offense that the people of Alba, the Fidenians and Ardeans gave you: and lately the Vienans, the Falisci, and the Volsci. To avenge yourselves, you took up arms and washed your injury in their blood: you subdued the people, pillaged their houses, and laid waste their cities and their countries: and in this you did no wrong or injustice: you obeyed the most ancient laws, which gave to the Strong the possessions of the Weak; the sovereign law of nature, that begins with the gods and ends with the animals. Suppress therefore O Romans, your pity for the Clusians. Compassion is yet unknown to the Gauls: do not inspire them with that sentiment, lest they should have compassion upon those you oppress.” History is full of similar logic. Brutus for instance, who poindered Julius Caeser (his friend and benefactor), has always been held up to public estimation as “the noblest Roman of them all;” whereas Booth, who slew Abraham Lincoln, is everywhere and at all times, spoken of as a malevolent assassin ...»