(The following is an excerpt of Rob ranting on Episode Nine.  He calmed down eventually and brought out his guest.  For now on, he is going to have a beer before his podcast so that he will come out a little more mellow.)

So…what if you wanted to start your own empire?  Emperor James, Darko, Jordon and William, look to the Romans to get what you need.

Niccolo Machiavelli looked to the Romans.  He even wrote his own HOW TO book, titled ‘The Prince’.  In Machiavelli’s world the gods are not involved in the determining the outcome of politics.  In Machiavelli’s world men are the same no matter what the time or age, and each person in Greek, Roman, and Medieval, renaissance or today’s modern man has the same passions that lead to the same decisions, acts and results.  The book, ‘The Prince’ exploits the lessons of history in politics to teach a prince how to rule.  You might even say an aspiring emperor.  If you want to start your own empire, here’s your book, but it is nothing new – completed in 1517, the prince was based on his musings of the ancient world.  Machiavelli’s world was undergoing political agony, 30 years of French incursions subjugated Italy, and kings and popes fought for possessions.  Frankly, I don’t think it was much different than the world of the Caesars.  I wonder if it was much different than today.  It is a book that gives you, the aspiring emperor, advice in what a prince should or should not do.  Such as:

IT IS FAR BETTER TO BE FEARED THAN LOVED.

Interestingly enough you can find a similar quote from Caligula who said:

“Let them hate me as long as they fear me.”

Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, has been criticized for its amorality, but this is a 15^th century guidebook for princes on how to survive the present day world of the 15^th century.   These are observations he took from the classical past to present to the emperor of his age, Lorenzo di Medici, a prince…that he must sometimes…caress, hurt, forgive, punish, benefit, suppress and upon a policy chosen – wait for it – ACT.

Machiavelli said, “The common people are impressed by appearances.”  So to start an empire you must make a connection with Rome consciously or subconsciously.  Take a look how Napoleon was depicted to the French people.  Paintings of the little colonel in satin robes – and the key word here is purple.

You can’t look at any of Paul Louis David’s paintings and NOT say he saw himself as an emperor painted in the roman ilk.

Napoleon is quoted as saying: “I wished to found a European system, a Europe and code of laws, a European Judiciary, there would be but one people in Europe.” 

Let’s look at Napoleon’s coat of arms.  The eagle is centered on the crest.  The eagle is associated with military victory, and the day after his coronation napoleon set the eagle at the top of every flagpole of every flag of his army.  In 1804 imagine the English parliament, imagine Wellington upon hearing the news of what now led the legions, and I will make you a bet that they instantly knew Napoleon’s intentions – if they did not know already.  Symbols speak power, and Rome was on the march.

Let’s look closer at Napoleons coat of arms.  Look at the top of the crest to the right and left of the crown, Charlemagne holds a scepter, and you can see a hand – the fingers formed in the sign of benediction – both symbols borrowed from the Holy Roman Empire.  This was another symbol to set the psyche of Napoleon’s new Europe that he is the continuation of what came before, and thus giving himself – Napoleon – legitimacy. 

Anyway look at Napoleon’s coronation – check out the paintings of the period…Especially get a look at Jacques Louis David’s painting at the Louvre in Paris.  GOOGLE IT.   It reeks of Roman influence.   

Check out the coronation medal that was struck with the profile of Napoleon, very Caesar like, with the opposite side of Napoleon being raised up on a shield – supported by a Roman senator and a representative of the military  — very Roman  as well.

I will accept the argument that maybe the time of emulating the Romans have passed.  After all, great men in their efforts to be seen as egalitarian are not painted or photographed in Roman Toga anymore.  The psyche of public upon seeing Bill Gates dressed in a toga, or Bill Clinton, would think more TOGA PARTY then the tenets and principals of the ‘early’ Republic.  The idea of Roman influence has passed…could be true…but I doubt it.  A toga, a mere garment, is one thing, but power is another.  We are in the age of corporations, of companies that take in more funds greater than some governments.  The office of emperor has now been replaced by the term CEO.  I will take a bet that in some future time, that a company may operate in some instances like a republic – like Microsoft with a benevolent First Citizen named Bill Gates; in some instances may operate like an empire – like Apple with an dictatorial emperor like Steve Jobs; in some instances like a corrupt imperial governor intending to fleece the provinces like Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sax and their making money on money schemes that flattened our economy into its present state.    And who can forget the worst spendthrift who can only be compared to Caligula in all his glory – the company called ENRON.  

Like the villas that crowd the southern coast of Italy, a new elite of Neros are building their own versions of golden palaces such as Gatsby homes lining the Hampton coast and the symbols of excess such as forty five million dollar checking accounts, and the fifth avenue New York Duplex.  It is not that there are successful, it is not that they made all the right choices, it is that they think they deserve everything and it’s theirs BY RIGHT.   

I am less cynical then you think.  I believe that the Roman influence, the tenets of republic and philosophy have not simply converted into an economic corporate power structure. 

I believe the rise of European democracies spells the spirit of the early Roman Republic lives on, I believe that western influence and western ideals have touched the democracy movements of China.  What’s more, if the worst happens, and society fell, and another dark age descended upon the earth…that somewhere on the plans of Kansas or Colorado or whatever territory or state that was able to lift the fog of darkness and light the fire of renaissance, a group of founding fathers will begin again with copies of the following…

Definitely; 

The Bible,

Possibly;

The Constitution,

Possibly;

The Republic by Plato

And definitely;

The writings of Cicero.

ROME WILL LIVE ON.