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pp. 365, “In this dramatic and exciting book, the first general history of the army in Roman society, Michael Grant shows how the rise and decline of the imperial Rome was intimately connected with the balance of political and military power. The role of the army in the Roman empire was a formidable one : the emperor depended on the soldiers oor his continued existence, as did the empire itself. But an army powerful enough to defend the frontiers and keep the Roman peace also had the power to destroy the emperor. Against this ever-present danger the emperors took unceasing precautions, one of their principal methods being to surround themselves with bodyguards, the Praetorian Guard. But what began as a protective measure had wider repercussions, for the Guard came to play an ever greater part in the internal politics of the empire.”