 However the size of his topic overwhelmed him, so he chose to expand the scope of his writing from the beginnings of the Roman Republic to the decay of the late Roman Empire.He begins in the year 753 BC, the traditional date for the founding of Rome, and continues until the fall of Constantinople in AD 1453 to an invading army of the Ottoman Empire.In chapters I through X Montesquieu postulates that the wealth, military might and expansionist policies that, by most historical accounts were a source of great strength for Rome, in actuality contributed to the weakening of the spirit of civic virtue of Roman citizens.