title: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Penguin Classics)
author: Edward Gibbon
description: British parliamentarian and soldier Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) conceived of his plan for  <i>Decline and Fall</i> while &quot;musing amid the ruins of the Capitol&quot; on a visit to Rome. For  the next 10 years he worked away at his great history, which traces the decadence of the late empire from  the time of the Antonines and the rise of Western Christianity. &quot;The confusion of the times, and the  scarcity of authentic memorials, pose equal difficulties to the historian, who attempts to preserve a clear  and unbroken thread of narration,&quot; he writes. Despite these obstacles, <i>Decline and Fall</i>  remains a model of historical exposition, and required reading for students of European history.
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  EDWARD GIBBON 
  REFLECTIONS ON THE 
  FALL OF ROME 
  EDITED BY DAVID WOMERSLEY 
  PENGUIN BOOKS 
  
  PENGUIN BOOKS 
  Published by the Penguin Group 
  Penguin Books Ltd, 27 Wrights Lane, London w8 51z, England , 
  Penguin Books USA Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA 
  Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia 
  Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4v 3B2 
  Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, 182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand 
  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England 
  These extracts are from Volume 3 of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman 
  Empire by Edward Gibbon, edited by David Womersley, first published by Allen Lane 
  The Penguin Press 1994 
  This edition published 1995 
  1-3, 5.7 9° vo S86) az 
  This edition of the text copyright © David Womersley, 1994 
  All rights reserved 
  Typeset by Row