The foregoing theory is strengthened by the fact
that the worship of ancestors, which was universal
amongst the true and original Roman burghers, does not
seem to have obtained with the Plebeians. This circum-
stance clearly indicates that a wide gulf separated the
two classes before they became fused into one great
people, and that they differed not merely in race, but
also in religion. It is certain that worship of ancestors
prevailed amongst the Gauls. One other piece of



ITALY.— AT THE DAWN OF HISTORY 55

evidence may be cited in support of the foregoing,
namely, that the Patricians as a rule burned their dead,
whereas the Plebeians as a rule buried them. This con-
firms the observation just made, that the two classes
originally differed very widely in race, in religious
beliefs, and in customs. While the fact that in so
many ways the Patricians followed one mode of action
or belief, and the Plebeians another, seems to demon-
strate that each class belonged to a special race.
