﻿THE AGE OF PETROXIUS ARBITER. 95 



Hist. 33. 1. 6. 21: "Xe turn quidem omnes senatores habuere, utpote cum memoria 

 avonim multi praetura qiioque functi in ferreo cousenuerint, sicut Calpurnium et Ma- 

 nUium, qui legatus Gai Mari fuerit Jugurthino bello, Fenestella tradit." By degrees, 

 however, the golden I'ing seems to have become the distinction of senators. Cf. Liv. 

 9. 4:6, " Tantumque Flavii comitia iadignitatis habuerunt, ut plerique nobilium annulos 

 aureos et phaleras depouerent," in connection with Plin. Nat. Hist. 33. 1. 6. 18, " Ad- 

 ditum Fla-sio, ut simul et tribunus plebei esset, quo facto tanta indignatio exarsit, ut 

 annulos ahjectos in antiquissimis reperiatur annalibus," and Liv. 26. 36, "Aurum, argen- 

 tum, aes signatum omne senatores crastino die in publicum conferamus ; ita ut annulos 

 sibi quisque . . . relinquant." Soon the knights, or at least the more distinguished of 

 the order, shared in this honor. Cf. Liv. 23. 12 : " Ad iidem deinde tam laetarum rerum 

 effundi in vestibulo curiae jussit annulos aureos, qui tantus acervus fuit, ut metientibus 



dunidiiun super tres modios explesse sint quidam auctores Adjecit deinde verbis, 



quo majoris cladis indicium esset, nemineni nisi equitem, atque eorum ipsorum primores, 

 id gerere insigne." In the imperial times, the privilege of the golden ring was still 

 further extended, even to freedmen, — not to entire classes, however, but only to indi- 

 viduals. Octavianus himself, as early as 38 B. C. (716 U. C.}, bestowed the golden 

 ring upon Mena, a freedman, the admiral of Sextus Pompeius, for ha\'ing betrayed his 



master. Cf. Dio Cass. 48. 45 : Mrjva'i . . . Trpo? tov Kaia-apa ■7rpoK7}pvKevcrafievo<; Tr\v t€ vijaov 

 avTm Kol TO vavTiKov, to re aWo aTparevfia Kai eavTov TrapeBcoKe • Kai avrov eKeivo's a<7fi€va)<; 

 lBa)V, eTTeiBri kol tov Xe^aTov tou? re avroiio\ovvTa<; irapa ra avyKeifieva laroBe^eadai, kul vav- 

 ■irrj'ylav Tptrjpwv iroieia-Oai, ev re ry 'IraXia <f>povpa<; e-)(eiv eXeyev, ovre e^eScoKev e^aiTTjSevra 

 Kol irpoa-eTi koI ev Ti/irj /j,eyaXrj rjyaye ' BaKTvKioK re ■)(^pva-oi<; eKoafirjae, Kai e? to rwv 'nnrewv 

 TeKo^ eaeypailre • to Be Brj tSsv BaKTvXiav TOiovBe eariv • ovBevi, twv iraKai, Pcofiatcov, ov^ on 

 7WV BovXevaavTcov Trore, aX\' ovBe rcjp ev eXevOepm yevei Tpa(f>£VTCov, BaKTv\ioi<; y^pvaoli, ttXtjv 

 ruiv re /BovXeuTuv koI tS>v l-n-Tretov •^prjaOai, aicnrep ecprjral /j,ot, e^rjv. The same distinction 



was, at a later period, — 23 B. C. (731 U. C), — conferred upon the physician Antonius 

 Musa, a freedman of course, who had cured Augustus in a dangerous disease. C£ Dio 



Cass. 53. 30 : Kal avTOV iJ,eBev oji fMtjBe toiv ■kolvv avayKaicov votelv Bwafcevov, Avt(ovi6<; ti? 

 Movawi Kol ■\lrvypoXovaiaL<; Koi '\^v)(poiroaiaK aveaware • km Bia tovto kui y(pr]fj,aTa Trapa re tov 

 Avyovarov Kal trapa t^? ^ovXt]^ TroXXa, Kal to ^pvaolf BaKTvXloK (^aTreXevdepo<; yap i]v) ^prjadai • 

 Tr\v T6 ajeXeiav Koi eavju) Kol toU 6fiOTe)(yoK, ovx o''"' '^°^'> '''o'''^ ovcriv aXXa Kat, roi'i e-rreira eao- 

 ixevoi^ eXa^ev. 



The temptation to appear, even in violation of law and custom, with the badge and 

 ornament of a higher class, was too great for many a rich upstart, such as Trimalchio 

 was. Acquaintance with human nature makes this probable, and the testimony of his- 



