﻿96 ;rHE age of petronius arbiter. 



toiy confirms it. Cf. Plin. Xat. Hist. 33. 1. 6. 23 : " Xec non et servitia jam feirum 

 auro cingunt, alia per sese mero auro decorant." Still the use of golden rings by slaves 

 or fi-eedmen was a violation of law and usage. For we have positive evidence that, 

 under the fii"st emperors, the golden ring was still the distinguishing badge of the 

 knights. Cf. Sueton. Galba, 10 : " Delegit et equestris ordinis juvenes, qui manente 

 anuulorum aureorum usu Evocati appellarentur, excubiasque circa cubiculum suum 

 vice militum agerent." Id. l-i: " Libertus Icelus paullo ante aunulis aureis et Mar- 

 ciani coguomiae ornatus ac jam summae equestris gradus candidatus." Tacit. Hist. 

 1. 13: "Xec minor gratia Icelo, Galbae liberto, quern annulis donatum equestri no- 

 mine Marcianum vocitabant." Id. 2. 57 : " Vocata concione wtutem militum laudibus 

 cumulat. Postulante exercitu, ut libertum suum Asiaticum equestri dignitate donaret, 

 inhonestam adulationem compescit. Dem mobditate ingenii, quod palam abnuerat, 

 inter secreta con%'i\ii largitur ; honoravitque Asiaticum annulis, foedum mancipium et 

 malis artibus ambitiosum." 



This passage of Petronius, mentioning an abuse which undoubtedly appeared early, 

 probably towards the close of the republic, while it contains nothing which enables us 

 to fix more definitely the period of the composition of the book, is not incompatible 

 with the hypothesis that the work was written in the times of Augustus. 



20. C. 71. 12: " C. Pompeius Trimalchio Maecenatianus." The cucumstance that 

 Trimalchio calls himself Maecenatianus is not without significance, although it may 

 not be easy to determine how much weight is to be attached to it, and how it is to be 

 explained. While Heinsius is of opinion that Trimalchio adopted the name Maecena- 

 tianus in order to indicate his ambitious imitation of the luxurious life and pleasiue- 

 lovmg disposition of that distinguished man, Burmaun intei-prets the name as indicating 

 the fact that Trimalchio had been the slaAe of Maecenas, and manumitted by him. He 

 goes further, and infers, from this circumstance and some others mentioned in the story 

 of Trimalchio, that the book must have been written in the reign of Claudius. I can- 

 not prevail upon myself to adopt Burmann's view. The few and brief allusions made 

 by Trimalchio to his master do not, I think, apply to Maecenas ; and as to Burmann's 

 inference that the book was written in the time of Claudius, it appears to me that the 

 data from which he di-aws it, even if they were not in part mere hj-potheses, are alto- 

 gether insufficient. The opinion of Heinsius appears to me deserving of consideration ; 

 and I think that in the adoption of the name Maecenatianus an indication, although a 

 slight one, might be found that the book was written soon after the death of Maecenas, 

 which occurred 8 B. C. (746 U. C), when his character and habits were yet fresh in 

 the recollection of many of his contemporaries. On the whole, however, I prefer the 



