Chnp. 47.] IXSTANCKS OF IMMENSE WCALTIl. 12'j 



the false denarius is now an object of careful examination, 

 ami people absolutely buy the eouuterfeit coin at the price 

 of many genuine 



CHAP. 47. (10.) - 1NSTAXCKS OF IMMENSK WEALTH. PERSONS 

 WHO JIAVK I'OSSKSSKI) THE GREATEST SUMS OF MONEY. 



The ancients had no number whereby to express a larger 

 sum than one hundred thousand ; and hence it is that, at 

 the present day, we reckon by multiples of that number, as, 

 for instance, ten times one hundred thousand, and so on. 11 For 

 these multiplications we are indebted to usury and the use of 

 coined money ; and hence, too, the expression ** a:s ulicnum," 

 or " another man's money/' which we still use. 12 In later 

 times, again, the surname " .Dives " 13 was given to some: only 

 be it known to all, that the man who first received this sur- 

 name became a bankrupt and so bubbled his creditors. 14 M. 

 Crassus, 15 a member of the same family, used to say that no 

 man was rich, who could not maintain a legion upon his yearly 

 income. He possessed in land two hundred millions 1 * of 

 sesterces, being the richest Roman citizen next to Sylla. Nor 

 was even this enough lor him, but he must want to possess all 

 the gold of the Parthiana too I 17 And yet, although he was the 

 first to become memorable for his opulence so pleasant is the 

 task of stigmatizing this insatiate cupidity we have known 

 of many manumitted slaves, since his time, much more- 

 wealthy than he ever was ; three lor example, all at the same 



sold for the purpose of showing the difference between it and the genuine 

 coin. 



11 Twenty times 0110 hundred thousand, &e. 



12 As signifying a. " debt owinj* to another." n "The Rich." 



u This seems tho kst translation for " decoxissc creditoribui suis'' 

 which literally means that ho "boiled " or " incited away" his fortune from 

 his creditors. In this remark 1'liny is more witty than usual. 



15 The Triumvir. The first person mentioned in Koin.in history as 

 having the cognomen ** JJives," is 1*. Lirinius Crassus, the personage 

 mentioned in H. x.\i. c. 4. As he attained the highest honours of the 

 state, and died universally respected, he cannot be the person so oppro- 

 briously >poken of by Pliny. 



16 The meaning aj>p< ars'to be doubtful here, as it is not clear whether 

 **Festerees," or * st stertia," "thousands Of SOfitcrcef," is meant. 



17 Who cut oil' Lib head after his death, and poured molten gold down 

 his throat. 



VUL. Yi. K 



