Chap. 49.] INSTANCES OF LUXURY IN SILYJCU PLATE. 131 



remarked. He it was who gave the celebrated plane-tree and 

 vine of gold to King J)arius, and who entertained at a 

 banquet the troops of Xerxes, seven hundred and eighty- 

 eight thousand men in all ; with a promise of pay and corn 

 for the whole of them during the next five months, on con- 

 dition that one at least of his live children, who had boon 

 drawn for service, should be left to him as the solace of his old 

 age. And yet, let any one compare the wealth of Pythius to 

 that possessed by King Croesus ! 



In the name of all that is unfortunate, what madness it is 

 for human nature to centre its desires upon a tiling that has 

 either fallen to the lot of slaves, or else has reached no known 

 limit in the aspirations even of kings ! 



CHAP. 48. AT WHAT I'KUIOI) TIIK KOMAN PEOPLE FIRST MAl'K 



VOLUNTARY CONTUlllUTIONS. 



The Roman people first began to make voluntary contribu- 

 tions 81 in the, consulship of Spurius Poathumiua and Quintus 

 Marcius. 25 So abundant was money at that period, that t la- 

 people assessed themselves for a contribution to L. Scipio, TO 

 defray the expenses of the games which he celebrated.'" As 

 to the contribution of the sixth part of an as, for the purpose 

 of defraying the funeral expenses of Agrippa Menenius, I look 

 upon that to have been a mark of respect paid to him. an 

 honour, too, that was rendered necessary by his poverty, 

 rather than in the light of a largess. 



CHAP. 49. (11.) INSTANCES OF LUXURY IX SILVER PLATE. 



The caprice of the human mind is marvellously exemplified 

 in the varying fashions of silver plate : the work of no indi- 

 vidual manufactory being for any long time in vogue. At one 

 period, the Furnian plate, at another the Clodian, and at 

 another the Gratiau, 27 is all the rage for we borrow the shop 

 even at our tables. 2 * ]^o\v again, it is embossed plate 29 that 



21 "Stipom spnrgoro." 25 A.r.c. 568. 



28 In performance of a TOW made in the war with King Antiochus. 

 Sec Livy, 1. xxxix. 



27 So culled from the silversmiths who respectively introduced then:, 

 The (irutian plate is mentioned bv Martial, B. iv, J-piijr. 39. 



VH ti f;^.nim taberna* mentis auoptamtw." 



M " Anairlyptu." Plate chased ill relief. It is mentioned in the Kpi- 

 gram of Martial above referred to. 



K2 



