144 CONSUMPTION OF THE CHAP. v. 



constantly suffering a loss. Such loss, as will 

 in a future stage of this inquiry be particularly 

 examined, would be almost wholly avoided in 

 the period of the world which we are now con- 

 sidering. 



The coining of money upon a small scale had 

 been commenced at an early period, and had 

 been considerably extended in Rome after the 

 great influx of gold and silver which followed 

 the conquests of the three centuries before the 

 reign of Augustus ; but except after that ac- 

 cession it is not probable that coins were found 

 in large quantities ; for though they were current 

 at fixed rates for small transactions, yet in large 

 payments they always passed by weight, thus 

 making the ascertainment of their country or 

 tale a matter of little importance. 



Pliny says, " In ancient time it was the prac- 

 tice to weigh out brass by the as or pound, which 

 was thence called as libralis, and now libella, 

 as the weight of two pounds is called dipondius* 

 Hence a fine is called ceris gravis, that is, brass 

 in mass. Hence what is stated in an account as 

 laid out is called expensa because all payments 

 were made by weight. The paymasters in the 

 army were called libripendes, because they 

 weighed out the pay to the soldiers ; and the 

 pay itself was called stipendium for the same 

 reason. All buying and selling at this day are 



