CHAP. VI. TROOPS IN ROME. 167 



eighty years later Julius Caesar doubled the pay, 

 making it six 1 asses, or four-pence halfpenny ; 

 and Augustus 2 about sixty years after increased 

 it to ten asses, or seven-pence halfpenny ; besides 

 this that emperor gave a large pension during 

 the remainder of their lives to those who had 

 served twenty years 3 . This formed a tempting 

 inducement to enter into the army, and to con- 

 tinue in the service till the period was arrived 

 when the soldier would be entitled to his pension. 

 It may perhaps be rash to assume that these 

 advances on the pay of the soldiers were owing 

 exclusively to the increased quantity of gold and 

 silver which had poured into Rome. The favour 

 of the troops was too important to the aspirants 

 for predominance not to have contributed some- 

 what to the advance of pay. It is now impos- 

 sible to determine what proportion of these ad- 

 vances was prompted by the desire of ingra- 

 tiating the commanders with the troops, and what 

 to the increased price of all commodities which 

 the influx of the precious metals had created. 



Suetonius, Jul. 26. 2 Suetonius, August. 49. 



3 Gronovius de Pecunia Veter. lib. iii. p. 120. 



