CHAP. IX. BRIBERY IN ROME. 203 



suitable to occasions of this kind than coined 

 money, which could, from the minute division 

 of which it is susceptible, be distributed with 

 facility and equality. 



These bribes, under the name of congiaria, 

 were dispersed with no parsimonious hand 

 during the reign of Augustus, by his will at his 

 death, and by the intriguers for power and po- 

 pularity in the ages that succeeded his. A few 

 notices collected from various authorities will 

 show to what an extent this kind of bribery was 

 carried among the Romans, and will also tend 

 to prove, that instead of hoarding the precious 

 metals in the shape of statues, vases, cups, 

 dishes, and personal ornaments, the great pos- 

 sessors of them must have had the strongest 

 inducements to prefer keeping them in the 

 shape of coined money. 



We are informed, that Augustus frequently 

 gave congiaria sometimes of 30 nummi, or 

 4s. lOf e/., sometimes of 40 nummi, or 6*. 6d., 

 and sometimes of 250 nummi, or 2l. %s. ld. 9 to 

 the whole population, not omitting the chil- 

 dren ; though on former occasions it had not 

 been customary to include any under eleven 

 years of age 1 . The same emperor left by his 

 will 2/. 8s. 5d. to each of the common men 2 . 



1 Sueton. in Augusto, cap. 41. 

 " Dion Cassius, lib. 56. 



