BOOK XXXIII. IV. I2-V. 15 



feminine finery like earrings — without mentioning 

 finger-rings. And whoever first introduced them 

 did so with hesitation, and put them on the left hand, 

 which is generally hidden by the clothes, whereas 

 it would have been shown off on the right hand if it 

 had been an assured distinction. And if this might 

 possibly have been thought to involve some inter- 

 ference with the use of the right hand, there is the 

 proof of more modern custom ; it would have also 

 been more inconvenient to wear it on the left hand, 

 which holds the shield. Indeed it is also stated, 

 by Homer ^ again, that men wore gold plaited in their 

 hair and consequently I cannot say whether the 

 use of gold originated from women. 



\ . At Rome for a long time gold was actually Roman 

 not to be found at all except in very small amounts. ^goid. 

 At all events when peace had to be purchased after 

 the capture of the City by the Gauls, not more than 390 b.c. 

 a thousand pounds' weight of gold could be produced. 

 I am aware of the fact that in Pompey's third consul- 52 b.o, 

 ship there was lost from the throne of Jupiter of the 

 Capitol two thousand pounds' weight of gold that 

 had been stored there by Camillus,^ which led to a 

 general beUef that 2000 pounds was the amount 

 that had been accumulated. But really the addi- 

 tional sum was part of the booty taken from the 

 Gauls, and it had been stripped by them from the 

 temples in the part of the city which they had 

 captured — the case of Torquatus ^ shows that the 

 Gauls were in the habit of wearing gold ornaments 

 in battle ; therefore it appears that the gold belong- 

 ing to the Gauls and that belonging to the temples 

 did not amount to more than that total ; and this 

 in fact was taken to be the meaning contained in the 



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