BOOK XXXIII. XI. 38-xii. 40 



myself been able to ascertain, but Lucius Piso 

 records who was the first person to bestow one, 

 namely the dictator Aulus Postumius, who when 

 the camp of the Latins at Lake Regillus had been ^97 b.o. 

 taken by storm awarded a gold crown to the soldier 

 who had been chiefly responsible for taking the 

 place. In this case the crown which he bestowed 

 was made of gold taken from the booty captured, 

 and weighed two pounds. Also Lucius Lentulus 

 as consul awarded a gold crown to Servius Cornehus 275 b.o. 

 Merenda after the taking of a town belonging to the 

 Samnites, but Servius's crown weighed five pounds ; 

 while Piso Frugi bestowed on his son one weighing 

 three pounds out of his personal resources, leaving 

 it to him by will as a specific legacy. 



XII. As a mark of honour to the gods at sacrifices Further 

 no other means has been devised but to gild the ^ahoutgoid. 

 horns of the victims to be immolated, at all events 

 of full-grown animals. But in military service also 

 this form of luxury has grown to such dimensions 

 that we find a letter of Marcus Brutus sent from the 

 Plains of PhiHppi expressing his indignation at 42 b.c. 

 the brooches made of gold that were worn by the 

 tribunes. Really I must protest ! Why, even you, 

 Brutus, did not mention the gold worn on their feet 

 by women, and we accuse of crime the man who 

 first conferred dignity on gold by using gold rings ! 

 Let even men nowadays wear gold bracelets — called 

 * Dardania ' because the fashion came from the 

 Dardani — the Celtic name for them is ' viriolae ' 

 and the Celtiberian ' viriae ' ; let women have gold 

 in their bracelets and covering their fingers and on 

 their neck, ears and tresses, let gold chains run at 

 raiidom round their waists ; and let little bags of 



