BOOK XXXIII. ui. 146-LI11. T49 



when he was a young man they were called * drums,' 

 and then also the dishes for which the old name had 

 been magides came to be called basins from their 

 resemblance to the scales of a balance. 



LIII. Yet it is not only for quantities of silver 

 that there is such a rage among mankind but there 

 is an almost more violent passion for works of fine 

 handicraft ; and this goes back a long time, so that 

 Me of to-day may excuse ourselves from blame. 

 Gaius Gracchus had some figures of dolphins for 153-121 b.c 

 which he paid 5000 sesterces per pound, while the 

 orator Lucius Crassus had a pair of chased goblets, uo-yi b.c. 

 the work of the artist Mentor, that cost 100,000; 

 yet admittedly he was too ashamed ever to use them. 

 It is known to us that he HkeM'ise owned some vessels 

 that he bought for 6000 sesterces per pound. It 

 was the conquest of Asia " that first introduced 

 luxury into Italy, inasmuch as Lucius Scipio carried 

 in procession at his triumph 1400 Ibs. of chased 

 silverware and vessels of gold weighing 1500 Ibs. : 

 this was in the 565th year from the foundation of 

 the city of Rome. But receiving Asia also as a gift 1^9 n.o. 

 dealt a much more serious blow to our morals, and 

 the bequest of it that came to us on the death of 

 King Attalus ^ was more disadvantageous than the 

 victory of Scipio. For on that occasion all scruples 

 entirely disappeared in regard to buying these 

 articles at the auctions of the king's effects at Rome — 

 the date was the 622nd year of the city, and in the 132 b.c. 

 interval of 57 years our community had learnt not 

 merely to admire but also to covet foreign opulence ; 

 an impetus having also been given to manners by 

 the enormous shock of the conquest of Achaia,^ 

 that victory itself also having during this interval 



III 



