ae 
tenne Affes. As for the filver Deniers, {tamped they were with the pourtraiture of coches drawne 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 4.63 
ot Denier fhould go fortenne Affes or pounds of braffe money ; the halfe Denier, Quinarius, 
fhould be currant for five;and the Sefterce reckoned worth two anda halfe. Now, for asmuch as 
during the firft Punick warre againft the Carthaginians, the citie was growne much behind hand 
and farreendebted, fo as they were not ableto goe through the charges which they were to de- 
fray,agreeditwas and ordained to raife the worth of the brafen monie by deminithing the poifes 
whereas therfore the Affe weighed a pound of twelve ounces, they made the Affe of two ounces : 
_ Bywhich devife,the Commonwealth gained five parts in fix;and the Fifque orcitie chamber by 
that meanes was foone acquit of alldebts.Butif you would know what was the marke of this new 
brafen A fle : of rhe one fide it was ftamped with a two-faced Janws, on the other fide with the 
beake-head of afhip, armed with brafen pikes. Ocher finaller peeces there were,according to 
that proportion,to wit, Trientes,the third part of an Affesand Quadrantes the fourth;which had 
the print of *punts or final boats upon them. As for the peece Quadrans, it was before time cal- ise 
led Triuncis,becaufe it weighed three ounces. Howbeit,in procefle of time when Anniball pref- led Repti oF 
fed hard uponthe citie, and put them to an exigent for money to maintaine the warresagainft ae 
a E : ; - : ; ; ; rdinarily 
him,driven they were to their fhifts and forced(when 2. Fabivs was DiGator)to bring down the 42 pomane 
forefaid Affe of two ounces unto one. Yea,and enacted it was, Thatthe filver Denier,which went fiver Denier 
beforetime fortenne A fles,(hould be worth*fixteensthe halfe Denier or Quinare,eight;and the pe pas: 
Seftercefoure : and by this means the State gained the one halfe full. And yet I muftexceptthe oir. butthele 
money paied unto fouldiors for their wages: fora Denier unto them was never reckoned above Deve. *a 
I. Vrfins 
with two horfes or foure horfes whereupon they were called Bigati and Quadrigati, Within a 
while after there paffed an a@ promulged by Papyrias, by vertue whereof the Affes weighed not 
above halfean ounce. Then came Zrvias Dru{us in place, who beeing one of the Provofts or 
Tribunes of the Commons, brought in bafe money, and delaied the filver with oneeight part 
of brafle. Touching that peece of coine, which nowis called ViGtoriatus, ftamped it was by an 
A& propofed by Clodizs; tor before his time, thofe peeces of money were brought out of Scla- 
vonia, and reckoned as merchandife: and {tamped itis with the image of Vidtorie, of which ic 
tooke that name. ; | 
Concerning gold coined intomoney,it came up threefcore and two years after the ftamping 
of filverpeeces:and a {criptule of gold was taxed and valued attwentie fefterces,which arifeth in 
every pound according to the worth of Sefterces as they were rated in thofe daies, to nine hun- 
dred Sefterces. Buc afterwards it was thought good tocaftand ftampe peeces of gold, after the 
proportion of fiftie to apound: Andthofe, the Emperors by little and little deminithed ftill in 
poife,untill at length Nero brought them downe to the lowelt, and caufed them to be coined af- 
ter the rate of five and fiftie peeces tothe pound. In fumme, the very fource and originallof all 
avarice proceedeth from this money and coine, deviled firft by lone and ufurie, and continued 
ftill by fuch idle perfons that put foorth their monies to worke for them, whilesthey fit ftill, and 
find the fweetneffe of the gaine comming in {o eafily.But this greedie defire of having more ftill, 
is growne after an outrageous manner to be exceffive, andno more to be named covetoutnefle, 
but rather unfatiable hunger after gold:infomuch as Septimuleins, an inward and familiar friend 
of C.Gracchus, forgatall bonds of amitie,and having cut off his friends head, upon promife to 
have the weight of it in gold, brought the fame unto Opimus: howbeitshee poured molten lead 
into the mouth thereof to make it more heavie, and fotogether with this parricide and unnatu- 
ral] murther,coufened alfo and beguiled the Commonweale. But to fpeake no more of any par- 
ticular citizen of Rome,the whole name of the Romanes hath beene infamous among forraine 
nations for avarice and corruption in this kind : as may appeare by the conceit that king Mishri- 
dates had of them, who caufed —4quélius (a Generall of theirs, whofe hap was to fall into his 
hands) forto drinke molten gold. See what covetoufnefle brings home with itintheend. * 
Now when I behold and confider no more but thefe ftraunge names of our veffell in plate, 
which are newly devifed in Greeke from time totime, according asthefilver iseitherdoubleor 
parcel] guilt, or the gold enclofed and bound within worke, [ am afhamed of it; and the rather, 
for that in regard of thefe devifed names and daintie toies, {uch plate as well of beaten gold, as 
guilded onely,fhould be fo vendible and fell fo deare: efpecially knowing as we doe full well, the 
good order that Spartacus held in hiscampe,expreffely commanding thatno man fhould have 
any plate of gold or filver. A great reproch tous Romans, that our fugitives & banithed perlons 
; fhould 
