10090 talents: 
| ecko a talent that time to be had abroad in the world;for Midas and Cra[us both,were poffefied of infinitfums @ 
a Go pound, and huge maffes of gold : and Cyrus upon his conqueftof Afia, met with 34000 pound weight 
| Aclearticke, Of gold,befidesthe golden plate and veffell,and other gold which he found readie wrought:and 
ao among the reft,certaine *leaves,a Plane and a Vinetree,both of beaten gold. In thepillage alfo 
} ola, Bil he : - ‘ “ 
| bathing vet. Of this vitorie,he carted away five hundred thoufand talents of filver,and one ftanding cup that 
fhould fhew a moré nobler {pirit than wee our felves. Me//ala the great Cratout hath leftin wri- G 
ting, That 24. Autonivs ufed to difcharge all the ordure and filthie excrements of the bodie into 
veflels of gold, yea,and allowed Cleopatra likewife to doe the fame by her monthly fisperfluities, 
moft fhamefully, Noted it was among forrain nations for exceflive licentioufneffe ,& that inthe 
higheft degree, Thatking P4ilip of Macedonie was never wont to go tobed and fleepe withoura 
ftanding cup of gold under his pillow: alfo, That Aguon T e/us(a great captaine under Alexander 
the Great) was given to fuch waftfull prodigalitie,as to faflen his {hoes and pantophles with buc- 
| *Whichhad  kles of gold. But 4utonie abovenamed, to thecontumelie and contempt of * Nature, abufed 
a per pel gold,and emploied it to the bafeft fervice that is: An a@t (asmuchas any other) deferving pro- — 
honour. _—{cription and outlawing indeed; 
Buramong diverfe things befides,I wonder much atthis, Thatthe people of Rome,uponthe 
conqueft of fo many nations, impofed uponthem a tribute to be paied alwaies in filver, & never 
made mention of gold: as forexample, when Carthage was fubdued,and Anniball vanquifhed, 
| *Forinalthey the Carthaginians were enjoined for fiftie years together to make paimentyearly of *{ 12000] 
yoose talents; pound of filver onely,and no gold arall. Neither can it be thought that therewas little gold at 
464, | The ee and thirtieth Booke a i 7 
fels, he tooke from Semiramus,that weighed fifteenetalents, And/4rro mine Authorfaith,Thatthe J ~~ 
HS . . : $ = 
_ “Some fay 75. noife of the Agyptian talent arifethto * 80 pound. Befides,there had raigned beforetime over 
the Colchians, Sa/auces and one E/ubopes : who having newly broken up a peece of groundin 
the Samnians countty,is reported to have gotten out thereof great {tore of filver and gold ,not- 
withitanding that the whole kingdome is renowmed for the golden fleeces there.And verely this 
prince had the arched and embowed routes of his pallace made of filver and gold: the beames 
and pillars alfo {uftaining the {aid building yea,the jambes,pofts,principals,and ftanderds,all of 
the fame mettall,namely after he had vanquifhed Sefo/tres king of gipt,lo prowda prince,that 
(as the Chronicles make mention) hee was wont every yeare to have one or other (asthelorcfell . 
out)of thofe kings who were his tributaries and did homage unto him, for to drawin his charriot 
like horfes,when he was difpofed to ride in tiumph, Thefe and {uch like things have binthought K 
fabulous tales :but have not our Romanes done femblable acts , which the age and pofteritie 
hereafter will thinke incredible 2Ce{ar afterwards Ditatour, was the firft that in his Aidilefhip, 
when hee exhibited a folemne memorial in the honour of his father departed, did furnifhthe 
whole Cirque and thew-place, with all things meet for fucha folemnitie, of cleane filver; info- 
much as the chafing ftaves and borefpeares were of filver, wherewith the wild beafts were affaul- 
ted: a {pedtacle never feene before. And notlong after,C. Autoniv: {et forth his plaies (when he 
was /Edile) upon aftage or {caffold of filver : after whofe example,diverfe free cities and towns of 
the Empire have done the like. Semblably,Z.a@urena and C .Caligu/athe Emperour, erected a 
frame or pageant to goe and rife up of it felfe with vices, {upporting images and jewels in the 
place of publick paftimes,which was thought to have in it 124000 poundof filver.ClaudiusCa- J 
fer who fucceeded Emperour after him, when he rode in triumph for the conqueft of Brittaine, 
among other crownes of beaten gold,fhewed twain that were principal the one of feven pound 
weight,which high Spaine had given unto him; the other weighing nine pounds, fent untohim 
as a prefent froms that part of Gaule which is called Comata :as appeared by the infcriptions 
and titles which they bare. Nere his fucceffor, to fhew unto Tyridares king of Armenia what a- 
bundance of treafure he had, keptthe great Treatre of Pompeius for one whole day covered all 
over with gold .But what was thatfurniture in comparifon of his golden houfe,which tockeup a 
great part of the citie,and feemed(as it were)to compafle itabout.In that yeare when Sex, luliws — 
and Lucius Aurelius were Confuls (which fell out to be feven years before the third Punick wat) 
“According there was foundin the treafurie orchamber of Rome, * 700026 pound weight of gold,inMafle 
to Badew.< or Ingots:of filver likewifein Bullion,92000 pound weight;befides the coine and readie money, 
1$0517° which amounted to 375000 Sefterces. The yeare wherein Sex, Julius and L.Marciws were Con- 
+5" fals, to wit,in the beginning of the fociall warre againft the Marcians and other Romane allies, 
the treafure of Rome arofe to 846 pounds of gold in Bullion, C.C4/ar at his firlt cna cee 
the 
— oe ee 
