46 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



commenced establishing her world-wide empire, and extending it often by 

 ignoble means, the genuine Roman character was gradually changed and 

 finally lost. Some subjugated Italian tribes contributed to the degeneracy 

 of the Roman people, and Oriental luxury increased the evil. And when 

 Carthage, Corinth, Macedonia, and Asia, yielded up their treasures to the 

 conquerors, extravagance reached a pitch such as would not have been 

 expected from the former character of the Romans. Riches, extorted by 

 fraud and violence, were wasted by the most influential men in the most 

 outrageous manner. The wealthy freely abandoned themselves to drunken- 

 ness and debauchery, while the masses of the people were exposed to the 

 horrors and miseries of poverty and disease. They would have starved 

 but for occasional alms which they received from the public treasury, or 

 from the bounty of some of the rich citizens. In the midst of such 

 degradation, it is clear that the populace were easy subjects of bribery, 

 fit instruments for those who needed their assistance in order to secure 

 public honors. 



At this period of licentiousness and profligacy the taste for the arts and 

 sciences first manifested itself. It was called forth by the treasures of art 

 which the Romans had brought home as booty, and by the influence* of 

 Greek scholars, who were the guests of the wealthy citizens of Rome. The 

 young men henceforth received a Greek education. 



Husbandry or agriculture, from the first, constituted the principal branch 

 of industry. To this was soon added the raising of cattle, and consequently 

 the cultivation of grass lands. Much care also was bestowed upon the 

 gardens and vineyards. The mechanical trades were generally despised, 

 and mostly conducted by the poorer classes, foreigners, and slaves. Still 

 the number of mechanics was not inconsiderable. The same low opinion 

 was entertained of commerce. But as the number of knights increased, 

 they assumed the control of commerce and the farming of the revenues. 

 Manufactures did not flourish extensively at Rome, the people contenting 

 themselves for the most part with imported articles. 



The traffic of the Romans, li'ke that of all other ancient nations, was 

 limited to barter and purchase with uncoined metals. Servius Tullius 

 first instituted cast coins, but not stamped. The coins were clumsy 

 quadrangular plates of copper, alloyed with tin or zinc. Silver coins came 

 into use 269 B.C., and gold 207 B.C. The principal unit in the Roman 

 money, was the cbs^ as^ libra^ or pound. It was originally a pound in 

 weight, and was divided into twelve ounces iuncim). The Roman pound 

 was to the Paris pound as 32 : 21, and was about equal to eleven ounces 

 avoirdupois weight. The names of the coins were as follows : ^r of an as 

 = 1 uncia ; ^^ or i = 1 sextans ; y% or J = 1 quadrans ; ^2 or |- = 1 triens ; 

 ^ = 1 quincunx ; t%^ or -J = 1 semissis (semi-assis) *, 3^ = 1 septunx ; 

 -j^ or f = 1 bes (bis-triens) ; ^3 or J = 1 dodrans ; it o^ f = 1 decunx, 

 or dextans ; ii = 1 deunx. 



The as suffered one reduction after another, until, from its original 

 weight of a pound, it was depreciated to 3^ of a pound. The common 

 impression on an as was a Janus bifrons on one side, and on the reverse 

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