Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-09-29

Rich FoLKs.-We suppose there are people
in all parts of the United States who think they
are pretty well off--eyen rich We know n
few unfortunate individuals that labor under
this hallucination, and look with mixture of
pity and contempt upon their fellow worms Of
the dust, whom they suppose to possess less Of
" the DUST than themselyes. But Heaven
help these poor things, they have not the slight
est conception of what wealth is. They rich,
forsooth! They are beggars comparatively.
Many rich mans upper servants live in bet.
ter style.
Mr.. Croesus, who fourished long before our
time, and whom the reader has doubtless heard
OF, used to say that the citizen who had not
fortune to supper an army or legion, did not
deserve the title of rich man; and he is good
authority. His landed property alone was
worth the snug little some of eight-and-a-haf
millions Of dollars Then he possessed slaves,
furniture, horses cattle and cash to an equal
mountaineering the comfortable sum of seven
teen miions
Mr.. Cresus was a rich man; but many of
the old gentlemen who departed this life centu-
ries ago were richer than he. There was
Seneca, the philosopher who uttered and wrote
some tolerably good things concerning the age
in which he lived, who was worth ST. 500, 900.
Many modern authors would doubtless have
been glad to be remembered in the old fellows
will. And so they were, all Of them. He left
them an invaluable legacy, and this is it.:
" Whenever you have written book, lay it
aside for nine years; and at the expiration of
that time, peruse it carefully, and then, if your
Judgment approve, publish it; but not before"
Julius Cesar like William Micawber, ESQ,
was "incurring pecuniary liabilities that he
found it difficult to discharge" He set a high
value on friendship, having purchased that of
Lucius Pallus for 81 100000. He was a terri
BILE spendthrift. Before he succeeded in OBJ
tanning any Office, he had amassed debts TO the
amount of Sl4,975,O0O. But Office holders had
good pickings in those days, as well as in our
own; and as julius got his hand into the
public treasury his debts began to dimin
ish. He soon became rich. He gave Servilla,
the mother of Brutus, pearl of the value
of 100000. He would, doubtless, have been
guilty of many other eNtravagances, had not
the swell beloved Brutus" given him that
cruel stab under the fifth rib. On the day
of the assassination, Caesars friend, Mark An
tony, owed $500,00O which was all paid thirty
days afterwards. This same Antony subse.
quently swallowed pearl dissolved in vinegar,
(which Cleopatra administered to him. worth
100000. He also squandered $735,00O,0OO
of the public treasury. He would have been
splendid fellow to have held fiscal agency nm
der our federal government
Tiberius, at his death, left $lls,125000,
which Caligula spent in less than twelve
months, He lived at the rate of about $35 900
n day; one supper cost 100000
Esopus, the comedian, even transcribed
Caligula in extravagance--having given $780,.
600 for one single dish. He had son, Clodius,
who was chip Of the old block. Among
other costly gastronomic feats, he swallowed a
pearl, "a la Antony) valued at $1,000.
Appius, another Roman millionaire, squan-
dered in debauchery some $2,5O0,000; after
which, finding himself sober one day, he inves-
hgated his pecuniary affairs, and finding he
had only half a million of dollars left, he poi
soned himself, because he considered that sum
insufficient for his maintenance.
A Mr.. Heliogabalus, who lived in those
times, and was one of the upper ten" used
occasionally to get up nice suppers which cost
100000.
Another gentleman, named Lucullus, seldom
sat down to n repast that cost less than $l00,.
900. His private tables eclipsed the ''ladies'
ordinares" of any twenty Of the best hotels in
the world. The fish from his pond we're sold
for $l75,000.
On the other hand, there are not few that
keep anassing wealth, and yet are constantly
haunted with the dread Of coming to poverty!
These are the horse.leech tribe--the constant
cry Of "Give, give!" is theirs. We would write
a long chapter about these latter, but they are
too well known TO require description. All we
need say is, from such extremes Of human mis-
cry, Heaven defend U.s. Columbus Democrat.