Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-04-11
Ancient and Modern Wealth.


wondrous wealth and profusisn of
Tweed and Stewart, and other shoddy
magnates and millionaires, the Rich
mond Inquirer tells US how people
had big fortunes, and built fine houses,
and gave dinners, and drank fine wines,
and spent money in other ways, in the
old times ere Lodex was, or Stewart
named. Thus it is that the Enquirer
takes the shine out of the nineteenth
century:
Why. what is Tweed, or Stewart. or
Mr.. Lodex, or Belmont, or the Roths-
childs, OF the Marquis of Westminster,
to Ptolemy Philadelphus, of Egypt,
who amassed little property of
$S50,000,000? And which of our ex-
travagant young ladies in these boosted
times ever gave her lover, as Cleopatra
did, pearl dissolved in vinegar Tor un-
disso)ved) worth 100000? That's half
the expense of Miss Tweed's wedding
at dash, and would dress one of our
Baltimore and Washington bellies for
forty years. Then there was Paulina,
one of the ton in Rome, who used to
wear jewels when she returned her
visits worth 100000. Well, they boast
of Mr.. Stewards " marble palace" on
Thirty fourth street and Fifth avenue.
We do not suppose this house, which is
about the best they have in New York,
cost more than half million dollars.
Well, Cicero, who was poor man, gave
$l50,000 for his house, and Clodius paid
$650,000 for his establishment on the
Palantine; while Messala gave 100000
for the house of Antony. Seneca, who
was just a plain philosopher like Mr..
Greeley, was worth $12,000,000 Tibe-
rius eft property of nearly $12000O,-
600. Why, they talk about mans
failing in New York for million as if
it was big thing. Cesar, before he
entered on any ofice-when he was
young gentleman in private life-owed
$4,000, 900, and he purchased the friend
ship Of Quesor for $2,500,00O Mark
Antony owed 81, 100000 on the Ides of
March, and he paid it before the Ka-
lends of March. This was nothing-he
squandered $720,OO0,000 of the public
money-Major Hodges defalcation be-
ing for the contemplate sum Of
$450.000
And these fellows lived well. Esopus,
who was a play actor, paid 100000 for
single dish. Caligula spent $1,000
on supper. Their wines were often
kept for two ages, and some of them
sold for $50 an ounce. They roasted
hogs whole at their banquets. They
were fond of rams head pie, and pas
try stuffed with raisins and nuts. Dishes
were made of gold and silver set with
precious stones. The beds of Helioga-
balus were of solid silver, his table and
plates were of pure gold, and his mat
tresses, covered with carpets of cloth of
gold, were stuffed with down from I'M
der the wing of the partridge
1t took $4,000 year to keep up the
dignity of Roman Senator-and some
of them spent 100000 year.
Cicero and Pompey droppedin' one
day on Lucullus-nobody at home but
the family-and that family dinner cost
$4,000.
But we talk of population. We boast
of London and New York. Rome had
population of between three and four
millions. The wooden theatre of Scar
arus contained eighty thousand seats :;
the Colosseum, built of stone, would
seat 81 200, and afforded standing space
for $4,000 more. The Circus Maximus
think of it, Old John Robinson y
would hold $4,000 spectators. There
were in the city 5000 public baths,
those of Dioclesian alone accommodate
ing 5000 bathers. Even in the sixth
century, after Rome had been sacked
and plundered by the Goths and Van
dals. Zacharian, a traveller, asserts that
there were three hundred and eighty
four spacious streets; eighty golden
statues Oft gods; forty-six thousand
and ninety-seven palaces; thirteen
thousand and fifty-two fountains three
thousand, seven hundred and eighty
five bronze statues of the emperors and
generals; twenty-five great horses in
bronze; two collessi; two spiral co..
umns; thirty-one theatres; eleven am
phltheatres nine thousand and TWEEN
ty-slx baths; two thousand and three
hundred shops of perfumes; two thou
sand and nirety-one prisons.
AS a set-off to Mr.. Sprague's monu-
mental tombstone" we NAV merely
mention the Mausoleum of Augustus in
the northern part of the Campus Mar
tlus, consisting of large tumulus of
earth, raised on lofty basement of
white marble, and covered on the sum-
NIT with evergreeps as in the manner
OF hanging garden-the whole sur
mounted by bronze statue of Angus
tus. At the entrance were two Egvp-
tan obelisks, fifty feet high, and all
around was an extensive grove, divided
into walks and terraces.
We have not space to speak of the
Forum Romanum, the Forum Julian,
the Theatre of Pompey, the Temple of
Apollo, the Theatre of Marcellus. the
Pantheon, the Palace of Nero (entireIy
OVERLAND with jewels and mother-of-
pearl), the Claudian Aqueduct, the Fla
Wan Amphitheatre, the Colosseum, the
Arch of Titus, the Villa of Hadrian, the
Baths of Carracalla-nor the great
Roman roads, straight as an arrow,
paved like the streets of a city, divided
by mile-stones, and having houses for
travellers every five or six miles-afford-
ing uninterrupted communication from
the Wall of Antoninus, through York,
Lonk, London, Sandwich, Boulogne,
Rheims, Lyons, Milan, Rome, Brandu-
SUM, Dyrraehium, Byzantium, Ancyra,
Tarsus, Antioch, Tyre, Jerusalem-a
distance of 8, 740 miles.
Nor have we space to refer to Thebes,
IN Egypt (which had a population of
2.5t0 00fN xvboca oor,;ao-