The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-04-21

Tacitus Informs US that Moro, the Ro
mau Emperor, gave away IN presents 70
bis friends sa7. 500. 600. The dresses OF
Lolla Paalina, the rival Of Agripplna,
worc valued at 81 .66i, sso. She wore at
one supper 81, ,b69, 600 worth Of jewels, and
i, was plain citizens supper She ~as
worth altogether $500. 100000.
The uxury Of paps, beloved by Nero.
Was at least equal 10 that Of Lolita Pal
las, the lover OF Agguppina, left an estate
in lands valued at Sl5. .0o0, 900 NJ, Scaurus
had villa worth si5. .000 aud this
was ouly a small part Of his immense for
time The villa was burned by his slaves
out Of revenge for some injury.
The Sums paid by the old Greeks and
Romans for works Of art make the present
price appear somewhat shabby. Nicias,
An artist refused TO sell one OF his pictures
to King Attalus for $4,000, choosing
rather to present ii 10 HIS country as a
gift Nicias was millionaire. For q
single figure 10y Arlstides, King Attalns
gave Sl25,0O0 Muason, the tryant OF
Elatus, paid $4,000 for small picture
by Aristides, representing battle of the
Persians, Caesar was generous patron oil
art, buying of Timomachus, painter oil
Athens, two figures, one representing Ajax
and the other Medea, for which he paid
100000
Appeles received 800, 900 for portrait
Of Alexander, which he painted on the
walls of the temple of Diana at Ephesus,
Ptolemy paid Aratus $780, 900 for some
old pictures by Melanthus and Phamphil-
ius. NJ. Agrippa paid to the people OF
Cyzus $4,000 for two small paintings
and il was he who built and bequeathed
to his countrymen the magnificent Their
mae in the Campus Martins, with their
gardens, libraries and porticos -one por-
ton of which, the Pantheon, still remains
-Mucius Mummlus got a picture In
Greece representing Father Bacchus,
which King Attalus valued at $3.50, 90, but
Mummius said that the price was too
small, and refused to sell.
The picture Of "Venus Anadyomene
by Apelles was sold for 1925, 900. lso-
crates received $4,000 for one Grafton.
| Virgil, for his lines on Marcellus, was re-
warded by gift of about $40 900, For a
single dish OF pottery the tragic actor OF
Esophus paid $4,000.
The emperor Vtellus ordered dish to
be made for him for which furnace was
erected in the fields outside the city, FOR
S45, 600. The colossal statue of Mercury,
made for the city of the Ayerni, in Gaul,
| bv Zenodorous, cost 81, G75, 900.
Nero paid Sl5l 900 for carpet. For
the famous statue OF the Diedemenos,
witch was u bronze figure Of life size re-
presenting youth tying fillet round his
head, Polycleitus received Sl2b, 900.
And, again, dropping art for literature, II
is related that Tiberius presented TO Asel
lius Sabinus $4,000 for dialogue he
wrote between mushroom, cabbage, al
oyster and a thrush. Regarding the i'm
mense wealth posed by furtunes favoritei
in ancient days, the mystery is what has
become of all this gold and silver. for the
possessions of these rich men and women
consisted chiefly OF the clean metal and
precious stones.
There is no accounting for its disappear
ance except on the theory that it passed
from sight as vessels ladened with precious
cargoes sink to the bottom OF the sea and
are lost forever.