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Updated: June 28, 2025
I will find people this very day, and tell them that for each day of the life of Glaucus I will withhold one hundred sestertia. I have, besides, a certain idea, which seems to me infallible." Vinicius promised him once more the desired sum, forbidding him to mention Glaucus again; but asked what other news he brought, where he had been all the time, what he had seen, and what he had discovered.
The enormous sums expended by the wealthy on rings may be best understood by an allusion to the recorded value of two belonging to empresses of Rome. Thus, the ring of Faustina, we are told, cost £40,000, and that of Domitia £60,000, reckoning the Roman sestertia at its modern value. Sometimes the decoration of a ring was not confined to a single gem, though such rings were comparatively rare.
The bidding began at five sestertia and ran up to fifteen, or about L120 of our money, at which price she was knocked down to a Greek, who led her back into the receiving house, paid the gold to a clerk who was in attendance, and took her away, sobbing as she went. Then followed four others, who were sold at somewhat better prices.
"If they do not hit upon her hiding-place, and make an uproar, they will frighten her." But this thought was not disagreeable; for Chilo understood that in that event he would be necessary again to Vinicius, and could squeeze afresh a goodly number of sestertia from the tribune. "Whatever they do," said he to himself, "they will work for me, though no one divines that. O gods!
Petronius turned to Vinicius, "Give command to count out to him five thousand sestertia, but in spirit, in intention." "I will give thee a young man," said Vinicius, "who will take the sum necessary; thou wilt say to Euricius that the youth is thy slave, and thou wilt count out to the old man, in the youth's presence, this money.
"Perfectly," answered the veiled old woman. "Being a stranger to Rome I thought it well to bring the gold with me, since strangers cannot expect credit." "To bring the gold with you!" gasped the auctioneer. "To bring two thousand sestertia with you! Where is it then?" "Where? Oh! in my servant's and my own baskets, and something more as well. Come, good sir, I have made my bid.
"Well, what did you have to give?" "Fifty sestertia, my lord." "Fifty sestertia?" answered Domitian with an air of relief. "Well, of course it is enough, but I have known beautiful maidens fetch more. By the way, dear one," he went on, addressing the veiled woman, "you must, I fear, be tired after all that weary, foolish show."
You see I knew her in her youth and take a brotherly interest in her." "Quite so, just like Domitian and the two thousand sestertia man and, indeed, half the male population of Rome, who, when they saw her yesterday were moved by the same family feeling. Well, I don't see why he shouldn't.
Farewell, sir, farewell; may we never meet again." "Farewell," replied the astonished auctioneer, "farewell, my lady Mulier, who can afford to give two thousand sestertia for a cook!
And after all, though he had too carelessly made his wager, he had won twenty sestertia and a male slave, and that was something. 'Well, be it so, he assented, with a sigh. 'A male slave, since you say it. I had supposed I had spoken more particularly, but it seems that my poor brain was careless and at fault.
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