24

ACCUMULATION IN

CHAP. X.

The Ro-mans.

for eight thousand talents; but, if the taxes werefarmed by a Jew , he was to pay double thatamount, and moreover supply to the royal trea-sury the money required to redeem the confis-cated goods of such persons as had not paid theirtaxes h

During the period of the Macedonian empire,the precious metals were spread in great abund-ance over the whole eastern shores of theMediterranean ; and if there had not been avery large portion of them hoarded up in theroyal treasury, their value must have fallen muchlower, in comparison with other commodities,than was actually the case 8 .

The extension of the Roman empire, until itcomprehended almost the whole of the knownworld, if it tended to diminish the productionof the precious metals, powerfully attractedthem, from Asia and Africa, to its own me-tropolis. It is thus that the enormous fortunesof individuals which are related by the historiansare to be accounted for. The descriptions ofsuch fortunes, it is true, are not confined totheir mere metallic wealth, but include theirlands, houses, slaves, and furniture, and also

1 Josephus Antiq. Jud. xii. 4.

2 See, on this subject, the valuable German work of Pro-fessor Boeckh , entitled “ Staatshausholtung der Athener,” anexcellent translation of which was published in 1828, underthe title of “ Public Economy of Athens.”