THE DECLINE AND FALL
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chap. sent. It was an ancient custom that the alliesof the republic, who ascribed their safety or de-liverance to the success of the Roman arms;and even the cities of Italy , who admired thevirtues of their victorious general, adorned thepomp of his triumph by their voluntary gifts ofcrowns of gold, which, after the ceremony, wereconsecrated in the temple of Jupiter, to remaina lasting monument of his glory to future ages.The progress of zeal and flattery soon multi-. plied the number, and increased the size, ofthese popular donations; and the triumph ofCaesar was enriched with two thousand eighthundred and twenty-two massy crowns, whoseweight amounted to tw r enty thousand four hun-dred and fourteen pounds of gold. This trea-sure was immediately melted down by the pru-dent dictator, who was satisfied that it wouldbe more serviceable to his soldiers than to thegods : his example was imitated by his succes-sors ; and the custom was introduced, of ex-changing these splendid ornaments for the moreacceptable present of the current gold coin of'the empire. 2 The spontaneous offering w'as atlength exacted as the debt of duty; and insteadof being confined to the occasion of a triumph,it was supposed to be granted by the severalcities and provinces of the monarchy, as oftenas the emperor condescended to announce his