em.

[-42-] In addition to these events at that time the consuls celebrated
the festival held in honor of Venus Genetrix. During the Feriae, prefects,
boys and beardless youths, appointed by Caesar and sprung from knights
but not from senators, directed ceremonies. Also Aemilius Lepidus Paulus
constructed at his own expense the so-called _Porticus Pauli_ and
dedicated it in his consulship; for he was consul a portion of that
year. And Agrippa restored from his own purse the so-called Marcian
water-supply, which had been cut off by the destruction of the pipes, and
carried it in pipes to many parts of the city. These men, though rivals
in the outlay of their private funds, still dissembled the fact and
behaved sensibly: others who were holding even some most insignificant
office strove to get a triumph voted to themselves, some through Antony
and some through Caesar; and on this pretext they levied large sums upon
foreign nations for gold crowns.

[B.C. 33 (_a. u._ 721)]

[-43-] The next year Agrippa agreed to be made aedile and without taking
anything from the public treasury repaired all the public buildings
and all the roads, cleaned out the sewers, and sailed through them
underground into the Tiber. And seeing that in the hippodrome men made
mistakes about the number of turns necessary, he established the system
of dolphins and egg-shaped objects, so that by them the number of times
the track had been circled might be clearly shown. Furthermore he
distributed to all olive oil and salt, and had the baths open free of
charge throughout the year for the use of both men and women. In the
many festivals of all kinds which he gave (so many that the children of
senators could perform the "Troy" equestrian exercise), he also paid
barbers, to the end that no one should be at any expense for their
services. Finally he rained upon the heads of the people in the theatre
tickets that were good for money in one case, clothes in another, and
something else in a third, and he also would place various other large
stocks of goods in the squares and allow the people to scramble for them.
Besides doing this Agrippa drove the astrologers and charlatans from the
city. During these same days a decree was passed that no one belonging to
the senatorial class should be tried for piracy, and so those who were
under any such charge at the time were released and some were given
_carte blanche_ to commit crimes in future. Caesar became consul f