enrich the
cultivator. The residence of the Court in this district delights the
nobles and enriches the lower orders; and it may be said that all its
products find their way to the Royal city. Now let the loyal Province,
which has often tendered her services when they were less required,
send forward her stores freely.

[Footnote 871: Here follows this sentence: 'Haec loca garismatia plura
nutriunt.' Garum seems to have been a sauce something like our
anchovy-sauce. Garismatium is evidently a garum-supplying place.]

[Footnote 872: We have a special allusion in Martial (iv. 25) to the
villas of Altinum, and he too compares them to those of Baiae.]

'To guard against any misunderstanding of our orders, we send
Laurentius, a man of great experience, whose instructions are
contained in the annexed letter.

'We will publish a tariff of moderate prices when we next address you,
and when we have ascertained what is the yield of the present crops;
for we should be deciding quite at random before we have received that
information.'

23. SENATOR, PRAETORIAN PRAEFECT, TO LAURENTIUS, VIR
EXPERIENTISSIMUS[873].

[Footnote 873: Evidently 'the annexed letter' referred to in No. 22.]

[Sidenote: The same subject.]

'Anyone can discharge the duties of the Commissariat in a time of
abundance. It is a mark of our high appreciation of your experience
and efficiency, that we select you for this service in a time of
scarcity. We therefore direct you to repair to the Province of Istria,
there to collect stores of wine, oil, and corn, equivalent to ...
solidi, due from the Province for land-tax[874], and with ... solidi
which you have received from our Treasurer to buy these products
either from the merchants or from the peasants directly, according to
the information prepared for you by the Cashiers[875]. Raise your
spirits for this duty, and discharge it in a manner worthy of your
past reputation. Make to us a faithful report of the yield of the
coming harvest, under these three heads[876], that we may fix a tariff
of prices which shall be neither burdensome to the Provincials nor
injurious to the public service.'

[Footnote 874: 'Ut in tot solidos vini, olei, vel tritici species de
tributario solido debeas procurare.']

[Footnote 875: 'Sicut te a Numerariis instruxit porrecta Notitia.'
Note this use of the word 'Notitia,' as illustrating the title of the
celebrated document bearing that name.]

[Footnote 876: Corn, wine, a