the most powerful of the Romans. The
art of obtaining the signature of a favorable testament, and sometimes
of hastening the moment of its execution, is perfectly understood; and
it has happened, that in the same house, though in different apartments,
a husband and a wife, with the laudable design of overreaching each
other, have summoned their respective lawyers, to declare, at the same
time, their mutual, but contradictory, intentions. The distress which
follows and chastises extravagant luxury, often reduces the great to the
use of the most humiliating expedients. When they desire to borrow, they
employ the base and supplicating style of the slave in the comedy;
but when they are called upon to pay, they assume the royal and tragic
declamation of the grandsons of Hercules. If the demand is repeated,
they readily procure some trusty sycophant, instructed to maintain a
charge of poison, or magic, against the insolent creditor; who is seldom
released from prison, till he has signed a discharge of the whole debt.
These vices, which degrade the moral character of the Romans, are mixed
with a puerile superstition, that disgraces their understanding. They
listen with confidence to the predictions of haruspices, who pretend
to read, in the entrails of victims, the signs of future greatness and
prosperity; and there are many who do not presume either to bathe, or
to dine, or to appear in public, till they have diligently consulted,
according to the rules of astrology, the situation of Mercury, and the
aspect of the moon. [49] It is singular enough, that this vain credulity
may often be discovered among the profane sceptics, who impiously doubt,
or deny, the existence of a celestial power."

[Footnote 35: Claudian, who seems to have read the history of Ammianus,
speaks of this great revolution in a much less courtly style:--

Postquam jura ferox in se communia Caesar
Transtulit; et lapsi mores; desuetaque priscis
Artibus, in gremium pacis servile recessi.
--De Be. Gildonico, p. 49.]

[Footnote 36: The minute diligence of antiquarians has not been able
to verify these extraordinary names. I am of opinion that they were
invented by the historian himself, who was afraid of any personal satire
or application. It is certain, however, that the simple denominations
of the Romans were gradually lengthened to the number of four, five, or
even seven, pompous surnames; as, for instance, Marcus Maecius Maemmius
Furi