To the imagination, the ancient Roman is a hero and a patriot, the lord of the earth; born to rule nations, to spare the vanquished, and to crush the proud. We fancy him at the head of armies, battling with the enemies of his country; or we see him in the senate-chamber, addressing words of burning eloquence to the assembled fathers; anywhere, in fact, except behind the counter. Still the noble Roman did not disdain to buy and sell, to turn trader, and to hoard up millions. At the time of original publication in 1880, Charles G. Herbermann, Ph.D., was Professor of Latin at the College of the City of New York.
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