Volume 1

An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of the precious metals / By William Jacob.

  • William Jacob
Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of the precious metals / By William Jacob. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    money lent at interest on mortgages, or other securities. But unless the metallic wealth had increased in a prodigious degree, that remarkable rise in the prices of other commodities could not have been experienced which is noticed by all writers. As one among other instances, we know that the house of Marius', at Misenum, -was purchased by Cornelia for seventy-five thou- sand drachmas*, and a few years after sold to Lucullus for five hundred thousand two hun- dred drachmas *. The fortunes of private individuals may be judged of by a few select notices to be found in contemporary authors. -Crassus is said to have possessed in lands: bis millies*, besides money, slaves, and household furniture, estimated at as 1 Plutarch. in Mario. ~~ * £242], 17s. 6d. sterling. $ £16,152. 5s. 10d. sterling. >’ Though Crassus had several silver mines and estates of great value, which were profitably managed, yet his revenues from those sources are represented as inconsiderable, when compared with those he derived from his slaves. He had a large number of them, whom he educated, who were taught to become readers, amanuenses, book-keepers, stewards, and cooks. Besides this he made interest of his money, at a high rate, receiving for the use of it one per cent. at the end of each month. It is recorded as a saying of his, “ that no man could be accounted rich who was not able to maintain an army out of his own revenues.” It should seem that when he was desirons to form a powerful party in the state, he could be occasionally as profuse as he was habitually avaricious ; for on
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