The Luxurious Romans

The Romaris had no flower shows. There were "bread and circuses, " but not bread and fiowers. The luxurioua Roman used roses in euormoi: quanti ties at hia banqueta. It was a íiue joke to have roses fall frorn above 011 gnests, reclining at their tables, and the floweru in snch quaiitities as to smother them. jk writer in Tlie Qnarterlyiecalls a picture of Alma Tadema 's "The Bosö Feast of Elagabalus, " whioh shows the superabnndauce of roses. To spend ou a banqnet iu roses 4,000,000 sesterces, eqnivalent to about $160,000, is recorded by Snetonins, but possibly Suetonius esaggerates.