As their wealth grew greater, the Romans did not forget to honour the god in whose temple their treasure was so safely kept, but worshipped Saturn faithfully and once a year celebrated a great feast in his name. This was the Saturnalia, which took place in December, after the grain was garnered and when man was ready for rest and for enjoyment; and the people were commanded by the Senate to observe this festival forever. It began with a sacrifice to Saturn in his temple, and was followed by a public feast, at the end of which the people gave themselves over to every kind of pleasure. It was as though men strove to recall once more the Golden Age, for during the Saturnalia they all stood equal and joyous freedom ruled the hour. Slaves were waited upon by their masters, prisoners were set at liberyt, even criminals were pardoned, and no battles were fought during that happy time, which lasted for seven days.

Next to their faith in the power of the god to guard the nation's riches, was the confidence of the Roman people in the surety of the government to pay all the nation's debts; and such was their pride that, even to themselves, they would not acknowledge that the Treasury of Rome could fail. When the magistrates proclaimed that, on account of the expenses of the army during the war with the Carthaginians, there was no money left with which to make needed repairs in the city, the citizens, and especially the would not have the work stopped. The workmen themselves were the first to come forward to say that they would not ask for pay until the war is over, and soon after the money of the widows, and of those that were under age, was placed in trust in the Treasury, to show the confidence of even the most unprotected. So great was the enthusiasm that the soldiers also refused their pay, and every Roman of every class vied with his neighbour to prove his pride and his trust in the Treasury of the Republic.

This, indeed, was not the only time that the Treasury was refilled by the united action of the people, for during the war with Philip of Macedonia, again the Romans supplied the wants of the State. The army had been made ready, but men were needed to row the fleet; for the Roman ships were not like our ships, which are driven by powerful machinery, but were moved by huge sails, aided by strong men at long oars. Now there was no money in the Treasury with which to hire these rowers, and without the fleet, how could the coast be protected? The Sentae proclaimed that a tax be placed upon private citizens, and that each man, according to his wealth, bring money to the Treasury. But the people were weary of paying for an army whose victories, although bringing glory to Rome, ended by leaving themselves poorer; so they came into the Forum in immense multitudes, and complained bitterly of the injustice of the tax. Upon this, another meeting of the Senate was held. The magistrates looked helplessly at one another. No money in the Treasury, no money from the people. What then was to be done? As they were still considering this matter, there rose from among them the wise Consul Lævinus, who thus addressed the assembly:—

"Those of high station and of noble name should set a right example to those of low condition and of humble birth. We should first do willingly ourselves what we would ask other to perform. So let us, senators and nobles of Rome, put into the public Treasury all of our gold, silver, and coined brass, only reserving those things which, being signs of our station, are due to our families. And let us do this before passing a decree upon the peopl, so that our zeal for the welfare of the Republic may inspire them by its pure ardour."

In reply to these noble words, the Senate moved a warm vote of thanks to Lævinus, and then each member hastened to caryy his gold, silver, and brass to the Temple of Saturn. With so much good-will did every man bring his portion, and with so much eagerness did he endeavour to have his name first upon the public register, that the clerks were hard pressed to enter all the contributions. Then, seeing the generosity of the nobles, the people were ashemed and quickly brought to the Treasury all that they were able to give. Thus, without any decree, or any use of force by the Seante, the fleet was provided with rowers, and more than this, a fund was added for their future support.

There was only one man that had no respect for either the god or the government protecting the Treasury of Rome, and yet he was the greatest Roman of them all. Forcing all things and all men to aid him in carrying out his mighty plans, Julius Cæsar, needing large sums of money for his army, seized upon this gold of the Ærarium Sanctius itself. This was not done, however, without much opposition from both the Quæstors and the Tribunes, the magistrates of the Plebeians. But turning them all aside, Cæsar went into the Temple of Saturn and approached the Ærarium. Then one of the tribunes, named Metellus, placed himself against the locked doors, and cried out that Cæsar was breaking the laws of Rome, and that only through his own dead body should the sacred gold of the people be reached. At this, the great Conqueror grew angry and scornfully replied:—

"There is, O Metellus, a time for law, and there is also a time for war. When the last is over, I will speak with thee about the first. Rome and her people are now mine, and I shall do with all even as I will."

Having said this, Cæsar asked for the keys, but these no man was able to find; so he sent for smiths, who forced open the strong doors. Before he passed the threshold, however, Metellus spoke once more in warning and in entreaty, and some in the crowd around encouraged him. But Cæsar, raising his voice so that all should hear, made only a short reply.

"If thou should disturb me further, I will kill thee," he said calmly; "and this, O rash man, is harder for me to say than to do!"

Whereupon Metellus shrank back in fear, and Cæsar possessed himslef of the most precious riches of the Roman people. And men said that, for the first time, Rome was poorer than Cæsar—for he had many debts. Yet in making the city poorer for the moment, Cæsar enriched the nation for all time; for with his army he went forth conquering and to conquer, and the boundaries of Rome were widened until they reached from sea to sea.

Augustus, the next great Master of Rome, had the Temple of Saturn enlarged and beautified; but after his day there came a long pause in its story. The emperors had their own treasury, and, as their power grew, that of the State faded. The time of the people had gone by. In the reign of Carinus, a most wicked emperor. a great fire injured Saturn's temple, and after this it was restored, but hastily, and without care. Over the entrance were placed the letters S. P. Q. R., to show that the work had been done under the direction of the Senate and the People of Rome; for the next emperor, Dicoletian, being a Christian, would not put his name on the temple of a god whom he denied. Soon the worship of all the gods was forbidden and the temple was no longer used even as a Treasury; and little by little it fell into ruins.

Eight columns of the portico now stand upon a part of the foundation, and these, with some steps that perhaps led to the Ærarium, are all that can be seen to-day of Saturn's ancient shrine.

The god of the Golden Age has deserted his temple, the Golden Treasure has been taken away, and the Golden story is ended.