As for poor Claudius, his administration of justice, patient and laborious as it was, had already grown into a public joke.

On one occasion he wrote down and delivered the wise decision, "that he agreed with the side which had set forth the truth." On another occasion, a common Greek whose suit came before him grew so impatient at his stupidity as to exclaim aloud, "You are an old fool." We are not informed that the Greek was punished.

Roman usage allowed a good deal of banter and coarse personality.

We are told that on one occasion even the furious and bloody Caligula, seeing a provincial smile, called him up, and asked him what he was laughing at.

"At you," said the man, "you look such a humbug." The grim tyrant was so struck with the humour of the thing that he took no further notice of it.