In the antechamber of Eutropius, a large tablet is exposed to public view, which marks the respective prices of the provinces.
The different value of Pontus, of Galatia, of Lydia, is accurately distinguished.

Lycia may be obtained for so many thousand pieces of gold; but the opulence of Phrygia will require a more considerable sum.
The eunuch wishes to obliterate, by the general disgrace, his personal ignominy; and as he has been sold himself, he is desirous of selling the rest of mankind.

In the eager contention, the balance, which contains the fate and fortunes of the province, often trembles on the beam; and till one of the scales is inclined, by a superior weight, the mind of the impartial judge remains in anxious suspense.

Such," continues the indignant poet, "are the fruits of Roman valor, of the defeat of Antiochus, and of the triumph of Pompey." This venal prostitution of public honors secured the impunity of _future_ crimes; but the riches, which Eutropius derived from confiscation, were _already_ stained with injustice; since it was decent to accuse, and to condemn, the proprietors of the wealth, which he was impatient to confiscate.

Some noble blood was shed by the hand of the executioner; and the most inhospitable extremities of the empire were filled with innocent and illustrious exiles.