covery of treasure, which was made in the
foundations of a small house which he owned at the foot of the
Akropolis, near the Dionysiac Theatre. He seems to have been more
frightened than pleased at the amount found, knowing how complicated
was the jurisprudence on this subject, and how greedy provincial
magistrates were. He addressed himself in general terms to the emperor
Nerva, asking what he should do with his discovery. The answer was
that he could make use of it as he pleased. Even then he was not
reassured, and wrote again to the emperor declaring that the fortune
was far beyond his condition in life. Nerva's answer confirmed him
emphatically in the full possession of this wealth. Herodes did much
good with it, as a noble revenge for the persecutions which he had
undergone in his younger days; and at his death his son inherited,
with the fortune, his generous instincts and kindliness.

Curiosity leads us to inquire where this amount of gold and treasure
came from, who it was that concealed it in the rock of the Akropolis,
and when, and for what reason. Visconti's surmise that it was hidden
there by a wealthy Roman, during the civic wars, and the proscriptions
which followed them towards the end of the Republic, is obviously
incorrect. No Roman general, magistrate, or merchant of republican
times could have collected such a fortune in impoverished Greece. I
have a more probable suggestion to make. When Xerxes engaged his fleet
against the Greek allies in the straits of Salamis, he was so
confident of gaining the day that he established himself comfortably
on a lofty throne on the slope of Mount AEgaleos to witness the fight.
And when he saw Fortune turn against his forces, and was obliged to
retire in hot haste, trusting his own safety to flight, I suppose that
the funds of war, which were kept by the treasurer of the army at
headquarters, may have been buried in a cleft of the Akropolis, in the
hope of a speedy and more successful return. The amount of money
carried by Xerxes' treasury officials for purposes of war must have
been enormous, when we consider that 2,641,000 men were counted at the
review held in the plains of Doriskos.

Whatever may have been the origin of the wealth of Atticus it could
not have fallen into better hands. His liberality towards men of
letters, and needy friends; his works of general utility executed in
Greece, Asia Minor, and Italy; his exhibitions of games and
entertainments in the