A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

by Taylor Caldwell

Cinna, who prates of democracy and liberty and the Constitution of our nation and who is a monstrous despot, revived that law for he knows where his power lies, the exigent rascal! He nominated himself Consul every year, without consulting the people whom he alleges he loves. He will reduce taxes and debts, he declares, and he has done so, to our economic ruin, and the bareness of our treasury which has been looted for wars and the benefits of foreign dependencies and nations. We can be certain of one thing, my dear: this temporary alleviation of taxes will result in greater taxation and final collapse. It is pure bookkeeping. But are the people concerned with budgetry, and the hard fact that one cannot spend what one does not have, without bankruptcy? No! They cry ‘Hail!’ to the tyrant, Cinna, for an immediate gain at the expense of the nation.”*

It is pure bookkeeping