[The following takes place in the later years of the Roman Republic, specifically, in reflection of Roman policy at the time to tax new provinces (cough cough Pergamum) into oblivion by outsourcing tax collection to the private sector, otherwise known as publicani.]
Not that every ideal of the Republic was dead. There were some administrators so appalled by what was happening that they attempted to take a stand against it. This was a dangerous policy – for if the business cartels ever found their interests seriously threatened, they were quick to muscle in. Their most notorious victim was Rutilius Rufus, a provincial administrator celebrated for his rectitude who had sought to defend his subjects against the tax collectors, and who in 92 BC was brought to trial before a jury stuffed with supporters of the publicani. Big business had successfully oiled the workings of the court: the charge – selected with deliberate effrontery – was extortion. After he had been convicted Rufus, with matching effrontery, chose as the place of his exile the very province he was supposed to have looted. There he was loudly welcomed with honors and scattered flowers.
Note:
My source doesn’t specify, but according to Wikipedia, the city in question was Smyrna.
Source:
Holland, Tom. “The Sibyl’s Curse.” Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic. Anchor Books, 2005. 42-3. Print.
Further Reading:
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