81. O noble man! Cic. de
Off. II. 23, 83. who
sought not for the fleeting glory of a needless bounty, but set up as
his memorial the lasting benefits of his foresight. He acted so
that the people should help themselves by their payments, and should
not in their time of need seek help from others. For it was
surely better to give up part of their crops than to lose the whole of
their rights. He fixed the impost at a fifth of their whole
produce, and thus showed himself clear-sighted in making provision for
the future, and liberal in the tax he laid upon them. Never after
did Egypt suffer from such a famine.