Life in the Roman world of Nero and StPaul . and which supplied thebutter and the lamp-oil of the Mediterraneanworld. We need not waste much compassion upon thelife of the Roman working class. It is true thatthere was then no doctrine of the dignity of labour,but that there was reasonable pride taken in atrade reputably maintained is seen from the fre-quent appearance of its tools upon a respect of the mere enjoyment of life, thelabourers, of the Roman world were, so far as wecan gather, tolerably happy. They had abundant 254 LIFE IN THE ROMAN WORLD CHAP. holidays, mostly of relig
Life in the Roman world of Nero and StPaul . and which supplied thebutter and the lamp-oil of the Mediterraneanworld. We need not waste much compassion upon thelife of the Roman working class. It is true thatthere was then no doctrine of the dignity of labour,but that there was reasonable pride taken in atrade reputably maintained is seen from the fre-quent appearance of its tools upon a respect of the mere enjoyment of life, thelabourers, of the Roman world were, so far as wecan gather, tolerably happy. They had abundant 254 LIFE IN THE ROMAN WORLD CHAP. holidays, mostly of religious origin; but, like our own,so frequently added to, and so far diverted fromreligious thoughts, that they were more marked by jolhty and sport thanbj^ any solemnity ofspirit. The workmenof a particular callingformed their guilds,city companies, orclubs, in the interestsof their trade and formutual benefit. Therewas a guild of bakers,a guild of goldworkers,and a guild of any-thing and everythingEach guild had its special deity — such as. Fig Tools ox Tomb. else. Vesta, the fire-goddess, for the bakers, and Minerva,the goddess of wool-work, for the fullers — and itheld an annual festival in honour of such patrons,marching through the streets with regalia and the members of a guild acted in concertfor the regulation of prices, although the Romangovernment took care that these clubs should benon-political, and would speedily suppress a strikeif it seriously interfered with the public con-venience. The ostensible excuse for a guild, andapparently the only one theoretically accepted by theimperial government, was the excuse of a commonworship. It is at least certain that the emperorsjealously watched the formation of any new union, XIV MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASSES 255 and that they woiUd promptly aboUsh any whichappeared to have secret understandings and aims, orto act in contravention of the law. In the townswhich possessed local government the municipal au-thoriti
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