of their living upon the patronage of the noble or the rich.  The custom arose from a very old condition of things, under which certain classes of citizens, not being entitled to appear in the law-courts or in public business on their own behalf, put themselves under the protection of a person so entitled, who, in return for certain acts of support and deference, appeared as their advocate and champion.  At a later time, even though their rights had become complete, men might still seek counsel, legal advice, and advocacy from a person of influence and eloquence.  In return they paid him the honour of escort in the streets, supported him in his candidature for public office, applauded his speeches, and exercised on his behalf such influence as they possessed.  The standing of a prominent Roman was apt to be measured by the number and quality of the persons thus attaching themselves to him.  If next it is remembered that very few money-making occupations were looked upon with favour by the Romans, and that the higher orders were for the most part very rich, it will be obvious that there would grow up the custom of the patron making liberal presents to his dependants—­money gifts, or gifts of small properties and of useful articles—­as well as of inviting them to his table.  The clients themselves brought little presents on the patron’s birthday or some other special occasion, but these were merely the sprats to catch the whale.  It gradually resulted that the patronage extended by the aristocrat or plutocrat was mainly one of a direct pecuniary nature.  As in other cases where a dubious custom develops gradually, there ceased to be any shame in this relation.  Many members of the middle class, impoverished and earning practically no other income, lived the life of genteel paupers.  They would attend the morning reception of a grandee, either bringing with them, or causing a slave to bring, a small basket, or even a portable cooking-stove, in which they carried off doles of food distributed through his servants.  The scene must have borne no slight resemblance to that of the charity “soup-kitchen.”  In process of time, however, this practice became inconvenient for all parties, and most of the patrons compounded for such doles by making a fixed payment, still called the “little basket,” amounting perhaps to a shilling in modern weight of money for each day of polite attention on the part of a recognised “client.”  If a client was acknowledged by more than one patron, so much the better for the amount of his “little baskets.”  In some cases the dole was paid to each visitor at the morning call; in others only after the work of the patron’s day was done and when he had gone to the elaborate bath which preceded his dinner in the later part of the afternoon.  By this means the complimentary escort duty was secured until that time.