# Quote — Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars

> Titus complained of the tax which Vespasian had imposed on the contents of the city urinals. Vespasian handed him a coin which had been part of the first day's proceeds: "Does it smell bad?" he asked. And when Titus said "No" he went on: "Yet it comes from urine."

- Author: [Suetonius](https://www.leafyquotes.com/suetonius.md)
- Book: [The Twelve Caesars](https://www.leafyquotes.com/suetonius/the-twelve-caesars.md)
- Original (la): Reprehendenti filio Tito, quod etiam urinae vectigal commentus esset, pecuniam ex prima pensione admovit ad nares, sciscitans num odore offenderetur; et illo negante: "Atqui," inquit, "e lotio est."
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Suetonius#Vespasian) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/suetonius/the-twelve-caesars/titus-complained-of-the

## More from this book

> A few months before the murder [of Domitian] a raven perched on the Capitol and croaked out the words: "All will be well!" – a portent which some wag explained in the following verse:
>
> There was a raven, strange to tell,
>
> Perched upon Jove's own gable, whence
>
> He tried to tell us "All is well!" –
>
> But had to use the future tense.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/suetonius/the-twelve-caesars/a-few-months.md)

> No one was allowed to leave the theatre during his recitals, however pressing the reason. We read of women in the audience giving birth, and of men being so bored with listening and applauding that they furtively dropped down from the wall at the rear, since the gates were kept barred, or shammed dead and were carried away for burial.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/suetonius/the-twelve-caesars/no-one-was.md)

> That he had love-affairs in the provinces, too, is suggested by another of the ribald verses sung during the Gallic triumph:
>
> Home we bring our bald whoremonger;
>
> Romans, lock your wives away!
>
> All the bags of gold you lent him
>
> Went his Gallic tarts to pay.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/suetonius/the-twelve-caesars/that-he-had.md)