"In the old days clients were guests. But now Roman citizens in togas wait in crowds and scramble on their patron's doorway for their tiny allowance. "

Patronage in its original form benefited both patron and client. One important part of patronage was the salutatio where clients paid their respects to their patron in order to a 'dole' (sportula). Patrons expected their clients to arrive at their doorway at dawn, and there is evidence from Martial that even the journey to his patron's doorstep was difficult.

"I must ascend the steep path, up the hill from the Suburbia, and the filthy pavement of the slick steps...Then, at the end of these thousand labours, something even more annoying happens: Paulus, your doorman tells me, though I am thoroughly exhausted, that you are not 'at home.' This is the outcome of my futile exertion and drenched little toga. "

Martial's account shows how frustrating the ceremony could be for a client in the first century AD and how some patrons did not care about their clients. Clients who were higher up in the social hierarchy of Rome were normally first to be seen by their patron. Patrons were also very keen to make sure tha

"He peers into each face first, scared stiff that some impostor may give a false name and cheat him: you must be identified before you get your ration. "

Seneca the Younger, An essay about the Brevity of life 14.4

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2307
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)