15. Emperor Vespasian Shuffled Off the Mortal Coil With a Joke
Roman emperor Vespasian (9 – 79 AD), founder of the Flavian Dynasty, had a reputation for wit and amiability. He rose from humble origins, never forgot where he came from, and resisted the temptation to put on airs. As emperor, he like forthright speech, seldom stood on ceremony, and cultivated a blunt mannerism. One of his revenue raising schemes involved a tax on public urinals, which was widely ridiculed. His son and designated heir took him to task for that, arguing that it was beneath imperial dignity to collect revenue from bodily excreta.
Vespasian responded by holding a coin beneath his son’s nose, asked whether he could smell any urine, and concluded by saying: “money does not smell” – which became a Latin proverb. That refusal to take himself too seriously stayed with Vespasian to his literal dying breath. Starting with Julius Caesar, who had been declared a god after his assassination, Roman emperors who died in good repute were deified after death. When he felt the end nearing in 79 AD, Vespasian joked, just before dying: “dear me, I think I am becoming a god“.