Ancient Roman solution to the West’s low birth rates - pay a hefty fine in your old age if you don’t marry!

There is much talk across the western world about low national birth rates.

Perhaps the solution can be found if we go back 2400 years into the heart of the Roman Republic.

Valerius Maximus tells us that, in 403 BC, the Censors at the time - Marcus Furius Camillus and Marcus Postumius Albinus Regillensis - ordered that any man who had reached old age without having married, was to pay a sum of money into the treasury as a penalty. In addition, if they dared to complain, they would suffer a second penalty.

It was explained in this way:

‘Nature had laid this law down that just as you were born, so you should beget children. If you had any sense of shame, you would see that by rearing you, your parents have obliged you to pay this debt off by rearing grandchildren for them. Furthermore, you have had the good fortune to enjoy a long grace period for performing this duty, but you have allowed those years to go by without earning the name of husband and father. So you must go now and pay that tough fine, which will go to benefit people with large families.’

I guess that is one way to encourage people to settle down!

This elderly man is not happy about having to pay a fine to the treasury because he never married - this must be his second fine given he is seen complaining!