Comparing the works of more ancient authors such as Polybius and Vergil with the later Satire III of Juvenal, it is easy to see how Roman morals changed with the passing of time. One example of this is the decline of honesty. We read in Polybius' Histories (in The Portable Greek Historians) of the unfailing virtue and integrity of the Roman people, as opposed to other civilizations: "In the view of the [Romans]...nothing is more disgraceful than to receive bribes and to make profit by improper means. ...Carthaginians obtain office by open bribery, but among the Romans the penalty for it is death" (pg. 499). We additionally read, "in other nations it is a rare thing to find a man who keeps his hands out of the public purse and is entirely pure in such matters, but among the Romans it is a rare thing to detect a man in the act of committing such a crime" (pg. 500). Polybius shows us that pride and integrity meant everything to the Romans, and that infringements of integrity were often punishable by death. This changed drastically by the time Juvenal wrote his satires, criticizing the Roman society. In his Satire III we read the words of his friend, Umbricius, who said "there is no room for honest callings in this city, no reward for labor" (line 21). Juvenal continues this point, stating that, "A man's word is believed in exact proportion to the amount of cash which he keeps in his strong-box" (lines 142-143). We see that being trustworthy and believable was not a virtue, but rather a commodity that could only be bought if you had the money. Though Juvenal perhaps exaggerates the point, it is obvious that honesty was not as valued by the Romans as it had once been.
Another example is the increased stigma associated with the poor and the increased materialism of Roman culture. As seen in the Aeneid, the ultimate satisfaction for a Roman came from fulfilling ones destiny and leaving a legacy for those who followed. Polybius also mentions all of the glory and honor bestowed upon those who die after (or during) great service to Rome, including wearing a type of mask made to look like the deceased hero, reciting all of their glorious deeds, and having a parade in his honor (pg. 496). He also details the story of Horatius Cocles, that chose to die fighting off an enemy because "he valued the safety of his country and his own future reputation more highly than his present life and the years of existence that remained him" (pg. 499). However, Juvenal's Satire III is full of criticism about the inequality of Roman citizens and the overwhelming desire for money and material goods. One example he gives is of the ridiculous competition to have the best clothes: "In Rome, every one dresses smartly, above his means, and sometimes something more than what is enough is taken out of another man's pocket. This failing is universal here: we all live in a state of pretentious poverty (lines 174-175). Juvenal further talked about how a man would be laughed at if he even had a little dirt on his cloak, and that no one pays attention to a poor person...that is, if they aren't beating them up and stealing the few possessions they own.
One more example is that of faith and religion. According to Polybius, religious belief was "the very thing which keeps the Roman commonwealth together" (pg. 499). In the Aeneid, the great Aeneas is seen as such a hero largely because he is pious and consistently obeys the dictates of the gods. For example, when Aeneas had been in Carthage with Dido for a time, Jupiter sent Mercury to instruct Aeneas of the glory and kingdom that awaits him in Rome. Mercury then disappeared leaving Aeneas to think about the message. "Aeneas stood there amazed, choking with fear. He bristled all over, speechless, astounded, and he burned with desire to leave that sweet land, in awe of the commandment from the gods above" (pg. 60). He considered his options, then gave the command to his men to start getting things ready to leave. We see that the man who led to the founding of Rome was ready to leave the woman and place that he loved in order to obey what the gods had told him. He sacrificed comfort to do what he believed to be fate, and trusted in the prophecies he had received. In fact, the entire Aeneid is full of mention of the gods and their dealings with men. On the other hand, Juvenal gives a much different picture in his Satire III. He only mentions the words 'god' and 'goddess' three times in the satire, and when they are mentioned, it talks about how only those with a lot of money are believed to be pious. "Though he swear by all the altars of Samothrace or of Rome, the poor man is believed to care naught for Gods and thunderbolts, the Gods themselves forgiving him." Based off of Juvenal's writings, religion seemed to no longer play a large part in Roman society, though religion and prophecy is what led to the founding of Rome in the first place.
Why did Roman morals change? I believe that it must have been the immense prosperity of the Roman Empire and the pride (hubris) that crept into the hearts of the Romans. We see the pride cycle again and again in The Book of Mormon and in history books alike, where a civilization would hold fast to their religion, come off conquerers, and prosper greatly, only to later abandon their beliefs in a sort of self-worship, and lose all sense of morality. Because the Romans had become so dominant and comfortable with their large empire, they forgot how they came upon that great blessing, and started to believe that they could get away with anything they wanted, simply because they were Roman. Without the strict moral standards that led to their great victories, Roman morals decayed and people got caught up in their selfish ways. Comfort leads to casualness, and "casualness leads to casualties" (Saving Ordinances Will Bring Us Marvelous Light by T. B. Wakolo, April 2018 General Conference).
