The Ecphorizer

The Roman poet Virgil is reported to have held an elaborate funeral for a fly, complete with hired pallbearers and lengthy eulogies. The historian Suetonius does not state whether the fly was murdered or died of natural causes; however, he does expose the reason behind it all. Under Roman law, cemeteries were tax-exempt. By interring the fly on land surrounding his private villa, Virgil avoided taxes on the whole estate.  

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