I absolutely love Vespasian. When courtiers gave him a history of his family that traced his lineage back to Hercules, he burst out laughing. When is son (the future emperor) told him that his tax on urine was undignified, Vespasian held a coin under his son’s nose and famously said “money doesn’t stink.” He was probably the most down-to-earth emperor that Rome ever had.
Heh, and taxing the urine (which was basically a tax on the fullers) was one of those ideas that often only come from people who did actual work during their lives, and Vespasian fits that profile. 😁