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"Here in Rome, the child of a slave may dine with a senator, while the true noble scrounges for scraps. The old families vanish, their places taken by those whose fathers were whipped in the streets.” - Juvenal, Satire 3.60

“The old nobility has been cast aside, its honours given to foreigners, freedmen, and the sons of slaves, while true Romans are reduced to silence.” - Tacitus, Histories 1.7

“The emperor proposed that freedmen be allowed to enter the Senate, breaking the ancient order and mixing the noble with the base-born.” - Tacitus, Annals 11.25

“If we grant citizenship too freely to those who are not truly Roman, we shall soon find ourselves not ruling over them, but being ruled by them.” - Cassius Dio, Roman history 52.30

“Everything was now in the hands of freedmen; the senators were mere shadows, their voices drowned out by those who had once been slaves.” - Tacitus, Annals 13.27

“The Quintii, the Valerii, and the other ancient patricians have perished, and in their place you see freedmen from the East, with their swarthy skins, wearing the toga.” - Augustus, Cassius Dio, Roman History 56.1

“Many of those who claim the name of Romans are not of our blood but are foreigners who have taken refuge here. If we do not encourage our own citizens to multiply, then soon the city will be theirs, not ours.” - Cassius Dio, Roman History 56.7

“Once, the consul’s chair was held by men of Rome, their names weighty with honour. Now, look around: a man who’s father sold fish in the forum presides over us!” - Juvenal, Satire 1.100