If you played Sid Meier's Civilization games, you'll recall the Black Arrows. That's "corruption" - civic trade as doesn't come to you, the player. Guy de la Bédoyère has a book out Populus (so I've been alerted), citing Julius Frontinus (perhaps a Narbonian by birth) who calculated how much water went to the commons versus being diverted to the gardens of the Honestiores.
These wealthy men were not altogether Honest. Roma had the corruption-index of 28%.
So: when Frontinus? Wiki says: AD 40s sometime to 103. He had a military career pleasing-enough to the Flavian Principate that he was appointed governor of Britannia until AD 77; he had a stint in Asia AD 86. Back at Rome sweet Rome, Nerva made him the curator aquarum in AD 97. De aquaeductu is the official report.
What Frontinus is observing is the Eternal ShittyCity under Domitian. Domitian was one who put his faith in provincial Army guys... like Frontinus. Domitian first despised, then hated, the Senatorial aristocracy. I'd have thought that an "anticorruption" push would have suited Domitian fine. Frontinus actually did the homework for us. It looks much as if Domitian was tolerant of corruption of rich men in Rome, if they weren't patricians. Domitian let Rome rot.
Well... in Late Antiquity, the Empire likely would allow such rot. But Nerva and Trajan were not yet willing to give up the City.
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