The freeing of a slave, or manumissio, would occur in a variety of ways for a variety of reasons. Some slaves where freed out of respect or friendship between the slave and the master, by the will of their master after the master's death, a particularly good deed done by the slave for the master, or, if the he had acquired enough money, a slave could buy their freedom and the freedom of another slave, often a spouse. There was usually a public ceremony overseen by a public official where the master touched a staff to the slave's head to free a slave, but there were simpler ways to free a slave. The master could proclaim the slave to be free in front of friends and family or invite the slave to recline with the family at dinner, or cena. Slavery continued throughout the Roman era, but eventually declined to where no more slaves were owned.