folds alongside the humble angusti work of sixpenny tailors. The Plebs communis, and the Turba sine nomine of sleepers under stoops, communed with senators and knights, and eased nobility of quickly bagged sestertia, by honest thimble-riggery. Jove how full the air and roads were ! Bacchus turned out his tigers before a pearl-silvered wagonett, built by Opifex & Co., out of a monster oyster-shell, fresh captured from the Lucrine lake. Not a horse was left in Rome. The lady Abbess of the Convent of the Delphic oracle, drove, four-inhand, a team of wild-cats. Mercury lit upon an oak that overlooked the course. Iris got up a shower and sat upon a rainbow. Vulcan smuggled himself inside the track, under pretence that he was a blacksmith, sent to shoe a colt who had lost his slipper. Mars was seen fighting an Irishman, who had got drunk on bad liquor. Ceres stretched up her auburn flowing tresses in a neighboring corn-field on the hill-side. Pan was pointing out the nags to her. All-aye, all-were there; Gods, Mortals, and Infernals. Happy, happy Rome! sole city worthy of such glorious company! bearing upon his back one whom we might have wished to have lived in Pindar's time, but for the hope he will yet contrive to bring the Sun and Moon together, get up a new Eclipse, and ride a triumph again.-Printer's Asmodeus. СНАРТER -"palmaque nobilis II. Terrarum dominos evehit ad Deos."-HORACE, Ode 1. "Few people ritely estimate the furious luxuriaunce of an old fashioned Romanne Course. Pitie 'tis, no Turffe Registrar chronicled the glorious height of heates of those braue ages. Saue only the poetts did record "evehit ad Deos," or some suche loose reporte. Time, pedigree, enduraunce, speede, be mostlie lost. Muche 'tis to be feared the begarlie Monkes who should haue been burned wh hotte fire, haue erasede out manie choice accomptes from the parchmente scroules of the triumphs at the Campus Martius, whereon to rite their stupide missals, and haue little lefte behinde saue imperfecte legendes. Yet euen from wolves, the halfe eaten lambe torne, wh violent force uppone their gnashing teeth dothe to the hungrie exploarer of antique fatherre-lands taste like manna to a wandering sinnere of Israel in the wilderness. Soe to a trew louer of a good horse raice dothe fashion forthe for itsuelf a noble grace an aunciente charriott struggle, albeit Monkish Latinne roll between, being, so to speeke, the axle of the wheels."-WINK: ed. 1649, p. 46. It was no common meeting. The sporting world of Rome, and all its provinces, were on the Campus Martius. Spain sent her jennets from her dark Moriscan stables, and her wild mountain rovers flashed their long manes around the heads of their safe-seated Guerillas. Gaul entered untrimmed fetlocks. Brittania stamped the track with heavy cart-horse hoofs. Sarmatia sweated, Dacia pránced upon the track. Greece stood unsaddled in clear Spartan ribs, and trod, beside this simple fit-out, magnificent in rich Corinthian adornment. Numidia sent her wild eye-lightnings, and Libya tramped the plain with foaming teeth. Egypt entered Cleopatra,―Black Maria of her mistress queen. Syrian, Babylonian, Median, Mesopotamian, all, were there. Felix Arabia walked out her splendid stallions, bitted by stately Bedouins. The Imaum of Muscat glorified his country by the challenge of two lippers of the Persian Gulf. Great Jupiter! what an anniversary! The Course was free for all four-year-olds that never had been matched before; chariots not be more than four feet from hub to hub of hind wheel; steeds unlimited in number,—the parties litigant to draw for places. The Prætor's trumpet blew a summon blast, and straight a host of pawing combatants neighed at the starting post. The Meta was scarcely seen for feather floaters. The Red, the White, the Green, the Blue, the Golden and the Purple mountings mingled sparklings of ambition for the glory of success. It was a goodly sight to see the foamy rush of the wavebreasted steeds stopped on the instant into marble statue movement by the stern muscles of their godlike drivers. First stood Marcellus, with his followers in Blue, holding a pair of milkwhite colts from Elis, unbroken yet, but kind, great in their name, the gift of a Greek girl, daughter of a happy hero who bore away the wreath victorious at the last Olympic, and died as he was crowned. "T was said their sires were the horses of the Sun, who in the last eclipse stole time and loved their vein-swollen mothers. Hard upon him pressing, scarcely, with desperate force, young Julius reined his four-in-hand of dark-lashed Gypsies-true bred, fresh, fed with grain, and groomed upon the meadows of the Nile, and signalled by their nature, Green. Whose panting ardor steamed by his side? "T was Sergius Cataline sending fire through his reins to the fifth couple-leaders.† Close by his side rushed all his band of friends, traitors to Rome-pimps of intriguing Fulvia, rob * The four ancient companies were the Prasina, the Russata, the Alba or Albata, and the Veneta; the Green, the Red, the White, the Sea Colored or Sky Colored. This distinction was taken from the color of their liveries. * * * Domitian added two new companies, the Golden and the Purple."-KENNETT, R. A. "In ordinary reading we meet only with the Bige and the Quadriga; but they sometimes had their Sejuges, Septemjuges, &c. Suetonius as sures us that when Nero was a performer in the Olympic game, he made use of a 'Decemjugis,' or chariot drawn with ten horses together."-Ib. bers of virtuous youth, and haters fierce of keen watching Cicero. Cassius and Cethegus, Lentulus and Curius, stood each-in false conspiracy, urging ferocious warrior steeds to aid their leader, and defeat the faction upon which Cicero had bet with Cataline-in chariots side-armed with scythes, to cut their adversaries' horses down. They flared in Red. Next stood Gracchus, proud in his gorgeous family "Purple." Mark Antony shone in Gold behind six proud-necked bitchampers. Last of all, a Knight, unknown, stood like a god, with foot advanced upon his dashboard of pure pearl, grooming, with skilful ease, three pair of coal-black ear-glistening limb-tremblers, unable to stand still, and rolling fire from their nostrils,*-himself and reins and harness all in brilliant white, and sparkling steel. The ladies cried "behold Apollo!" as they owned with beating hearts the heavenly grace of his recognition of the shouts of commendation which went to the skies from the hundred thousand throats ;† and freely wagered rings and bracelets upon the gallant stranger's triumph. The sacred rites were celebrated, the lots were drawn, and straight, obedient to the rules established, the factions took their stations. The Master of the Lude dropped his white "Stare loco nescit, micat auribus, et tremit artus, "There were several of these Circi in Rome. The most remarkable was Circus Maximus, first built by Tarquin. The length of it was four stadia, or furlongs, the breadth the like number of acres, with a trench of ten foot deep, and as many broad, to receive the water; and seats enough for one hundred and fifty thousand men. It was extremely adorned and beautified by succeeding princes, particularly by Julius Cæsar, Augustus, &c., and enlarged to such an extent as to be able to contain in their proper seats, two hundred and sixty thousand spectators."-Kennett. "Some moderns say 380,000. Its circumference was a mile."--ADAMS ROM. ANTIQ. MEM.--Kennett and Adams differ in their way and result of estimation of length and breath.- VOL. II.-3 kerchief, and then dashed, with ocean-like ferocity, the rainbow-painted waves of the raging combatants. Julius took the lead, and "Green!" "Green!" was the cry. Hard behind lashed Cataline, and all his faction. "Blue," "purple," "white," and "golden," seemed to hang back to watch the chance for a dash. "Green!-Blue !-Purple !-Golden!" went up the shouts from the friends of the different factions as they became involved in dust, and locked each other's wheels. None cried "Red," for even the stable boys hated Cataline. "White !" screamed Lucretia, although he lagged behind, and seemed to fear. "White against the field." "You are a fool," said Mrs. Cornelius Grab-us Agrip-onus, who sat near her. "The chiel's distraught," quietly remarked an old Scotch servant-woman behind,-brought out by the Cæsar," what'll ye bet, my lassie ?" The baby which the slave had on her arm then set up a domestic yell, and with the vociferations of the boy, and people in the box-"I want to go home”—and "Turn her out”Lucretia's answer was lost. What cared she? "The White!-look!"-shouted Lucretia; "see! he is discounting lashes freely! His whip touches the flank of the near side leader! He is in the melee! He gains! He is ahead of all but Cataline!" "I can't see, my dear, so plain as thee can,” said an African Quakeress, whom the Spirit had moved to come from the borders of the Red Sea to see this uncommon race,-" I can't see, my dear, so well as thee, on account of the dust, but I think, I mean, I fear thee is in love with that 'White,'—his mistress, likely, but he'll burst his boiler, and smash his bankchariot I mean-before he gets to the first Meta." |