Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-07-02
ROMAN GLADIArORs.-rnon VAL,

I ROMAN GLADIATORS.-rRoMy ,1rR,us.
AT last, however, We arrived in safety a,
| INC western gate of that proud amphitheatre-
inc same around which had, the night before
witnessed that scene of tumultuous preparation.
One of the officers in waiting. there. no sooncr
deserted the equipage ofRubela, than he caus.
eaa space to be laid open for her approach, and
n'mseit advanced, with great civility, to hand
her INTO the interior of the amplitheatre
Behold me, therefore, in the midst of the
riaVian amphlthcatre, and seated, under the
,ng of this luxurious lady, in one of the hes,
situations IN which the range of benches set
apart for the iomales and their company afford
ed There was general silence jim the place a,
the time we entered and seated ourselves. be.
cause proclamation had Just been made that the
gladiftors, with whose co,nbats the exhibition
OF the day was appointed to commence, we're
about to enter upon the arena, and show them
selves, in order, to the people. As yet however,
'hey mad not come forth from that place of con-
cealment to which many of their number
were, ofnecessity, never destined TO return SO
that had leisure to collect my thoughts, and to
survey for moment, without disturbance the
mighty and most motley multitude, piled above,
iordiy senator's, OH their silken couches, along
the parapet of the arena, up to the impenetra-
BILE mass of plebeian heads which skirted the
horizon, above the topmost wall of the amphi
theatre itself. Such was the enormous crowd
OF human beings, high and low, assembled
therein, that when any motion went through
their assembly, the noise of their rising up or
sitting down couldbe likened TO nothing exccpt.
perhaps the far off sulen, roaring of the illini
table sea, or the rushing of great night.wind
amongst the boug lbs of the forest 1t was the first
time that | had ever seen peopled auphithea.
tre-nay, twas the first time that had ever
very great multitude of men assembled topether,
within any fabric of human erection so that
You cannot doubt there in the scene before
me, enough to Impress my mind with very
| serious feeling of observation-disclosures to saw OF
veneration. Not less than eighty thousand hu-
man beings, (for such they told me was the
stupendons capacity, of the buildings,) were
here met together. Such a multitude can no
where be regarded without inspiring certain
| lndehnlte, indehDabie sense of majesty last
OF all, when congregated within the wide sweep
OF such agiorious ediiicc as this and surrounded
Oh all sides with every circumstance of orna-
ment and splendour, BETTING an everlasting
monument of Roman victories the munifcence
of Romon princes, and the impera luxury of uni
Versai tome Judge, then with what eyes OF
wonder all tins was surveyed by me, who had
| bu' OF yesterday, as it were, emerged from the
solitary stiffness of British vallcy-who had
been accustomed all my life to consider as among
the most impressive of human spcctaclcs, the
casual passage of few scores of legionaries
through some dark valley of a wood or awestruc
village of barbariaDs
| 1raJan himself was already present, but in nc
wise, except The canopy of his ivory chair to be
distinguished from the other Consul that sa,
ever against him; tall nevertheless, and of a
surety very majestic in his demeanour grave
sedate, benign in countenance, even accordinc
to the likeness which you have seen upon his
medals and statues. He was arrayed in a plain
gown, and appeared TO converse quite familiar
ly, and without the least affectation of condo.
scenson, with such patricans as had their pIa.
ces near him of whom Sextus and Rubellia
pointed out many charitable personages to my
notice as for example Adrian who afterward,
become emperor; Piny, the orator, a man of We
ry counrtly presence, and lively, agreeable as
pect; and above all, the historian Tacitus, the
worthy sonn.law of our Agricola in whose
pale countenance, thought could easily re
cognise the depth, but sought in vain to disco
yer any traces of the sternness of his genius
Ofall the then proud names that were whis
pered in my ear, could recolect or repeat then
now, how few would awaken any interest il
your minst Those, indeed. which have men
toned, have an interest that will never die
Would that the greatest and best of them al
were to be remembered only for deeds Of great
ness and goodness
The proclamation being repeated secon
time, door on the right hand of the arena wa
laid open, and single trumpet sounded. as
seemed TO me, mournfuly, while the gladiator
marched in with slow steps, each man naked
except being gift with cloth abouthis Ioins-
bearing on bis left arm a small buckler, an
having short straight sword suspended by
cord around his neck. They marched as hav
said, slowly and steadily so that the whole as
Esembly had full leisure to contemplate the form
OF the men while those who were, or who ina
gined themscve to be, skilled in the business o
the arena, were fixing in their own minds, OF
1 such as they thought most likely to be vctori
Gus, and laying wagers con corning their chan
ces ofsuccess, with much uncopcern as i
they had been contemplating many irrationa
animals or rather, indeed, should say, so ma
ny seDseless pieces ofingenious mechanism
The wide diversity of complexion and feature
exhibited among these devoted athletes, afforded
at once majestic idea of the extent of the Ro
man empire, and terrible one of the purposes
TO which that wide sway had too often bccr
made subSorvicnt. The beautiful Greek, Will
a countenanco Of noble serenity and limbs az
ter which the sculptors Of his country might hav,
modelled this godlikc symbols Of graceful pow
er, walked side by side with the yellow bearded
savage, whose gigantic muscles had been norv-