Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-06-01

Progress of Cruelty among the Ancient Romans.


When gladiatorial shows were first in.
stituted in Rome, the people regarded
them with horror but once accustomed
20 such bloody sights, they became infat-
uated with them, and soon the Roman
politician and ofIice-holder who found the
most favor with the people, was the one
who provided for them the greatest num-
Der Of gladiators, to be murdered at tho
public shows. Caesar, when lEdile, in
the beginning of his career, gave the peo-
pie such hosts of gladiators to be mur.
dered. that the Senate became affrighted.
and limited him to the number Of $40
couples for any one fight But when this
finished gentleman and masterly historian
returned from his last triumph, not being
restrained. be gave in the arena. to the
infinite delight cf the Roman people
perfect imitation of battle-a terrible
slaughter of men, horses aud elephants
We DO not find recorded the exact num-
Der of men and beasts slaughtered on this
occasion, for the amusement of Rome,
citizens but how great it was may bo
Judged from the fact that on another oc-
casion, Trajan caused 10000 captives to
slay one another in the arena. Suetonius
thus describes the spectacle: ".Spocfa-
cula 0SSiIue nagRifca d sumrtaoSa cdi-
DIT. IenattoRtS elesiiotoresqate ct hoctt-
6Hs I'D lycHoS; ncc rir0rlkH1 udo1'o 13ltgHas
ScI ed fcn1inGrun2," etc. 4 fight by day
and night, by men aud women \ law
was passed interdicting candidates from
giving such shows, pending the election
canvass. But, notwithstanding legal re
strictions, the people sold themselves to
the candidate who would promise them
the greatest eladiatorial slaughter; till,
as Tacitus relates the price of the ques-
torship was the magnihcepce of the CON-
bats the questorship was to give. From
having, in the beginning, looked with hor-
ror at a single gladiatorial combat, the
people, by degrees, became hardened, till,
at last they found their chief delight in
witnessing Wholesale carnage in the arena
/ At last, simply viewing such sights did
not satisfy them, and we find the sun of
Rome ultimately extinguished IN blood,
the free people, of their own accord, en-
tering the arena to kill one another. and
even an Emperor fighting among them.
; In order that the excitements of the
arena should not eclipse those of the
thcater, the most literary and refined
classes were provided there with equally
4 fascinating recreations of the demon;ac
order The tragedies of the death of
/ Hercules in fames-of Atys attacked by
/ a wild boar-of Prometheus chained to q
rock. with a vulture gnawing his yitals,
etc. were given with human victims, with
slight changes of text when nceded-as
in the representations Of Prometheus,
where the vulture was replaced by wild
hon Fa+f yr-ar aIfI
nails or slaves, condemned to such death
simply at masters will or caprice One
master, Manutius Basilius, is especially
mentioned for the atrocious manner in
which he mutilated his slaves by way of
punishment for their faults There was
no law to prevent him. The slaves were
his for use or abuse. So says Seneca
. QU1tDl 3n Scrrztnt 0n1Hia hccaat" An
other Roman, Y edius. amused himself by
! feeding wild beasts with his slaves This
was their punishment for the slightest Of
{ fence. At q feast given by this gentle
man to the Emperor Augustus-he being
! in the first socicty.-a slave accidentally
broke q crystal vase. Immediately the
slave threw himself at the Empcrors feet,
and implored that V Nedius should not con-
denim him to be eaten-these are the very
words of Seneca-2le cScG Eeret Angus
tus was so indignant that he broke all the
vases of Vedius and protected the slave,
/ but it Is not related that he otherwise
punished the master. And how much
better was Augustus than Yedius2 This
we may learn from Plutareh, who tells us
/ that Augustus had his man-of business,
/ Eros, cruciGed to the mast of bis ship,
because the slave killed very valuable
| lighting bird.