Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-07-21

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The beds of the Romans in the early
days of the republic were of the same de-
scription as those used in Greece but
toward the end of it, and during the En-
pire, when Italy acquired taste for the
luxuries of Asia, the richness and mag
nifcence of the beds of wealthy Romans
far exceeded those used by the Greeks,
splendid though they were. There was
scarcely any difference between the
sleeping beds of the ancients and their
couches, except that the latter, being
made for appearance as well as for COM
fort, were more beautiful and costly than
the former. There were usually three
persons to each bed or couch, the middle
place in which was considered to be the
most honorable. These beds were un-
known before the second Punic war.
Until the Romans sat down to eat on
plain wooden benches, after the manner
of the heroes of Homer, and, as Varro
says, the Lacedaemonians and Cretans.
Seipio Airicanus is said to have first
brought from Carthage some of the little
beds called Punicani or Archaic, which
were very low, made of wood, stuffed
with straw or the like, and covered with
the skins of sheep or goats. The COM
fort of these beds differed little from that
of the wooden benches which they sup
planted; but with them came the fashion
among the men of reclining instead of
sitting at meals. The Roman ladies
modestly adhered to the old custom du-
ring the time of the Commonwealth;
but after the period of the first Caesars
they, too, ate on their beds. Before the
youth put on his toga virilss he was kept
to the ancient rule as to seats; and when
he was admitted to table he sat on the
edge of the beds of his relatives. Sue
tonius tells us that the young Caesars,
Caius and Lucius did not eat at the ia
BILE of Augustus, but they were an imo
loco, or as Tacitus says, ad lectalcra.-
From the simple pieces of furniture
which we have above described, the
dining-beds of the Romans were elab-
Grated into most magnificent ar
ticles of decoration. Pliney tells us
that they sometimes covered with plates
of silver and adorned with the softest
of mats and the richest of counterpanes.
Sampiidius says that Heliogabalus had
beds of solid silver; and Pompey on
his third triumph, introduced beds of
gold. The sleeping-bed of the Romans
was generally rather high, SO that per-
sons entered it by means of steps. The
bedstead was sometimes made of metal,
and at others of valuable wood, or We
neered with ivory or tortoise shell; and
| frequently it rested on feet of silver or
gold. In beds intended to be used by
two persons, the sides were distinguish
ed by different names; the side at which
the sleepers entered was open,
and was called sponda, the other
side was protected by board and
was called pluteas. The sides of
such a bed had two names-torus cate
raOr and torus interior, or sponda exterior
and spondu interior-from which ex-
pressions we may infer that two beds or
mattresses were used, one for each per-
son. The mattresses were in early times
filled with dried herbs or straw but in
later times the beds and pillows of the
wealthy Romans were composed of wool,
and still later of feathers. Those of the
inns were stuffed with the soft down of
reeds, as Pliny tells us. The blankets
or counterpanes and pillow castings used
by the upper classes were of the most
rich description, and mostly or purple
color, and embroidered with gold. Bed
coverings of this kind were called peri
petasmata Attatica, because they were
first used at the court of Attalus. 1t
seems doubtful whether curtains or can
opies wers used in the lectus cubic ularis,
but probably they were occasionally
employed.-St. James MagrSi.me. i