, 1874-06-28
THE ROMAN ARENA.

Gigantic Collections of Animals.
1Tanstat<t from tbs French for Il ppeton's lourn<
The capitals and the large cities Of Eurol
l | count among the number Of their most interes
lug establishments their geological garden
menageries, where they unite, not without gre
trouble and expense. a few dozen quadrupeds,
small collection Of birds. OF reptiles, mud
, fishes. The museums OF Paris, London, sBesli,
etc., are Tsry we'll satisfied il they contain thre
! or four lions, AZ many tigers. a dozen or 20
leopards: jaguars, aud panthers, one or two hi1
popotan, as many elephants, rhinoceros,
giraffe, and so on.
But the richest collection Of animals in Europ
would appear pitlful'y shabby il We could, wit
flourish OF the 1nag1cian's wand, conjure agai
into existence one OF those gigantic collection
OF animals which so often served to entcrta
Ihe Roman people during the last years of tn
Republic, and under the Emperors. These az
hlbiuons were certainly anything but instructive
and one would be far from counseling any mod
ern Government to attempt an lniratiUn OF them
Such m attempt, however. would be only all at
tompt for the forests and deserts have been t.
| such an extent depopulated OF their savage in
habltants that it would now be impossible tt
collect sufficient humber Of large animals tt
| reproduce, even On small scale, one OF those
prodlglous spectac'oa which we're tho delight OF
the ancient Roman.
Tho first exhibitions Of this char.otcr given a,
Rome were tue hunts {renatto'.es-)more proper.
II. n4assac1es IN sort of tilt-yard.
The law-makers Of Rome we're Of opinion that
1t was desirable to develop among the people a
martial spirit aud that this and could be attain
/ ed III no other way 70 we'll as accustomins them
to the sight Of blood and thus Was the reason
| Tly they, IN limitation Of the Etruscans, began
to celebrate the otaequiea Of lllustrious persons
BY forcing their prisoners their slaves to Xii
| ono another around tho funeral Ei!e. This WAS
| the origin CT the glndiatorial contests, which
| Wero lnaug1uated At the death OF Jnuius Brutuy
First Consul Of the Republic. iuthe ye& nnG4 B. G.
j., Later, the magistrates, and the candidates for
| the magistracy Of t1e Republic. ambitious to
| achleve popularity, wed With ona another iu
their endeavo1s to vary these bloody spoc:acles,
aud to increase their m4snihceuce. t. this end
they built those GIGANTIC clrcuses and xmpli-
theatres, whose ruins still attest their cstonta-
tious prodIgallty. And then they e1ac1ed
tribute, such 1t was, from the four quarters OF
the earth, ia order to 1ittnsy a1nuso the masters
Of the wo1ld- This led to the custom Of turning
wild animals into the arena, to make them con-
tend against ono another or against men.
The first renaflo Of which tho historians
make mention took place in the year Gal b. G.
MetelIus had taken from the Carthaguians,
in Sicily, 120 elephants. The Senate, to show
how little these animals wore to be feaied, had
them first be1aborel with cudgels and tlcn killed
ID the circus This spectacle gave tho populace
! taste for this klud OF diversion. Fortunate
~ (?) tie couquonts Of the ReoubIic soon eua~
ablol tho Gencrals and Trocons,1Is to lny Europe,
tho end of the sixth century after tho fo1n-
dation OF Rome, troops OF auimals arrived in
Italy from oyerT direction-llous, tigora, Loop
ards, panthers, lyn1cs, clcphants, Glra1es, ga
bears, bsons, ETC., etc. Then, from tino to time
on extraordinary occasions, the people were
treated to grand coui,ict between somo hun
dreda Of ani1nals of various specles, that we're
turned into the arena together.
At other times, the animals were pitted against
meu called beast-Egltcrs-i. G., men WHO to!-
lowed beast-tigAiing for living. They wore
distinct from the giadlators, and had lower
place in tho social scale. But, in time. these
men abandoned calling which was 10 danger-
GUS, and It became necessary 10 supply their
places with criminals prisoners of war. Un-
der the Emperors. substitutes were also takon
from among tho Cnriatians. This WAS yerit-
able VlndtaN for tho poprlace. who, re are
told, delighted IN nothing so much seeing the
defcnscless adlereuts Of the new rel1slon
men and women, torn Elnb from limb by wild
beasts Hardly less were tbs people edificd to
sec the nobleH, the Senators, ard even the En-
perot himself. tue divine" Cotnmodus, descend
INTO The arena and engage in uurtal combat with
the hclces1 anl1nals. Co.nnoaus. il We can be-
llerc tho historians Of those times, nas unsur~
passed III such exercises. Having the figure aud
'a4or OF al athl5ie he gAre to himself tho gur-
name OF Hercules, aud WIS desIous to Justify |
tue appel}ation by unitnting ths ieats ol the
deml-god-thas is. b. cxtcrminasinS cc1tnin
humber OF bo1sss Of prey. which surely Nors not
SO danger Gus Us he was.
Probus, another Of tho Em2erors, conceived |
the idea of giving the people the privilege !
Of taking Al active part Ii the sports |
of the anlphishcatre. 1Io caused the aroma to |
be trausforfaeu into 4 forest, into which he |
locsed, the frat time, 1000 deer, many villa |
hogs, and as uany ostr:che=. Then tic gates |
were opened, anu as many amateurs entered Il |
chose, who killed aud carried OF what aud a. !
much as they pleased Another day, Instead Of J
this comparatively ino1ensiSe game, Probus pre-
,f>.] .Io, -.
100 panthcrs. and 300 bears. But this time the
festivities had d tragic termination a goouly
uuubcr OF the buntets were attacked and torn to
pieces, while scyera! OF the animals escaped tom
tue stadium, and caused fearful panic among
tho spectators, which cost the lives OF several.
Finally all tho ANIMALS vero killed; "but tho
fete was" says an historian, ''gtand rather thau
TIE consumption Of animals at Rome, in pro-
giGing for tbs amusement Of tile good psonIr.
FROM the end OF the Hepubltc to tho tall of the
Empire, surpassed tho conception OF the liyeliee:
msstnetlon. Let Us try, nevortheleaa to get an
.pproXimatlve idea.
In the 5C7th year Of Rome-136 years B. c.
Marcus Fulvius for the first time introduced
ions ard pan,hers 1nto the arena-the numbor
4 not stated. Eighteen years later, the Ed1les
'uppied lot popular fetc sl1ty-three 1eopards
md panthers, forty bears, aud several e!e-
'han,s. sylla exhibited lou hons- In the
ear 693 Of Rome, Domirius Enobarbus gave
q exhibition, which consisted OF the killing OF
10 bears bv negroes. Three years later Sca1r1a
resented the people with $50. Ieopards. The
Etze hippopotsmus that appeared in the arena,
nth lou crocodiles. was a present by this same |
caurus. At Pompey's expense COO liuns, 40
anthers, and about score OF elephants, we're
lain. Caesar, shs yanqulBher OF Pompey, in
Is turn, celebrated his triumph BY ''games,' IN
hlch 4oo lions. - elephants, and ! giraffe
i. animal until then unknown BY the Romans-
ere killed Octasius Augustus illustrated | ,
III glorious reign By succession Of butchorles,
which about $500 ANIMALS mere killed 1
d nong them belug quo Of the feline
les. aud serpent 10 cuolts--eay co teet-loug,
e baby python. Gerpanicus, during his Con- /
hate, IN the year 765 OF Rome. contributed 900 q
ms; Caligua, on his return from Gaul, 800 T
ars and a. many pauthern; Nero, 800 lions snd
0 bears. Titus inAugurated the am phitheatre, .
l1ch beam bis name by seriex OF (etes. during