The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-10-04
philadelphia Catholic Revew.I
do remember me that in my youth,
When was wan ierIng upon such night
l stood within the GoiOss.um's 8 wall
Midst the chief relics of AImighty Rome "

, level plain into a forest scene, or crystal
7 lake; 80 that aquatic sports, gladiatorial
c0mbats, and encounters with wild beasts,
alternately took place. Thousands of rare
animals, brought from the most distant
climes, were slaug ghtered in the public
games.
Oftentimes, to the gore of untamed brutes
was added that of human victims, whose
life-blood flowed in torrents, to make a
E" Roman holiday" 4re Cesar morituri
te salutant-(Haii Caesar! the. dying men
salute thee)-was tae greeting of the
wretches doomed to slay each other for the
diversion of an imperial despot. In the
Capltoline museum Is Il statue representing
a warrior in the agouies of death. Byron's
description of it is worth repeating:
u see before me the gladiator lie;
| He leaus upon Ii hand his manly brow
Consents 10 death; but conquers agony.
And his dropped hea! s1nhs yraduaIiy low,
AID tG,ouah his s;da tb.. I4s5 drops rGoDe slow,
| From iho Iea ish, fail heavy one b. ono
. Like the first IAi I thu der shower and now,
THE arena sw inns around him-he is gone
wretch who won
A taste for such iuhuman bloodshed sur
vived the fail of pagansm, and Christiani-
| TVS mid spirit for long time strove in
| vain 10 abolish the heathen practice. At
length genuine pbilanthropist, the Egyp-
tian monk Almachus, intrepidly rushed
| upon the battle field to separate the com
batants. But, in the heat of conflict,
merely changing me object of attack, they
|
peacemaker, wt,' had to pay the price of
| humane interference with his own blood.
This heroic act stopped thenceforth the
shedding of human blood in the prize ring
for the reigning Emperor, H"'."rlouS, enact
ed law against gladiatorial shows for the
future.
In the middle ages, owing to the strength
| of its walls, the Colosseum served as a Jnr
| trees to rival factions. Later, it becam-
Stage for bull batting and chivalrous
tournaments. Subsequently, portions of
| the theatre were, in succession, changed
into citadel, factory, hospital, ii
ket, nunDery, and a church.. Batterius
| rams, earthquakes, free, and inundatinns.
helped to 6islocate and scatter fragments
of the tottertug pile. In after years these
ruins were stone quarry for Rome's paia-
tial buildings.
At length, as barrier to further piilnpe
the half ruined Colosseum was cons. c,,t:...l
Faiths heroes were maIryIcd I
within it's preciucts. This occurred during |
the jubilee year. 1874. OF faiths cham. J
pions, who suffered on this spot, tue
least illustrious was the venerable Bisnup
Ignatius, who, from Antioch, WAS hr'oshb
hither to satIate the hanger of wltd beasts
or, according to his own typical ia".; uage,
/" to be groun5 AXE wheat by the teeth of
lions, to be ma. the pure broad of Christ"
Additional interest accturd to the arena
when Benedict XIV. erected Stations of the
Via Crucis. Large sums were expended by
other pontiffs to check tbe pr"s; ess of Ge
cay, whether caused by fhe correcting teeth
of barbarism or time. Dispute the vicIssi
tudes of seven hundred ssaruns, tile Anglo
Saxon prophecy now seems us far fum
fulflment as ever:
While stands tn Colosseum, sli III stand
When tnls he ,ol"ssouIn, E"m' ~ /. IA,
And when Komo iAilsthe word"
In the arenas haIlowcH centre r>ay be seen
salvation's symh ia large wooden cross.
This trophy Is suggestive ui IN uG!. that, for
brevity's sake, iuazt hetr- Ue omitted.
wIthal, is Il Christian pilgrims
greeting:
I'm the Cross of Christ glory,
Towering wreck OF time;
All the light nf sacred story
Gathers round Its head sublime"
A moonlight pilgrimage to this sanctuary k
-" noble wreck 10 ruin0us perfectlnn," =
caves an impression on the visitors MUD
not easily cancelled. The rays OF an
,louded lunar orb spread mOurnful sigeTy =
int over the vast circumference: 3
'' In fact the moonbeams shire,
As twere its natural Torches for divine
Should be the light, which streams here to ilume
This long explored but still exhaustless mine
OF contemp alton and the azure gloom
Of an italian sky, where the deep skies assume
Hres which have words and speak to ye of
Heaven =
Floats DER this and wondtous monument, :
And shadows forth its glory.
And thus did shine the rolling moon upon
1t all ard cast wide and tender light,
Which softentd down the hoar aueterity
OF rugged desclation and filed up
As twere anew. the gaps Of centuticsi II
Leaving that beautitu which still was
And making that, which not, till the place
Became Religion aud the heart ran Ger
With ailent worship"
What sweetness and brilliancy are to the B
lAn-S