The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-01-04


meritorious items of his life that he had
exhibited 5000 gladiators and brought
more than $500 wild beasts to Rome to
be slaughtered in the circus. Titus, the
captor of Jerusalem, dedicated the Coils
cum by combats between gladiators and
5000 wild beasts. We have read of the
ivory trough and the collar of pearls of
the horse of Tiberius, and of the set of
emeralds and pearls worn by Lolita
Paulina, one of his wives, valued at near
ly 100000. And so of Nero fishing
with his golden hooks, and never travel
ling with less than a thousand carriages
of Vitellins, who, according to Tacitus,
spent in few months some $10,000,O00
or 100000 in eating and drinking;
of Elagabalus, who ate his peas mashed
with gold, fricasseed his beans with NOR
sells of amber, and boiled his rice mixed
with pearls.
What shall we say of the Byzantine
court? A writer in the Quarterly Re
UIe,0 says the transfer of the seat of en-
pire made matters worse than they had
been at Rome. We cannot mention in
these columns the fearful excuses Of the
Lower Empire. The theatre had got
ten to that pass that it was necessary to
enact a law forbidding women to appear
on the stage in state of nudity, and
this was evaded by Theodore, afterwards
empress, who exhibited herself, accord
ing to Procopius, with no clothing what
ever but riband around her waist.
But this was in ancient times. 1t has,
however, been paralleled in modern Eu-
rope. Madame Montespan, the favorite
of Louis XIV, was known to win more
than 10000 crowns in single night at
cards, and one alone of the benefactions
which she received at his hands was the
erection of a chateau at the gate of Yer
sailles which cost nearly 100000. 1.-THE
great lords and ladies" we are told,
cheated at cards, and made a Joke of it. "
About the time of Laws Bubble, when
the spirit of speculation was high in
Paris, we read of painter who got credit
for more than four millions of ivres of
plate and jewellery, and who paid 100
pistoles a pound for new peas. In order
to be able to say that large price had
been paid for dish, ragouts were warmed
with banknotes.
After the death of the Grand Mon
argue, the Regent and his daughter, the
Duchess of Berry, Systematically set all
decency at defiance. Their suppers are
described as genuine scenes Of Roman de-
hatchery, which seemed to turn the
Palais Royal, inaccessible and impenetra-
bic, into Capri in the midst of Paris.
Even under Louis XVI, we read that
the royal household comprised 1000 per-
sons, not counting the household troops.
His sisters burned in one year 2l5,00O
ivres worth of wax candles, while Mad
anne Elizabeth was charged with 10000
ivres for meat, 10000 for fish, and 2OO,-
900 for coffee, chocolate, and refresh
ments.
What was the condition Of England at
the close Of the last century? One hun
bred and sixty offences were declared by
statute to be felonies without benefit of
clergy. The high roads were still in
tested by robbers. Counsel for prisoners
were not allowed to address the jury.
Men of fashion, like George Selwyn and
"Gilly" Williams, made practice of
witnessing the executions at Tyburn.
Venerable bishops sold seats in parlia-
ment to the highest bidder. Drunken
ness and gambling were universal. AS
late as 1775 the only butchers meat eat
en- in Edinburgh throughout the year
was the sailed carcass of wretched COW
purchased and slaughtered in the month
of November. In 1901 there were only
5000 schools in England. Christian
Missions were practically unknown.
Has not the world advanced since the
surrender at Yorktown
The history Of the development Of
Christianity may be compared to the
growth Of a continent Biologists inform
us that at the dawn Of the Pal@ozoic Age
- Il.