The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20

Wnlle tney OLD not IeeQ uneInbtiNcb, oho
instead of paying for admission they de-
handed to be paid for their attendance.
At a December festival in 88 A. D. we hear
that cit rained figs, dates, nuts, plums.
cake and cheese in the morning, and In the
evening pheasants and Sumldian par
tridges.' At a prolonged festival founded
by Nero "for the eternity OF the Roman
Empire thousands OF birds were thrown
down every day and also tickets en-
titling the holders to furniture, corn,
clothing. gold. silver. jewelry. pearls.
pictures, draught animals, tanned beasts.
ships, lodging houses and country
estates Rough play marked the scram-
bles and there was often loss OF life. Side
walk spectators used to buy up before
hand as the people went In whatever they
might happen to eoure In the later
kempire we hear of the circus being trans
formed into q forest Of a~rtiically planted
trees, among which were let loose a
thousand ostriohes, stays. bears, wild
sheep. antelopes and other antlered AMI
mails The spectators were hon ad-
mitted to the forest. and each might seiSe
and keep what he could.
OF the four great amusement resorts
Of the Romans-the CIRCUS. or rsoetrack;
the amphitheatre. where the gladiatorisl
and wild beast fights took place; the
stadium, or athletic ground, n the
t~heatres-the first, though by no means
the most costly or gorgeous, was perhaps
on the whole the most popular. This
was largely owing to the peculiar zest
and scope it offered to the fans Of the
period, beside whom our fans seem
the thinnest OF shadows.
The racetrack was an oval lying in
the dip between the Aventine and Pala-
tine hills, about a mile to the lap. and
surrounded by grand stands built OF
wood on stone. foundations which often
collapsed or were burned down more
than onoe with grave loss Of life. The
chariot race, with teams OF from three
to nine horses, was the staple Of every
meeting, and the leading oharioteers
were the idols OF the fashionable world
as we'll OF the p~opulaoe. Their doings
were chronoioled in the State Gazette;
they mixed in court circles. statues were
often erected to them. The monument OF
the charioteer Diocles informs us that be-
tween the age Of Is. when he first drove,
and u, when he died, he earned 81 200. 900.
and in a single year won l1s events out
OF 1874 in which he entered. He estab-
lished n record by driving w I'M
yoked horses to victory. another by win
ming eight races with the same team Of
three horses. So far al We can learn
from monuments some modern jockeys
earn more than the most successful Of
these drivers. Fred Archer. who won
2.74s races altogether and averaged
$50, 900 a year for some years before
his death. at 20. left a larger fortune
than Diocles. and probably Archer's
earnings are surpassed by those OF some
Of his SUCCESSORS on the English turf.
African horses Of Spanish blood had
the best name for speed. but the largest
stud farms were in Sicily. The prime
of a racer was from three to five years.
but their racing lives seem to have been
long. Successful horses were in great
were carefully kept. The fans" wor-
shipped the horses as devotedly as the
charioteers. Many tales Of the horses
intelligence we're told. Pliny mentions
a team which lost its driver early in the
race, but unlike Sir Martin) o never
theless. The great poet Martial was
scarcely 80 we'll known by repute to the
general public as his contemporary, the
promising colt Andremon. The En-
peror Caligula proposed to ennoble the
good horse Incitatus.
On the days when he was to race i'm
perial guards patrolled the neighborhood
Of his stable to enforce quiet nj silence.
Statues were put up to winners, Nero
pensioned veteran racehorses; so did
Verus and Commodus.
1t was. however, the factions OF the
reds" whites greens and blues"
into which the fans" divided themselves
and to which they devoted themselves
literally to the death that gave the race
track it's chief hold on popular favor.
The whole population from the ruler OF
the world down to the lowest slave joined
one or other Of them. and they have been
truly called .one of the most remarkable
phenomena Of the Empire THE EN-
pire might be at peace or lettering in
civil war and insurrection." says Prof.
Friedlander. reminding us OF some recent
diatribes in England; @the barbarians
on the frontiers might be advancing or
driven back; at Rome for high and low,
men and women. green and blue was
the one theme OF anxiety and hope
At the funeral Of the red charioteer
Felix a loyal "fan' threw himself on the
mortuary pyre and persisted in the flames.
Under Hadrian, Juvenal tells US, a de-
feat of the greens" was deplored as
though 1t were a Gamma. We hear Of the
fans passing sleer,less nights before a
race and ~fainting if their favorites were
distanced. During the races the root
ing" was d%eafening, though sometimes
checked by good reasons. Some Of the
Emperors carried their WI p~artisanship
80 far that they sentenced to death root
ers" on behalf Of an opposing team who
made themselves too audible.
In the amphitheatre We certainly come
upon one Roman luxury unparalleled
to-day, that OF bloodshed. In eight
spectacles given by Augustus 10000 men
fought-to a finish. Many OF course
were captives OF war. but the ranks were
also recruited from condemned criminals
and ne'er do wells who had come down
in the world. II there was a shortage
Of performers innocent men were some
times pressed" When Caligula noted
an unusually husky citizen among the
spectators he would now and then have