Twelve Generous Trojans Slaughtered In Their Bloom,
With Thy Lov'd Corse The Fire Shall Now Consume.
Even Virgil makes his pious Hero sacrifice eight Italian youths
to the manes of Pallas.
It is not at all clear to me, that a
people is the more brave, the more they are accustomed to
bloodshed in their public entertainments. True bravery is not
savage but humane. Some of this sanguinary spirit is inherited by
the inhabitants of a certain island that shall be nameless - but,
mum for that. You will naturally suppose that the Coliseo was
ruined by the barbarians who sacked the city of Rome: in effect,
they robbed it of its ornaments and valuable materials; but it
was reserved for the Goths and Vandals of modern Rome, to
dismantle the edifice, and reduce it to its present ruinous
condition. One part of it was demolished by pope Paul II. that he
might employ the stones of it in building the palace of St. Mark.
It was afterwards dilapidated for the same purposes, by the
cardinals Riarius and Farnese, which last assumed the tiara under
the name of Paul III. Notwithstanding these injuries, there is
enough standing to convey a very sublime idea of ancient
magnificence.
The Circi and Naumachia, if considered as buildings and
artificial basins, are admirable; but if examined as areae
intended for horse and chariot races, and artificial seas for
exhibiting naval engagements, they seem to prove that the antient
Romans were but indifferently skilled and exercised either in
horsemanship or naval armaments. The inclosure of the emperor
Caracalla's circus is still standing, and scarce affords
breathing room for an English hunter. The Circus Maximus, by far
the largest in Rome, was not so long as the Mall; and I will
venture to affirm, that St. James's Park would make a much more
ample and convenient scene for those diversions. I imagine an old
Roman would be very much surprised to see an English race on the
course at New-Market. The Circus Maximus was but three hundred
yards in breadth. A good part of this was taken up by the spina,
or middle space, adorned with temples, statues, and two great
obelisks; as well as by the euripus, or canal, made by order of
Julius Caesar, to contain crocodiles, and other aquatic animals,
which were killed occasionally. This was so large, that
Heliogabalus, having filled it with excellent wine, exhibited
naval engagements in it, for the amusement of the people. It
surrounded three sides of the square, so that the whole extent of
the race did not much exceed an English mile; and when Probus was
at the expence of filling the plain of it with fir-trees to form
a wood for the chace of wild beasts, I question much if this
forest was more extensive than the plantation in St. James's
Park, on the south side of the canal: now I leave you to judge
what ridicule a king of England would incur by converting this
part of the park into a chace for any species of animals which
are counted game in our country.
The Roman emperors seemed more disposed to elevate and surprize,
than to conduct the public diversions according to the rules of
reason and propriety. One would imagine, it was with this view
they instituted their naumachia, or naval engagements, performed
by half a dozen small gallies of a side in an artificial basin of
fresh water. These gallies I suppose were not so large as common
fishing-smacks, for they were moved by two, three, and four oars
of a side according to their different rates, biremes, triremes,
and quadriremes. I know this is a knotty point not yet
determined; and that some antiquarians believe the Roman gallies
had different tires or decks of oars; but this is a notion very
ill supported, and quite contrary to all the figures of them that
are preserved on antient coins and medals. Suetonius in the reign
of Domitian, speaking of these naumachia, says, "Edidit navales
pugnas, pene justarum classium, effosso, et circumducto juxta
Tyberim lacu, atque inter maximas imbres prospectavit," "He
exhibited naval engagements of almost intire fleets, in an
artificial Lake formed for the purpose hard by the Tyber, and
viewed them in the midst of excessive Rains." This artificial
lake was not larger than the piece of water in Hyde-Park; and yet
the historian says, it was almost large enough for real or intire
fleets. How would a British sailor relish an advertisement that a
mock engagement between two squadrons of men of war would be
exhibited on such a day in the Serpentine river? or that the
ships of the line taken from the enemy would be carried in
procession from Hyde-Park-Corner to Tower-wharf? Certain it is,
Lucullus, in one of his triumphs, had one hundred and ten ships
of war (naves longas) carried through the streets of Rome.
Nothing can give a more contemptible idea of their naval power,
than this testimony of their historians, who declare that their
seamen or mariners were formed by exercising small row-boats in
an inclosed pool of fresh water. Had they not the sea within a
few miles of them, and the river Tyber running through their
capital! even this would have been much more proper for
exercising their watermen, than a pond of still-water, not much
larger than a cold-bath. I do believe in my conscience that half
a dozen English frigates would have been able to defeat both the
contending fleets at the famous battle of Actium, which has been
so much celebrated in the annals of antiquity, as an event that
decided the fate of empire.
It would employ me a whole month to describe the thermae or
baths, the vast ruins of which are still to be seen within the
walls of Rome, like the remains of so many separate citadels. The
thermae Dioclesianae might be termed an august academy for the
use and instruction of the Roman people.
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