COLISE MI, an elliptical amphithea tre, at Rome, built be Vespasian, it which were statues representing all the provinces of the empire. and in the mid dle stood that of Rome, holding a golden apple in her hand. This immense struc ture was 1612 feet in circumference, con tained eighty arcades, and would hold 100,000 spectators. Down to the 13th century, this unrivalled monument of ancient grandeur 'remained almost unin jured; afterwards Pope Paul II. took all the stones from it which were used for the construction of the palace of St. Mark, and in later times some other palaces were erected from its fragments. At present, care is taken not to touch the ruins of the Coliseum, but it is gradually crumbling away of itself, and in a few centuries, perhaps, nothing more may be seen of its upper part ; the lower part, however, may safely bid defiance to the ravages of time. Bene
dict XVI. caused a cross to be erected in the centre of the arena, where, every Sunday afternoon, Catholic worship is performed. The great object of this magnificent building was to exhibit the brutal spectacles of the gladiators con tending with wild beasts. We accord ingly rend, that on the triumph of Tra jan over the Dacians, 11,000 animals were killed in the amphitheatres at Rome ; and 1000 gladiators fought glaring, 123 days. The gladiators at first were malefactors, who fought for victory and life ; or captives and slaves, who were made to fight for their freedom ; but after a time many lived by it as a pro fession; and these exhibitions continued, with modifications, for above 500 years.— A very large angl most ingeniously con structed building, erected in the Regent's Park, London, is called the Coliseum, or