These repeated accidents induced Vcspasian to think seriously of building an amphitheatre of stone ; a project, from the completion of which preceding emperors had probably been deterred by its enormous expense. For the situation of this edifice, which lie wished to render Worthy of the capital of the world, he chose the centre of Rome; the same spot which Augustus had marked out for a structure of a similar kind, but which he never attempted to execute. The Flavian amphitheatre, which was begun by Vcspasian in his eighth consulate, and afterwards completed by Titus, is celebrated by ancient authors as a prodigy of architectural magnificence and skill; and it has been said, perhaps without exaggera tion, that its expense would have sufficed for building a large city. Five thousand animals, or, according to some historians, nine thousand, were destroyed at its inauguration; and, when the combats were concluded, the arena was suddenly filled with water, on which aqua tic animals were seen to contend; and these again gave place to a number of vessels, that represented a naval battle. This stupendous fabric was called the Coli sxum ; according to some authors, from a colossal sta tue of Nero, which stood near it, but more probably on account of its colossal and gigantic size. Placed in the entre of the hills of Rome, it towered as high as their loftiest summits. Its seats, or steps, contained eighty seven thousand spectators; and if we add, at a very moderate calculation, 11,000, placed on the porticoes above these seats, and 12,000 in the surrounding pas where moveable scats might be placed, it must have contained not fewer than 110,000 persons, who could behold distinctly the games and combats on the z.rena. Its form was that of an ellipsis, or oval, whose longer diameter was about 615 feet 6 inches, and its shorter 510 feet. Of the arena the longer diameter was :281 feet, and the shorter 176, thus leaving for the seats and galleries a circuit of about 157 feet in breadth. The =whole external circumference was about 177u feet, co vering a superficius of more than five acres and a half., The external elevation of the Flavian amphitheatre con sisted of three stories of arcades, embellished with Co 'MIMS of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. Com pared with this amazing fabric, the most stupendous works of antiquity sink into insignificance. Not even those prodigious piles which were the boast of Egypt, and the wonder of succeeding ages, can once come in to competition with thb Fla\ ian amphitheatre. They were, indeed, 'astonishing monuments of the power of human labour, and of the energies of a populous nation. controlled and urged by despotic authority. But they were the works of rude force, the monuments of bar barism, which delights in what is massy and vast, with out regard to order, or elegance of design. To construct the Colisxum, on the other hand, required the utmost perfection of architectural skill, as well as the resources of an opulent and mighty empire. With a sublime mag nificence, which, after the lapse of twelve centuries, still contemplated with astonishment in its ruins, it uni ted that elegant simplicity which marks the refinement of cultivated taste. Nothing can impart a more elevated idea of human power and ingenuity, than an edifice which rose to the height of 120 feet, and occupied up wards of five acres of ground ; and which admitted. without confusion, and accommodated easily, more than 100,000 persons. If it was completed in the reign of Titus, not more than two years and nine months were occupied in constructing this mighty fabric, the most stupendous that the world ever contained—thus afford ing a specimen, altogether astonishing, of the skill, the energy, and the resources the Romans. Among the Goths, who have contributed at various times to destroy this wonderful edifice, our readers will probably hear, with some surprise, the name of Michael Angelo, from whom we might certainly have expected a sacred re spect for whatever was connected with the fine arts—he carried away almost one half of the outer wall, for the purpose of building the Palazzo Farnese. To prevent such depredations, pope Benedict XIV. consecrated the ruins, and erected several altars, which, previous to the French revolution, were much frequented on Sundays and Fridays. Near the centre, there was a small build ing occupied by a hermit, whose office was to protect the sacred pile from the injurious touch of any rude and unhallowed hand.
The Coliseum became the model to many other am phitheatres, which were erected by succeeding empe rors, or by the inhabitants of different countries, who were desirous either to imitate the magnificence, or to enjoy the amusements of the capital. The most re
markable were at Capua and Verona in Italy, at Nismes in Languedoc, at Pola in Istria, and at Italica in Spain. Vestiges of others have been traced at Alba, a small city in Latium, at Otricoli, a town of Umbria, and near the Garigliano, formerly the river Lvris. Sonic of the cells and arches of an amphitheatre are still to be seen at Puzzuoli ; while the ruins of others may be recognized at the foot of Mount Cassino, near the house of Varro; at Peestum, in Lucania; at Syracuse, Agrigentum, and Catania, in Sicily; at Cortina and Gerapitna, in Candia; at Argos and Corinth, in Greece; and at Arles and Au ton, in France. In Britain, too, traces of amphitheatres are discernible near Sandwich, in Kent, at Caerleon, in INIonmouthshire, (the Isca Silurum of the ancients,) and in various other parts of the kingdom.
But though amphitheatres were thus numerous, it cannot be supposed that many of them bore any l'esem blance to the magnificence of the Colisamm, or, indeed, that they were regular edifices at all. The enormous expense of erecting stone buildings of such magnitude, would oblige the inhabitants of the provinces to have recourse to every expedient which might enable them to enjoy their favourite diversions at an easier rate. For this purpose, they sometimes chose natural \tallies, surrounded with hills, in the declivities of which they cut benches, defended probably with mounds, or ter races, above the arena—such was the amphitheatre at Corinth. In these natural amphitheatres, benches of stone were sometimes placed on the declivities of the hills, and the ellipsis was completed by works of ma at the extremities, as in the amphitheatre of Cor tina, in Candia. Many of them and particularly the Castrensian amphitheatres, were mere excavations, with benches of turf: such was that near Sandwich. In short, of those which we have enumerated, only four, viz. the amphitheatres of Capua, Verona, Nismes, and Autun, appear to have been constructed on the same plan, and embellished in the same manner, as the Colisirum. An account of these different amphitheatres will be found under the names of the towns in which they stood.
It is impossible to contemplate without horror the dreadful scenes of carnage which, for 250 years, dis graced the amphitheatre, or to regard, without utter detestation, the character of the people, who took plea sure in spectacles of such monstrous barbarity. 'We may form some idea of the myriads of men and animals destroyed in these houses of slaughter, from one in stance which is recorded by Dio. He informs us, that, after the triumph of Trajan over the Dacians, specta cles were exhibited for 123 clays; in which 11,000 ani mals were killed, and 1000 gladiators were matched against one another. Nor was it only malefactors, cap tives, and slaves, who were doomed to contend in these dreadful games. Free-born citizens hired themselves as gladiators; men of noble birth sometimes degraded themselves so far as to fight on the stage for the amuse ment of their countrymen; even women, ladies too of high rank, forgetting the native delicacy and the feeble ness of their sex, strove on the arena for the prize of valour—for the honour of adroitness in murder. A peo ple thus inured to blood, were prepared for every vil lany; nor is it possible to read of the enormities which disgraced the transactions of the later Romans, without ascribing them, in a great measure, to the ferocity of temper, fostered by the shocking amusements of the amphitheatre. Perhaps it is not too refined to trace back to the same cause the dark and vile dispositions of their descendants, who have been branded, too justly, as little better than a race of assassins.
Even the progress and the establishment of Christi anity could not, for some time, overcome the inclination for these sanguinary entertainments. Constantine the Great had, indeed, prohibited them by law in the eastern empire; and Ilonorius, in the beginning of the fifth century, banished all professional gladiators from the Roman territory. Still, however, combats of wild beasts were continued both in the eastern and western em pires, as far down as the sixth century. About that time they seem to have been every where abolished ; and the edifices, in which they were exhibited, to have been completely neglected. During the age of chivalry, they were occasionally used as the scenes of judicial combat, or of tilts and tournaments ; but as these cus toms abolished, amphitheatres w ere abandoned to neglect and ruin. (?...)