United States or Heard Island and McDonald Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
How far this is archæologically sound we must leave to those who are specially learned in amphitheatres to determine. But we cannot forget the dissatisfied audience in Horace who, between the acts, or even during the performance itself, called for "aut ursum aut pugiles."
Our Poets present you the Play and the Farce together; and our Stages still retain somewhat of the original civility of the 'Red Bull. "Atque ursum et pugiles media inter carmina poscunt. Would you not think that physician mad! who having prescribed a purge, should immediately order you to take restringents upon it? "But to leave our Plays, and return to theirs.
There were also others found, to whom our diet, and the flesh we eat, were venomous and mortal: "Consuetudinis magna vis est: pernoctant venatores in nive: in montibus uri se patiuntur: pugiles, caestibus contusi, ne ingemiscunt quidem." These strange examples will not appear so strange if we consider what we have ordinary experience of, how much custom stupefies our senses.
In such extreme accidents, 'tis cruelty to require so exact a composedness. Let us not command this voice to sally, but stop it not. Epicurus, not only forgives his sage for crying out in torments, but advises him to it: "Pugiles etiam, quum feriunt, in jactandis caestibus ingemiscunt, quia profundenda voce omne corpus intenditur, venitque plaga vehementior." Cicero, Tusc.
Word Of The Day