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Nero, who carried everything to the extremity of foolishness, was not content in patronising the Pantomimes, but must needs assist, and appear himself, as a Mimi. Here again, in Nero, another claimant as the author of Pantomime has been put forward. "The rivalries of Pylades and Bathyllus," says De Laulnaye, "occupied the Romans as much as the gravest affairs of state.
"The sculptors think him pre-eminently beautiful," answered Eudora; "or they would not so often copy his statue in the sacred images of Hermes. Socrates applied Anacreon's eloquent praise of Bathyllus to him, and said he saw in his lips 'Persuasion sleeping upon roses."
Not for yourselves, ye birds, your nests ye build; Not for yourselves, ye sheep, your fleece ye yield; Not for yourselves, ye bees, your cells ye fill; Not for yourselves, ye beeves, ye plough and till. The expedient immediately evinced him to be the author of the distich, and Bathyllus became the theme of public ridicule.
Augustus had countenanced these players and their art, in complaisance to Maecenas, who was mad in love with Bathyllus the comedian; nor to such favourite amusements of the populace had he any aversion himself; he rather judged it an acceptable courtesy to mingle with the multitude in these their popular pleasures.
He may, indeed, utter one word of remonstrance against literary and commercial piracy, like that first great sufferer by anti-copyright, Mr. Virgilius Maro, of Mantua "Hos ego versiculos emi, tulit alter honores." Or, in other words, I pay for every line and letter of Maga, and lo! Mr Bathyllus Reprint, of New York, carries off the sesterces!
In Imperial times they almost engrossed the stage. PYLADES and BATHYLLUS are monuments of a depraved taste, which could raise these men to offices of state, and seek their society with such zeal that the emperors were compelled to issue stringent enactments to forbid it.
These are of great antiquity, and remarkable for their workmanship; I may mention one of them in particular, a statue of Bathyllus standing in front of the altar; it was the gift of the tyrant Polycrates, and I think I have never seen anything more perfect. Some hold that it represents Pythagoras, but this opinion is incorrect.
Roman Theatres Description "Deadheads" Pantomime in Italy Livius Andronicus Fabulae Atellanae Extemporal Comedy Origin of the Masque, Opera, and Vaudeville Origin of the term Histrionic Etruscans Popularity of Pantomime in Italy Pantomimists banished by Trajan Nero as a Mime Pylades and Bathyllus Subjects chosen for the Roman Pantomimes The Ballet The Mimi and Pantomimi Archimimus Vespasian Harlequin "Mr.
in seeing Pylades and Bathyllus dance before them in their theatres an indifference of which we were reminded on hearing that the Parisians sat in the Cafés on the Boulevard du Italiens sipping coffee and sucking down ice, during the capitulation of the city, and while the French, killed and wounded, were conveyed along the road before them. Cato, Censorius, danced at the age of fifty-six.
At least the young Apollo will have charms even for them. 'Ah, but who will represent him? This puny generation does not produce such figures as Pylades and Bathyllus except among those Goths. Now Shall we ask a Goth to dance Apollo? for we can get no one else. Hypatia smiled in spite of herself at the notion. 'That would be too shameful!
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