Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 14, 2025
As the two men face each other and the lanista gives the signal anyone can see, usually, that the retiarius is confident of victory and the secutor wary and cautious or even afraid.
Yet the fact is the reverse of the appearance. No one not reckless or drunk ever bet even money on an ordinary secutor. The odds on the retiarius are customarily between five to three and two to one. And most secutors manifestly feel their disadvantage.
The next instant no one was regarding the death-struggle of the elephants, nor any other of the scores of fights ended, ending, under way or just begun. Every human being in the audience was staring at the amazing spectacle of a Vestal virgin, clad only in her thin, clinging tunic, standing over a fallen retiarius and facing an appalled and dumbfounded secutor. The place fell very still.
But later, to the shame and indignation of the people, he entered the arena as a gladiator, and fought there no less than seven hundred and thirty-five times. He was well protected, wearing the helmet, shield, and sword of the Secutor, while his antagonists were armed with the net and trident of the Retiarius.
It is exciting because the retiarius, nude except for one small shoulder-guard and a scanty apron, appears to have no chance whatever against the secutor with his big vizored helmet, his complete body-armor, his kilt of lapped leather straps plated with polished metal scales, his greaves or leg-rings or boots and his full-length, curved shield and Spanish sword.
Suddenly when Sporus had approached nearly at arm's length, the retiarius threw himself forward, and cast his net.
No matter how often his adversary cast his net at him, Palus never altered his demeanor. The upshot was always the same. The spectators began to jeer at the baffled retiarius, he became flustered, he ventured a bit too near his immobile opponent, Palus made an almost imperceptible movement and the retiarius fell, mortally wounded.
He chose the habit and arms of the Secutor, whose combat with the Retiarius formed one of the most lively scenes in the bloody sports of the amphitheatre. The Secutor was armed with a helmet, sword, and buckler; his naked antagonist had only a large net and a trident; with the one he endeavored to entangle, with the other to despatch his enemy.
Besides fighting as a secutor against a retiarius Palus in the same accoutrements fought with men similarly equipped, or accoutred as Greeks, Gauls, Thracians, Samnites, or murmillos; also he appeared in the equipment of each of these sorts of gladiators against antagonists equipped like himself or in any of the other fashions.
Even the upper gallery had recognized Almo or been told who he was, even the populace had remembered or had been informed of the relation between Almo and Brinnaria. Everybody had recalled or been reminded of her rescue of the retiarius. The audience collectively comprehended that Aurelius meant Almo to be defeated and put at an adversary's mercy before Brinnaria, that he was testing her.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking