these courts being
filled with water, on which the descending light smote, and was
dispersed around. There is a subterranean passage leading from the
palaces to the Coliseum, which was made use of by the emperor and his
suite for their transit thither; and a terribly anxious little journey
that must often have been to the great Caesars.

The grand old Coliseum still rears its crumpling walls proudly towards
the skies, though almost two-thirds lie in ruins. The centre has been
filled in with earth, so that we scarcely see the original bottom, but
there is sufficient left to show clearly to what use this great
amphitheatre was put. One intelligent guide points out the evidences of
formerly existing hydrants, which had led to the Tiber, and thus flooded
the lower part with water for the exhibition of mock naval engagements.
Then, when the water was let out again, great scaffolding poles were
inserted into stone sockets, and a platform suspended on a level with
the dens, from which the wild beasts were let into the arena. And here
the gladiators fought, and the Christians and criminals were torn to
pieces, to make sport for the countless multitude sitting, crowded tier
upon tier around, while the blue heavens looked down on the inhuman and
bloody sight, and the poor martyr Christians, fearlessly awaiting their
doom, sighed upwards, "How long? how long?" We could also see the
trap-doors from whence buffoons were hoisted on to the stage. To trace
all this was interesting, though it saddened one to reflect on all the
horrors that had been enacted here. Much of the brickwork had evidently
been veneered with slabs of marble, most of which has now disappeared;
but it rather puzzled me to see so many great chips made in certain
parts of the marble columns. Our guide, however, informed me that they
had bars of iron in the centre, and it was to obtain this iron for
making into spear-heads for the defence of Rome that the marble was so
broken and chipped at the joints--an inglorious ending truly for these
witnesses of past splendour!

It has been said that Byron's celebrated description of the Coliseum is
better than the reality; that "he beheld the scene in his mind's eye,
through the witchery of many intervening years, and faintly illumined it
with starlight instead of the broad glow of moonshine." Be this as it
may, the noble stanzas are all too well known to bear further quotation.
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