are looking at us now. Listen then. Let them put Lygia in
a coffin at night and carry her out of the prison as a corpse; thou
divinest the rest?"

"Yes," answered Vinicius.

Their further conversation was interrupted by Tullius Senecio, who,
bending toward them, asked,--

"Do ye know whether they will give weapons to the Christians?"

"We do not," answered Petronius. "I should prefer that arms were given,"
said Tullius; "if not, the arena will become like butcher's shambles too
early. But what a splendid amphitheatre!"

The sight was, in truth, magnificent. The lower seats, crowded with
togas were as white as snow. In the gilded podium sat Caesar, wearing
a diamond collar and a golden crown on his head; next to him sat the
beautiful and gloomy Augusta, and on both sides were vestal virgins,
great officials, senators with embroidered togas, officers of the army
with glittering weapons,--in a word, all that was powerful, brilliant,
and wealthy in Rome. In the farther rows sat knights; and higher up
darkened in rows a sea of common heads, above which from pillar to
pillar hung festoons of roses, lilies, ivy, and grapevines.

People conversed aloud, called to one another, sang; at times they broke
into laughter at some witty word which was sent from row to row, and
they stamped with impatience to hasten the spectacle.

At last the stamping became like thunder, and unbroken. Then the prefect
of the city, who rode around the arena with a brilliant retinue, gave
a signal with a handkerchief, which was answered throughout the
amphitheatre by "A-a-a!" from thousands of breasts.

Usually a spectacle was begun by hunts of wild beasts, in which various
Northern and Southern barbarians excelled; but this time they had too
many beasts, so they began with andabates,--that is, men wearing helmets
without an opening for the eyes, hence fighting blindfold. A number of
these came into the arena together, and slashed at random with their
swords; the scourgers with long forks pushed some toward others to make
them meet. The more select of the audience looked with contempt and
indifference at this spectacle; but the crowd were amused by the awkward
motions of the swordsmen. When it happened that they met with their
shoulders, they burst out in loud laughter. "To the right!" "To the
left!" cried they, misleading the opponents frequently by design. A
number of pairs closed, however, and the struggle began to be bloody.
The determined