en undertaken by the public
order and at the public cost, the citizens deputed some magistrate or
rich and popular person to perform the ceremony. In the capital vast
sums were expended in this manner; and a man who aspired to become a
popular leader could scarcely lay out his money to better interest
than in courting favor by the prodigality of his expenses on these or
similar occasions. It appears, then, that upon the completion of the
baths, the Pompeians committed the dedication to Cnaeus Alleius
Nigidius Maius, who entertained them with a sumptuous spectacle.

There were combats (_venatio_) between wild beasts, or between beasts
and men, a cruel sport, to which the Romans were passionately
addicted; athletic games (_athletae_), sprinkling of perfumes
(_sparsiones_), and it was further engaged that an awning should be
raised over the amphitheatre. The convenience of such a covering will
be evident, no less as a protection against sun than rain under an
Italian sky: the merit of the promise, which may seem but a trifle,
will be understood by considering the difficulty of stretching a
covering over the immense area of an ancient amphitheatre. We may
observe, by the way, that representations of hunting and of combats
between wild beasts are common subjects of the paintings of Pompeii. A
combat between a lion and a horse, and another, between a bear and a
bull, have been found depicted in the amphitheatre. The velarium, or
awning, is advertised in all the inscriptions yet found which give
notice of public games. Athletae and sparsiones appear in no other. We
learn from Seneca that the perfumes were disseminated by being mixed
with boiling water, and then placed in the centre of the amphitheatre,
so that the scents rose with the steam, and soon became diffused
throughout the building.

There is some reason to suppose that the completion and dedication of
the baths preceded the destruction of the city but a short time, from
the inscription being found perfect on the wall of the baths, for it
was the custom to write these notices in the most public places, and
after a very short season they were covered over by others, as one
billsticker defaces the labors of his predecessors. This is abundantly
evident even in the present ruined state of the town, especially at
the corners of the principal streets, where it is easy to discover one
inscription painted over another.

But to return to the Baths. They occupy almost an enti