DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44973#0237
A Journey front Venice to Genoa. 21 2
Altins impr'e(T0 du'm pdlpitat enfe Secutor. .
These fought, and followed after the Retiarii, and other Gladiators,
with fierceness and courage,and were favoured by divers Emperors,who
liked this way of sighting; and when five Retiarij had yielded to five
Secutor es, and thrown down their weapons, the Empcrcr com¬
manded the Secutores to kill them ; which they did to the last man,
who becoming desperate took up his fork again, and ssew all the sive
conquering fecutores, and this loss of his dear sriends was bemoaned by
the Emperor in a publick Edidt, with the exclusion of thole who en-
dured to see it, from being preseht, for the suture at any sacred rite.
But the Emperor Commodus not only encouraged these Gladiators, but
took their parts in his own person also, and fought along with them
in the and When the ssattering Romans cryed him up for a
Hercules, a Mars, and shouted out that he fought like a God of war,
he thought that they mocked and laugh.’d at him,and immediately cal-
led to his marine Legion, that were tending the Ropes and Sayl cloths,
come down, and kill the Spectators.
Another order of Gladiators imitated the Thracians in their sights,
and bearing a small Parmula, or little plain Thracian ihield,but trailing
chiessy to their broad slrong Swords With their points turning upward,
like the present Turki/h,w Persian Cimitars.They were called Threces, Threw.
or Thraces,zrA were terrible slashing cutting Swords-players, and de-
rived this custom, manner, and occasion of fight, srom the old Thra>~
dans \ even before the time of Herodotus, when they fought with the
same weapons, for prizes and rewards at the suneral, and tombs of
their great men in Thrace ; and thefe Fencers fought either againll one
another, or againsl other Gladiators.
A Myrmillo was a notable Sword-player and fought after the Gal- tyrAiiionA
lick way, dopping, and squatting low and frisking about, and covering
himself with his great oval shicld, and had his head armed with a
slrong Helmet, upon the Cresl of which was the Figure of a Fish ;
and when his Enemy lay bare, or gave any occasion os a thrusl, he
would leap up briskly of a sudden, and ran him through and through
with his iharp pointed Sword. Who could contrail with such a cun¬
ning, slrong, and adtive combatant ?
Quis Myrmilloni componitur atquimanus ? Thrax.
The Thracian fighter would often engage with him, and the Retid-
rius many a time,and would come up to him with his Net in his hand,
singing this;
Non te peto, pifeem peto.
Quid mo fugis, Galle ?
Another sort os Gladiators wrere named Samnites, whofe armour is
described by Livy. Their ssiields were inlayed, engraven, and imbofe
sed with cilver, and with Gold : One end of their fhield, with which
they guarded their bread,was ssat,broad, sireight, and even ; the other
end next their ssioulder, was narrower, that it might be turned and
moved
Altins impr'e(T0 du'm pdlpitat enfe Secutor. .
These fought, and followed after the Retiarii, and other Gladiators,
with fierceness and courage,and were favoured by divers Emperors,who
liked this way of sighting; and when five Retiarij had yielded to five
Secutor es, and thrown down their weapons, the Empcrcr com¬
manded the Secutores to kill them ; which they did to the last man,
who becoming desperate took up his fork again, and ssew all the sive
conquering fecutores, and this loss of his dear sriends was bemoaned by
the Emperor in a publick Edidt, with the exclusion of thole who en-
dured to see it, from being preseht, for the suture at any sacred rite.
But the Emperor Commodus not only encouraged these Gladiators, but
took their parts in his own person also, and fought along with them
in the and When the ssattering Romans cryed him up for a
Hercules, a Mars, and shouted out that he fought like a God of war,
he thought that they mocked and laugh.’d at him,and immediately cal-
led to his marine Legion, that were tending the Ropes and Sayl cloths,
come down, and kill the Spectators.
Another order of Gladiators imitated the Thracians in their sights,
and bearing a small Parmula, or little plain Thracian ihield,but trailing
chiessy to their broad slrong Swords With their points turning upward,
like the present Turki/h,w Persian Cimitars.They were called Threces, Threw.
or Thraces,zrA were terrible slashing cutting Swords-players, and de-
rived this custom, manner, and occasion of fight, srom the old Thra>~
dans \ even before the time of Herodotus, when they fought with the
same weapons, for prizes and rewards at the suneral, and tombs of
their great men in Thrace ; and thefe Fencers fought either againll one
another, or againsl other Gladiators.
A Myrmillo was a notable Sword-player and fought after the Gal- tyrAiiionA
lick way, dopping, and squatting low and frisking about, and covering
himself with his great oval shicld, and had his head armed with a
slrong Helmet, upon the Cresl of which was the Figure of a Fish ;
and when his Enemy lay bare, or gave any occasion os a thrusl, he
would leap up briskly of a sudden, and ran him through and through
with his iharp pointed Sword. Who could contrail with such a cun¬
ning, slrong, and adtive combatant ?
Quis Myrmilloni componitur atquimanus ? Thrax.
The Thracian fighter would often engage with him, and the Retid-
rius many a time,and would come up to him with his Net in his hand,
singing this;
Non te peto, pifeem peto.
Quid mo fugis, Galle ?
Another sort os Gladiators wrere named Samnites, whofe armour is
described by Livy. Their ssiields were inlayed, engraven, and imbofe
sed with cilver, and with Gold : One end of their fhield, with which
they guarded their bread,was ssat,broad, sireight, and even ; the other
end next their ssioulder, was narrower, that it might be turned and
moved