Chap. 7.]

Fountains in Ancient Theatres.

539

the air in the figure of that flower; 6. another pond with Mercury point-ing at the gods and throwing up water.”—Lond. Mag. 1752, p. 7.

Bell, in his account of the Russian erabassy to Ispahan, notices those inthe gardens of the Scah. In front of the Hall of Audience was “ a largefountain of pure water, which springs upward in three pipes and fallsinto a basin filled with roses, jessamines, and many other fine flowers.”

In one of the public gardens of Brussels, among other water-works wasan hydraulic organ.—(Le Curieux Antiquaire, tome i, 175.)

The old device of artificial music combined with fountains, is thus men-tioned in the 17th Proposition of Worcester ’s Century of Inventions :—“ How to make upon the Thames a floating garden of pleasure, with trees,flowers, banqueting houses and fountains, stews for all kinds of fishes, areserve for snow to keep wine in, delicate bathing places and the like;with music made with mills, and all in the midst of the stream where it ismost rapid.

Fountains were often placed within ancient public buildings as well asnear them. They were common appendages to temples, and the custom,as mentioned in our first book, is still retained by the Turks and otherAsiatics. Henry Blount visited Adrianople in 1624, and in describingthe mosque, says, there were “ tenne conduits with cocks on the northside, and as many on the south for people to wash before divine Ser-vice ; to which use also on the west side in the church-yard, are thirty orforty cocks under a fountain, so sumptuous, as excepting one at Palermo,I have not seen a better in Christendome.”—(A Voyage into the Levant,Lond. 1638.)

Düring hot weather, Augustus the Roman emperor slept (observesSuetonius ) with his chamber doors open, “ and frequently in a portico withwaters playing around him.”

“In the middle of the square of the Coliseum is a pretty remarkablepiece of antiquity, (says Blainville,) though very little minded by mostpeople. Here stood anciently a beautiful fountain, adorned with the finestmarbles and columns ; and on the top was a bronze Statue of Jupiter,from which issued great plenty of water, as may be seen on the reverseof one of Titus’ medals. They called it Meta Sudans : meta, because itwas made in the form of a goal ; and Sudans , sweating, because of thewater running from the several parts of the statue. This fountain was ofgreat use both to the spectators and the gladiators in the amphitheatre torefresh themselves. Pope Alexander VII , caused it to be repaired, butsince his time it has been entirely neglected.”—(Travels, vol. ii, 535.)

The theatres of the Romans were fitted up with numerous concealedpipes that passed in every direction along the walls, and were connectedto cisterns of water or to machines for raising the latter, Certain parts ofthe pipes were very minutely perforated, and were so arranged that byturning one or more cocks, the liquid escaped from them and descendedupon the audience in the form of dew or extremely fine rain. This effec-tually cooled the heated air, and must have been exceedingly refreshingto the immense multitudes, especially in such a climate as Italy . Onsome occasions the water was scented with the richest perfumes. ThusHadrian , in honor of Trajan his father, commanded water impregnatedwith saffron and balsam to be sprinkled on the people at the theatres.The dining rooms of Nero’s golden house were ceiied in such a manner,that the attendants could make it rain either flowers or liquid perfumes.At one feast 100,000 crowns were expended in perfumed waters. Sue­ tonius says they were discharged from “ secret pipes.” The statues thatadorned the inferior of the theatres were made to sweat perfumes on the