154

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, the secutor, whose combat with the retiarius

IV.

.formed one of the most lively scenes in the

bloody sports of the amphitheatre. The secutorwas armed with an helmet,sword, and buckler;his naked antagonist had only a large net and atrident; with the one he endeavoured to entangle,with the other to dispatch, his enemy. If hemissed the first throw, he was obliged to flyfrom the pursuit of the secutor, till he had pre-pared his net for a second cast." The emperorfought in this character seven hundred andthirty-five several times. These glorious achieve-ments were carefully recorded in the public actsof the empire; and that he might omit no cir-cumstance of infamy, he received from the com-mon fund of gladiators, a stipend so exorbitant,that it became a new and most ignominious taxupon the Roman people. F It may be easily sup-posed, that in these engagements the master ofthe world was always successful: in the amphi-theatre his victories were not often sanguinary;but when he exercised his skill in the school ofgladiators, or his own palace, his wretched an-t tagonists were frequently honoured with a mor-

tal wound from the hand of Commodus , andobliged to seal their flattery with their blood.’His infamy He now disdained the appellation of Hercules.vagance. 3 The name of Paulus, a celebrated secutor, was

° Lipsius, 1. ii, c. 7, 8. Juvenal , in the eighth satire, gives a picturesque description of this combat.

p Hist. August, p. 50. Dion, 1. lxxii, p. 1220. He received for eachtime, decieSy about .£*8000 sterling.

q Victor tells us, that Commodus only allowed his antagonists aleaden weapon, dreading most probably the consequences of theirdespair.