the door, but the curtain within deadened the sounds, and she could hear nothing distinctly. At last their conversation became more animated, and their voices louder; the door opened, and the man hurried hastily away, disguised as he had entered. The attendant found Lycoris in the most extreme state of excitement. 'We must away from henge this very night,' cried she. Send Lydus to me.' The slave received orders to hire two rheda immediately. The preliminaries of the journey were then hastened, and before the end of the third night-watch, Lycoris, with a portion of her slaves, was already beyond the Capenan gate. SCENE THE SEVENTH. A DAY IN BAIE. F any place of antiquity could lay claim to be considered as the very abode of pleasure and free living, it assuredly was Baix1, by far the most renowned bathing-place of Italy, and selected equally by Aphrodite and Comus, as by Hygieia, for a favourite residence. Nature had decked the coast of Campania, on which Baie was situated, with all the charms of a southern climate. Art and the taste of the Roman patricians had still further heightened the beauty of the landscape by the erection of magnificent villas. The lofty towers of these gorgeous palaces which lined the 1 Baiæ asserted a decided preeminence amongst the numerous baths of Italy,-(whence Martial, vi. 42, 7, amongst many other baths, mentions Bai principes, and its name is used by poets as an appellation for baths generally, Tibull. iii. 5, 3; Mart. x. 13, 3), and was considered by the ancients in general a most attractive place, and life there to be the most pleasant: Nullus in orbe sinus Baiis prælucet amœnis, says Horace, Epist. i. 1, 83; and all writers making mention of it concur in this eulogy. Mart. xi. 80. Andr. Baccius (de Thermis, p. 162) briefly extols its advantages. The city lay,' says he, 'on the left shore of the sea, surrounded by a circle of hills covered with green: to the north, at a distance of five Roman miles, (millia passuum), lay Cumæ, three miles nearer the Lacus Avernus; southwards, distant three miles, was Misenum, and Puteoli, the same distance across the Bay. The extraordinary mildness of the climate made it an agreeable place of sojourn, even in winter, and there was no season of the year when the trees did not present fruits, and the gardens flowers.' Comp. Strabo, v. 4, 187; Dio Cassius, xlviii. 51. By towers are to be understood parts of the house, built several stories above the rest of the building, to allow of a distant prospect. Pliny had two such in his Laurentinum. He says of one (ii. 17, 12): Hinc turris erigitur, sub qua diætæ duæ, totidem in ipsa: præterea cœnatio, quæ latissimum mare, longissimum litus, amænissimas villas prospicit. So the turres (Tibull. i. 7, 19) appear to be rightly explained by Heyne. It may be well imagined that the villæ around Baiæ, the neighbourhood of which displayed every where the most magnificent views, were also provided with such turres. The environs of coast, commanded a view right across the bay to the open sea, whilst the villas of more humble pretensions, erected by the more serious men of former times3, looked down like strong castles from the neighbouring heights. Just opposite, and in the direction of the not far distant Nauplia, lay the fair Puteoli. On the right, after doubling the promontory, was Misenum with its renowned haven, the station of the Roman fleet. Close by lay Cuma, hallowed by ancient sages, and near the latter was the lake Avernus, which, with the smiling plain adjoining it, seemed to represent on earth the contrast between the terrors of Hades, and the happiness of Elysium. But fashion and the joyous mode of life, even more than the charms of the scenery, rendered Baiæ a most delightful place of sojourn. Besides invalids who hoped to obtain relief from the healing springs and warm sulphurbaths, there streamed thither a much larger number of Baiæ were not considered healthy, as we see from Cicero's letter to Dolabella, (ix. 12), and therefore the villas were built as far out into the sea as possible, and probably higher than was usual. 3 Seneca, who took such offence at the mode of life at Baiæ, that he left on the second day after arriving there, praises the choice of those men. Epist. 51. Illi quoque, ad quos primos fortuna Romani populi publicas opes transtulit, C. Marius, et Cn. Pompeius, et Cæsar, extruxerunt quidem villas in regione Baiana, sed illas imposuerunt summis jugis montium. They looked more like castra than ville. But beside these there were splendid palaces built round the whole bay, which, with the towns lying upon it, presented the appearance of one vast city. Strabo, v. 4, "Απας δ' εστί κατε σκευασμένος (ὁ κόλπος) τοῦτο μὲν ταῖς πόλεσιν, ὃς ἔφαμεν, τοῦτο δὲ ταῖς οἰκοδομίαις καὶ φυτείαις, αἳ μεταξὺ συνεχεῖς οἶσαι μιᾶς πόλεως ὄψιν παρέχονται. Cf. Dio Cass. above. 4 The springs at Baie were of very different ingredients, and the sanatory powers manifold. Plin. xxxi. 2, 2. Alice sulphuris, aliæ aluminis, aliæ salis, aliæ nitri, aliæ bituminis, nonnullæ etiam acida salsave mixtura, vapore quoque ipso aliquæ prosunt. Chief of all were the hot sulphureous vapours which sprang up in many places, and particularly on the heights, and were used as baths to promote perspiration. Such sudatoria were situated not only in the town of Baiæ itself, but close to the spot where the vapours rose from the ground. Vitruv. ii. 6. In montibus Cumanorum et Baianis persons in health, having no other end in view than the pursuit of pleasure, and who, leaving behind them the cares and formalities of life, resigned themselves wholly to enjoyment, in whatever shape it was offered. One continual saturnalia was there celebrated, in which even the more reserved suffered themselves to be carried away by the intoxication of pleasure, whilst follies, which in Rome would have drawn down reproof, were scarcely regarded as imputations on character, or such only as the next bath would entirely efface. The intercourse between the sexes in society was of a much more free description, and none but a stoic would look askance when wanton hetairæ, surrounded by thoughtless youths, skimmed by, in gaudily-painted gondolas, while song and music resounded from the skiffs of many a troop of revellers, who were rocking lazily on the level surface of the bay. Of course pleasure did not always confine itself within the bounds of innocence, and connubial fidelity doubtless sunt loca sudationibus excavata, in quibus vapor fervidus ab imo nascens ignis vehementia perforat eam terram, per eumque manando in his locis oritur et ita sudationum egregias efficit utilitates. These hot streams of vapour were conducted by means of pipes into the buildings. Dio Cass. xlviii. 51. τὴν δ ̓ ἀτμίδα αὐτοῦ ἐς τε οἰκήματα μετέωρα (suspensuras) διὰ σωλήνων ανάγουσι, κανταῦθα αὐτῇ πυριώνται. Of this kind was the bath ad myrteta, celebrated by Hor. Epist. i. 15, 5, which also lay outside the town, and probably on an eminence, for Celsus, ii. 17, says: Siccus calor est-quarundam naturalium sudationum, ubi a terra profusus calidus vapor ædificio includitur, sicut super Baias in myrtetis habemus. If the bath was visited by numerous invalids on account of the efficacy of its waters, yet, doubtless, far greater numbers came from Rome, merely for the sake of pleasure, to Naples, and the neighbourhood, which seemed places created entirely for a life of ease and pleasure. Strab. v. 4, Βαΐαι καὶ τὰ θερμὰ ὕδατα, τὰ καὶ πρὸς τρυφὴν καὶ πρὸς θεραπαίαν vóσWV ÉπITŃdeta. Dio Cassius, supra. Κατασκευαί τε οὖν περὶ ἀμφότερα πολυτελεῖς ἤσκηνται, καὶ ἔστιν ἐς τε βίου διαγωγὴν καὶ ἐς ἄκεσιν ἐπιτηδείοτατα. Hence Cicero also, (pro Cœl. 20), especially dwells on the free manner in which Clodia demeaned herself, not only in urbe, in hortis, but in Baiarum illa celebritate. Whenever it is desired to fix the number of visitors at a bath, Baiæ is taken as a scale to go by. Strab. v. 2. underwent severe trials", to which it not unfrequently yielded. If we consider, besides, that the sight of a drunken man, fresh from the daily or nightly debauch, was by no means uncommon, and that gambling was carried to a great height, it will not appear strange that a severe moralist should have pronounced the captivating spot to be 'a seat of voluptuousness, and a harbour of vice". Still it must not be overlooked, that this reputation was in a great measure attributable to the publicity with which pleasure was pursued, as well as to a reckless display of folly, and that the wantonness there concentrated in one spot, and wholly unveiled to the public eye, was perhaps less deserv 5 The warning uttered by Propertius, i. 11, 27, to Cynthia, is well known. Tu modo quamprimum corruptas desere Multis ista dabunt litora dissidium; Casta nec antiquis cedens Lævina Sabinis, Et dum Baianis sæpe fovetur aquis; 6 Baias sibi celebrandas luxuria desumsit, says Seneca, Ep. 51; and his picture of the life there is true in the main, although drawn in somewhat glowing colours. Videre ebrias per litora errantes, et comissationes navigantium et symphoniarum cantibus perstrepentes lacus, et alia, quæ velut soluta legibus luxuria non tantum peccat, sed publicat, quid necesse est ? We see, however, that such charges as these did not ap ply first to the more debauched time of the emperors, for Cœlius has similar imputaions cast upon him by his accusers. Cic. pro Cœl. 15. Accusatores quidem libidines, amores, adulteria, Baias, actas, convivia, comissationes, cantus, symphonias, navigia jactant. See further Cicero in Clod. 4, ad Fam. ix. 2. Seneca particularly adverts to the fact that people made an open display of their debauchery, and Cicero corroborates his statement, at least as regards Clodia, ibid. 20. Nihil igitur illa vicinitas redolet? nihil hominum fuma? nihil Baiæ denique ipsæ loquuntur? illæ vero non loquuntur solum, verum etiam personant, hæc unius mulieris libidinem esse prolapsam, ut ea non modo solitudinem ac tenebras atque hæc flagitiorum integumenta non quærat, sed in turpissimis rebus frequentissima celebritate et clarissima luce lætetur. What this woman did at Baiæ, would not have happened so publicly at Rome. 7 Seneca, in the often mentioned letter: diversorium vitiorum. |