An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

❧The .ix. Chapiter. ¶Certain plaies of the Romaines.

* 1.1LVPERCAL was a Caue at the foote of the Mounte Palatine halo∣wed to Pan a misticall God of the Archadiens, where the custome was to sacrifice a Goate, (as Plutarche reporteth) a Dogge, bycause he should kepe the Wolfe from their foldes. The obla∣cion was made in February aboute the .xv. kalendas of Marche after this rite & fashion. The yong menne all naked ranne and coursed aboute wantonly and lasciuiously in honor of Pan,* 1.2 with whippes or scourges in their hādes: And the women offered theimselues to bee beaten with their scourges, supposyng that it helped to the fruitfulnesse of children: This pastyme was instituted by Euander, that came out of Archadia, Marcu•• Antonius in this plaie naked set the Diademe on Iulius Caesers hedde.* 1.3 There was also another shewe cal∣led Circenses whiche were celebra∣ted in a place walled aboute named

Circus, where was vsed fightyng, & coursyng of horses & runnyng with charettes.

THE Circus that we name listes or tiltes were of greate length, and had barres where the rase should be∣gynne and at the other ende was the wager sette, that thei ranne for: ther was vsed in the same place tournyng These were long vsed solemnely of the Romaines and had the title of greate plaies or games. The thirde kinde of plaies wer Saturnalia,* 1.4 whi∣che continued fiue daies in Decem∣ber, and were kepte verye costly and sumpteously with greate sporte and gladnesse, and mutuall feastes, and presented ordinarely one another w^t gyftes. It was also the maner in those feastful daies that seruauntes should haue equal power in thynges and like aucthoritee and sitte at the table with their maisters bycause in Saturnus tyme all thynges wer vsed in common. Ianus ordaigned them in honour of Saturnus (as Macrobius declareth) and some saie thei began in Athens.* 1.5 There was also another game of swearde plaiers vnarmed:

the occasion of their beginnyng be∣cause the Romayns when they went to warre should se fightyng, woūdes and sweardes to thentēt y^t they shuld be y^e lesse afrayd of their enemies ar∣med or be discouraged when thei saw blody woundes in the felde, therfore the chiefe capitayne or Lyuetenaunt of the host should exhibite to the peo∣ple a game of fēce or sweard plaiers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lupercal••a.
• * 1.2

  The rites of these feastes.
• * 1.3

  Circences.
• * 1.4

  Saturnalia.
• * 1.5

  Sweard•• pla••ers.