L. VIVES.
BVilt a (a) Theater.] Liuie in his 48. booke, and Valerius Maximus de Instit. antiq. write that Ualerius Messala, and Cassius being Censors, had giuen order for a Theater to bee * 1.1 built, wherein the people of Rome might sitte and see playes. But Nasica laboured so with the Senate, that it was held a thing vnfit, as preiudiciall to the manners of the people. So by a decree of the Senate, all that preparation for the Theater was laide aside, and it was de∣creed that no man should place any seates, or sitte to behold any playes within the citie, or within a mile of the walles. And so from a little while after the third Affrican warre, vn∣till the sacke of Corinthe, the people beheld all their playes standing, but as then Lucius Memmius set vp a Theater for the Playes at his Triumph, but it stood but for the time that this triumph lasted. The first standing Theater Pompey the Great built at Rome of square stone (as Cornelius Tacitus writeth, lib. 14.) the modell whereof hee had at Mytilene, in the Mithridatique warre. Cauea here in the text, signifieth the middle front of the Thea∣ter, * 1.2 which afterward was diuided into seates for the Gentlemen, seuered into rankes and galleries. Some-times it is taken for the whole audience, as Seruius noteth vpon the eight of the Aeneads. (b) The luxurie of the Greekes,] the Grecians had Theaters before the Romaines many ages, and the very Greeke name prooues that they came first from Greece. For Theater is deriued of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which is, spectare, to behold. (c) Those moueable seates] standing but for a time. For such Theaters were first in vse at Rome before the standing, the continuing Theaters came in and were made with mooueable seates, as Tacitus saith, and the stage built for the present time. (d) The Playes themselues] Such as were presented vpon the Stage: whereof, in the next booke we shall discourse more at large.