156 plint's natural iiistoht. [Book XXXIV. 



some authors, that L. Attius,^ tlie poet, had a statue of him- 

 self erected in tlie Temple of the Muses, °^ which was extremely 

 large, although he himself was very short. 



Equestrian statues are also held in esteem in Eome ; but 

 they are of Greek origin, no doubt. Among the Greeks, those 

 persons only were honoured with equestrian statues who were 

 victors on horseback °^ in the sacred games ; though afterwards 

 the same distinction was bestowed on those who were success- 

 ful in the races with chariots with two or four horses : hence 

 the use of chariots with us in the statues- of those who have 

 triumphed. But this did not take place until a late period ; 

 and it was not until the time of the late Emperor Augustus, 

 that we had chariots represented with six horses, °^ as also with 

 elephants. 



CHAP. 1 1 . IN HONOUR OF WHOM PUBLIC STATUES WERE FIRST 



ERECTED : IN HONOUR OF WHOM THEY WERE FIRST PLACED ON 

 PILLARS : WHEN THE ROSTRA WERE FIRST ERECTED. 



The custom of erecting chariots with two horses in honour 

 of those who had discharged the ofSce of prs3tor, and had 

 passed round the Circus in a chariot, is not of ancient date. 

 That of placing statues on pillars is older, as it was done in. 

 lionour of C. Maenius,^^ who conquered the ancient Latins, to 

 whom the liomans by treaty gave one third of the spoil which 

 they had obtained. It was in the same consulship also, that the 

 *' rostra " or beaks of the ships, which had been taken from 

 the Antiates when vanquished, were fixed to the tribunal ; it 



Maximus, B. ii, c. 7, that ]Marcinus made a treaty with the Numantines, 

 which the senate refused to ratify, and tliat he was, in consequence, sur- 

 rendered to the encR)y. We may suppose that he regarded the transac- 

 tion as redounding more to the discredit of the senate than of himself. — B. 



^^ See end of B. xviii. 



^' In the First Eegion of the City, near the Capenian Gate. 



56 "Celetes;" this appellation is derived from the Greek word t:kXr)(j, 

 "swift," and was applied to those who rode on horsehack, in opposition to 

 the charioteers. — B. 



^■^ Poinsinet remarks that Pliny has forgotten the gilded chariot, with 

 six horses, whicli Cneius Cornelius dedicated in the Capitol, two hundred 

 years hefore Augustus ; he also refers to an ancient inscription in Gruter, 

 which mentions chariots of this description. — B, 



^s Maeuius was consul with Furius Camillus, a.u.c. 416 ; Ave have an 

 account of his victories over the Latins and other neighbouring nations 

 in Livv, B. viii. c. 14. — B. 



