[49,4 
north, with a little inclination to the eaft, was fituated the theatre 
of Bacchus, which appears by the meafurement of Le Roi to 
have been nearly of the fame dimenfions with this: and Monfieur 
de Choifeuil, in the Voyage Pittorefque de la Grece, informs us 
that the theatre at Sparta was fituated in the fame manner, and 
almoft all the theatres that he met with in Greece. 
Tue divifion of the benches in this theatre, totally different 
from the theatres of Pompey, Marcellus and Pola, correfponds 
with that of the Grecians, as well as with thofe of Taormina and 
Syracufe: and though the original conftru€tion of it, which is 
evidently upon the plan laid down by Vitruvius as chara@teriftical 
of the Roman theatres, (that is, of being determined by the dif- 
pofition of four equilateral triangles, and differing from the 
Grecian theatres, determined, according to him, by three f{quares 
infcribed in a circle whofe diameter is equal to that of the 
orcheftra) would feem to refer the building of this theatre of Sa- 
guntum to the era of the Roman fettlements in Spain; yet there 
are not wanting reafons for doubting the validity of this argu- 
ment, fince the plans that have been lately publifhed of the 
theatres in Sicily convince us that this rule was not peculiar to 
the Roman theatres. It may, therefore, be thought perhaps of 
a date much earlier, and of Grecian ftru€ture, as it cannot well be 
fuppofed that a Grecian colony, powerful as the Saguntines, who 
refifted the whole ftrength of the Carthaginians during a fiege of 
eight months, would be lefs inclined to public amufements, and 
lefs fplendid in their preparations for them, than the numberlefs- 
colonies 
