CLASSIC PLEASURE GROUNDS 21 



pleasant weather were more frequented by it than 

 any of the indoor rooms. Ladies, who could not go 

 freely abroad, made the courtyards the scene of most 

 of their pleasures. It furnished them with both a 

 sitting room and playground. Here we see the house- 

 wife pictured as seated under a sunshade working on 

 some tapestry or feeding a pet dog or bird. Here a 

 girl is balanced aloft in a swinging chair, and others 

 are tilting or amusing themselves with other childlike 

 sports and games. Playing on musical instruments was 

 another favourite diversion practised in the peristyle. 



As Rome grew crowded and the space within the 

 walls became costly, less room for urban gardens was 

 available, and people began to build villas where the 

 area was cheaper and more unrestricted, first in the 

 suburbs of the city, along the banks of the Tiber, and 

 over the Campagna, then gradually spreading through- 

 out the peninsula. This led to the development of the 

 villa pseudo-urbana, which almost superseded the villa villa 



gardens. 



rustica in many rural districts. The former was in- 

 tended for townspeople who sought relaxation in a more 

 or less quiet and secluded spot, where they could lead a 

 peaceful and healthy life in all the luxury of their city 

 houses; while the latter was a simple farm-house such 

 as the Villa Rustica at Boscoreale. Seclusion was a 

 desideratum. The charming arrangement of these 

 pseudo-urban villas is most delightfully described 'in 



