CIRCUS CISPADANE REPUBLIC. 



24,1 



According to Pliny, it was capable of containing 

 260,000, and according to Aurelius Victor, 385,000 

 spectators. Julius Cassar enlarged and ornamented 

 it. Under Nero, it was burnt, and under Antoninus 

 Pius pulled down. Trajan rebuilt it, and Constan 

 tine made further additions to it. At present, but 

 few vestiges of it remain. The circus of Caracalla, 

 in the first district of the city, is in the best preserva- 

 tion. See Hippodrome. 



Circus, games of the (so called from the circus 

 particularly the circus maximi^s, where they were 

 exhibited). Romulus celebrated similar games in 

 honour of Neptune. Afterwards, by the mutual 

 rivalry of the cediles, their splendour was increased. 

 Under the emperors, they attained the greatest mag- 

 nificence. The principal games of the circus were 

 the ludi Romani or magni, called, also, from an 

 epithet of Cybele, megalenses, which were celebrated 

 from the 4th to the 14th of September, in honour of 

 the great gods, so called. The passion of the people 

 for these shows appears from the cry with which they 

 addressed their rulers panem et circenses, (bread 

 and the games!) A splendid procession, or pompa, 

 opened the festival. The images of the great gods 

 were carried to the temple of Jupiter, on the Capito- 

 line mount ; the procession moved from this temple 

 through the forum and the street called Felabrum to 

 the circus maximus. The chief magistrate led the 

 procession. Before him was carried the image of the 

 winged goddess of Fortune. (Fortuna alata.) Then 

 came the images of Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Nep- 

 tune, Ceres, Apollo, Diana ; after the death of Ju- 

 lius Cajsar, his image was introduced, and in later 

 times, perhaps, those of the deified emperors also. 

 These images were in splendid covered chariots, 

 drawn by horses or mules, stags, camels, elephants, 

 also sometimes by lions, panthers or tigers. After 

 the pompous procession of gods followed rows of 

 boys, who had lost either father or mother, and who 

 led the horses to be used in the races. After these 

 followed the sons of the patricians, from fifteen to 

 sixteen years of age, armed, part on horseback, part 

 on foot. After these came the magistrates of the city 

 and the senate. The sons of knights, on horseback 

 and on foot, brought up the rear. Then followed the 

 chariots and horses destined for the races, and the 

 different athlete, as pugilists, wrestlers, runners, all 

 naked, except a covering about the loins. In this 

 procession were included the dancers, youths and boys, 

 arranged in rows, according to their age. They 

 wore violet-coloured garments, with brass belts, and 

 carried swords and short spears. The men wore hel- 

 mets. Each division was preceded by a man who 

 led the windings of the dance. The musicians fol- 

 lowed, including a number of persons dressed like 

 Sileni and Satyrs, who, with large wreaths of flowers 

 in their hands, exhibited various sportive dances, 

 with a company of musicians behind them. To this 

 exhibition of wild, unrestrained joy, succeeded the 

 religious pomp. First came the Camilli;boys whom 

 the priest employed in the sacrifices, then the ser- 

 vants who took part in it ; after these the haruspices, 

 with their knives, and the butchers, who led the 

 victims to the altar; the different orders of the 

 priests, with their servants; first, the high priest 

 (pontifex maximus), and the other pontifices ; then 

 the flamines, then the augurs, the quindecimviri 

 with the Sybilline books, the vestal virgins, then 

 the remaining inferior orders of priests, accord- 

 ing to their rank. The images of gods brought 

 up the rear; sometimes, also, a pompous show 

 of treasures, the spoils of war. In the circus, 

 the procession went round once in a circle, and 

 the sacrifices were then performed. The specta- 

 tors took their places, the music struck up, and the 



games commenced. These were, 1. Races with 

 horses and chariots. These were so honourable, that 

 men of the highest rank engaged in them. The 

 whole race, in which the competitors were divided 

 into four parties, consisted of twenty-four courses, 

 and each course of seven circuits,makingaboutseven 

 miles. Each party performed six courses, three in 

 the forenoon and three in the afternoon. The cha- 

 riots were very light, and commonly had two or four 

 horses abreast attached to them. 2. The gymnastic 

 contests. 3. The Trojan games, prize contests on 

 horseback, which ^Eneas was said to have first insti- 

 tuted, and Julius Caesar revived. 5. The combats 

 with wild beasts, in which beasts fought with beasts 

 or with men (criminals or volunteers). The expense 

 of these games was often immense. Pompey, in his 

 second consulship, brought forward 500 lions at one 

 combat of wild beasts, which, with eighteen elephants, 

 were slam in five days. 5. Representations of naval 

 engagements (naumachieE), for which purpose the cir- 

 cus could be laid under water. 



CISALPINE REPUBLIC. After the battle of 

 Lodi (May 10, 1796), Bonaparte, on the 20th of May, 

 proclaimed the freedom of Lombardy, and formed of 

 it the Transpadane republic ; at the same time, Bo- 

 logna and Ferrara were erected into the Cispadane 

 republic, to which Modena and Reggio were soon 

 after added. February 19th, 1797, by the peace of 

 Tolentino, the pope ceded Bologna and Ferrara, 

 together with Romagna,and the province of Mesola, 

 to the French ; the latter were also added to the Cis- 

 padane republic. This republic received its constitu- 

 tion March 17th, 1797, and was united with the 

 Transpadane, under the name of the Cisalpine repub- 

 lic. By this name the emperor of Germany recogniz- 

 ed it as an independent power, at the peace of Cam- 

 po-Formio (October 17th). It comprised Austrian 

 Lombardy, together with the Mantuan and the 

 Venetian provinces, Bergamo, Brescia, Crema, Vero- 

 na and Rovigo, the duchy of Modena, the principali- 

 ty of Massa and Carrara, and the three ecclesiastical 

 delegations Bologna, Ferrara with Mesola, and 

 Romagna. October 22d, in the same year, the Valte- 

 line or Veltlin, Worms and Cleves, belonging to the 

 Orisons, were added ; so that the new republic, which 

 was divided into ten departments, comprised 16,337 

 square miles and three and a half millions of in- 

 liabitants. The legislative body, composed of a 

 council of eighty elders, together with another coun- 

 cil of 160 members, and the directory (directoriuni), 

 held their sessions in Milan. The army (French 

 troops in the pay of the republic) amounted to 20,000 

 men. In March, 1798, it was more closely connect- 

 ed with France by a defensive and offensive alliance, 

 and a commercial treaty. On the renewal of the war 

 between Austria and France, in March 1799, it was 

 disunited, for a short time, by the successes of the 

 Austrians and Russians, but soon restored by Bona- 

 parte's victory at Marengo (June 14th, 1800). The 

 republic then received a deliberative body (con- 

 sulta) of fifty, and an executive council (governo) of 

 nine members. On the 6th of September, it was 

 enlarged by the addition of the Novarese and Tor- 

 tonese, and, at the peace of Luneville (February 

 9th, 1801), was again acknowledged by Austria. 

 January 25th, 1802, it received the name of the 

 Italian republic, and elected Bonaparte president, 

 and Francis Melzi d'Erile vice-president. It was 

 then divided into thirteen departments ; but, in 1805 

 (March 17th), a deputation of the Italian repub- 

 lic conferred on the French emperor the dignity of 

 icing of Italy (see Italy), after which Napoleon was 

 styled empereur des Prancais et roi d' 'Italic. 



CISPADANE REPUBLIC. See Cisalpine Re, 

 public. 



