46 



A T H L E T JE. 



Athlctx. necessarily became, at last, more a matter of cxhibi- 

 v -1 -' tion than of practice ; since few could hope to suc- 

 ceed, or wish to embark, in a contest with regular 

 bullies. The training and habits now acquired, were 

 not those of men qualified for enduring every priva- 

 tion, and every species of exertion in the field ; but 

 of performing idle feats in one situation at home. 



During the best periods of Greece, all the youth 

 were regularly trained to the exercises of the pahrs- 

 tra. In ever)' town there was a gymnasium, or school, 

 for these and other branches of juvenile education, 

 supported at the public charge, and furnished with 

 baths, courts, race-grounds, and every other conve- 

 nience. To these seminaries, the youth repaired at 

 a very early period ; for we find, that even in the 

 great games, at which all Greece appeared, boys of 12 

 years of age obtained prizes. The discipline to which 

 these were subjected, would naturally be suited to 

 their tender age ; but those who were more advanced, 

 and, particularly, who intended to signalize them- 

 selves at any of the public exhibitions, underwent a 

 course of training, admirably well, calculated for the 



sinewy contest. This preparation, which sometimes 

 occupied a space of ten months, was extremely rigo- 

 rous ; and, being prescribed by law, was indispensible. 

 The outlines of it are given by Horace : 



Qui stuilet optatam curgH contiugere metam, 

 Multa tulit fecitque puer ; suiiaeit et ulsil, 

 Abstinuit Ventre el Bacclw. 



Epictetus also, in the following passage, takes notice 

 of the preparatory discipline. " You must conform 

 to rule, eat against your will, abstain from dainties : 

 you must necessarily be exercised at the appointed 

 hour, in heat and in cold ; you must drink no cold 

 water, and sometimes no wine. In short, you must 

 give yourself up to the superintendant as to a physi- 

 cian, and then turn out to the contest. Here it is 

 not unfrequent to dislocate an arm, to sprain an ancle, 

 to swallow a quantity of dust, to be flogged into the 

 bargain, and after all to be vanquished." 



The diet of the professed athletae, in, Italy as well 

 as Greece, was strictly attended to. In the more 

 early ages, they were fed on new cheese, dried figs, 

 and boiled grain. At length, one Pythagoras, the 

 master of a gymnasium, introduced the use of animal 

 food, having observed that it gave more firmness and 

 body to the muscles. Pork, either roasted or broil- 

 ed, was the favourite dish for this purpose ; and was 

 found of so nutritious a quality, according to Galen, 

 that the athletae who intermitted the use of it but 

 for one day, were sensible the next of a material di- 

 minution of their vigour. Their breakfast consisted 

 of a little dry bread, which was always unleavened : 

 and their principal meal, which was after their exer- 

 cises, consisted principally of animal food : and this, 

 on some occasions, they were forced to devour in 

 prodigious quantities. As a dry diet was considered 

 of essential importance to the strength and solidity 

 of the muscular system, their drink, consisting of 

 warm water, or of a thick luscious kind of wine, was 

 administered in very sparing quantities. The method 

 of feeding, however, admitted of considerable varia- 

 tions, adapted to the particular case of the pupil ; for, 



as a racer and a boxer required different qualifications, A 



so also the whole of their regimen was somewhat dif- *~" "V 



ferent. 



The athletae were allowed as much sleep as they 

 chose, since this was thought conducive to that ro- 

 tundity of body which they deemed so necessary. 

 In the morning they went occasionally into the cold 

 bath, for the purpose of bracing their sinews : and, 

 after their exercises were over, they were immersed in 

 a tepid bath, where they were carefully scrubbed with 

 the strygil : they were then dried with towels, and 

 anointed with oil. After this, they took their prin- 

 cipal meal, and engaged in no more exercise that day. 



Their medical treatment was simple, though rather 

 peculiar. Glysters were sometimes administered, 

 when the appetite seemed to flag : but the favourite 

 remedy for this was an emetic, which was thought 

 to be less debilitating than cathartics. The finger 

 or a feather served, by tickling the fauces, to excite 

 vomiting. Sexual intercourse was strictly prohibit- 

 ed, as peculiarly detrimental to strength ; and plates 

 of lead were applied at night to the groins, to repress 

 improper affections. Their backs, too, were occa- 

 sionally scourged, till the blood flowed : this was in- 

 tended both for habituating the patient to bear the 

 acutest pain, and as an antidote against plethora, t 

 which these men were peculiarly liable. 



The athletae were daily exercised, for many hours, 

 in every species of exertion ; and, to the eternal re- 

 proach of Grecian delicacy, in a state of complete 

 nudity. There were, indeed, female athletse, and 

 these, according to all accounts, were decently dress- 

 ed, and contended in classes by themselves ; though, 

 if we may believe Ovid, both these formalities were 

 dispensed with in ancient Sparta. Paris writes thus 

 to Helen : 



More turr gentis nllida dum nnda pahntrd 

 Ludis : et es nudisfamina mista riris. 



The male champions originally wore a small scarf 

 round the middle, which, in after times, was laid aside 

 as an incumbrance : there are some authors, how- 

 ever, who deny this, and assert, that the covering was 

 always retained, except perhaps in the case of wrest- 

 ling. The excellence of the Grecian sculpture has 

 been attributed, and probably with justice, to these r 



naked exhibitions, where every muscle and sinew was 

 displayed in every possible variety of action. But 

 what was this advantage, when compared with the 

 horrid effects which we know to have been produced 

 on the minds and on the conduct of the spectators i 



The exercises to which these men were trained ' 



were of the most laborious and hardy description. 

 It is not our intention here to enter into a detail of 

 all the amusements and arrangements practised in the 

 ancient shows ; this will be done with more proprie- 

 ty under some other title, as Gladiator, Olympic- 

 Games, &c. We shall here, therefore, restrict our- 

 selves to a short account of those exercises properly 

 denominated athletic, and which were not only prac- 

 tisedj in every gymnasium, but exhibited in public, 

 on innumerable occasions, in every town and district 

 of Greece. These then consisted of the following 

 kinds : 



