156 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



continents of Europe and America, having been originally brought to that 

 island from the East Indies. Somersets form part of these feats, and we 

 see, for example, at Jig, 1, the backward somerset with the hands on the 

 ground. The feats of the Bedouins wdiich were exhibited in Europe 

 originally by Bedouins, for instance the pyramids represented at figs. 2 — 4, 

 are now frequently witnessed. We perceive further {fig. 5), balancing 

 between two chairs, in which the equilibrist holds fast on the cross-pieces 

 of two chairs, and then extends his body in the air, head downwards, and 

 keeps on grasping higher and higher with his hands, until he reaches the 

 topmost rounds. He also adjusts himself with the tips of his toes upon the 

 top rounds of two chairs, which he then pushes slowly from each other, to 

 guch a distance that the extended legs are in an entirely horizontal position. 

 Balancing upon the hands and feet, as represented at fig. 6, is frequently 

 seen in our day ; likewise athletic arts of every sort, especially large groups 

 of athletas, in which the athlete {fig. 7) supports upon himself three or more 

 persons in different picturesque attitudes. The bottle dance {fig. 8) intro- 

 duced from England into other parts of the world, is a feat usually shown at 

 exhibitions, involving the very difficult task of balancing on the necks of bot- 

 tles. Among equilibristics belong also the feats of jugglers, which are of 

 East Indian origin, of rope-dancers, and circus riders. In the latter, which 

 usually take place only at public exhibitions of itinerant performers, the rider 

 displays his dexterity on horses trained for the purpose. He shows his skill in 

 the management of these animals by standing with perfect ease upon a horse 

 that is running round in the circus, or he dances, or leaps, or assumes upon its 

 back the most difficult attitudes. The English are particularly expert in this 

 art (an art practised, however, even among the ancient Romans), for which 

 reason equestrian performers are frequently called English riders in some 

 parts of the continent of Europe. Of late, however. Frenchmen, Germans, 

 Italians, and Americans, have successfully rivalled the English ; Frenchmen 

 especially in training horses. The Italians excel as rope-dancers. The pub- 

 lic having become surfeited with performances of this kind, it is essential, by 

 way of compensation for the necessity of seeing again that which has often 

 been witnessed before, that the most exquisite horses, brilliant ornaments, 

 and gorgeous costumes, should be produced ; and that scenes more compre- 

 hensive in their character, in which a larger number of performers take a part, 

 should be introduced. Noble and splendidly furnished circuses are to be found 

 especially in London and Paris. PI. 5 represents scenes from Franconi's cir- 

 cus in Paris ; fig. 1, a waltz ; fig. 2, a quadrille on horseback ; fig. 3, Olym- 

 pic games. 



Childebert I. erected a circus at Paris and Soissons, in order that the 

 taste for Olympic games might in this way be revived ; but his plan did not 

 prove successful. In that age of true chivalry, tournaments alone possessed 

 attractions for the people, and they retained their charm until, in conse- 

 quence of Berthold Schwarz's invention of gunpowder, the mode of carrying 

 on war underwent an entire change, and genuine knighthood began to de- 

 cline. 



The taste for riding exercises and racing became common at an early day 

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