218 
ROMAN BULL-FiO UTING. 
animal were so affecting, that some gentlemen who were present at- 
tempted to interfere; which so enraged Mr. Ardesoif, that he seized 
a poker, and with the most furious vehemence declared, that he would 
kill the first man who interfered ; but in the midst of his passionate 
asseverations, he fell dead upon the spot. Such, we are assured, were 
the circumstances which attended the death of this great pillar of 
liumanity.” 
Roman Bull-fighting. 
The following account of a bull-feast in the Coliseum at Rome, 
in 1332, extracted from Muratori by Mr. Gibbon, may give some 
ideas of the pomp, the ceremonies, and the danger w hich attend these 
exhibitions. “A general proclamation, as far as Rimini and Ravenna, 
invited the nobles to exercise their skill and courage in this perilous 
adventure. The Roman ladies were marshalled in three squadrons, and 
seated in three balconies, which on this day, the 3rd of September, w ere 
lined with scarlet cloth. The fair Jacova di Rovere led the matrons 
from beyond the Tiber; a pure and native race, who still represent 
the features and character of antiquity: the remainder of the cily 
was divided between the Colonna and the Ursini families. The two 
factions were proud of the number and beauty of their female bands : 
the charms of Savella Ursini are mentioned with praise, and the Co- 
lonna regretted the absence of the youngest of their house, who had 
sprained her ankle in the garden of Nero’s tower. The lots of the 
champions were drawn by a respectable citizen ; and they descended 
into the arena or pit, to encounter the wild bulls, on foot as it should 
seem, with a single spear. 
‘‘Amidst the crowd our annalist has selected the names, colours, and 
'devices of twenty of the most conspicuous knights. Several of the 
names are the most illustrious of Rome and the Ecclesiastical State ; 
Malatesta, Polenta, Della Valle, Cafarello, Savelli, Cappoecio, Conti, 
Annabaldi, Altieri, Corsi. The colours w'ere adapted to their taste 
and situation ; and the devices, expressive of hope or despair, 
breathed the spirit of gallantry and arms. “ I am alone, like the 
youngest of the Horatii,” the confidence of an intrepid stranger: 
“ I live disconsolate,” a weeping widower : “ I burn under the ashes,” 
a discreet lover : “ 1 adore Lavinia or Lucretia,” the ambiguous 
declaration of a modern passion : “ My faith is as pure,” the motto 
of a white livery : “ V/ho is stronger than myself?” of a lion’s hide ; 
“ If I am drowned in blood, what a pleasant death !” the wish of 
ferocious courage. The pride or prudence of the Ursini restrained 
them from the field, which was occupied by three of their hereditary 
rivals, whose inscriptions denoted the lofty greatness of the Colonna 
name : “ Though sad, 1 am strong “ Strong as 1 am great “ If I 
fall,” addressing himself to the spectators, “ you fall with me 
intimating, says the w riter, that while the other families were the subjects 
of the Vatican, they alone were the supporters of the Capitol. The 
combats of the amphitheatre were very dangerous and bloody. Every 
champion successively encountered a wild bull ; and the victory may 
be ascribed to the quadrupeds, since no more than eleven were left 
