154 
ELEPHANT LIFE IN ENGLAND 
Womb well’s travelling menagerie. But except to 
complete the collections of learned societies, the 
African is far less in demand than formerly. The 
elephant trade exists mainly to supply performing 
animals for the circuses, and the African is not 
popular with circus owners, or with their keepers or 
trainers. This is strange, because it was in the 
Roman circus that the African elephant first became 
a popular favourite in Europe. Though the first 
war- elephants captured by the legions were baited to 
death in the arena, the later arrivals appealed just as 
much to the good nature of the populus Romanics 
as do their descendants to the British public. This 
fact suggests one of the few humorous remarks which 
can safely be credited to a Roman ; and in keeping 
with the rarity of the event the joke was made by 
almost the greatest of all Romans, Caius Octavius 
Augustus, Emperor, Proconsul, Prince of the Senate, 
and Pontifex Maximus. One of the humbler Quirites, 
anxious to present a petition, was so fortunate as to 
escape the eye of the lictors and to catch that of the 
Emperor, who graciously stretched out his hand for 
the document which he saw lurking beneath the folds 
of the citizen’s gown. Flustered at the sudden chance 
of royal protection, he pushed his scroll towards the 
outstretched hand, then shrunk back before the 
thought of almost personal contact with the human 
embodiment of power. “Come, man,” said Augustus, 
“ do you think you are giving a penny to the 
elephant?” “ Putcisne te assem elephanto dare?” 
