Vestiges of ancient manners and customs, discoverable in modern Italy and Sicily / By the Rev. John James Blunt.

  • Blunt, John J. (John James), 1794-1855.
Date:
1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Vestiges of ancient manners and customs, discoverable in modern Italy and Sicily / By the Rev. John James Blunt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    turned into the arena of an amphitheatre, constructed nearly as of old, though formed of no other building than the mausoleum of Augustus. Some active fellows, lightly dressed, exasperate the animal by waving red flags in his face, till he is roused to pursue them, when they retreat, lay hold of the edge of the parapet which sustains the podium, and vault- ing upon it, escape the fury of their pursuer. Sometimes one more intrepid than the rest watches his opportunity, throws himself ex- actly between the horns of theenraged beast, clings to his forehead, and in spite of all his efforts to gore him, maintains his position till liberated by his companions. To render the ox still more frantic, a man-of ‘straw is sus- pended from a rope stretched across the arena, upon.which he often spends: his rage when disappointed in his attempts to wreak his vengeance on those who have so justly pro- voked it. At length, when he is judged ‘to have furnished ‘sport enough, his tormentors