a　great　deal　of　his　own；　it　appeared　that　the　sum　amounted　to　a　great
  deal　more　than　Croesus'　reckoning。　　Whereupon　Cyrus：　〃I　am　not；〃　said　he；
  〃less　in　love　with　riches　than　other　princes；　but　rather　a　better
  husband；　you　see　with　how　small　a　venture　I　have　acquired　the　inestimable
  treasure　of　so　many　friends；　and　how　much　more　faithful　treasurers　they
  are　to　me　than　mercenary　men　without　obligation；　without　affection；　and
  my　money　better　laid　up　than　in　chests；　bringing　upon　me　the　hatred；
  envy；　and　contempt　of　other　princes。〃
  The　emperors　excused　the　superfluity　of　their　plays　and　public　spectacles
  by　reason　that　their　authority　in　some　sort　（at　least　in　outward
  appearance）　depended　upon　the　will　of　the　people　of　Rome；　who；　time　out
  of　mind；　had　been　accustomed　to　be　entertained　and　caressed　with　such
  shows　and　excesses。　　But　they　were　private　citizens；　who　had　nourished
  this　custom　to　gratify　their　fellow…citizens　and　companions　（and　chiefly
  out　of　their　own　purses）　by　such　profusion　and　magnificence　it　had　quite
  another　taste　when　the　masters　came　to　imitate　it：
  〃Pecuniarum　translatio　a　justis　dominis　ad　alienos
  non　debet　liberalis　videri。〃
  ＇〃The　transferring　of　money　from　the　right　owners　to　strangers
  ought　not　to　have　the　title　of　liberality。〃
  Cicero；　De　Offic。；　i。　14。＇
  Philip；　seeing　that　his　son　went　about　by　presents　to　gain　the　affection
  of　the　Macedonians；　reprimanded　him　in　a　letter　after　this　manner：　〃What！
  hast　thou　a　mind　that　thy　subjects　shall　look　upon　thee　as　their　cash…
  keeper　and　not　as　their　king？　　Wilt　thou　tamper　with　them　to　win　their
  affections？　　Do　it；　then；　by　the　benefits　of　thy　virtue；　and　not　by　those
  of　thy　chest。〃　　And　yet　it　was；　doubtless；　a　fine　thing　to　bring　and
  plant　within　the　amphitheatre　a　great　number　of　vast　trees；　with　all
  their　branches　in　their　full　verdure；　representing　a　great　shady　forest；
  disposed　in　excellent　order；　and；　the　first　day；　to　throw　into　it　a
  thousand　ostriches　and　a　thousand　stags；　a　thousand　boars；　and　a　thousand
  fallow…deer；　to　be　killed　and　disposed　of　by　the　people：　the　next　day；
  to　cause　a　hundred　great　lions；　a　hundred　leopards；　and　three　hundred
  bears　to　be　killed　in　his　presence；　and　for　the　third　day；　to　make　three
  hundred　pair　of　gladiators　fight　it　out　to　the　last；　as　the　Emperor
  Probus　did。　　It　was　also　very　fine　to　see　those　vast　amphitheatres；　all
  faced　with　marble　without；　curiously　wrought　with　figures　and　statues；
  and　within　glittering　with　rare　enrichments：
  〃Baltheus　en！　gemmis；　en　illita　porticus　auro：〃
  ＇〃A　belt　glittering　with　jewels；　and　a　portico　overlaid　with　gold。〃
  Calpurnius；　Eclog。；　vii。　47。　　A　baltheus　was　a　shoulder…belt　or
  baldric。＇
  all　the　sides　of　this　vast　space　filled　and　environed；　from　the　bottom　to
  the　top；　with　three　or　four　score　rows　of　seats；　all　of　marble　also；　and
  covered　with　cushions：
  〃Exeat；　inquit；
  Si　pudor　est；　et　de　pulvino　surgat　equestri；
  Cujus　res　legi　non　sufficit；〃
  ＇〃Let　him　go　out；　he　said；　if　he　has　any　sense　of　shame；　and　rise
  from　the　equestrian　cushion；　whose　estate　does　not　satisfy　the　law。〃
  Juvenal；　iii。　153。　　The　Equites　were　required　to　possess　a　fortune
  of　400　sestertia；　and　they　sat　on　the　first　fourteen　rows　behind　the
  orchestra。＇
  where　a　hundred　thousand　men　might　sit　at　their　ease：　and；　the　place
  below；　where　the　games　were　played；　to　make　it；　by　art；　first　open　and
  cleave　in　chasms；　representing　caves　that　vomited　out　the　beasts　designed
  for　the　spectacle；　and　then；　secondly；　to　be　overflowed　by　a　deep　sea；
  full　of　sea　monsters；　and　laden　with　ships　of　war；　to　represent　a　naval
  battle；　and；　thirdly；　to　make　it　dry　and　even　again　for　the　combat　of　the
  gladiators；　and；　for　the　fourth　scene；　to　have　it　strown　with　vermilion
  grain　and　storax；＇A　resinous　gum。＇　instead　of　sand；　there　to　make　a
  solemn　feast　for　all　that　infinite　number　of　people：　the　last　act　of　one
  only　day：
  〃Quoties　nos　descendentis　arenae
  Vidimus　in　partes；　ruptaque　voragine　terrae
  Emersisse　feras；　et　eisdem　saepe　latebris
  Aurea　cum　croceo　creverunt　arbuta　libro！。。。。
  Nec　solum　nobis　silvestria　cernere　monstra
  Contigit；　aequoreos　ego　cum　certantibus　ursis
  Spectavi　vitulos；　et　equorum　nomine　dignum；
  Sen　deforme　pecus；　quod　in　illo　nascitur　amni。。。。〃
  ＇〃How　often　have　we　seen　the　stage　of　the　theatre　descend　and　part
  asunder；　and　from　a　chasm　in　the　earth　wild　beasts　emerge；　and　then
  presently　give　birth　to　a　grove　of　gilded　trees；　that　put　forth
  blossoms　of　enamelled　flowers。　　Nor　yet　of　sylvan　marvels　alone　had
  we　sight：　I　saw　sea…calves　fight　with　bears；　and　a　deformed　sort　of
  cattle；　we　might　call　sea…horses。〃Calpurnius；　Eclog。；　vii。　64。＇
  Sometimes　they　made　a　high　mountain　advance　itself；　covered　with　fruit…
  trees　and　other　leafy　trees；　sending　down　rivulets　of　water　from　the　top；
  as　from　the　mouth　of　a　fountain：　otherwhiles；　a　great　ship　was　seen　to
  come　rolling　in；　which　opened　and　divided　of　itself；　and　after　having
  disgorged　from　the　hold　four　or　five　hundred　beasts　for　fight；　closed
  again；　and　vanished　without　help。　　At　other　times；　from　the　floor　of　this
  place；　they　made　spouts　of　perfumed　water　dart　their　streams　upward；　and
  so　high　as　to　sprinkle　all　that　infinite　multitude。　　To　defend　themselves
  from　the　injuries　of　the　weather；　they　had　that　vast　place　one　while
  covered　over　with　purple　curtains　of　needlework；　and　by…and…by　with　silk
  of　one　or　another　colour；　which　they　drew　off　or　on　in　a　moment；　as　they
  had　a　mind：
  〃Quamvis　non　modico　caleant　spectacula　sole；
  Vela　reducuntur；　cum　venit　Hermogenes。〃
  ＇〃The　curtains；　though　the　sun　should　scorch　the　spectators；　are
  drawn　in；　when　Hermogenes　appears。〃…Martial；　xii。　　29；　15。　　M。
  Tigellius　Hermogenes；　whom　Horace　and　others　have　satirised。　　One
  editor　calls　him　〃a　noted　thief；〃　another：　〃He　was　a　literary
  amateur　of　no　ability；　who　expressed　his　critical　opinions　with　too
  great　a　freedom　to　please　the　poets　of　his　day。〃　　D。W。＇
  The　network　also　that　was　set　before　the　people　to　defend　them　from　the
  violence　of　these　turned…out　beasts　was　woven　of　gold：
  〃Auro　quoque　torts　refulgent
  Retia。〃
  ＇〃The　woven　nets　are　refulgent　with　gold。〃
  Calpurnius；　ubi　supra。＇
  If　there　be　anything　excusable　in　such　excesses　as　these；　it　is　where　the
  novelty　and　invention　create　more　wonder　than　the　expense；　even　in　these
  vanities　we　discover　how　fertile　those　ages　were　in　other　kind　of　wits
  than　these　of　ours。　　It　is　with　this　sort　of　fertility；　as　with　all　other
  products　of　nature：　not　that　she　there　and　then　employed　her　utmost
  force：　we　do　not　go；　we　rather　run　up　and　down；　and　whirl　this　way　and
  that；　we　turn　back　the　way　we　came。　　I　am　afraid　our　knowledge　is　weak　in
  all　senses；　we　neither　see　far　forward　nor　far　backward；　our
  understanding　comprehends　little；　and　lives　but　a　little　while；　'tis
  short　both　in　extent　of　time　and　extent　of　matter：
  〃Vixere　fortes　ante　Agamemnona
  Mufti；　sed　omnes　illacrymabiles
  Urgentur；　ignotique　longs
  Nocte。〃
  ＇　Many　brave　men　lived　before　Agamemnon；　but　all　are　pressed　by　the
  long　night　unmourned　and　unknown。〃Horace；　Od。；　iv。　9；　25。＇
  〃Et　supra　bellum　Thebanum　et　funera　Trojae
  Non　alias　alii　quoque　res　cecinere　poetae？〃
  ＇〃Why　before　the　Theban　war　and　the　destruction　of　Troy；　have　not
  other　poets　sung　other　events？〃Lucretius；　v。　327。　　Montaigne　here
  diverts　himself　m　giving　Lucretius'　words　a　construction　directly
  contrary　to　what　they　bear　in　the　poem。　　Lucretius　puts　the
  question；　Why　if　the　earth　had　existed　from　all　eternity；　there　had
  not　been　poets；　before　the　Theban　war；　to　sing　men's　exploits。
  Coste。＇
  And　the　narrative　of　Solon；　of　what　he　had　learned　from　the　Egyptian
  priests；　touching　the　long　life　of　their　state；　and　their　manner　of
  learning　and　preserving　foreign　histories；　is　not；　methinks；　a　testimony
  to　be　refused　in　this　consideration：
  〃Si　interminatam　in　omnes　partes　magnitudinem　regionum　videremus　et
  temporum；　in　quam　se　injiciens　animus　et　intendens；　ita　late
  longeque　peregrinatur；　ut　nullam　oram　ultimi　videat；　in　qua　possit
  insistere：　in　haec　immensitate　。　　。　　。　　infinita　vis　innumerabilium
  appareret　fomorum。〃
  ＇〃Could　we　see　on　all　parts　the　unlimited　magnitude　of　regions　and
  of　times；　upon　which　the　mind　being　intent；　could　wander　so　far　and
  wide；　that　no　limit　is　to　be　seen；　in　which　it　can　bound　its　eye；　we
  should；　in　that　infinite　immensity；　discover　an　infinite　force　of
  innumerable　atoms。〃　　Here　also　Montaigne　puts　a　sense　quite
  different　from　what　the　words　bear　in　the　original；　but　the
  application　he　makes　of　them　is　so　happy