* Jovingly granted of every of us, we fhall the better devyfe the refiftaunce and withstanding of our foreign enemies.' Now wheat the earl of Salisbury had ended his tale, there was no replie made, but with one voice they confented to enter into devifes for defence. And whereas the taxes and tailliages were great in France, in like wife at that time they were great in Englande, fo that the realme felt great grief thereof. Now there were at that time ready in England for defence, of good fighting men a hundred thousand archers, and ten thousand men of armes. "Then the French king came to Arras, and daily there came down people from all partes in fuch great numbers that the countrie was almoft caten up; and to fay truth, nothing remayned in the countrie but it was taken from them, with out making any payment for them. And when the poor people called upon them for fome amends they anfwered, As now we have no filver to pay, but when we returne we will bring you enough, and then every thing fhall be fully anfwered and payd.' But when the poor people fawe their goodes thus taken away and fpent, and they durft not complain thereof, they curfed them between the teeth, faying, Get ye unto England, or to the devil, and God grant ye never returne agayne.” 66 Nowe the French king came down to Lisle to fhewe that the journey pleafed him, and to come nearer to the paffage; and yet at this time the duke of Berry war behinde, and came fayre and fully, for he had no great appetite to this journey of going into England." "The conftable of France departed from Lenterginer, ftanding on the fea fide in Bretagne. He had feventy-two great fuippes, and he had with him the cloture of the field, made of timber, and they had good wynde at the beginning, but when they approached neare to England the winde rote fo fiercelt, and was fo tempeftuous about the entrie of Margate and the Thamys mouth, that their fhippes were feat tered, fo that they kept not toge ther, and fome were driven per force into Thamys, and taken by the Englishmen ; and fpecially there was taken two or three hippes laden with part of the cloture of tymber that was ordeyned to cle in the fielde, and certain mater carpenters and artificers with them, and fo they were brought to Lon don, whereat the king had joy, and all the Londoners." great "The king of France returns to Paris; and fo broke up this mot wonderful voyage for this time," adds the Chronicle," which coft the realme of France a hundred thousand franks thirtie times told, which of English money was 333,3331. 6s.. §d. after nine frankes to the pounde. And fuch an end have every fimilar attempt." The particulars of the expedition are taken from an elaborate extract made from the chronicles of the time, by Craven Ord, efq. F, R. S, and A. S. "Many a man," fays Froyffart, "forrowed long after; but by caufe the com mons fawe it was needful, they faid, it is not against reafon that we be taxed now, and o give of our goods to knightes and fquyres to defend their herytages and ours." Account Iccount of the Theatre of Saguntum, tranflated from the Latin. Emmanuel Martini to the most Illuftrious and Honourable Antony Felix Zondadari, Archbishop of Damafcus, and Pontifical Legate to the Catholic King. HEN we lately converfed together upon various fubjects, nd one thing drawing out another s ufual in converfation, mention appened to be made of the theatre Saguntun; which, when I faid had in every particular deferibed a a draught thereof taken by me, on exprefled a defire of feeing it, ogether with certain fhort notes or bfervations added by me, not to uch for the fake of thewing my earning, as explaining of a very bleure matter. Behold it, there ore, most honoured fir, reftored and brought to light from the darkne's of oblivion, although in tattered and bfolete clothing. The true and riftine ftructure whereof, traced ut by all its veftiges, I fhall conferate to late pofterity in as brief a manner as I can. The theatre of Saguntum is fituate in a moft fit and healthy place; opens itfelf against the north and the rifing fun, adjacent to a moft plealant valley, which a river flows betide, and has the eastern fea in profpe&t. It is defended from fouthern and western blafis by the interpofition of a mountain, by which it is furrounded, and, as it were, embraced in its bofom: wherefore it admits only the northern and eaftern vital breezes to breathe upon it; the reft, that are hurtful to human health, being entirely excluded; which Vitruvius admonishes, in the first place, to be taken care of in building theatres for when the minds of the fpectators are overflowing there with the greatest pleafure, their bodies, being unmoved and captivated, and allured by delight, have gaping paffages, and open pores, into which the furrounding winds eafily enter, which, if they be noxious and unhealthy, or any ways infected, may bring deftruction by their blaft; therefore their force from the fouth is to be avoided: for when the fun fills the curvity of the theatre with its fcorching heat, the air but in the hemicycle, and having no power of getting out, grows hot with its continual turning, cirenmaction, and whirling rotation. From whence it' comes to pass, that the bodies being exhaufted of their natural moisture, are burnt up, and being overheated, fall into difeales. Moreover, our theatre is, by the difpofition and nature of the place, prepared for founding, which is very neceffary therein; for the voice being collected by that curvity and embrace of the mountain, climbing with increafe up the fummit, strike stronger upon the ear with a diftinct termination of words, which I myself experienced; for Emmanuel Mignana, a moft worthy gentleman, and most near to me in all friendly offices, recited to me fome verfes of Afinius, out of the fcene in Amphitryon, which I heard very well from the top gallery or cavea, which, as I live, filled me with incredible pleafure; for those rocks are vocal, nor that only, but five times founding: and thus much for the pofition of the theatre. Now as to the struc ture--The ambit then of its hemicycle, which the Greeks call Primetron, has 564 of our palms or fpans, or three quarters of a Roman foot; and, meafuring its diameter, the line being drawn from each horn, it has 330 and a half of the like palms or fpans. The height of the theatre, from the orchestra to the top gallery is 133 palms and an half; but, to the top of the remainIng fummit of the decayed party wall, 144 palms and an half: allo the diameter of the orchestra hath 96 palms; from which it is certain the defcription of the whole theatre arifes, as it were, from a centre; therefore the name orchestra was allotted by the Greeks, because in the Greek theatre it had been a place deftined for dancing and gefticulations; yet among the Romans It had quite another ufe, at least from what C. Atilius Serranus and I Scribonius Libodid; who, being the Curule Ediles, following the fentence of the fuperior Africanus, affigned the orcheftra for the feats of, the fenators: in that therefore, in the moft honourable place, fat the prince or prætor in his fall, the veftiges whereof remain in the middle of the orchefira to the podium; afterwards were placed the veftals, prietis, ambafladors, fenators; and, left the profpect of the ftage fhould be taken away by any objects ftanding before them, it was very carefully contrived to a nicety that the pavement of the orcheftra, from the prince's ftall, fhould arife gently and by degrees into an acclivity up to the loweft ftep of the equeftrians, the pavement being lowered and cut away by degrees into a circle, in the manner of a belt, by placing and fixing the feats: a fpace being left between the orders of the feats a little more advanced that it might afford the coming in and going out, which I believe no one has hitherto taken notice of; and indeed it had flipped me, unlefs, having called for dig gers, I had not bid them remore the earth with which the whole or cheftra was buried. From the bottom of the orchestra the equeftry broke forth, or 14 fteps fet apart for the equeftrian order, by the Rofcian and Julian theatric laws, to the feventh of which steps two vomitories afford paffage, which therefore is wider, left by the ftraitnes of the place the equeftrian multitude fhould be prefled, but might pour themfelves into their feats with free paffage. And because this theatre is founded in the hardef ftone, whofe ftubbornnefs deludes the attempts and industry of art, the equeftry has only two doors in it, which, when they are not fufficiert to admit the number of the knights, there are added from thence a double ladder, in the open and spreading place of which the bottom steps go under the arch in the profcene itself. A precinction or incloture referves the highest step of the equeftrian order, by, which name the ancients called the ftep that was doubly higher and broader than the reft, which as it were begirt and inclofed the reft that were fmaller, which the Greeks called Diazomata, for they were a fort of tranfverfe girdles, from whence they are by fome called belts, that is, they are breaks and little beds of fteps running circular; which are fo inferted, that the diftinctions of the fe natorian, equeftrian, and plebeian orders might appear manifeft to the eyes by that divifion, nor any communication be between them; afterwards follow twelve feps of the populace in a higher and more remote place, in which fat fpectators of the plebeian order, which they call the upper gallery or cave. Into thefe feats very many paffages lead, and thence to the inner arches or neft of chambers; alfo the upper portico, whofe ufe was twofold, that it might have where the people might retire themfelves if any fudden ftorm or fhower fhould interrupt the plays; and that the theatre beneath might be defended from the injury of waters and filth. That portico hath eight fore doors, and as many back doors oppofite, yet oblique, and which mutually face each other; that by the wind admitted through them the theatre might be refreflied, nor the air unmoved grow torpid and ftagnant.Into thefe doors a flight of feven Reps afford afcent, breaking out from the lower ftep of the equeftrians at the orchestra, not indeed interfected therefrom and varying, as in most amphitheatres, but in a direct leading and continuity; by which it comes to pafs that they form wedges very long, from the loweft feats to the top, very pleafant to the eyes of the fpectators; and thele ftairs were ways between the wedges to afcend or defcend; for whereas thofe degrees or fteps of feats were higher than a man's ftep, and not without the greatest difficulty to be climbed, thefe ftairs are contrived nicely for the purpofe, by placing a third step between every two, unlefs where the precinctions or inclofures intervene, for there four are inferted.The breadth of the highest of these is three palms and a half, and the height of the fteps a palm and an inch, which twofold meafure the degrees of feats exhibit. Thefe fairs are fo made that the multitude, fo feated, might have an easy exit, and as it were at hand where to turn themfelves, left, be ing there inclofed, they might be driven to undergo the neceffities of Moreover, thofe that the body. were fhut out of the wedge, or excuneated, to ufe a theatric expreffion, beheld the fhows ftanding.There is that difference between the inner doors and outer, that the inner are fquare and open wider, and the outer are arched and lefs. There is befides an upper portico 15 palms broad and a quarter, and twelve palms and a fpan high, therefore the breadth is greater than the height. Wherefore? For this reafon, that left while they are crowding in or going out, they fhould labour in the ftrait of the portico. Which portico does not reach to the angles of the theatre, but ftands much before, cut off from both by an interval of 35 palms, which the quatern fteps filled, fepa rated by that only from the cavea or gallery placed under it, becaute the top of the populary or place of the common people exceeded the reft in breadth, and was, as it were, a certain boundary or little space diftinguishing the fuperior order from the inferior: from whence it may be guefled the lictors, tipfiaves, y fummoners, and other attendants of the magiftrates, fat in that place, as well to be ready at call, as to deter the cavea or gallery beneath from contention and ftrife, and break off the infolence of quarrellome fellows, which I find to have been the custom at Athens from the fcholiaft of Ariftophanes's Eirenes, to which opinion I am the more inclined, becaufe certain fecret ladders lead from thofe very steps through hidden meanders into dungeons, one of which remains hitherto, and fetters or iron rings fixed in that wall to bind malefactors; add to this, that this very portico is broke in the middle, and a space left left of 22 palms, in which both the quatern flairs reach out feven palms and a half, which I judge were built to the end that the officers might overlook the feats every where, and keep the peace. In the middle space of which fome veftiges, although decaying and almoft obliterated, inform us that there was a flatue, for its bafe indicates as much; because even the ratio itfelf of the ftructure and the proper modulation of the work required it, to defign the middle of the hemicycle. The fides of this bafe are fix palms and a fpan. Upon the top ftep of the cavea or gallery, at each angle of the theatre, open fix arched windows, three in each. What to let in air? Truly I follow no one, if any one can tell me their ufe, I thould be very much obliged to him. Upon the portico alfo four fteps are placed. But to what order? Truly the fenatorian fat in the orchestra, the equeftrian in the fourteen, the plebeian in the cavea. What is left befides? When I revolve the steps in my mind, I am alinoft caft down from my ftep. Yet if in an affair fo obfcure I may conjec ture, I fhall have believed that the fervants, freedmen, courtezans, and others of that fort of fhameless vulgar rabble, were. fpectators from thofe diftant fteps, to the end that filth of that fort might not be joined with the more honeft order of the plebeians. The ftructure of the upper degree helps my opinion, for it is the wideft of all, although you bring in to the reckoning the precinctions themselves, which I think was done for this reafon, that there might be a place in the plain for fetting forms for the feat of the women: for, by the decree of Auguftus, it was not lawful for then to as Calpurnius favs. From the lictors feats into this top gradation, certain rifes afford afcent as well to the two horns of the theatre, as in the middle, that by them the officers might run in time, if by chance their bel fhould be wanted, into thofe feats of the rabble. What afcent and what entrances were thefe? The beft truly, and difpofed with a certain proper defign; for there are certain ladders behind the top por tico thrown backward and forward, ftanding againft the mountain, which lead to certain little arched doors in the wall's extremity, of which only one remains. In the back part of this mutilated wall certain of them are prominent, feparate from one another by the space of ten palms and a half in a fquare form, two palms on every fide. To the expla nation of which you ought to know, that formerly umbrellas were wont to be fuperinduced as well to the tres as amphitheatres, for keeping off the heat and fun, which were bound to poles, fet up under them extending tranfverfe with ropes, that they might not flutter by Hanging loofe: therefore thofe poles be ing thrown acrofs through round holes excavated in the upper ftones, or tied with ropes, for both uled to be done, they were received by these flays, in the middle of which, for the fake of firmuels, certain little grooves were dug, left by the flipperinefs of the ftone, the cords p ping and unfirm should give way, The |