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WALL INSCRIPTIONS IN POMPEII.-Antigonus, the hero of 2112 victories. Superbus, a comparatively unknown man. Casuntius, the master of the latter, is supposed to be in the act of advising him to yield to the invincible retiarius. The other figure represents Aniketos Achilles, a great Samnite gladiator, who merited the title of invincible.

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At his establishments there were baths according to the fashion of "the town," besides " every convenience." And a similar inscription occurred by the Via Nomentana, eight miles from Rome

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IN. PRAEDIS. AURE

LIAE. FAUSTINIANAE

BALINEUS. LAVAT. MO

RE. URBICO. ET OMNIS.

HUMANITAS. PRAESTA

TUR.

Those who had premises to let or sell affixed a short notice to the house itself, and more detailed bills were posted at the "advertising stations." Thus in Plautus's Trinummus," Act v., the indignant Callicles says to his spendthrift son, "You have dared to put up in my absence, and unknown to me, that this house is to be sold"("Ædes venales hasce inscribit literis "). Sometimes, also, the inscription," Illico ædes venales" ("here is a house for sale") appears to have been painted on the door, or on the album. An auctioneer would describe a house as "Villa bona beneque edificata" (a good and well-built house), and full details of the premises were given in the larger placards painted on walls. In the street of the Fullers in Pompeii occurs the following inscription, painted in red, over another which had been painted in black and whitewashed over,

IN PRAEDIS. JULIAE. S. P. F.

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LOCANTUR

FELICIS

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BALNEUM. VENEREUM. ET. NONGENTUM PERGULAE CENACULA. EX. IDIBUS. AUG. PRIORIS. IN. IDUS. AUG. SEXTAS. ANNOS. CONTINUOS. QUINQUE.

S.Q.D. L. E. N. C.

Which has been translated, "On the estate of Julia Felix, daughter of Spurius Felix, are to let from the 1st to the

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6th of the ides of August (ie., between August 6th and 8th), on a lease of five years, a bath, a venereum, and nine hundred shops, bowers, and upper apartments." The seven final initials, antiquaries, who profess to read what to others is unreadable, explain, "They are not to let to any person exercising an infamous profession." But as this seems a singular clause where there is a venereum to be let, other erudites have seen in it, "Si quis dominam loci eius non cognoverit," and fancy that they read underneath, "Adeat Suettum Verum," in which case the whole should mean, "If anybody should not know the lady of the house, let him go to Suettus Verus." The following is another example of the way in which Roman landlords advertised "desirable residences," and "commodious business premises "

INSULA ARRIANA

POLLIANA. GN. ALIF I. NIGID I MAI
LOCANTUR. EX. I. JULIS. PRIMIS. TABERNAE
CUM. PERGULIS. SUIS. ET COENACULA

EQUESTRIA. ET DOMUS. CONDUCTOR

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Said to mean, "In the Arrian Pollian block of houses, the property of Cn. Alifius Nigidius, senior, are to let from the first of the ides of July, shops with their

Nine hundred shops in a town which would hardly contain more than about twelve hundred is rather incredible-perhaps it should be ninety. Pergula were either porticos shaded with verdure, lattices with creeping plants, or small rooms above the shops, bedrooms for the shopkeepers. Canacula were rooms under the terraces. When they were good enough to let to the higher classes they were called equestria (as in the following advertisement). Plutarch informs us that Sylla, in his younger days, lived in one of them, where he paid a rent of £8 a year.

Lizony

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AMANTIYS

MIKAINSIS AF

HAD RIMTINVS

SUNTIVS CETACCEDE

LVCIVS

ference to their fancies and favourites, in the

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