Nero | Page 7

the theatre; and after dining in the orchestra, amidst a
crowded assembly of the people, he promised them in Greek [583],
"that after he had drank a little, he would give them a tune which would
make their ears tingle." Being highly pleased with the songs that were
sung in his praise by some Alexandrians belonging to the fleet just
arrived at Naples [584], he sent for more of the like singers from

Alexandria. At the same time, he chose young men of the equestrian
order, and above five thousand robust young fellows from the common
people, on purpose to learn various kinds of applause, called bombi,
imbrices, and testae [585], which they were to practise in his favour,
whenever he performed. They were (351) divided into several parties,
and were remarkable for their fine heads of hair, and were extremely
well dressed, with rings upon their left hands. The leaders of these
bands had salaries of forty thousand sesterces allowed them.
XXI. At Rome also, being extremely proud of his singing, he ordered
the games called Neronia to be celebrated before the time fixed for
their return. All now becoming importunate to hear "his heavenly
voice," he informed them, "that he would gratify those who desired it at
the gardens." But the soldiers then on guard seconding the voice of the
people, he promised to comply with their request immediately, and
with all his heart. He instantly ordered his name to be entered upon the
list of musicians who proposed to contend, and having thrown his lot
into the urn among the rest, took his turn, and entered, attended by the
prefects of the pretorian cohorts bearing his harp, and followed by the
military tribunes, and several of his intimate friends. After he had taken
his station, and made the usual prelude, he commanded Cluvius Rufus,
a man of consular rank, to proclaim in the theatre, that he intended to
sing the story of Niobe. This he accordingly did, and continued it until
nearly ten o'clock, but deferred the disposal of the crown, and the
remaining part of the solemnity, until the next year; that he might have
more frequent opportunities of performing. But that being too long, he
could not refrain from often appearing as a public performer during the
interval. He made no scruple of exhibiting on the stage, even in the
spectacles presented to the people by private persons, and was offered
by one of the praetors, no less than a million of sesterces for his
services. He likewise sang tragedies in a mask; the visors of the heroes
and gods, as also of the heroines and goddesses, being formed into a
resemblance of his own face, and that of any woman he was in love
with. Amongst the rest, he sung "Canace in Labour," [586] "Orestes the
Murderer of his Mother," "Oedipus (352) Blinded," and "Hercules
Mad." In the last tragedy, it is said that a young sentinel, posted at the
entrance of the stage, seeing him in a prison dress and bound with

fetters, as the fable of the play required, ran to his assistance.
XXII. He had from his childhood an extravagant passion for horses;
and his constant talk was of the Circensian races, notwithstanding it
was prohibited him. Lamenting once, among his fellow-pupils, the case
of a charioteer of the green party, who was dragged round the circus at
the tail of his chariot, and being reprimanded by his tutor for it, he
pretended that he was talking of Hector. In the beginning of his reign,
he used to amuse himself daily with chariots drawn by four horses,
made of ivory, upon a table. He attended at all the lesser exhibitions in
the circus, at first privately, but at last openly; so that nobody ever
doubted of his presence on any particular day. Nor did he conceal his
desire to have the number of the prizes doubled; so that the races being
increased accordingly, the diversion continued until a late hour; the
leaders of parties refusing now to bring out their companies for any
time less than the whole day. Upon this, he took a fancy for driving the
chariot himself, and that even publicly. Having made his first
experiment in the gardens, amidst crowds of slaves and other rabble, he
at length performed in the view of all the people, in the Circus
Maximus, whilst one of his freedmen dropped the napkin in the place
where the magistrates used to give the signal. Not satisfied with
exhibiting various specimens of his skill in those arts at Rome, he went
over to Achaia, as has been already said, principally for this purpose.
The several cities, in which solemn trials of musical skill used to be
publicly held, had resolved to send him the crowns