LIBRARIES. A GREAT number of books, or the place where they were kept, was called BIBLIOTHECA, a library.1 The first famous library was collected by Ptolemy Philadelphus at Alexandria, in Egypt, E. C. 284., containing 700,000 volumes; the next by Attalus, or Eumenes, king of Pergamus. 3 5 4 Adjoining to the Alexandrian library was a building called MUSEUM, for the accommodation of a college or society of learned men, who were supported there at the public expense, with a covered walk and seats where they might dispute. An additional museum was built there by Claudius. MUSEUM is used by us for a repository of learned curiosities, as it seems to be by Pliny, A great part of the Alexandrian library was burnt by the flames of Cæsar's fleet, when he set it on fire to save himself, but neither Cæsar himself nor Hirtius mention this circumstance. It was again restored by Cleopatra, who, for that purpose, received from Antony the library of Pergamus, then consisting of 200,000 volumes. It was totally destroyed by the Saracens, A. D. 642. The first public library at Rome, and in the world as Pliny observes, was created by Asinius Pollio, in the atrium of the temple of liberty on mount Aventine.8 Augustus founded a Greek and Latin library in the temple of Apollo on the Palatine hill, and another in the name of his sister Octavia, adjoining to the theatre of Marcellus.9 There were several other libraries at Rome; in the Capitol, in the temple of Peace, in the house of Tiberius, &c. But the chief was the Ulpian library, instituted by Trajan, which Dioclesian annexed as an ornament to his therma.1 Many private persons had good libraries, particularly in their country villas.2 Libraries were adorned with statues and pictures, particularly of ingenious and learned men, the walls and roof with glasses.3 The books were put in presses or cases (ARMARIA vel CAPSE) along the walls, which were sometimes numbered, called also FORULI, LOCULAMENTA, NIDI, but these are supposed by some to denote the lesser divisions of the cases. The keeper of a library was called a BIBLIOTHECA; bibliothecarius is used only by later writers. HOUSES OF THE ROMANS. THE houses of the Romans are supposed at first to have been nothing else but cottages (case vel tuguria,) thatched with straw, hence CULMEN, the roof of a house ( quod culmis tegebatur).” After the city was burnt by the Gauls, it was rebuilt in a more solid and commodious manner; but the haste in building prevented attention to the regularity of the streets." 8 7 The houses were reared every where without distinction, or regard to property, where every one built in what part he chose, and till the war with Pyrrhus, the houses were covered only with shingles, or thin boards, (SCANDULE vel scindulæ).9 It was in the time of Augustus that Rome was first adorned with magnificent buildings; hence that emperor used to boast, that he had found it of brick, but should leave it of marble.10 The streets, however, still were narrow and irregular, and private houses not only incommodious, but even dangerous, from their height, and being mostly built of wood. Scalis habito tribus, sed altis, three stories high."1 In the time of Nero, the city was set on fire, and more than two thirds of it burnt to the ground. Of fourteen wards 12 into which Rome was divided, only four remained entire. Nero himself was thought to have been the author of this conflagration. He beheld it from the tower of Mæcenas; and delighted, as he said, with the beauty of the flame, played the taking of Troy, dressed like an actor.1 The city was rebuilt with greater regularity and splendour. The streets were made straight and broader; the areas of the houses were measured out, and their height restricted to 70 feet, as under Augustus. Each house had a portico before it, fronting the street, and did not communicate with any other by a common wall, as formerly. It behoved a certain part of every house to be built of Gabian or Alban stone, which was proof against fire. These regulations were subservient to ornament as well as utility. Some, however, thought that the former narrowness of the street, and height of the houses, were more conducive to health, as preventing by their shade the excessive heat.* Buildings in which several families lived, were called INSULE: houses in which one family lived, DOMUS vel EDES PRIVATÆ. We know little of the form either of the outside or inside of Roman houses, as no models of them remain. The small houses dug out of the ruins of Pompeii bear little or no resemblance to the houses of opulent Roman citizens. The principal parts were, 1. VESTIBULUM, which was not properly a part of the house, but an empty space before the gate, through which there was an access to it." The vestibule of the golden palace' of Nero was so large that it contained three porticos, a mile long each, and a pond like a sea, surrounded with buildings like a city. Here was also a colossus of himself, or statue of enormous magnitude, 120 feet high.9 8 2. JANUA, ostium vel fores, the gate (PORTA murorum et castrorum; JANUA parietis et domorum), made of various kinds of wood, cedar, or cypress, elm, oak, &c.; sometimes of iron, or brass, and especially in temples, of ivory and gold.10 The gate was commonly raised above the ground, so that they had to ascend to it by steps. The pillars at the sides of the gates, projecting a little without the wall, were called ANTE, and the ornaments affixed to them, wrought in wood or stone, ANTEPAGMENTA. When the gate was opened among the Romans, the folds (VALVE) 12 bent inwards, unless it was granted to any one by a special law to open his door outwards; as to P. Valerius Poplicola, and his brother, who had twice conquered the Sabines, after the manner of the Athenians, whose doors opened to the street; 14 and when any one went out, he always made a noise, by striking the door on the inside, to give warning to those without to keep at a distance. Hence CREPUIT FORIS, concrepuit a Glycerio ostium, the door of Glycerium hath creaked, i. e. is about to be opened. This the Greeks called ψοφειν θυραν; knocking from without, κοπτειν, pulsare vel pultare. 5 A slave watched 2 at the gate as porter (JANITOR), hence called OSTIARIUS, PUER AB JANUA, claustritumus, usually in chains,* (which when emancipated he consecrated to the lares, or to Saturn), armed with a staff or rod, and attended by a dog, likewise chained. On the porter's cell was sometimes this inscription, CAVE CANEM. Dogs were also employed to guard the temples, and because they failed to give warning when the Gauls attacked the Capitol, a certain number of them were annually carried through the city, and then impaled on a cross. Females also were sometimes set to watch the door (JANITRICES), usually old women.9 11 8 On festivals, at the birth of a child, or the like, the gates were adorned with green branches, flowers, and lamps, as the windows of the Jews at Rome were on sabbaths.10 Before the gate of Augustus, by a decree of the senate, were set up branches of laurel, as being the perpetual conqueror of his enemies; hence LAUREATE FORES, LAURIGERI PENATES. So a crown of oak was suspended on the top of his house as being the preserver of his citizens, which honour Tiberius refused. The laurel branches seem to have been set up on each side of the gate, in the vestibule; and the civic crown to have been suspended from above between them: hence Ovid says of the laurel, mediamque tuebere quercum.12 The door, when shut, was secured by bars (obices, claustra, repagula, vectes), iron bolts (pessuli), chains,13 locks (serœ), and keys (claves): hence obdere pessulum foribus, to bolt the door; occludere ostium pessulis, with two bolts, one below, and another above; uncinum immittere, to fix the bolt with a hook; obserare fores vel ostium, to lock the door; 14 seram ponere, apposita janua fulta sera, locked; reserare, to open, to unlock; 15 excutere poste seram. It appears, that the locks of the ancients were not fixed to the panels (impages) of the doors with nails like ours, but were taken off when the door was opened, as our padlocks; hence et jaceat tacita lapsa catena sera. 16 10 Juv. ix. 84. xii. 91. Sen. 95. Pers. v. 180. 12 and thou shalt be Met. i. 563. Suet. Tib. 26. Juv. vi. 346 13 Juv. ii. 304. 14 Ter. Heaut. ii. 3. 37. Eun. iv. 6. 25. Plaut. Aul. i. 2. 25. Juv. vi. 346. 15 Ov. Art. A. ii. 244. Met. x. 384. Am, i. 6. 24. 16 Prop. iv. 12. 26. Hinge. Knocker. Βατ. Key Knockers (marculi v. mallei) were fixed to the doors, or bells (tintinnabula) hung up, as among us.1 The porter usually asked those who knocked at the gate, who they were. He admitted or excluded such as his master directed. Sometimes he was ordered to deny his master's being at home. Besides the janitor, the emperors and great men had persons who watched or kept guard in the vestibule (EXCUBIE vel CUSTODIA), to which Virgil alludes, Æn. vi. 555, 574. A door in the back part of the house was called POSTICUM, vel posticum ostium, or PSEUDOTHYRUM, V. -on; that in the fore-part, ANTICUM.4 3. The janua, or principal gate, was the entrance to the ATRIUM, OF AULA, the court or hall, which appears to have been a large oblong square, surrounded with covered or arched galleries. Three sides of the atrium were supported on pillars, in later times, of marble. The side opposite to the gate was called TABLINUM; and the other two sides, ALE. The tablinum was filled with books, and the records of what any one had done in his magistracy." In the atrium, the nuptial couch was erected. The mistress of the family, with her maid-servants, wrought at spinning and weaving. The ancient Romans used every method to encourage domestic industry in women. Spinning and weaving constituted their chief employment. To this the rites of marriage directed |