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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 21

About this work

Author: Tertullian

The heathen, who have not a full revelation of the

‹ Chapter 20 Chapter 22 ›

truth

,

for

they

are

not

taught

of

God

,

hold

a

thing

evil

and

good

as

it

suits

self

-

will

and

passion

,

making

that

which

is

good

in

one

place

evil

in

another

,

and

that

which

is

evil

in

one

place

in

another

good

.

So

it

strangely

happens

,

that

the

same

man

who

can

scarcely

in

public

lift

up

his

tunic

,

even

when

necessity

of

nature

presses

him

,

takes

it

off

in

the

circus

,

as

if

bent

on

exposing

himself

before

everybody

;

the

father

who

carefully

protects

and

guards

his

virgin

daughter’s

ears

from

every

polluting

word

,

takes

her

to

the

theatre

himself

,

exposing

her

to

all

its

vile

words

and

attitudes

;

he

,

again

,

who

in

the

streets

lays

hands

on

or

covers

with

reproaches

the

brawling

pugilist

,

in

the

arena

gives

all

encouragement

to

combats

of

a

much

more

serious

kind

;

and

he

who

looks

with

horror

on

the

corpse

of

one

who

has

died

under

the

common

law

of

nature

,

in

the

amphitheatre

gazes

down

with

most

patient

eyes

on

bodies

all

mangled

and

torn

and

smeared

with

their

own

blood

;

nay

,

the

very

man

who

comes

to

the

show

,

because

he

thinks

murderers

ought

to

suffer

for

their

crime

,

drives

the

unwilling

gladiator

to

the

murderous

deed

with

rods

and

scourges

;

and

one

who

demands

the

lion

for

every

manslayer

of

deeper

dye

,

will

have

the

staff

for

the

savage

swordsman

,

and

rewards

him

with

the

cap

of

liberty

.

Yes

and

he

must

have

the

poor

victim

back

again

,

that

he

may

get

a

sight

of

his

face

—

with

zest

inspecting

near

at

hand

the

man

whom

he

wished

torn

in

pieces

at

safe

distance

from

him

:

so

much

the

more

cruel

he

if

that

was

not

his

wish

.