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The Shows, or De Spectaculis

Tertullian

Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Now as to the kind of performances peculiar to the circus

‹ Chapter 8 Chapter 10 ›

exhibitions

.

In

former

days

equestrianism

was

practised

in

a

simple

way

on

horseback

,

and

certainly

its

ordinary

use

had

nothing

sinful

in

it

;

but

when

it

was

dragged

into

the

games

,

it

passed

from

the

service

of

God

into

the

employment

of

demons

.

Accordingly

this

kind

of

circus

performances

is

regarded

as

sacred

to

Castor

and

Pollux

,

to

whom

,

Stesichorus

tells

us

,

horses

were

given

by

Mercury

.

And

Neptune

,

too

,

is

an

equestrian

deity

,

by

the

Greeks

called

Hippius

.

In

regard

to

the

team

,

they

have

consecrated

the

chariot

and

four

to

the

sun

;

the

chariot

and

pair

to

the

moon

.

But

,

as

the

poet

has

it

,

“

Erichthonius

first

dared

to

yoke

four

horses

to

the

chariot

,

and

to

ride

upon

its

wheels

with

victorious

swiftness

.

”

Erichthonius

,

the

son

of

Vulcan

and

Minerva

,

fruit

of

unworthy

passion

upon

earth

,

is

a

demon

-

monster

,

nay

,

the

devil

himself

,

and

no

mere

snake

.

But

if

Trochilus

the

Argive

is

maker

of

the

first

chariot

,

he

dedicated

that

work

of

his

to

Juno

.

If

Romulus

first

exhibited

the

four

-

horse

chariot

at

Rome

,

he

too

,

I

think

,

has

a

place

given

him

among

idols

,

at

least

if

he

and

Quirinus

are

the

same

.

But

as

chariots

had

such

inventors

,

the

charioteers

were

naturally

dressed

,

too

,

in

the

colours

of

idolatry

;

for

at

first

these

were

only

two

,

namely

white

and

red

,

—

the

former

sacred

to

the

winter

with

its

glistening

snows

,

the

latter

sacred

to

the

summer

with

its

ruddy

sun

:

but

afterwards

,

in

the

progress

of

luxury

as

well

as

of

superstition

,

red

was

dedicated

by

some

to

Mars

,

and

white

by

others

to

the

Zephyrs

,

while

green

was

given

to

Mother

Earth

,

or

spring

,

and

azure

to

the

sky

and

sea

,

or

autumn

.

But

as

idolatry

of

every

kind

is

condemned

by

God

,

that

form

of

it

surely

shares

the

condemnation

which

is

offered

to

the

elements

of

nature

.