319. Expenses of Public Spectacles to Great Officials 376 320. Indescribable Popularity of the Games 377 321. The Theater Less Popular than the Circus or Amphitheater 378 322. The Mimes: Character Plays 380 323. The Pantomimes: Their Real Art 381 324. Extreme Popularity of the Circus 382 325. Popular Charioteers (_Aurigæ_): the Great Racing Factions 383 326. The Circus Maximus 384 327. The Race-Track: Procession before the Races 384 328. Beginning a Race in the Circus 386 329. Perils of the Races; Proclaiming the Victors 386 330. Gladiatorial Contests Even More Popular than the Circus 389 331. Gladiator Fights at Funerals 390 332. Gladiator “Schools” (_Ludi_): Inmates Usually Criminals 390 333. Severe Training of Gladiators; Their Ephemeral Glory 392 334. Normal Arrangements for an Arena Contest 393 335. The Flavian Amphitheater (Later “Colosseum”) 394 336. Exterior and Ticket Entrances to the Flavian Amphitheater 396 337. Interior Arrangements of the Flavian 396 338. Procession of Gladiators 397 339. Throwing a Criminal to the Beasts. The Animal Hunt 398 340. Interval in the Contests: Scattering of Lottery Tickets 399 341. Beginning the Regular Gladiatorial Combats 401 342. Mounted Combats: the Signals for Ruthlessness and Mercy 403 343. Combats between Netters (_Retiarii_) and Heavy-Armed Warriors (“Thracians”) 404 344. End of the Combats: Rewarding the Victors 405 Chapter XX. The Roman Religion: the Priesthoods, the Vestal Virgins 345. Religious Symbols Everywhere in Rome 407 346. Epicureanism and Agnosticism among the Upper Classes 407 347. Stoicism: Revival of Religion under the Empire 408 348. Foreign Cults Intruded upon the “Religion of Numa” 410 349. Superstitious Piety of the City Plebeians 411 350. Roman Religion Originally Developed by Italian Farmers 411 351. Native Italian Gods: Janus, Saturn, Flora. The Lares and Penates 413 352. Personified Virtues as Gods: Cold and Legalistic Character of the Roman Religion 414