Besides the general announcement of a gladiatorial exhibition, a detailed programme, _libellus_, was prepared in advance, of which copies were sold. No such copy has come down to us, but the character of the contents of a programme may be inferred from the order of events which a Pompeian with waste time on his hands scratched on a wall; the memorandum covers two exhibitions, which came near together in the early part of May, the result of each combat being carefully noted. Unfortunately the letters have now become almost illegible; but we give the superscription and three of the nine pairs of combatants mentioned in the second programme, which is the better preserved of the two, adding in a separate column the full forms of the abbreviated words; the figures indicate the number of combats in which the different gladiators had taken part:-- MUNUS·N ... IV·III Munus N ... IV. III. PRID·IDUS·IDI[BUS]·MAI[S] pridie Idus, Idibus Mais T M Threx, Myrmillo _v._ PUGNAX·NER·III _vicit._ Pugnax, Neronianus, III _p._ MURRANUS·NER·III _periit._ Murranus, Neronianus, III O T Hoplomachus, Threx _v._ CYCNUS·IUL·VIIII _vicit._ Cycnus, Iulianus, VIIII _m._ ATTICUS·IUL·XIV _missus est._ Atticus, Iulianus, XIV ESS Essedarii _m._ P·OSTORIUS·LI _missus est._ Publius Ostorius, LI. _v._ SCYLAX·IUL·XXVI _vicit._ Scylax, Iulianus, XXVI The name of the official who gave the exhibition (_munus_) is obliterated. The contests extended over four days, May 12-15. In the first pair of gladiators Pugnax, equipped with Thracian weapons--a small, round shield and short, curved sword or dagger--was matched with the Myrmillo Murranus, who bore arms of the Gallic fashion, with the image of a fish on his helmet. Both were _Neroniani_; that is, from the training school for gladiators founded by Nero, apparently at Capua. Pugnax and Murranus had both been through three contests previously. The name of a gladiator entering a combat for the first time was not followed by a number, but by the letter T, standing for _tiro_, 'novice.' At the left we see the record added to the programme by the writer in order to give the result of the combat. Pugnax was the victor, Murranus was killed. In the second pair Cycnus, in heavy armor, was pitted against Atticus, who had the Thracian arms. Both were from the training school founded by Julius Caesar, probably at Capua, and hence are called _Iuliani_. Cycnus won, but the audience had compassion on Atticus, and his life was spared. The same term was applied to a defeated gladiator permitted to leave the arena as to a soldier having an honorable discharge--_missus_, 'let go.'