It was in 121 B.C. that the capital of a Gaulish tribe became the _Nemausus_ of the Romans. For over five centuries it remained a Roman city of the greatest importance, a period equal to England’s history from the crude times of Richard II. to the present year. So much did the Romans appreciate their new colonies in Provincia (now Provence) that they even considered the transference of the capital of the Empire to the banks of the Rhone. One need not wonder, therefore, at the magnificence and the permanent character of the buildings they erected. At Orange, at St. Rémy, and at Arles the survivals are equally forceful, and the most ill-informed who gaze upon them go away with an impression of Roman power so vivid that they cannot ever again regard archæology as a musty science. [Illustration: TOWN PLAN NO. 21.--NÎMES.] In its modern aspect Nîmes is a thriving city with a busy trade in wine and silk. The main streets are wide and cheerful, with trees which are a boon during the hot time of the year. The chief features of the town are: 1. The Roman Amphitheatre.--It is smaller than those of Arles, Capua, Verona, and Rome, but is the best preserved in the whole world. It was built in the first century, and the enormous stones are so perfectly cut that, although laid without cement, they have not been disturbed throughout the 1,800 years of change that have passed since the building of the arena. The seats allowed about 22,000 people to watch the gladiatorial and other contests that took place. The arrangements for flooding the arena for aquatic displays are said by some authorities to be discoverable. At the present time bull-fights take place in the arena on Sundays from April onwards throughout the summer, and the less dangerous _Courses Libres_, when anyone can attempt to obtain a rosette from the bull’s head, are frequently given. 2. The Maison Carrée is a Roman temple, built between A.D. 1 and 14, and dedicated to Caius and Lucius Cæsar, adopted sons of the Emperor Augustus. It is the best-preserved Roman temple in the world, and after having been used as a church, a municipal hall, and a stable, it is now well restored, and contains a very fine collection of Roman remains. 3. The Porte d’Auguste bears an inscription stating that it was built in 16. B.C. It was a gateway of the Roman line of fortifications which surrounded the city. 4. The Porte de France, another Roman gateway, of much more simple character, stands at the end of the Rue de France. 5. The Roman Baths and thermæ in the _Jardin de la Fontaine_, on the north side of the town, with, above them, the Tour Magne, a Roman tower, 90 feet in height, which formed a part of the defences of the city, and was utilized as a watch-tower in the Middle Ages.