with a gold collar, and allowed him and his posterity to
bear the surname of Torquati. But soon afterwards he
gave up the exhibition of this game, in consequence of a
severe and bitter speech made in the senate by Asinius
Pollio, the orator, in which he complained bitterly of the
misfortune of Aeserninus, his grandson, who likewise
broke his leg in the same diversion.
Sometimes he engaged Roman knights to act upon
the stage, or to fi ght as gladiators; but only before
the practice was prohibited by a decree of the senate.
Th enceforth, the only exhibition he made of that
kind, was that of a young man named Lucius, of a
good family, who was not quite two feet in height, and
weighed only seventeen pounds, but had a stentorian
voice. In one of his public spectacles, he brought
the hostages of the Parthians, the fi rst ever sent to
Rome from that nation, through the middle of the
amphitheatre, and placed them in the second tier
of seats above him. He used likewise, at times whenthere were no public entertainments, if any thing was
brought to Rome which was uncommon, and might
gratify curiosity, to expose it to public view, in any
place whatever; as he did a rhinoceros in the Saepta,
a tiger upon a stage, and a snake fi fty cubits long in
the Comitium. It happened in the Circensian games,
which he performed in consequence of a vow, that
he was taken ill, and obliged to attend the Th ensae
[procession] reclining on a litter. Another time, in
the games celebrated for the opening of the theatre
of Marcellus, the joints of his curule chair happening
to give way, he fell on his back. And in the games
exhibited by his grandsons, when the people were in
such consternation, by an alarm raised that the theatre
was falling, that all his eff orts to reassure them and
keep them quiet, failed, he moved from his place, and
seated himself in that part of the theatre which was
thought to be exposed to most danger.From: Suetonius, Th e Lives of the Twelve
Caesars, trans. Alexander Th omson (New
York: G. Bell and Sons, 1893).(cont inues)II. CHAPTER 2
THE messengers of Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé
arrived immediately.
“Go, Ahpop Achih!” they were told. “Go and call Hun-
Hunahpú and Vucub-Hunahpú. Say to them, ‘Come
with us. Th e lords say that you must come.’ Th ey
must come here to play ball with us so that they shall
make us happy, for really they amaze us. So, then,
they must come,” said the lords. “And have them
bring their playing gear, their rings, their gloves,
and have them bring their rubber balls, too,” said
the lords. “Tell them to come quickly,” they told the
messengers.
And these messengers were owls: Chabi-Tucur,
Huracán-Tucur, Caquix-Tucur and Holom-Tucur.
Th ese were the names of the messengers of Xibalba.
Chabi-Tucur was swift as an arrow; Huracán-Tucur
had only one leg; Caquix-Tucur had a red back, and
Holom-Tucur had only a head, no legs, but he had
wings.Th e four messengers had the rank of Ahpop-Achih.
Leaving Xibalba, they arrived quickly, bringing their
message to the court where Hun-Hunahpú and Vucub-
Hunahpú were playing ball, at the ball-court which was
called Nim-Xob-Carchah. Th e owl messengers went
directly to the ball-court and delivered their message
exactly as it was given to them by Hun-Camé, Vucub-
Camé, Ahalpuh, Ahalganá, Chamiabac, Chamiaholom,
Xiquiripat, Cuchumaquic, Ahalmez, Ahaltocob, Xic, and
Patán, as the lords were called who sent the message by
the owls.“Did the Lords Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé really say
that we must go with you?”“Th ey certainly said so, and ‘Let them bring all their
playing gear,’ the lords said.”“Very well,” said the youths. “Wait for us, we are only
going to say good-bye to our mother.”And having gone straight home, they said to their
mother, for their father was dead: “We are going, Excerpt from the Popol Vuh
(oral tradition, unknown date) Th e Americas1060 sports and recreation: primary source documents0895-1194_Soc&Culturev4(s-z).i1060 1060 10/10/07 2:30:55 PM