Scientific Athletics

He barely stirr' d him, but he could not raise ; His knee Jock' d .fast, the foe's au mpt denied ; nd grappling close, they tumbl cl side by side. Defiled with honourable clusl they roll, 'till breathing . trif , and un ubclued of soul; Again they rage; again to combat rise; \Vhen great chilies thus divides the priz : ''Your nob! vigour, 0 my friend., re train, ~or weary out your generou trenglh in vain. Ye both have won; let other who excel Xow prove that prowe s you have proved . o well.'' The following i another repres ntation of a similar onte t, in which brutality and main for were obviou ly the chief chara t ri tic :- ''The powerful bodies of the wrestlers, . hining in olive oil, blended in one ma. s ; bones cracked in their iron arms, their teeth gritted ominou ly between their set jaw . At time the quick, dull thump of their feet beat upon the saffron- trewn floor ; and again th athlete became motionless, ilent, so that it seemed to the . pectator that they saw before them a group chisel] cl from stone. The eyes of the Romans followed with delight the motions of terribly exerted backs, thighs, and arms. But lhe struggle was soon ndecl. roto, the ma ter and found r of the school of gladiators, was rightly considered the trongest man in the Empire. His opponent began lo breathe quic,Jy, then hi. breathing became choked, his fac a urned a blue tint, and finally blood flowed from his mouth, and h fell. A bur l of applause crowned th nding of the strugcrle. roto, placing his foot on his opponent's breast, crossed his great arms, and looked about him with the eyes of a conqueror.'' mong the mo t eel brat d f th ancient cla ical athletes are 1ilo, Euthymu , and Hippo thenes, whil Plato, Pythagoras, and Clcanthcs w re amateur con– testant of much ability. lthough numerou rational narratives concerning the achievements of an i nt athl t are xtant, y t many leg nds were prepo terou ly xaggerat <l by poetic fiction. om mythologi 't · have favour d th opinion that many of the e accounts wer th grot qu imaginations of I rofane historians and that the xploits of th ir uppo ed h ro <l rived from those of Hebrew c 1 briti s, uch Y t 24