(besides various other sources) from those
citizens that had died without heirs. As for himself, he took nothing from
individual or city or king, although many kept offering and promising him
large sums. In spite of this, he restored everything from funds already at
hand. [Sidenote:--25--] Most of his deeds had no unusual quality to mark
them, but in dedicating the hunting-theatre and the baths that bear his
name he produced many remarkable spectacles. Cranes fought with one
another, and four elephants, as well as other grazing animals and wild
beasts, to the number of nine thousand, were slaughtered, and women (not
of any prominence, however,) took part in despatching them. Of men several
fought in single combat and several groups contended together in infantry
and naval battles. For Titus filled the above mentioned theatre suddenly
with water and introduced horses and bulls and some other tractable
creatures that had been taught to behave in the liquid element precisely
as upon land. He introduced also human beings on boats. These persons had
a sea-fight there, impersonating two parties, Corcyreans and Corinthians:
others gave the same performance outside in the grove of Gaius and Lucius,
a spot which Augustus had formerly excavated for this very purpose. There,
on the first day, a gladiatorial combat and slaughter of beasts took
place; this was done by building a structure of planks over the lake that
faced the images and placing benches round about it. On the second day
there was a horse-race, and on the third a naval battle involving three
thousand men. Afterwards there was also an infantry battle. The Athenians
conquered the Syracusans (these were the names that were used in the naval
battle), made a landing on the islet, and having assaulted a wall
constructed around the monument took it. These were the sights offered to
spectators, and they lasted for a hundred days.

Titus also contributed some things that were of practical use to the
people. He would throw down into the theatre from aloft little wooden
balls that had a mark, one signifying something to eat, another clothing,
another a silver vessel, or perhaps a gold one, or again horses,
pack-animals, cattle, slaves. Those who snatched them had to carry them
back to the dispensers of the bounty to secure the article of which the
name was inscribed.

[Sidenote: A.D. 81 (a.u. 834)] [Sidenote:--26--] When he had finished this
exhibition, he wept so bitterly on