To him should be all the
honor which tens of thousands of ringing voices and applauding hands
could lavish. And therefore, once more, as in the days of the past, the
balconies of the palaces and villas lining the broad Sacra Via were
gorgeous with rich gold and purple tapestries--the Forum glowed bright
and resplendent with statues and decorated arches--altars smoked with
sacrifice in front of columned temples--and the walls and slopes of the
Palatine Hill were joyous with triumphal tokens, while, upon the summit,
the house of the Caesars glittered with banners and brave devices, and
such costly adornments as were best fitted to grace the festivity and do
honor to the exploits of a much-esteemed subject.
We know the scene. At first--in the full blaze of the noonday
sun--standing silent and nearly deserted, except by a few workmen and
artisans, who here and there lingered to complete the festive
preparations, or by scattered parties of the praetorian guard, who, in
holiday armor, moved slowly to and fro, to watch that order was
maintained. Later--when the shadows deepened, and the air grew
cooler--the avenues and prominent positions along the established route
of the ovation beginning to fill with that great concourse of varied
nationalities and conditions which only the imperial city could display.
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