[-22-] The first days of the fete he passed as was customary:  on the last day, after they had finished dinner, he entered his own forum wearing fancy sandals and garlanded with all sorts of flowers; thence he proceeded homeward with the entire populace, so to speak, alongside escorting him, while many elephants carried torches.  He had himself adorned the forum called after him, and it is distinctly more beautiful than the Roman (Forum); yet it had increased the reputation of the other so that that was called the Great Forum.  This forum which he had constructed and the temple of Venus, looked upon as the founder of his race, he dedicated at this very time.  In honor of them he instituted many contests of all kinds.  He furnished with benches a kind of hunting-theatre, which from the fact that it had seats all around without a canopy was called an amphitheatre.  Here in honor of his daughter he had animals killed and contests between men in armor; but whoever should care to write down their number would doubtless render his narrative tedious besides falling into errors; for all such things are regularly exaggerated by boasting. [-23-] I shall accordingly pass over this, and be silent on the other like events that subsequently took place—­unless, of course, it should seem to me thoroughly necessary to mention some particular point,—­but I will give an account of the so-called camelopard, because it was then for the first time introduced into Rome by Caesar and exhibited to all.  This animal is in general a camel, except that it has sets of legs not of equal length.  That is, its hind legs are shorter.  Beginning from the rump its back grows gradually higher, appearing as if it would ascend indefinitely, until the most of its body reaching its loftiest point is supported on the front legs, while the neck stretches up to an unusual height.  It has skin spotted like a leopard, and for this reason bears the name common to both animals.  Such is the appearance of this beast.

As for the men, he not only pitted one against another in the Forum, as had been customary, but he also in the hippodrome brought them together in companies, horsemen against horsemen, fighters on foot against similar contestants, and others that were a match for one another indiscriminately.  Some even, forty in number, fought from elephants.  Finally he produced a naval battle, not on the sea nor on the lake but on land.  He hollowed out a certain tract on the Campus Martius and by letting water into it introduced ships.  In all the contests the captives and those condemned to death took part.  Some even of the knights, and,—­not to mention others,—­a son of a man who had been praetor fought in single combat.  Indeed, a senator named Fulvius Sepinus[92] desired to contend in full armor, but was prevented; for Caesar had expressed a fervent wish that that should never take place, though he did permit the knights to contend.  The patrician children went through the so-called Troy equestrian exercise according to ancient custom, and the young men who were their peers vied with one another in chariots.