walls, a mosaic floor, and glass windows, and provided with seats, as well as with niches in the walls to hold the clothes.  Adjoining this is a “cold” room, containing a large swimming-bath.  Next comes a “warm” chamber, with water heated to a sufficient and reasonable degree, and with the general temperature raised either by braziers or by warm air circulating under the floor or in the walls.  After this a “hot” room, with both a hot swimming-bath and a smaller marble bath of the common domestic shape—­though of much larger size—­provided with a shower, or rather with a cold jet.  Lastly there is a domelike sweating-chamber filled with an intense dry heat.  The public baths built by Nero were particularly notorious for their high temperature.  After the bath the body was rubbed over with perfumed oil, in order to close the pores against the cold, and then was scraped down with the hollow sickle-shaped instrument of bronze or iron depicted in the illustration.  The other articles there shown are a vessel containing the oil, and a flat dish into which to pour it for use.  These, together with linen towels, were brought by your own slave.

[Illustration:  FIG. 67.—­BATHING IMPLEMENTS.]

Silius is now carried home, and as it is approaching four o’clock, he dresses, or is dressed, for dinner.  His toga and senatorial walking-shoes are thrown off, and he puts on light slippers or house-shoes, and dons what is called a “confection” of light and easy material—­such as a kind of half-silk—­and of bright and festive colours.  Some ostentatious diners changed this dress several times during the course of a protracted banquet, giving the company the benefit of as great a variety of “confections” as is afforded by a modern star actress in the theatre.  If the days are long and it is suitable weather, he may perhaps dine in the garden at the back of the peristyle.  Otherwise in the dining-room the three couches mentioned in a previous chapter (FIG. 48) are arranged along three sides of a rectangle.  Their metal and ivory work gleams brightly, and they are resplendent with their embroidered cushions.  In the middle of the enclosed space shines the polished table, whether square or round.  The sideboard is laden with costly plate; the lamps are, or soon will be, alight upon their tall shafts or hanging from their chains; the stand for the carver is awaiting its load.  The dining-room steward and his subordinates are all in readiness.

At the right time the guests arrive, endeavouring to show neither undue eagerness by being too early nor rudeness by being too late.  Each brings his own footman to take off his shoes and to stand behind him, in case he may be needed, though not to wait at table, for this service belongs to the slaves of the house.  After they have been received by the host, the “name-caller” leads them to their places, according to such order of precedence as Silius chooses to pre-arrange.  The regular number of guests