Sublime upon a hundred Pillars stood,
With gloomy Groves, religiously obscure,
Laurentian Picus’ Palace; where the Kings,
The first Inauguration of their Sway,
The Sceptres, and the regal Fasces took.
Trapp’s Virg.
In these Basilica’s they used to plead, and admit to Audience publick Ambassadors; and, indeed, most of the publick Affairs were transacted here. This I am speaking of was finely gilded, and made of a delicate Marble. Theodosius, in his Letters Mandatory to Cyrus, Prefect of the City, means this Basilica, in the following Words: We will and command, that the Basilica gilt with Gold, and shining with Marble, be no Ways shaded or darkened with Statues, or Pictures placed before it. I believe Zonaras understands the same Building in his Leo Magnus, where he says, that the Building called the Domus Maxima, in which the Senate, and some of the principal Citizens met to deliberate upon publick Affairs, was burnt down; nay, that the Emperor himself came thither in solemn Pomp, when he entered upon his Consular Dignity. It was a Work of surprising Beauty and Splendor. Justinian tells us in his 81st Novel, that the inferior Judges used to sit there in small Apartments. Suidas writes, that this Basilica stood behind the Miliarium, and that there was placed in it, amidst several others, a golden Statue. Among other Curiosities here, there is an Elephant, cast at the Expence of Severus, on the Account of a certain Banker, who killed his Keeper, and gave his Body to be devoured by a wild Beast; which the Elephant seeing, in a Rage slew the Banker. Severus, to preserve the Memory of the Fact, ordered the Elephant and his Keeper to be cast in Brass, and both the Figures, in the Consulship of Julian, were carried to Constantinople, and placed in the Basilica.
A Nympheum.] This, as Zonaras and Cedrinus tell us, was a spacious Building, in which they used to celebrate Marriage, when they had not Houses large enough for that Purpose. Suidas mentions, that in the Forum of this Ward, there was a Spring continually running, which filled the Bagnio of the Nympheum. Theodosius, in another Letter to Cyrus above-mentioned, writes thus. I command you, by Virtue of your prefectorial Authority, to appoint, as you shall judge convenient, what Share of Water be allotted to our Imperial Bagnio’s, and what Quantity may be sufficient for the Bagnio’s of the Nympheum.
The Portico of Phanio.] Suidas tells us, that Phanio is a Place where they carried the Filth of the City. This, probably, is the same Portico, which the Emperor Zeno tells us, reached from the Miliarium, as far as the Capitol, and is supported with four Ranges of Pillars, between which he allows, in his Cod. de Priv. Ædif. a Privilege to build little Shops.
A Marble Galley.] This was set up in Memory of a Victory, which Zosimus, in his fifth Book tells us, Trajutus, Admiral of Arcadius’s Fleet, obtain’d over Gaina, near Chersonesus.