have been rather a dangerous ornament, but the centre of the hall was
like the grass-plot of a college, and interdicted to the passers to and
fro, who found ample space in the margin. Right opposite the entrance,
at the other end of the hall, was an apartment (tablinum), in which the
pavement was usually adorned with rich mosaics, and the walls covered
with elaborate paintings. Here were usually kept the records of the
family, or those of any public office that had been filled by the owner:
on one side of this saloon, if we may so call it, was often a
dining-room, or triclinium; on the other side, perhaps, what we should
now term a cabinet of gems, containing whatever curiosities were deemed
most rare and costly; and invariably a small passage for the slaves to
cross to the further parts of the house, without passing the apartments
thus mentioned. These rooms all opened on a square or oblong colonnade,
technically termed peristyle. If the house was small, its boundary
ceased with this colonnade; and in that case its centre, however
diminutive, was ordinarily appropriated to the purpose of a garden, and
adorned with vases of flowers, placed upon pedestals: while, under the
colonnade, to the right and left, were doors admitting to bedrooms, to a
second triclinium, or eating-room (for the ancients generally
appropriated two rooms at least to that purpose, one for summer, and one
for winter--or, perhaps, one for ordinary, the other for festive,
occasions); and if the owner affected letters, a cabinet, dignified by
the name of library--for a very small room was sufficient to contain the
few rolls of papyrus which the ancients deemed a notable collection of
books.

At the end of the peristyle was generally the kitchen. Supposing the
house was large, it did not end with the peristyle, and the centre
thereof was not in that case a garden, but might be, perhaps, adorned
with a fountain, or basin for fish; and at its end, exactly opposite to