The Fourteenth Ward
Although this Ward is look’d upon to be a fourteenth Part of the City, yet because it is divided from the other Wards by an intermediate Space of Land, and enclosed within its own Walls, it makes the Figure of a small City by it self. The Entrance of it at the Gate is somewhat upon the Level; but the right Side of it, rising into an Ascent, almost to the Middle of the broad Way, falls into a deep Descent, and ends afterwards near the Sea in a Plain. It contains a Church; the Palace; a Nympheum; some Baths; a Theatre; a Lusorium; a Wooden Bridge; eleven Streets; a hundred and sixty seven great Houses; two large Portico’s; five private Baths; one publick, and one private Mill; with five Gradus.
Notes
The fourteenth Ward, which is enclosed within its own Walls, makes the Figure of a kind of small City by it self.] It was antiently looked upon to be a small City, because one of the Emperors had built there an Imperial Citadel. ’Tis very mountainous about it, and it descends towards the Sea, into the Bosom of a Plain. The Name of the Church in this Ward is not known at present.
A Palace.] This is the Place of Imperial Residence, which was antiently called Palatium, because Augustus dwelt in Mount Palatine at Rome. The Dwelling-House of Romulus was also called by the same Name. Wherefore, says Dion, speaking of Augustus, let the Emperor be where he pleases, yet the Place where he constantly dwells, is always called his Palace.
A Lusorium.] This probably was the same Place with the Ludus Venatorius, in which the Combatants exercised themselves before they engaged with wild Beasts; yet is it more probable, that it was so called from the Naves Lusoriæ, which were built there, of which Marcellinus takes Notice in his sixth Book, as also the Code of Theodosius de Lusoriis Danubii.
A Wooden Bridge.] Suidas writes, that near the Church of St. Mamas, there was a Bridge which consisted of twelve Arches, for there was a great Flood of Waters there. I believe this was after chang’d into a Stone Bridge.
Five Gradus, or Stairs.] At the End of this Ward, after the five Gradus, I would correct the Omission of my Author, by comparing this with the other Wards, and adding one Curator, one Vernaculus, thirty seven Collegiati, and five Vico-Magistri.
The Author, in his following summary View of the City, mentions five hundred and sixty Collegiati, but to complete the Number of them, there are wanting seven. Theodosius the Less has added three in Lib. de Commer. & Mercat. and makes the Number of them to be five hundred and sixty three.