A thing to be seene and looked on: a spertacleta sight: a pageant: a play: a scaffold or place from whence men due behold. Liu. O spectaculum miserum arque acerbum. Ci. O pitifull and heauie sight. Acerbum spectaculum, Vide ACERBVS. Admiranda spectácula. Virg. Annua. Ouid. Apparatissimum spectaculum. Cic. Magnum. Horat. Scenæ spectacula amantur. Ouid. Concelebrare spectaculum, Vide CONCELEBRO. Excitatus est plausus ex omnibus spectaculis. Cicero. They clapped alowde vppon all the scaffolds where they stoode to behold. Indicere spectacula. Li. To proclaime or appoint sights and playes. Rerum cælestium spectaculum ad hominem solùm pertinet. Cic. Spectaculum. Liu. The scaffolde or place where men beholde. Resonant spectacula plausu. Ouid.

I. In gen.: lepidum spectaculum, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 81: superarum rerum atque caelestium, Cic. N. D. 2, 56, 140: bis terque mutatae dapis, Hor. Epod. 5, 34: potius quam hoc spectaculum viderem, Cic. Mil. 38, 103: capere oblatae spectacula praedae, Ov. M. 3, 246; cf. id. ib. 7, 780: scorti procacis, Liv. 39, 43: Euripi, id. 45, 27: non hoc ista sibi tempus spectacula poscit, Verg. A. 6, 37: spectaclum ipsa sedens, i. e. exposed to public view, in the sight of all, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 21: neque hoc parentes Effugerit spectaculum, Hor. Epod. 5, 102.—Esp. in the phrases: spectaculum (alicui) praebere, spectaculum (spectaculo) esse alicui: circuitus solis et lunae spectaculum hominibus praebent, Cic. N. D. 2, 62, 155; so, praebere, Liv. 45, 28: praebent spectacula capti, Ov. A. A. 2, 581: o spectaculum illud hominibus luctuosum, cedere e patriā servatorem ejus, manere in patriā perditores! Cic. Phil. 10, 4, 8; cf. id. Corn. 1, 19: homini non amico nostra incommoda spectaculo esse nolim, id. Att. 10, 2, 2: insequitur acies ornata armataque, ut hostium quoque magnificum spectaculum esset, Liv. 10, 40 fin.—

II. In partic.

A. Lit., in the theatre, circus, etc., a public sight or show, a stageplay, spectacle (cf.: munus, ludi, fabula): spectacula sunt tributim data, Cic. Mur. 34, 72: apparatissimum, id. Phil. 1, 15, 36: gladiatorium, Liv. 39, 42: gladiatorum, id. 28, 21 fin.; Plin. 2, 26, 25, 96: circi, Liv. 7, 2: scenae, Ov. A. A. 3, 351: ludorum, Suet. Aug. 14: athletarum, id. ib. 44; id. Ner. 12: naumachiae, id. Caes. 44: nondum commisso spectaculo, Liv. 2, 36, 1: interesse spectaculo, id. 2, 38, 4: inter matutina harenae spectacula, Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 2: meridianum, id. Ep. 7, 3.—

B. Transf., the place whence plays are witnessed, the seats of the spectators, seats, places in the theatre, the amphitheatre: spectacula ruunt, Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 47: ex omnibus spectaculis plausus est excitatus, Cic. Sest. 58, 124: resonant spectacula plausu, Ov. M. 10, 668: loca divisa patribus equitibusque, ubi spectacula sibi quisque facerent, Liv. 1, 35, 8: spectaculorum gradus, Tac. A. 14, 13: spectaculis detractus et in harenam deductus, Suet. Calig. 35; id. Dom. 10.—

2. In gen., the theatre: ingressum spectacula, Suet. Calig. 35: in caelum trabibus spectacula textis surgere, Calp. Ecl. 7, 23.—

3. The spectators: spectacula tantum este, viri, Sil. 2, 230: virtutis, id. 8, 556.—

C. A wonder, miracle: spectacula septem, the seven wonders of the world: in septem spectaculis nominari, Vitr. 2, 8, 11: numerari inter septem omnium terrarum spectacula, Gell. 10, 18, 4.