on the temple at Nismes, with this inscription beneath it : "Hic habitat felicitas." At the angle where two streets meet, there is commonly a well, with a trough attached to it, and, when the streets are not passable for carts and carriages, there are two large stones placed to prevent their entrance. The tracks of the cart wheels are in some of the streets, two or three inches deep. There are but few houses that appear to have been inhabited by the wealthy, and even these are small and incommodious. There is a large court in the interior, commonly with a fountain in the middle, and the entrance to the rooms from this court serves both for doors and windows-all the houses are without roofs: in some of them, which have not been cleared out, jars, pots, and other family utensils, are seen just appearing above the ashes, in the same position in which they had been left by the proprietors seventeen centuries ago. The former, which is of an oblong shape, and of great size, is now completely excavated, and has on all sides public buildings of considerable magnificence: it is needless to describe them, as, with the exception of the temples, and those which have inscriptions, the purposes for which they were erected are not known. The last_public building discovered in the forum is very extensive. I asked one of the workmen the name of it. The only reply was a shrug of the shoulders, a grimace, and a scream, the usual signals which a Neapolitan gives of inability to answer a question. On the question being repeated, he said he could not tell, as those wiser than himself had not been able to agree on a name for it. The amphitheatre is at a considerable distance from the forum: the interior is very noble -the seats are almost entire, and constructed of large stones, of a yellowish white. Those allotted to the prefect and tribunes have inscriptions on them to that effect: it could contain 35,000 spectators. The view from the upper seats, and the reflection to which it naturally gives rise, are certainly unequalled; on the one side is the beautiful bay, on the other the rich plain, with Vesuvius on the left, and the bold range of high mountains on the right, the spectator looks down on the arena, on the empty seats where so many thousands had assembled in joy and gladness, and on the town, now as still and quiet as the ashes of those that had inhabited it. Not more than a fourth of the town is yet excavated. It is extremely probable, however, that most of the principal buildings have been discovered, as these were commonly built in the neighbourhood of the forum. Lupines, wheat, vines, and fruit-trees, are now growing in great luxuriance only a few feet above the houses. Herculaneum was destroyed, not like Pompeii, by ashes, but by lava and pumice stones. Little, however, is to be seen there, as the modern town of Portici is built immediately above it; and after any excavation had been completed, it was found necessary to fill up the cavities: it lies about fifty feet below ground. By torch light we examined the theatre, which is almost the only part of the town left open. Great numbers of the pillars were lying on the ground, others were half overturned, and some broken through the middle-all imbedded in lava. The most valuable and best-preserved remains of antiquity were found here, and are now to be seen in the museum at Naples: they consist of statues, paintings, instruments of art, MSS. kitchen utensils, &c. Great numbers of MSS. are piled up in one of the rooms of the museum: they resemble pieces of charcoal, about a foot long, and four or five inches in diameter. I saw part of one of them unrolled-a work of Philodemus. The Greek (the greater part are in Greek,) was well written, and pretty legible, but they are so fragile, and so like cobwebs, that it is probable no complete work can ever be obtained from them. Different rooms in the museum are quite filled with objects of art and household utensils found at Herculaneum and Pompeii. A great number of musical instruments, balances, weights, and measures, pans, glass phials, mirrors of polished steel, lamps innumerable, door hinges, locks, ropes, bread, wheat, beans, and many other articles, too numerous to mention, are exhibited to view. Most of the household utensils are very elegant, made of brass, and plated in the inside. One room is set apart for paintings, statues, and articles of curious workmanship, not fit for the light. They show that the men, and particularly the women, had very different notions of modesty and delicacy to those of the present day. In all the collection, I saw only two small knives, and not one fork. Are we to infer from this, that these masters of the world, with their greasy togas, and unacquainted with the use of linen, were equally barbarous in their mode of eating, and fed themselves without the aid of knives and forks? It is not at all unlikely. 29. ла Cæsar and Cicero would not have been thought men of refined manners in modern times. Perhaps it may be asserted without contradiction, that the English of the present day are the most cleanly and civilised of all the nations of the world who have left any traces behind them. There is a curious wine cup, in the shape of a boy, kept at Portici, which the keeper shows only to men. It is not probable, however, that the ancients were so scrupulous. It has surprised some, that so many works should have been found at Herculaneum, which was destroyed by fire, and but few at Pompeii. It may, however, be easily accounted for. The covering of the latter place, probably, was not sufficient to keep out the external air: that of the former was chiefly composed of lava, and so thick and hard that nothing could penetrate it. In no part of Italy does nature appear to have been so active in destroying the works of man, and changing the surface of the ground, as in this delightful spot. There can be no doubt that within these two thousand years, hills and lakes have been destroyed, and others formed. We know of one hill that has been created in modern times, (Monte Nuovo ;) and the Lucrine Lake, which formed such an excellent harbour in the time of Cæsar, is now reduced to a shallow pool. The large lake of Agnano is not mentioned by any ancient writer; and Astroni, a mountain close to it, has evidently been half destroyed by a volcano. The top of the mountain has sunk, and the interior is now filled with water and wood. There is a continual commotion below the surface of the earth, which, on occasion of a thunder-storm, or hurricane, excites in the minds of the inhabitants the most serious apprehensions. Mount Vesuvius itself has evidently been torn asunder by some tremendous convulsion of nature, and may one day be converted, like Astroni, into a retreat for fowls and wild boars. The Lake of Avernus, so often mentioned by the ancients, has evidently been formed in the bosom of a volcanic mountain: hence, the sulphureous and putrid vapours which ascended from it, and obtained it the name of Avernus: this is now no longer the case. Water fowl frequent it, as well as the other lakes in the neighbourhood. Monte Nuovo, or the New Mountain, about four hundred feet high, suddenly appeared in the middle of the Lucrine Lake during the eruptions which occurred in 1538. The Grotto del Cane, so celebrated for its effect on dogs, probably emits the same deadly vapour which formerly issued from Avernus. All these places are to the west of Naples, and close to the bay of Baia, about eight miles from the city “Nullus in orbe sinus Baiis prælucet amænis.” This famous watering place, so celebrated and frequented by the ancient Romans, is now a dreary wilderness. With the exception of Puzzuoli on one side of the bay, and a small village on the other, there is scarcely a house to be seen. Baiæ itself consists of only a few houses; but the remains of temples, theatres, and palaces, prove how populous it must have been during the reigns of the emperors: the shore is covered with their ruins. Close to the promontory of Misenum, so fatal to the trumpeter of Æneas, is a small lake which communicates with the sea, and is pointed out as the Styx of the ancients. The boy who accompanied us as a guide, said, with great gravity, that a man of the name of Charon had formerly ferried many thousands over it to the Elysian fields. On seeing a boat drawn up on the shore, I inquired if that was Charon's boat. He replied, "Non, signior, lungo tempo fa che e morto :-(No, sir, he died long ago.) Where Cumæ stood, nothing now is to be seen but vines and trees growing on the ruins of the houses. A beautiful walnut tree adorns the arena of the amphitheatre, and shrubs and plants cover the space so often occupied by wondering spectators. The besom of destruction has passed over the place. A few solitary houses, inhabited by ignorant, superstitious, and halfnaked peasants, are scattered along the shore, but, like the glimmerings of light which render darkness visible, they only call to mind the varied and animated scene which this delightful retreat must have exhibited when peopled by the masters of the world. "An almost total desolation sits A dreary stillness, saddening o'er the coast THE FAITHLESS LOVER. Nor can the faithless lover always flee THE KNIGHT. BY L. E. L Farewell to thee, dearest! my banner is playing, This brand must be red ere I meet thee again, Oh, daughter of heroes, whose name has no stain,- Around us the walls of our ancient hall wear The pictures of warriors of yore: They look on me now! by each dark brow I swear, The scarf thou hast bound, must be dy'd in the field- When the valiant shall fall, and the coward shall yield, Oh, then I may claim thee as mine! |