Remarks on several parts of Italy, &c. in the years 1701, 1702, 1703:

ROME.

_IT is generally observ'd, that Modern Rome stands higher than the Ancient; some have computed it about Fourteen or Fifteen Feet, taking one Place with another. The Reason given for it is, that the present City stands up|on the Ruins of the former, and indeed I have often observed, that where any considerable Pile of Building stood an|ciently one still finds a rising Ground, or a little kind of Hill, which was doubt|less made up out of the Fragments and Rubbish of the ruin'd Edifice. But be|sides this particular Cause, we may assign another that has very much contributed to the raising the Situation of several Parts of Rome: It being certain the great Quantities of Earth, that have been wash'd off from the Hills by the Vio|lence of Showers, have had no small share in it. This any one may be sensi|ble of who observes how far several Buildings, that stand near the Roots of Mountains, are sunk deeper in the Earth

than those that have been on the Tops of Hills, or in open Plains; for which Reason the present Face of Rome is much more Even and Level than it was for|merly; the same Cause that has rais'd the lower Grounds having contributed to sink those that were higher.

There are in Rome Two Setts of Antiquities, the Christian and the Hea|then. The former, tho' of a fresher Date, are so embroil'd with Fable and Legend, that one receives but little Sa|tisfaction from searching into them. The other give a great deal of Pleasure to such as have met with them before in ancient Authors; for a Man who is in Rome can scarce see an Object that does not call to Mind a Piece of a Latin Po|et or Historian. Among the Remains of Old Rome, the Grandeur of the Com|mon-wealth shows it self chiefly in Works that were either necessary or convenient, such as Temples, High-ways, Aqueducts, Walls and Bridges of the City. On the contrary the Magnificence of Rome, under the Emperors, is seen principally in such Works as were rather for O|stentation or Luxury, than any real Use|fulness or Necessity, as in Baths, Am|phitheaters, Circus's, Obelisks, Trium|phant Pillars, Arches and Mausoleums;

for what they added to the Aqueducts was rather to supply their Baths and Nau|machias, and to embellish the City with Fountains, than out of any real Necessi|ty there was for them. These several Remains have been so copiously describ'd by abundance of Travellers, and other Writers, particularly by those concern'd in the learned Collection of Graevius, that it is very difficult to make any new Dis|coveries on so beaten a Subject. There is however so much to be observ'd in so spacious a Field of Antiquities, that it is almost impossible to survey them with|out taking new Hints, and raising diffe|rent Reflections, according as a Mans na|tural Turn of Thoughts, or the Course of his Studies, direct him.

No Part of the Antiquities of Rome pleas'd me so much as the ancient Sta|tues, of which there is still an incredi|ble Variety. The Workmanship is of|ten the most exquisite of any thing in its kind. A Man would wonder how it were possible for so much Life to en|ter into Marble, as may be discover'd in some of the best of them; and even in the meanest one has the Satisfaction of seeing the Faces, Postures, Airs and Dress of those that have liv'd so many Ages before us. There is a strange Re|semblance

between the Figures of the several Heathen Deities, and the Descri|ptions that the Latin Poets have given us of them; but as the first may be look|ed upon as the ancienter of the Two, I question not but the Roman Poets were the Copiers of the Greek Statuaries. Tho' on other Occasions we often find the Statuaries took their Subjects from the Poets. The Laocoon is too known an Instance among many others that are to be met with at Rome. In the Villa Aldabrandina are the Figures of an Old and Young Man, engag'd together at the Caestus, who are probably the Dares and Entellus of Virgil; where by the way one may observe the Make of the ancient Caestus, that it only consisted of so many large Thongs about the Hand, without any thing like a Piece of Lead at the End of them, as some Writers of Antiquities have falsely imagin'd.

I question not but many Passages in the old Poets hint at several Parts of Sculpture, that were in Vogue in the Author's Time, tho' they are now ne|ver thought of, and that therefore such Passages lose much of their Beauty in the Eye of a Modern Reader, who does not look upon them in the same Light with the Author's Contemporaries. I shall

only mention Two or Three out of Ju|venal, that his Commentators have not taken notice of. The first runs thus,

Multa pudicitiae veteris vestigia forsan, Aut aliqua extiterint, et sub Jove, sed Jo|ve nondum Barbato—Sat. 6.Some thin Remains of Chastity ap|pear'd Ev'n under Jove, but Jove without a Beard.Dryden.

I appeal to any Reader, if the Hu|mour here would not appear much more natural and unforced to a People that saw every Day some or other Statue of this God with a thick bushy Beard, as there are still many of them extant at Rome, than it can to us who have no such Idea of him; especially if we con|sider there was in the same City a Tem|ple Dedicated to the Young Jupiter, call'd Templum Vaejovis, where, in all probability, there stood the particular Statue of a * 1.1 Jupiter Imberbis. Juve|nal, in another Place, makes his Flatte|rer compare the Neck of one that is

but feebly built, to that of Hercules hold|ing up Antaeus from the Earth.

Et longum invalidi collum cervicibus ae|quat Herculis Antaeum procul a tellure tenen|tis.Sat. 3.His long Crane Neck and narrow Shoul|ders praise; You'd think they were describing Her|cules Lifting Anteus—Dryden.

What a strain'd unnatural Similitude must this seem to a Modern Reader, but how full of Humour, if we suppose it alludes to any celebrated Statues of these Two Champions, that stood perhaps in some publick Place or High-way near Rome? And what makes it more than probable there were such Statues, we meet with the Figures, which Juvenal here describes, on Antique Intaglio's and Medals. Nay, Propertius has taken no|tice of the very Statues.

—Luctantum in pulvere signa Herculis Antaeique—Lib. 3. Car. 1.

Antaeus here and stern Alcides strive, And both the grappling Statues seem to live.

I cannot forbear observing here, that the Turn of the Neck and Arms is of|ten commended in the Latin Poets a|mong the Beauties of a Man, as in Ho|race we find both put together, in that beautiful Description of Jealousie.

Dum tu Lydia Telephi Cervicem roseam, et Cerea Telephi Laudas Brachia, vae meum Fervens difficili bile tumet jecur, Tunc nec mens mihi, nec color Certa sede manent: humor et in genas Furtim labitur, arguens Quàm lentis penitus macerer ignibus.

While Telephus's youthful Charms; His rosie Neck, and winding Arms, With endless Rapture you recite, And in the tender Name delight; My Heart, enrag'd by jealous Heats, With numberless Resentments beats, From my pale Cheeks the Colour flies, And all the Man within me dies; By fits my swelling Grief appears In rising Sighs, and falling Tears,

That show too well the warm Desires, The silent, slow, consuming Fires, Which on my inmost Vitals prey, And melt my very Soul away,

This we should be at a Loss to account for, did we not observe in the Old Ro|man Statues, that these Two Parts were always bare, and expos'd to View, as much as our Hands and Face are at pre|sent. I cannot leave Juvenal without ta|king notice that his

Ventilat aestivum digitis sudantilius 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Nec sufferre queat majoris pondera Gem••…••….Sat. 1.Charg'd with light Summor Rings his Fingers sweat, Unable to support a Gem of Weight.Dryden.

was not anciently so great an Hyperbole as it is now, for I have seen old Roman Rings so very thick about, and with such large Stones in 'em, that 'tis no Won|der a Fop should reckon 'em a little cum|bersome in the Summer Season of so hot a Climate.

It is certain that Satyr delights in such Allusions and Instances as are extreamly

natural and familiar: When therefore we see any thing in an old Satyrist that looks forc'd and pedantick, we ought to consider how it appear'd in the Time the Poet writ, and whether or no there might not be some particular Circum|stances to recommend it to the Readers of his own Age, which we are now de|prived of. One of the finest ancient Sta|tues in Rome is a Meleager with a Spear in his Hand, and the Head of a Wild Boar on one Side of him. It is of Pa|rian Marble, and as yellow as Ivory. One meets with many other Figures of Mele|ager in the ancient Basso Relievo's, and on the Sides of the Sarcophagi, or Fune|ral Monuments. Perhaps it was the Arms or Device of the old Roman Hunters; which Conjecture I have found con|firm'd in a Passage of Manilius, that lets us know the Pagan Hunters had Melea|ger for their Patron, as the Christians have their St. Hubert. He speaks of the constellation which makes a good Sports-Man.

—Quibus aspirantibus orti Te Meleagre colunt—Manil. Lib. 1.

I question not but this sets a Verse, in the Fifth Satyr of Juvenal, in a much

better Light than if we suppose that the Poet aims only at the old Story of Mele|ager, without considering it as so very common and familiar a one among the Romans.

—Flavi dignus ferro Meleagri Spumat aper—Juv. S. 5.A Boar intire, and worthy of the Sword Of Meleager, smoaks upon the Board.Mr. Bowles.

In the beginning of the Ninth Satyr Juvenal asks his Friend why he looks like Marsya when he was overcome?

Scire velim quare toties mihi Naevole tristis Occurris fronte obductâ, ceu Marsya victus?

Tell me why saunt'ring thus from Place to Place, I meet thee, Nevolus, with a clouded Face?

Dryden's Juvenal.

Some of the Commentators tell us, that Marsya was a Lawyer who had lost his Cause; others say that this Passage alludes to the Story of the Satire Mar|syas, who contended with Apollo; which I think is more humorous than the other,

if we consider there was a famous Statue of Apollo fleaing Marsya in the midst of the Roman Forum, as there are still se|veral ancient Statues of Rome on the same Subject.

There is a Passage in the Sixth Satyr of Juvenal, that I could never tell what to make of, 'till I had got the Interpre|tation of it from one of Bellorio's ancient Basso Relievo's.

Magnorum Artificum frangebat pocula miles Ut phaleris gauderet Equus: caelataque cassis Romuleae simulacra ferae mansuescere jussae Imperii fato, et geminos sub rupe Quirinos, Ac nudam effigiem clypeo fulgentis et hastâ, Pendentisque Dei, perituro ostenderet hosti.Juv. Sat. 11.Or else a Helmet for himself he made, Where various Warlike Figures were Inlaid: The Roman Wolf suckling the Twins was there, And Mars himself, arm'd with his Shield and Spear, Hov'ring above his Crest, did dreadful show, As threat'ning Death to each resisting Foe.Dryden's Juvenal.

Juvenal here describes the Simplicity of the old Roman Soldiers, and the Fi|gures that were generally Engraven on their Helmets. The First of 'em was the Wolf giving Suck to Romulus and Rhemus: The Second, which is com|prehended in the Two last Verses, is not so Intelligible. Some of the Commen|tators tell us, that the God here men|tion'd is Mars, that he comes to see his Two Sons sucking the Wolf, and that the old Sculptors generally drew their Figures naked, that they might have the Advantage of representing the different Swelling of the Muscles, and the Turns of the Body. But they are extremely at a Loss to know what is meant by the Word Pendentis; some fancy it expresses only the great Embossment of the Fi|gure, others believe it hung off the Hel|met in Alto Relievo, as in the foregoing Translation. Lubin supposes that the God Mars was Engraven on the Shield, and that he is said to be hanging, because the Shield which bore him hung on the Left Shoulder. One of the old Inter|preters is of Opinion, that by hanging is only meant a Posture of bending for|ward to strike the Enemy. Another will have it, that whatever is placed on the Head may be said to hang, as we call

hanging Gardens, such as are planted on the Top of the House. Several learned Men, who like none of these Explica|tions, believe there has been a Fault in the Transcriber, and that Pendentis ought to be Perdentis; but they quote no Ma|nuscript in Favour of their Conjecture. The true Meaning of the Words is cer|tainly as follows. The Roman Soldiers, who were not a little proud of their Founder, and the Military Genius of their Republick, us'd to bear on their Helmets the First History of Romulus, who was begot by the God of War, and suckled by a Wolf. The Figure of the God was made as if descending upon the Priestess Ilia, or as others call her Rhea Silvia. The Occasion required his Body should be naked,

Tu quoque inermis eras cum te formosa Sa|cerdos Cepit: ut huic urbi Semina magna dares.Ov. de Fas. L. 3.Then too, our mighty Sire, thou stood'st disarm'd, When thy rapt Soul the lovely Priestess charm'd, That Rome's high Founder bore—

tho' on other Occasions he is drawn, as Horace has describ'd him, Tunicâ cinctum adamantinâ. The Sculptor however, to distinguish him from the rest of the Gods, gave him what the Medallists call his proper Attributes, a Spear in one Hand, and a Shield in the other. As he was represented descending, his Figure ap|pear'd suspended in the Air over the Ve|stal Virgin, in which Sense the Word Pendentis is extremely proper and Poeti|cal. Besides the Antique Basso Relievo, that made me first think of this Inter|pretation, I have since met with the same Figures on the Reverses of a couple of an|cient Coins, which were stamp'd in the Reign of Antoninus Pius, as a Compli|ment to that Emperor, whom for his Excellent Government and Conduct of the City of Rome, the Senate regarded as a Second kind of Founder.

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TRPOT COSIII S C

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IMPERATOR III S C

Ilia Vestalis (quid enim vetat inde moveri) Sacra lavaturas manè petebat aquas: Fessa resedit humi, ventosque accepit aperto Pectore; turbatas restituitque comas. Dum sedet; umbrosae salices volucresque canorae Fecerunt Somnos et leve murmur aquae.

Blanda quies victis furtim subrepit ocellis, Et cadit a mento languida facta manus? Mars videt hanc, visamque cupit, potitur|que cupitâ: Et sua divinâ furta fefellit ope. Somnus abit: jacet illa gravis, jam scilicet intra Viscera Romanae conditor urbis erat.Ov. de Fastis, Lib. 3. Eleg. 1.As the Fair Vestal to the Fountain came, (Let none be startled at a Vestal's Name) Tir'd with the Walk, she laid her down to rest, And to the Winds expos'd her glowing Breast To take the Freshness of the Morning Air, And gather'd in a Knot her flowing Hair: While thus she rested on her Arm re|clin'd, The hoary Willows waving with the Wind, And Feather'd Quires that warbled in the Shade, And purling Streams that through the Meadow stray'd, In drowsie Murmurs lull'd the gentle Maid. The God of War beheld the Virgin lye, The God beheld her with a Lover's Eye,

And by so tempting an Occasion press'd, The beauteous Maid, whom he beheld, possess'd: Conceiving as she slept, her fruitful Womb Swell'd with the Founder of Immortal Rome.

I cannot quit this Head without taking notice of a Line in Seneca the Tragedian.

—Primus emergit solo Dextrâ ferocem cornibus premens taurum Zetus—Sen. OEdip. Act. 3.—First Zetus rises through the Ground, Bending the Bull's tough Neck with Pain, That tosses back his Horns in vain.

I cannot doubt but the Poet had here in view the Posture of Zetus in the famous Groupe of Figures, which represents the Two Brothers binding Dirce to the Horns of a mad Bull.

I could not forbear taking particular notice of the several Musical Instruments, that are to be seen in the Hands of the Apollo's, Muses, Fauns, Satyrs, Baccha|nais and Shepherds, which might cer|tainly give a great Light to the Dispute for Preference between the Ancient and

Modern Musick. It would perhaps be no impertinent design to take off all their Models in Wood, which might not only give us some Notion of the ancient Mu|sick, but help us to pleasanter Instru|ments than are now in use. By the Ap|pearance they make in Marble, there is not One String-Instrument that seems comparable to our Violins, for they are all play'd on, either by the bare Fingers, or the Plectrum, so that they were in|capable of adding any length to their Notes, or of varying 'em by those in|sensible Swellings, and wearings away of Sound upon the same String, which give so wonderful a Sweetness to our Modern Musick. Besides, that the String-Instru|ments must have had very low and feeble Voices, as may be guess'd from the small Proportion of Wood about 'em, which could not contain Air enough to render the Strokes, in any considerable mea|sure, full and sonorous. There is a great deal of difference in the Make, not only of the several kinds of Instruments, but even among those of the same Name. The Syringa, for Example, has sometimes Four, and sometimes more Pipes, as high as to Twelve. The same Variety of Strings may be observed on their Harps, and of Stops on their Tibiae, which shows

the little Foundation that such Writers have gone upon, who from a Verse per|haps in Virgil's Eclogues, or a short Pas|sage in a Classic Author, have been so very nice in determining the precise Shape of the ancient Musical Instruments, with the exact Number of their Pipes, Strings and Stops. It is indeed the usual Fault of the Writers of Antiquities, to streighten and confine themselves to particular Mo|dels. They are for making a kind of Stamp on every thing of the same Name, and if they find any thing like an old De|scription of the Subject they Treat on, they take care to regulate it on all Oc|casions, according to the Figure it makes in such a single Passage: As the learned German Author, quoted by Monsieur Baudelot, who had probably never seen any thing of a Houshold-God, more than a Canopus, affirms roundly, that all the ancient Lares were made in the Fashion of a Jug-Bottle. In short, the Antiqua|ries have been guilty of the same Fault as the Systeme-Writers, who are for cramping their Subjects into as narrow a Space as they can, and for reducing the whole Extent of a Science into a few general Maxims. This a Man has occa|sion of observing more than once, in the several Fragments of Antiquity that are

still to be seen in Rome. How many Dresses are there for each particular De|ity? What a Variety of Shapes in the ancient Urns, Lamps, Lachrymary Ves|sels, Priapus's, Houshold-Gods, which have some of 'em been represented under such a particular Form, as any one of 'em has been describ'd with in an ancient Author, and would probably be all so, were they not still to be seen in their own Vindication? Madam Dacier, from some old Cuts of Terence, fancies that the Larva or Persona of the Roman Actors, was not only a Vizard for the Face, but had false Hair to it, and came over the whole Head like a Helmet. Among all the Statues at Rome, I remember to have seen but Two that are the Figures of Actors, which are both in the Villa Mat|thei. One sees on 'em the Fashion of the old Sock and Larva, the latter of which answers the Description that is given of it by this learned Lady, tho' I question not but several others were in use; for I have seen the Figure of Tha|lia, the Comic Muse, sometimes with an entire Head-piece in her Hand, some|times with about half the Head, and a little Friz, like a Tower, running round the Edges of the Face, and sometimes with a Mask for the Face only, like those

of a Modern Make. Some of the Ita|lian Actors wear at present these Masks for the whole Head. I remember for|merly I could have no Notion of that Fable in Phaedrus, before I had seen the Figures of these entire Head-pieces.

Personam Tragicam fortè vulpes viderat: O Quanta Species, inquit, cerebrum non habet!L. 1. Fab. 7.As wily Renard walk'd the Streets at Night, On a Tragedian's Mask he chanc'd to light, Turning it o'er, he mutter'd with Dis|dain, How vast a Head is here without a Brain!

I find Madam Dacier has taken no|tice of this Passage in Phaedrus, upon the same Occasion; but not of the follow|ing one in Martial, which alludes to the same kind of Masks.

Non omnes fallis, scit te Proserpina ca|num, Personam capiti detrahet illa tuo.L. 3. Ep. 43.

Why should'st thou try to hide thy self in Youth? Impartial Proserpine beholds the Truth, And, laughing at so fond and vain a Task, Will strip thy hoary Noddle of its Mask.

In the Villa Borghese is the Bust of a young Nero, which shows us the Form of an ancient Bulla on the Breast, which is neither like a Heart, as Macrobius de|scribes it, nor altogether resembles that in Cardinal Chigi's Cabinet; so that with|out establishing a particular Instance in|to a general Rule, we ought, in Subjects of this Nature, to leave room for the Humour of the Artist or Wearer. There are many Figures of Gladiators at Rome, tho' I don't remember to have seen any of the Retiarius, the Samnite, or the Antagonist to the Pinnirapus. But what I could not find among the Statues, I met with in Two Antique Pieces of Mosaic, which are in the Possession of a Cardinal. The Retiarius is engag'd with the Samnite, and has had so lucky a Throw, that his Net covers the whole Body of his Adversary from Head to Foot, yet his Antagonist recover'd him|self out of the Toiles, and was Con|queror,

according to the Inscription. In another Piece is represented the Com|bat of the Pinnirapus, who is arm'd like the Samnite, and not like the Reti|arius, as some learned Men have suppo|sed: On the Helmet of his Antagonist are seen the Two Pinnae, that stand up on either Side like the Wings in the Petasus of a Mercury, but rise much higher, and are more pointed.

There is no part of the Roman Anti|quities that we are better acquainted with, than what relates to their Sacri|fices. For as the Old Romans were ve|ry much devoted to their Religion, we see several Parts of it entering their an|cient Basso Relievo's, Statues and Me|dals, not to mention their Altars, Tombs, Monuments, and those particular Or|naments of Architecture which were borrow'd from it. An Heathen Ritual could not instruct a Man better than these several Pieces of Antiquity, in the parti|cular Ceremonies and Punctilio's that at|tended the different kinds of Sacrifices. Yet there is a much greater Variety in the Make of the Sacrificing Instruments, than one finds in those who have Treat|ed of them, or have given us their Pi|ctures. For not to insist too long on such a Subject, I saw in Signior Anto|nio

Politi's Collection a Patera without any rising in the middle, as it is gene|nerally Engraven, and another with a Handle to it, as Macrobius describes it, tho' it is quite contrary to any that I have ever seen cut in Marble; and I have observed perhaps several Hundreds. I might here enlarge on the Shape of the Triumphal Chariot, which is diffe|rent in some Pieces of Sculpture from what it appears in others; and on the Figure of the Discus, that is to be seen in the Hand of the celebrated Castor at Don Livio's, which is perfectly round, and not oblong, as some Antiquaries have represented it, nor has it any thing like a Sling fasten'd to it, to add force to the Toss.

Protinus imprudens, actusque cupidine lu|sus Tollere Taenarides orbem properabat— —De Hyacinthi disco.Ov. Met. L. 10.Th' unwary Youth, impatient for the Cast, Went to snatch up the rolling Orb in haste.

Notwithstanding there are so great a Multitude of cloath'd Statues at Rome,

I could never discover the several diffe|rent Roman Garments, for 'tis very dif|ficult to Trace out the Figure of a Vest, thro' all the Plaits and Foldings of the Drapery; besides, that the Roman Gar|ments did not differ from each other, so much by the Shape as by the Em|broidery and Colour, the one of which was too nice for the Statuary's Observa|tion, as the other does not lye within the Expression of the Chissel. I obser|ved, in abundance of Bas Reliefs, that the Cinctus Gabinus is nothing else but a long Garment, not unlike a Surplice, which would have trail'd on the Ground had it hung loose, and was therefore ga|ther'd about the middle with a Girdle. After this it is worth while to read the laborious Description that Ferrarius has made of it.

Cinctus Gabinus non aliud fuit quàm cum togae lacinia laevo brachio subducta in tergum ita rejiciebatur, ut contracta retraheretur ad pectus, atque i|ta in nodum necteretur; qui nodus sive cin|ctus togam contrahebat, brevioremque et strictiorem reddidit. De re Vestiar. L. 1. C. 14.

Lipsius's Description of the Sam|nite Armour, seems drawn out of the very Words of Livy; yet not long ago a Statue, which was dug up at Rome, dress'd in this kind of Armour, gives a

much different Explication of Livy from what Lipsius has done. This Figure was superscrib'd BA. TO. NI. from whence Fabretti concludes, that it was a Monu|ment erected to the Gladiator Bato, who after having succeeded in Two Com|bats, was kill'd in the Third, and ho|nourably Interr'd by Order of the Em|peror Caracalla. The manner of Pun|ctuation after each Sillable is to be met with in other Antique Inscriptions. I confess I could never learn where this Figure is now to be seen, but I think it may serve as an Instance of the great Un|certainty of this Science of Antiquities. * 1.2

In a Palace of Prince Cesarini I saw Busts of all the Antonine Family, which were dug up about Two Years since, not far from Albano, in a Place where is suppos'd to have stood a Villa of Mar|cus Aurelius. There are the Heads of Antoninus Pius, the Faustina's, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, a young Com|modus, and Annius Verus, all incompa|rably well cut.

Tho' the Statues that have been found among the Ruins of Old Rome are al|ready very numerous, there is no questi|on but Posterity will have the Pleasure

of seeing many noble Pieces of Sculp|ture which are still undiscovered, for doubtless there are greater Treasures of this Nature under Ground, than what are yet brought to Light. They have often dug into Lands that are describ'd in old Authors, as the Places where such particular Statues or Obelisks stood, and have seldom fail'd of Success in their Pursuits. There are still many such pro|mising Spots of Ground that have ne|ver been searched into. A great part of the Palatine Mountain, for Exam|ple, lyes untouch'd, which was former|ly the Seat of the Imperial Palace, and may be presum'd to abound with more Treasures of this Nature than any other Part of Rome.

Ecce Palatino crevit reverentia monti, Exultatque habitante Deo, potioraque Del|phis Supplicibus latè populis oracula pandit. Non alium certè decuit rectoribus orbis Esse Larem, nulloque magis se colle potestas Aestimat et summi sentit fastigia juris. Attollens apicem subjectis regia rostris Tot circum delubra videt, tantisque Deo|rum Cingitur excubiis—Claud. de Sexto Consulat. Honorii.

The Palatine, proud Rome's Imperial Seat, (An awful Pile!) stands venerably Great: Thither the Kingdoms and the Nations come, In supplicating Crouds to learn their Doom; To Delphi less th' enquiring Worlds repair, Nor does a greater God inhabit there: This sure the pompous Mansion was de|sign'd To please the mighty Rulers of Man|kind; Inferior Temples rise on either Hand, And on the Borders of the Palace stand, While o'er the rest her Head she proud|ly rears, And lodg'd amidst her Guardian Gods appears.

But whether it be that the richest of these Discoveries fall into the Pope's Hands, or for some other Reason, it is said that the Prince Farnese, who is the present Owner of this Seat, will keep it from being turn'd up 'till he sees one of his own Family in the Chair. There are Undertakers in Rome who often pur|chase the digging of Fields, Gardens,

or Vineyards, where they find any like|lihood of succeeding, and some have been known to arrive at great Estates by it. They pay according to the Dimen|sions of the Surface they are to break up, and after having made Essays into it, as they do for Coal in England, they rake into the most promising Parts of it, tho' they often find, to their Disap|pointment, that others have been before|hand with 'em. However they gene|rally gain enough by the Rubbish and Bricks, which the present Architects va|lue much beyond those of a Modern Make, to defray the Charges of their Search. I was shown Two Spaces of Ground, where part of Nero's Golden House stood, for which the Owner has been offer'd an extraordinary Sum of Mony. What encourag'd the Undertakers are several very ancient Trees, which grow upon the Spot, from whence they conclude that these particular Tracts of Ground must have lain untouch'd for some Ages. 'Tis pity there is not some|thing like a publick Register, to preserve the Memory of such Statues as have been found from time to time, and to mark the particular Places where they have been taken up, which would not only prevent many fruitless Searches for the

future, but might often give a considera|rable Light into the Quality of the Place, or the Design of the Statue.

But the great Magazine for all kinds of Treasure is supposed to be the Bed of the Tiber. We may be sure, when the Romans lay under the Apprehensions of seeing their City sack'd by a barbarous Enemy, as they have done more than once, that they would take care to be|stow such of their Riches this way as could best bear the Water: besides what the Insolence of a Brutish Conqueror may be supposed to have contributed, who had an Ambition to waste and destroy all the Beauties of so celebrated a City. I need not mention the old Common-shore of Rome, which ran from all Parts of the Town with the Current and Vio|lence of an ordinary River, nor the fre|quent Inundations of the Tiber, which may have swept away many of the Or|naments of its Banks, nor the several Statues that the Romans themselves flung into it, when they would revenge them|selves on the Memory of an ill Citizen, a dead Tyrant, or a Discarded Favourite. At Rome they have so general an Opini|on of the Riches of this River, that the Jews have formerly proffer'd the Pope to cleanse it, so they might have, for

their Pains, what they found in the Bo|some of it. I have seen the Valley near Ponte molle, which they propos'd to fa|shion into a new Channel for it, 'till they had clear'd the old for its Reception. The Pope however would not comply with the Proposal, as fearing the Heats might advance too far before they had finished their Work, and produce a Pesti|lence among his People; tho' I don't see why such a Design might not be ex|ecuted now with as little Danger as in Augustus's Time, were there as many Hands employ'd upon it. The City of Rome would receive a great Advantage from the Undertaking, as it would raise the Banks and deepen the Bed of the Tiber, and by Consequence free 'em from those frequent Inundations to which they are so subject at present; for the Channel of the River is observed to be narrower within the Walls, than either below or above them.

Before I quit this Subject of the Sta|tues, I think it very observable, that a|mong those which are already found there should be so many not only of the same Persons, but made after the same Design. One would not indeed wonder to see se|veral Figures of particular Deities and Emperors, who had a Multitude of Tem|ples

erected to 'em, and had their seve|ral Sets of Worshippers and Admirers. Thus Ceres, the most beneficent and useful of the Heathen Divinities, has more Statues than any other of the Gods or Goddesses, as several of the Roman Emperesses took a Pleasure to be re|presented in her Dress. And I believe one finds as many Figures of that excel|lent Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as of all the rest together; because the Romans had so great a Veneration for his Memo|ry, that it grew into a part of their Re|ligion to preserve a Statue of him in al|most every private Family. But how comes it to pass, that so many of these Statues are cut after the very same Mo|del, and not only of these, but of such as had no Relation, either to the Inte|rest or Devotion of the Owner, as the dying Cleopatra, the Narcissus, the Faune leaning against the Trunk of a Tree, the Boy with the Bird in his Hand, the Leda and her Swan, with many others of the same Nature. I must confess I always look upon Figures of this kind, as the Copies of some celebrated Master-piece, and question not but they were famous Originals, that gave Rise to the several Statues which we see with the same Air, Posture, and Attitudes: What confirms

me in this Conjecture, there are many ancient Statues of the Venus de Medicis, the Silenus with the young Bacchus in his Arms, the Hercules Farnese, the An|tinöus, and other beautiful Originals of the Ancients, that are already drawn out of the Rubbish, where they lay conceal'd for so many Ages. Among the rest I have observed more that are form'd after the Design of the Venus of Medicis than of any other, from whence I believe one may conclude, that it was the most celebrated Statue among the Anci|ents, as well as among the Moderns. It has always been usual for Sculptors to work upon the best Models, as it is for those that are Curious to have Copies of them.

I am apt to think something of the same Account may be given of the Resemblance that we meet with in many of the Antique Basso Relievo's. I re|member I was very well pleased with the Device of one that I met with on the Tomb of a young Roman Lady, which had beem made for her by her Mother. The Sculptor had chosen the Rape of Proserpine for his Device, where in one End you might see the God of the Dead (Pluto) hurrying away a beau|tiful young Virgin, (Proserpine) and at the other the Grief and Distraction of

the Mother (Ceres) on that Occasion. I have since observed the same Device up|on several Sarcophagi, that have enclos'd the Ashes of Men or Boys, Maids or Matrons; for when the Thought took, tho' at first it received its Rise from such a particular Occasion as I have mention'd, the Ignorance of the Sculptors apply'd it promiscuously. I know there are Authors who discover a Mystery in this Device.

A Man is sometimes surprized to find so many extravagant Fancies as are cut on the old Pagan Tombs. Masks, Hun|ting-matches, and Bacchanals are very common; sometimes one meets with a lewd Figure of a Priapus, and in the Villa Pamphilia is seen a Satyr coupling with a Goat. There are however many of a more serious Nature, that shadow out the Existence of the Soul after Death, and the Hopes of a happy Im|mortality. I cannot leave the Basso Relie|vo's without mentioning one of 'em, where the Thought is extreamly noble. It is call'd Homer's Apotheosis, and con|sists of a Groupe of Figures cut in the same Block of Marble, and rising one a|bove another by Four or Five different Ascents. Jupiter sits at the Top of it with a Thunderbolt in his Hand, and,

in such a Majesty as Homer himself re|presents him, presides over the Ceremony.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

Immediately beneath him are the Fi|gures of the Nine Muses, suppos'd to be celebrating the Praises of the Poet. Homer himself is placed at one End of the lowest Row, sitting in a Chair of State, which is supported on each Side by the Figure of a kneeling Woman. The one holds a Sword in her Hand to represent the Iliad, or Actions of Achil|les, as the other has an Aplustre to repre|sent the Odyssy, or Voyage of Ulysses. About the Poet's Feet are creeping a Couple of Mice, as an Emblem of the Batracho-myomachia. Behind the Chair stands Time, and the Genius of the Earth, distinguish'd by their proper At|tributes, and putting a Garland on the Poet's Head, to intimate the mighty Re|putation he has gain'd in all Ages, and in all Nations of the World. Before him stands an Altar with a Bull ready to be Sacrific'd to the new God, and behind the Victim a Train of the several Vertues that are represented in Homer's

Works, or to be learnt out of them, lifting up their Hands in Admiration of the Poet, and in Applause of the Solem|nity. This Antique Piece of Sculpture is in the Possession of the Constable Co|lonna, but never shown to those who see the Palace, unless they particularly desire it.

Among the great Variety of ancient Coins which I saw at Rome, I could not but take particular notice of such as re|late to any of the Buildings or Statues that are still Extant. Those of the First kind have been already publish|ed by the Writers of the Roman An|tiquities, and may be most of them met with in the last Edition of Donatus, as the Pillars of Trajan and Antonine, the Arches of Drusus Germanicus, and Sep|timius Severus, the Temples of Janus, Concord, Vesta, Jupiter tonans, Apollo and Faustina, the Circus Maximus, Ago|nalis, and that of Caracalla, or, accor|ding to Fabretti, of Galienus, of Vespa|sian's Amphitheater, and Alexander Se|verus's Baths; tho', I must confess, the Subject of the last may be very well doubted of. As for the Meta sudans and Pons Aelius, which have gain'd a Place among the Buildings that are now standing, and to be met with on old Reverses of Medals: The Coin that

shows the first is generally rejected as spurious: nor is the other, tho' cited in the last Edition of Monsieur Vaillant, esteem'd more Authentick by the present Roman Medallists, who are certainly the most skilful in the World, as to the Mecha|nical Part of this Science. I shall close up this Set of Medals with a very Cu|rious one, as large as a Medalion, that is singular in its kind. On one Side is the Head of the Emperor Trajan, the Reverse has on it the Circus Maximus, and a View of the Side of the Palatine Mountain that faces it, on which are seen several Edifices, and among the rest the famous Temple of Apollo, that has still a considerable Ruin standing. This Medal I saw in the Hands of Monseig|neur Strozzi, Brother to the Duke of that Name, who has many Curiosities in his Possession, and is very obliging to a Stranger who desires the Sight of 'em. It is a surprising thing; that among the great Pieces of Architecture repre|sented on the old Coins, one can never meet with the Pantheon, the Mausolaeum of Augustus, Nero's Golden House, the Moles Adriani, the Septizonium of Seve|rus, the Baths of Dioclesian, &c. But since it was the Custom of the Roman Emperors thus to Register their most

remarkable Buildings, as well as Actions, and since there are several in either of these kinds not to be found on Medals, more extraordinary than those that are; we may, I think, with great Reason suspect our Collections of old Coins to be extremely deficient, and that those which are already found out scarce bear a Proportion to what are yet undisco|ver'd. A Man takes a great deal more Pleasure in surveying the ancient Statues, who compares them with Medals, than it is possible for him to do without some little Knowledge this way; for these Two Arts illustrate each other; and as there are several Particulars in History and Antiquities which receive a great Light from ancient Coins, so would it be impossible to Decipher the Faces of the many Statues that are to be seen at Rome, without so Universal a Key to them. It is this that teaches to distin|guish the Kings and Consuls, Emperors and Emperesses, the Deities and Virtues, with a Thousand other Particulars re|lating to Statuary, and not to be learnt by any other Means. In the Villa Pam|philia stands the Statue of a Man in Woman's Cloaths, which the Anti|quaries do not know what to make of, and therefore pass it off for an Her|maphrodite;

But a learned Medallist in Rome has lately fix'd it to Clodius, who is so famous for having intruded into the S••••emnities of the Bona Dea in a Woman's Habit, for one sees the same Features and Make of Face in a Medal of the Clodian Family.

I have seen on Coins the Four finest Figures perhaps that are now Extant: The Hercules Farnese, the Venus of Me|dicis, the Apollo in the Belvidere, and the famous Marcus Aurelius on Horse|back. The oldest Medal that the First appears upon is one of Commodus, the Second on one of Faustina, the Third on one of Antoninus Pius, and the last on one of Lucius Verus. We may con|clude, I think, from hence, that these Statues were extremely celebrated a|mong the old Romans, or they would never have been honoured with a Place among the Emperor's Coins. We may further observe, that all Four of 'em make their first Appearance in the An|tonine Family, for which Reason I am apt to think they are all of them the Pro|duct of that Age. They would proba|bly have been mentioned by Pliny the Naturalist, who liv'd in the next Reign, save one, before Antoninus Pius, had they been made in his Time. As for the

Brazen Figure of Marcus Aurelius on Horseback, there is no doubt of its be|ing of this Age, tho' I must confess it may be doubted, whether the Medal I have cited represents it. All I can say for it is, that the Horse and Man on the Medal are in the same Posture as they are on the Statue, and that there is a Resemblance of Marcus Aurelius's Face, for I have seen this Reverse on a Meda|lion of Don Livio's Cabinet, and much more distinctly in another very beautiful one, that is in the Hands of Signior Marc. Antonio. It is generally objected, that Lucius Verus would rather have placed the Figure of himself on Horseback up|on the Reverse of his own Coin, than the Figure of Marcus Aurelius. But it is very well known that an Emperor often stamp'd on his Coins the Face or Ornaments of his Collegue, as an In|stance of his Respect or Friendship for him; and we may suppose Lucius Verus would omit no Opportunity of doing Honour to Marcus Aurelius, whom he rather revered as his Father, than treat|ed as his Partner in the Empire. The Famous Antinous in the Belvidere must have been made too about this Age, for he dyed towards the middle of Adrian's Reign, the immediate Predecessor of

Antoninus Pius. This entire Figure, tho' not to be found in Medals, may be seen in several precious Stones. Monsi|eur La Chausse, the Author of the Mu|saeum Romanum, show'd me an Antinous that he has published in his last Volume, cut in a Cornelian, which he values at Fifty Pistoles. It represents him in the Habit of a Mercury, and is the finest In|taglia that I ever saw.

Next to the Statues, there is nothing in Rome more surprising than that a|mazing variety of ancient Pillars of so many kinds of Marble. As most of the old Statues may be well supposed to have been cheaper to their first Owners, than they are to a Modern Purchaser, several of the Pillars are certainly rated at a much lower Price at present than they were of old. For not to mention what a huge Column of Granite, Serpentine, or Porphyry must have cost in the Quar|ry, or in its Carriage from Egypt to Rome, we may only consider the great Difficulty of hewing it into any Form, and of giving it the due Turn, Propor|tion and Polish. It is well known how these sorts of Marble resist the Impres|sions of such Instruments as are now in use. There is indeed a Milanese at Rome who works in them, but his Advances

are so very slow, that he scarce lives up|on what he gains by it. He show'd me a Piece of Porphyry work'd into an or|dinary Salver, which had cost him Four Months continual Application, before he could bring it into that Form. The Ancients had probably some Secret to harden the Edges of their Tools, with|out recurring to those Extravagant Opi|nions of their having an Art to mollifie the Stone, or that it was naturally softer at its first cutting from the Rock, or what is still more absurd, that it was an artificial Composition, and not the na|tural Product of Mines and Quarries. The most valuable Pillars about Rome, for the Marble of which they are made, are the Four Columns of Oriental Ja|sper in St. Paulina's Chappel at St. Ma|ria Maggiore; Two of Oriental Gra|nite in St. Pudenziana; One of Tran|sparent Oriental Jasper in the Vatican Library; Four of Nero-Bianco in St. Cecilia Trans-tevere; Two of Brocatel|lo, and Two of Oriental Agate in Don Livio's Palace; Two of Giallo Antico in St. John Lateran, and Two of Verdi Antique in the Villa Pamphilia. These are all entire and solid Pillars, and made of such kinds of Marble as are no where to be found but among Antiquities, whe|ther

it be that the Veins of it are un|discovered, or that they were quite ex|hausted upon the ancient Buildings. Among these old Pillars I cannot forbear reckoning a great Part of an Alablaster Column, which was found in the Ruins of Livia's Portico. It is of the Colour of Fire, and may be seen over the high Altar of St. Maria in Campitello, for they have cut it into Two Pieces, and fix'd it in the Shape of a Cross in a Hole of the Wall that was made on purpose to receive it; so that the Light passing thro' it from without, makes it look, to those who are in the Church, like a huge transparent Cross of Amber. As for the Workmanship of the old Roman Pillars, Monsieur Desgodetz, in his ac|curate Measures of these Ruins has ob|served, that the Ancients have not kept to the nicety of Proportion, and the Rules of Art, so much as the Moderns in this Particular. Some, to excuse this Defect, lay the Blame of it on the Work|men of Aegypt, and of other Nations, who sent most of the ancient Pillars ready shap'd to Rome: Others say that the An|cients, knowing Architecture was chiefly design'd to please the Eye, only took care to avoid such Disproportions as were gross enough to be observ'd by the

Sight, without minding whether or no they approach'd to a Mathematical Ex|actness: Others will have it rather to be an Effect of Art, and of what the Italians, call the Gusto grande, than of any Negli|gence in the Architect; for they say the Ancients always consider'd the Situ|ation of a Building, whether it were high or low, in an open Square or in a narrow Street, and more or less devia|ted from their Rules of Art, to comply with the several Distances and Elevations from which their Works were to be re|garded. It is said there is an Ionic Pillar in the Santa Maria Transtevere, where the Marks of the Compass are still to be seen on the Volute, and that Palladio learnt from hence the working of that difficult Problem; but I never could find time to examine all the old Columns of that Church. Among the Pil|lars I must not pass over the Two no|blest in the World, those of Trajan and Antonine. There could not have been a more magnificent Design than that of Trajan's Pillar. Where could an Empe|ror's Ashes have been so nobly lodg'd, as in the midst of his Metropolis, and on the Top of so exalted a Monument, with the greatest of his Actions under|neath him? Or, as some will have it,

his Statue was on the Top, his Urn at the Foundation, and his Battles in the midst. The Sculpture of it is too well known to be here mention'd. The most remarkable Piece in Antonine's Pillar is the Figure of Jupiter Pluvius, sending down Rain on the fainting Army of Marcus Aurelius, and Thunderbolts on his Ene|mies, which is the greatest Confirma|tion possible of the Story of the Christian Legion, and will be a standing Evidence for it, when any Passage in an old Au|thor may be supposed to be forged. The Figure that Jupiter here makes among the Clouds, puts me in Mind of a Passage in the Aeneid, which gives just such a|nother Image of him. Virgil's Inter|preters are certainly to blame, that sup|pose it is nothing but the Air which is here meant by Jupiter.

Quantus ab occasu veniens pluvialibus haedis Verberat imber humum, quàm multâ gran|dine nimbi In vada praecipitant, quum Jupiter horri|das austris Torqu••t aquosam hyemem, & caelo cava nu|bila rumpit.Aen. 9.

The Combat thickens, like the Storm that flies From Westward, when the show'ry Kids arise: Or patt'ring Hail comes pouring on the Main, When Jupiter descends in harden'd Rain, Or bellowing Clouds burst with a stor|my Sound, And with an armed Winter strew the Ground.Dryden.

I have seen a Medal that, according to the Opinion of many learned Men, re|lates to the same Story. The Empe|ror is entitled on it Germanicus, (as it was in the Wars of Germany that this Circumstance happened) and carries on the Reverse a Thunderbolt in his Hand; for the Heathens attributed the same Miracle to the Piety of the Empe|ror, that the Christians ascribed to the Prayers of their Legion. Fulmen de coe|lo precibus suis contra hostium Machina|mentum Marcus extorsit, suis pluviâ impe|tratâ cùm siti laborarent. Jul. Capit.

Claudian takes notice of this Miracle, and has given the same Reason for it.

—Ad templa vocatus

Clemens Marce redis, cum gentibus undi|que cinctam Exuit Hesperiam paribus fortuna periclis. Laus ibi nulla ducum, nam flammeus im|ber in hostem Decidit, hunc dorso trepidum fumante fe|rebat Ambustus sonipes; hic tabescente solutus Subsedit galeâ, liquefactaque fulgure-cuspis Canduit, et subitis fluxere vaporibus enses. Tunc, contenta polo, mortalis nescia teli Pugna fuit. Chaldaea mago seu carmina ritu Armavere Deos: seu, quod reor, omne to|nantis Obsequium Marci mores potuere mereri.De Sexto Cons. Hon.So mild Aurelius to the Gods repaid The grateful Vows that in his Fears he made, When Latium from unnumber'd Foes was freed: Nor did he Then by his own Force suc|ceed; But with descending Show'rs of Brim|stone fir'd, The wild Barbarian in the Storm ex|pir'd.

Wrapt in devouring Flames the Horse|man rag'd, And spurr'd the Steed in equal Flames engag'd: Another pent in his scorch'd Armour glow'd, While from his Head the melting Hel|met flow'd; Swords by the Light'ning's subtile Force distill'd, And the cold Sheath with running Me|tal fill'd: No Human Arm its weak Assistance brought, But Heav'n, offended Heav'n, the Bat|tel fought; Whether dark Magick and Chaldean Charms Had fill'd the Skies, and set the Gods in Arms; Or good Aurelius (as I more believe) Deserv'd whatever Aid the Thunderer could give.

I do not remember that M. Dacier, among several Quotations on this Sub|ject, in the Life of Marcus Aurelius, has taken Notice, either of the forementi|oned Figure on the Pillar of Marcus Antoninus, or of the Beautiful Passage I have quoted out of Claudian.

It is pity the Obelisks in Rome had not been charged with several Parts of the Egyptian Histories instead of Hie|rogliphics, which might have given no small Light to the Antiquities of that Nation, which are now quite sunk out of sight in those remoter Ages of the World. Among the Triumphal Arches, that of Constantine is not only the no|blest of any in Rome, but in the World. I search'd narrowly into it, especially among those Additions of Sculpture made in the Emperor's own Age, to see if I could find any Marks of the Appa|rition, that is said to have preceded the very Victory which gave Occasion to the Triumphal Arch. But there are not the least Traces of it to be met with, which is not very strange, if we consi|der that the greatest Part of the Orna|ments were taken from Trajan's Arch, and set up to the new Conqueror in no small haste, by the Senate and People of Rome, who were then most of them Heathens. There is however something in the Inscription, which is as old as the Arch it self, that seems to hint at the Emperor's Vision. Imp. Caes. Fl. Con|stantino maximo P. F. Augusto S. P. Q. R. quod instinctu Divinitatis mentis mag|nitudine cum exercitu suo tam de Tyran|no

quàm de omni ejus Factione uno tempore justis Rempublicam ultus est armis arcum triumphis insignem dicavit. There is no Statue of this Emperor at Rome with a Cross to it, tho' the Ecclesiastical Hi|storians say there were many such ere|cted to him. I have seen of his Medals that were stamp'd with it, and a very remarkable one of his Son Constantius, where he is Crown'd by a Victory on the Reverse with this Inscription, In hoc Signo Victor eris ☧. This Triumphal Arch, and some other Buildings of the same Age, show us that Architecture held up its Head after all the other Arts of Designing were in a very weak and languishing Condition, as it was pro|bably the first among them that revived. If I was surprized not to find the Cross in Constantine's Arch, I was as much dis|appointed not to see the Figure of the Temple of Jerusalem on that of Titus, where are represented the Golden Can|dlestick, the Table of Shew-bread, and the River Jordan. Some are of Opini|on, that the composite Pillars of this Arch were made in Imitation of the Pillars of Solomon's Temple, and observe that these are the most ancient of any that are found of that Order.

It is almost impossible for a Man to form, in his Imagination, such beautiful and glorious Scenes as are to be met with in several of the Roman Churches and Chappels; for having such a pro|digious Stock of ancient Marble within the very City, and at the same time so many different Quarries in the Bowels of their Country, most of their Chap|pels are laid over with such a rich Va|riety of Incrustations, as cannot possibly be found in any other Part of the World. And notwithstanding the incredible Sums of Mony which have been alrea|dy laid out this way, there is still the same Work going forward in other Parts of Rome, the last still endeavour|ing to out-shine those that went before them. Painting, Sculpture and Archi|tecture are at present far from being in a flourishing Condition, but 'tis thought they may all recover themselves under the present Pontificate, if the Wars and Confusions of Italy will give them leave. For as the Pope is himself a Master of polite Learning, and a great Encourager of Arts, so at Rome any of these Arts immediately thrives under the Encou|ragement of the Prince, and may be fetched up to its Perfection in Ten or a Dozen Years, which is the Work of an

Age or Two in other Countries, where they have not such excellent Models to form themselves upon.

I shall conclude my Observations on Rome, with a Letter of King Henry the Eighth to Ann of Bulleyn, transcribed out of the famous Manuscript in the Va|tican, which the Bishop of Salisbury assures us is written with the King's own Hand.

The Cause of my Writing at this Time is to hear of your Health and Prosperity, of which I would be as glad as in manner of my own, praying God that it be his Pleasure to send us short|ly together, for I promise I long for it; howbeit I trust it shall not be long too, and seeing my Darling is absent, I can no less do than send her some Flesh, Prognosticating that hereafter thou must have some of mine, which, if he please, I would have now. As touching your Sister's Mother, I have consign'd Walter Welsh to write to my Lord Manwring my Mind there|in, whereby I trust he shall not have Power to disseid her; for surely, what|ever is said, it cannot so stand with his Honour, but that he must needs take his natural Daughter in her ex|treme

Necessity. No more to you at this time, my own Darling, but that with a Whistle I wish we were together one Evening; by the Hand of Yours,

HENRY.

These Letters are always shown to an Englishman that visits the Vatican Library.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vid. Ov. de fastis, Li. 3. Ecl. 7.
• * 1.2

  Vid. Fabr. de Columnâ Trajani.