often buried their dead, as is evident from monumental inscriptions beginning with the words "diis manibus." The chapel of the catacombs of San Sebastiano contains a bust of that saint, by Bernini. It is necessary to carry lights, in order to see these catacombs well.

Circus of Caracalla.-On the left side of the road, and at the foot of the hill on which stands the tomb of Cecilia Metella, is the circus of Caracalla, together with ruins of various edifices belonging to it. The first of these that presents itself is a large rotunda, supposed to have been the quarters of the prætorian guard, while the emperor attended the circus; and, enclosing this rotunda, whose second story was a serapeon, are remains of a double row of lofty walls, between which, it is supposed, were the stables of the horses used for the chariot-races; while the open inner space, or quadrangle, where stood the before-named serapeon, contained the cars. Near this building is an ancient sepulchre, leading to the circus of Caracalla, which is more perfect than any other of the whole fifteen that once adorned Rome: for here, the metæ, the spina, the situation of the obelisk, the seats, and the porticoes whither the spectators retired in case of rain, are all discoverable. The emperor's seat, or podium, seems to have been opposite to the first meta, and from the podium he gave the signal to begin the race. The spina was raised above the level of the arena, that the cars might not break in upon the obelisk, altars, and statues, which adorned it. The meta was broader than the spina, and along the sides of the circus, between the seats and the arena, was a ditch filled with water, to prevent the cars from approaching too near the spectators. There was a space of about twelve feet between the metæ and spina, serving as a passage to the latter, and to the cells where, it is supposed, the altars of Consus were concealed: he appears to have been the god of Counsel; and hence the Romans called a consultation consilium, and their chief magistrates consules. They hid the altar under ground, to signify that counsels ought to be kept secret. In the great area between the first meta and the carceres, combats of gladiators and wild beasts were exhibited; and sometimes water was introduced, and Naumachia represented. In the walls of this circus, and likewise in those which surround Rome, are earthen pots, whose spherical shape, operating like arches, diminished the perpendicular weight of the fabric, and contributed to strengthen it. The triumphal gate through which the victors drove is still nearly perfect, and precisely opposite to the gate of the Via-Appia; the water, likewise, still remains in the circus, which is supposed to have contained about twenty thousand spectators. To the north of this circus, in a neighboring vineyard, are considerable remains of the temples of Honor and Virtue, built by Marcellus, after his Sicilian conquests, in the year of Rome 544, and so constructed that it was impossible to enter the former without passing through the latter.

Tomb of Cecilia Metella.-Had not the Roman barons, during the middle ages, converted this beautiful edifice into a fortress, and built a parapet and portholes

round its summit, it might have lasted to eternity, so durable is the manner of its construction. The monument was erected by Crassus, to enclose the remains of his wife, Cecilia Metella; and, notwithstanding the above-named ugly parapet, is one the best-preserved sepulchral fabrics of ancient Rome.

About two miles from this monument is an ancient public Ustrina, where the dead were burnt; and near the Fossæ Cluiliæ, in this neighborhood, about five miles from Rome, and on a spot now called Casale Rotondo, is the scene of combat between the Horatii and Curiatii.

Basilic of San Paolo, fuori delle Mura.-This vast edifice was erected by Constantine over the grave of St. Paul, enlarged by Theodosius, and finished by Honorius. The length of the edifice, exclusive of the tribuna, is two hundred and forty feet, and its breadth one hundred and thirty-eight feet. Antique columns, a hundred and twenty in number, divide it into five aisles; and twenty-four of these columns, placed in the middle aisle, were taken from Adrian's mausoleum: they are of rare marble, called pavonazzo, beautifully fluted in a peculiar manner, and of the Corinthian order, each shaft being one entire piece. The pillars which support the great arch of the tribuna are forty-two feet in height, and fifteen in circumference; and behind the shrine of St. Paul is a column, with an equilateral Parian marble base of seven feet, finely worked. The pillars that adorn the altars are porphyry; and under the high-altar, which is rich in precious marbles, rest the ashes of St. Paul. The arch of the great nave is ornamented with mosaics of the year 440; and on the walls, above the columns, are portraits of all the popes, two hundred and fifty-three in number, beginning with St. Peter and ending with Pius VII. The pavement abounds with fragments of ancient sepulchral inscriptions; and the central entrance-door, consisting of bronze embellished with bas-reliefs, was cast at Constantinople in 1070. The outside of this church is adorned with mosaics: and under the portico of the adjoining cloister are antique marbles and inscriptions.*

Church of San Paolo, alle tre Fontane.-Nearly two miles beyond the basilic of St. Paul is the spot where this great apostle suffered, and where considerable numbers of Christians were executed by command of the emperor Diocletian, after he had employed them in erecting his baths. On this spot are three churches: the first, St. Maria Scala Cœli, was built by Vignola, and is deemed a good piece of architecture: the inside, an octagon, contains a mosaic, by Francesco Zucca, of the school of Vasari, said to be the first thing of its kind executed in good taste after the revival of the arts. The second church, that of Saints Vincenzo and Anastasio, contains frescoes of the twelve apostles, a Noli me tangere, and the baptism of our Saviorall executed after the designs of Raphael, but much injured, except the last. The third church, that of St. Paul, was built by Giacomo della Porta, and does honor to his taste. The interior of the edifice contains two altars, and three fountains, called miraculous; together with ten columns of rare marble,† which adorn the fountains and altars. Here is a white stone, on which the head of St. Paul is supposed to have been cut off; and here, likewise, is a picture of the crucifixion of St. Peter, by Guido, which appears to have been finely executed, but is now much spoiled.

Besides these antiquities, there are several towns near Rome which are visited by every traveller. One of the most interesting of these is Tivoli. The distance from Rome to Tivoli is about eighteen miles, and the road, generally speaking, good, though now and then, in the ancient Via Tiburtina (great part of which still remains), there are large, loose blocks of basalt, which, if not avoided, night break a carriage.

After passing the gate and church of San Lorenzo, the first interesting object you discover is the Ponte-Mammolo (Pons Mammeus), thrown over the Teverone, anciently called the Anio, from King Anius, who precipitated himself into it. This bridge is about four miles distant from Rome, and derives its present appellation from Mammea (the mother of Alexander Severus), by whom it was repaired. Further on, you observe a small monument erected to the memory of Giulia Stemma, by her children; and beyond this, on the left of the high road, and very near it, is the Lago de' Tartari, anciently a volcano. The water of this lake petrifies every vegetable substance with which it comes in contact, and is curiously hedged round with stalactites. You proceed next to the bridge of the Solfatara, thrown over a stream

The kings of England were the protectors of the basilic of St. Paul before the reformation. t Two of these columns are green porphyry.

anciently denominated Aqua Albulæ, which smells offensively, and is so white as to resemble milk; then, driving about two miles further, you see a beautiful landscape, formed by the Ponte-Lucano, the Anio, and the Plautian tomb. The Ponte-Lucano is supposed to derive its name from M. Plautius Lucanus, which seems probable, as close to this bridge stands the abovementioned burial-place of his family, a remarkably handsome edifice of its kind, constructed with travertino, taken from quarries on the Apennines near Tivoli.

After crossing the Ponte-Lucano, you observe two roads, the one leading to Tivoli, which is about two miles distant; the other leading to Adrian's villa, which is about one mile and a half distant from the bridge, and nearly twice as much from the town. If you take the latter road, three hours and a half from the time of leaving Rome you arrive at Adrian's villa. Adrian himself was the architect of this celebrated villa, which extended three miles in length and one in breadth, and contained temples, theatres, baths, and porticoes, adorned with chefs-d'œuvre of sculpture and painting; to which buildings he gave the names of the most remarkable edifices in the world, calling one the Lyceum of Aristotle, another the Academia of Plato, a third the Prytaneum of Athens, a fourth the Serapeon of Canopus, a fifth the Pœcile of the Stoics, &c., &c, You are conducted first to the Greek theatre, of which the proscenium and seats for the spectators may still be traced; hence you proceed to examine three ruins, namely, the temple of the Stoics, the Maritime theatre, and the Library, the first two of which exhibit considerable remains. You then visit a ruin, called the temple of Diana and Venus, on your way to the imperial apartments, the vaults of which are, in some places, almost perfect; hence you go to the barracks of the prætorian guards, and a hall destined, it is supposed, for philosoph ical studies; part of the ceiling still remains. Hence you proceed to the baths, observing traces of the Naumachia; and lastly, visit the Serapeon, where some of the paintings are tolerably well preserved.

Having spent a few hours here, you ascend the hill to Tivoli, passing through a fine wood of olives, and observing ruins on the right, supposed to be remains of the villa of Cassius. Of all the hilly spots in the neighborhood to which foreign resi dents or the natives repair, to avoid the great heat and malaria of Rome during the summer, none is so beautiful and otherwise remarkable as Tivoli. The lofty summits of Monte-Catily, and a semicircular range of the Sabine mountains, shelter it 'on one side, while the other side commands an open and extensive view of the campagna, or great plain, in which Rome is situated; and beyond the campagna the eye reposes on the blue waves of the Mediterranean sea.

Tivoli is a considerable town, having a population of nearly ten thousand souls. It contains some fine, stately mansions: but the mass of the habitations being mean and dirty, it can not be called a handsome town. However, the transition to it from the magnificence of Rome during the sultry weather is most delightful; and the visiter's enjoyment is increased by seeing around him, in spite of their idleness, poverty, and rags, a rosy-cheeked, healthy-looking population, altogether different from the inhabitants of the city and the plain he has left. The journey from Rome is performed in good part, and can be performed in its whole length, over an ancient road. whose pavement in many places is in as perfect preservation as when, two thousand years ago, the poet Horace loitered along it on his way to his pleasant Sabine farm. Objects of antiquity and historical interest are crowded on this route; and when the traveller reaches Tivoli, where traditional names identify the sites of the villas of Piso, Varus, Lepidus, Cassius, the poet Catullus, and other great men of old Rome, he is conducted to an inn, called “Of the Sibyl," from the windows of which his eye embraces a magnificent cascade, and the elegant antique temples of the Sibyl and of Vesta. The two temples and the cascade just mentioned are the principal ornaments of Tivoli. The cascade is produced by the river Anio, now called the Teverone, which, after winding through the Sabine vales, glides smooth and silently through Tivoli till it reaches the brink of a precipice, where it throws itself in one mighty mass of waters down a deep and dark chasm in the rocks; there it roars and foams in a narrow channel, till, finding an opening in the rocks, it rushes headlong through it, and descends into caverns and abysses "deeper and deeper still." The view of the double fall, which is obtained by descending into the narrow dale through which the river flows after the cascade, is one of the finest that can be conceived. The whole height of the cataract is about two hundred feet. The rocks that resist this tremendous and never-ceasing lashing of the waters are disposed in a narrow

The other temple of Tivoli stands very near to that of the Sibyl, whose name it frequently usurps; but time and man have been less merciful to its beauty. Only four pillars are left, and they are embedded in the walls of a parish church, which is itself abandoned and now becoming a ruin.

ALBANO is situated between Castel-Gandolfo and Aricia, and stands on the site of Pompey's villa, named Albanum Pompeii. Remains of an amphitheatre, a reservoir, and a prætorian camp, erected, perhaps, by Domitian, may be traced here; but the object best worth notice in this town is a small museum, belonging to Signor Guiseppe Carnevali, which consists of sepulchral monuments found under a bed of lava in the vicinity of the ancient Alba-Longa. The shape of each of these sepulchral monuments is that of a vase, and within each of the vases was found a small cinerary urn of terra-cotta, containing ashes and bones, and made (as is conjectured)

in the precise shape of the huts of the original inhabitants of the spot. Each cinerary urn exhibits unknown characters; and these sepulchral monuments likewise have doors, with curious fastenings. The cinerary urn was placed in the centre of each monument, and encircled with small terra-cotta vessels (one to hold the sop for Cerberus, others for the purifying water, wine, oil, bread, incense, &c.); a lamp, like those of pottery used now in cottages; a stile passed through a canceller; knives, and a lance. After seeing this museum, travellers who have three hours to spare should proceed, through a beautiful and shady path, to the hill which commands the Lago-Castello, or lake of Albano, which is the crater of an extinct volcano, nearly six miles in circumference, and famous for particularly large and fine eels. CastelGandolfo stands on the top of the hill, and a beautiful walk leads down to the lake, where, in the water, remains may be seen of the ancient Alba-Longa. Here, likewise, is a subterraneous canal, called the Emissario, one of the most extraordinary works of the ancient Romans, and said to have been made during the siege of Veii, in obedience to the Delphic oracle. It measures about one and a half miles in length, and appears quite perfect. Another path, to the left of Castel-Gandolfo, leads back to Albano; and the Ilexes which shade this walk are some of the largest in Italy. The garden of the Villa-Barberini, at Castel-Gandolfo, comprises the ruins of Domitian's villa; and on the outside of the gate of Albano, leading to Aricia, is an ancient tomb, on the left, called that of the Curiatii, though there does not seem to be any ground for this assertion.

The air, both at Albano and Aricia (one mile distant), is less oppressive during summer, though perhaps not more salubrious, than that of Rome, and the country is beautiful.

A distinguished writer remarks of the people: "This people, taken collectively, neither possess the mildness of the Tuscans, nor the good-humored buffoonery of the Neapolitans. The nobility seldom trouble themselves to attain deep erudition, but are polite and very kind to foreigners. Gentlemen belonging to the church and law are usually well informed; it is, however, remarkable, that the most learned of these are not, generally speaking, Romans by birth. Tradesmen of the first class seldom impose on foreigners; but the populace are frequently prone to exaction, passionate, and sometimes revengeful: they likewise retain much of their former haughty char The inhabitants of Trastevere, said to descend from the ancient Romans, are not only brave to ferocity, but so proud of their ancestors, that nothing can induce them to match with a person who does not boast the same origin.

acter.

A gentleman told me he lodged in the house of one of these Trasteverini, a bar ber by trade, and wretchedly poor, when his daughter was addressed by a wealthy and respectable German; but, notwithstanding these advantages, the lover received a rude and positive refusal from the mother of the girl. My acquaintance, surprised at this behavior, asked the mother why she acted so imprudently. Your daughter,' continued he, is wholly unprovided for; surely, then, you ought to rejoice in an opportunity of uniting her to a rich and worthy man.'- Rejoice in uniting her to a foreigner, a barbarian!' exclaimed the woman; no! and were my daughter capable of cherishing so disgraceful an idea, I should not scruple to plunge a dagger into her heart.""

On the road from Rome to Naples the traveller passes through an interesting but unhealthy tract of country called the Pontine marshes. They are situated between Tre Ponti (anciently Tripontium) and Terracina. The Pontine marshes (Palus Pomptina) are computed to be about twenty-four miles in length, and vary from six to twelve miles in breadth. Appius Claudius seems to have been the first person who undertook to drain them; Cethegus and Cæsar continued the work, which, during the middle ages, was repaired by Cecilius Decius, at the command of Theodoric. Boniface VIII. was the first pope who began to drain these noxious swamps. Martin V., before his accession to the pontifical chair, was employed to carry on the business, and succeeded wonderfully by making a canal, called Rio Martino. The princes of the house of Medicis, and, after them, Sixtus V., made new canals: succeeding popes followed a similar plan, till, at length, Pius VI., nearly accomplished this benevolent work; forming on the foundations of the Via Appia, which were long hidden under water, a road justly esteemed one of the best in Europe, and draining the swamps so judiciously as to render them capable of being cultivated. French engineers pursued the same wise measures; and Pius VII. at length put the finishing stroke to this herculean labor, which has so essentially purified a tract of country,