CHAPTER XVI.-ITALY. THE environs of Naples are full of interest and beauty. On the road to Baia the traveller passes the tomb of Virgil. This ancient Roman tomb is situated on the hill of Posilippo, at a short distance from Naples. On leaving that city by its western suburb, La Chiaja, a walk of a few minutes brings the tourist to a detached quarter, called La Margellina, where he quits the shore of the beautiful bay, and turning to the right, ascends the vine-covered hill of Posilippo by a very steep and winding road. About midway up the hill, a rustic gate admits him into a vineyard and garden, which terminate in one direction at the edge of a steep cliff. On the very brink of this precipice, and immediately above the entrance to the subterraneous road or tunnel of Posilippo, stands the ruined tomb of Virgil, overshadowed by trees that have their roots in some rocks that flank it. The tomb is a small square building, with a rounded roof, having little to distinguish it from the ancient edifices of the same kind that abound in the neighborhood, except its name and the singularity of its position. The old entrance has been enlarged, and there is a modern window cut through the wall which admits of a curious view of the chasm that forms the approach to the tunnel, or, as it is called in the country, the grotto of Posilippo. Internally this tomb is a vaulted cell, about twelve feet square, having many columbaria, or small recesses in the side walls, made to receive urns. No urns, however, nor vestiges of them, no sarcophagus, nor any inscription (really ancient), remain here, nor are the stories told of the preservation until the sixteenth century, and then the removal of the very urn that contained the great poet's ashes, at all satisfactory. According to one account, the urn, standing in the middle of the sepulchre, supported by nine small marble pillars, with an inscription on the frieze, was here as late as 1526, and frequently visited by the lovers of letters; but, it is added, in the course of the wars and invasions of the kingdom that soon followed, the Neapolitan government, fearing such precious relics should be carried off or destroyed, caused them to be removed from the tomb to the fortress called Castel Nuovo, where they were lost. Another statement is, that at the earnest suit of the cardinal of Mantua, who was anxious to enrich with the poet's remains the city where the poet was born, the government gave the urn, the pillars, and some small statues that had stood in the tomb, to the Mantuans, and that the cardinal, on his way home with them, fell sick and died at Genoa, upon which the treasures were scattered and lost there. Another account again is, that the monks of the neighboring convent of Mergellina removed the urn and its accessories from the tomb, and that they, and not the government, made a present of them to the cardinal of Mantua, on whose sudden death at Genoa they were lost. The epitaph reported to have been inscribed on the urn is the wellknown distich “Mantua me genuit, Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc Mr. Eustace says that these very lines are inscribed on a marble slab placed on the side of the rock opposite the entrance of the tomb; but the fact is, though there is an inscription there, rudely cut in coarse marble, the words are very different and much more barbarous, being— "Qui Cineres? Tumuli hæc vestigia conditur olim Many writers have carried their skepticism so far, as not only to doubt the story of the urn, the ashes, and the inscription, but to deny that this is the tomb of Virgil at all; while, on the other hand, the honors of the place have been most warmly contended for. There is nothing like a positive proof on either side, but the arguments to show whether the poet's tomb was situated here, or some miles off, on the other side of the bay, seem to be pretty equally balanced, or, if anything, rather to incline in favor of this romantic spot, which has now been visited for centuries by innumer able travellers of all nations, by kings, princes, and poets, who have found pleasure in believing the local tradition." George Sandys, an English traveller, who visited the tomb about two hundred and twenty years ago, thus describes its external appearance: "It is in form of a little oratory, which the ivy and myrtle do clothe with their natural tapestry; and, which is to be wondered at (if it grew, as they say, of itself), a laurel thrusteth out her branches at the top of the ruined cupola, to honor him dead that merited it living." The laurel, which is frequently mentioned at a much later date as wholly covering the tomb with its luxuriant branches, has long since disappeared; but the rest of Sandys's description remains correct to this day. The myrtles still flourish on the roof, and all around that quiet nook, filling the air with sweetness; and the ivy not only decorates the tomb, but the sides of the rocks and the face of the cliff on which the tomb stands. Under the tomb is another curiosity, the grotto of Posilippo. It is considerably more than half a mile long by twenty-four feet broad; its height is unequal, varying from twenty-five to sixty feet: it is well paved with large flags of lava. By night it is now tolerably well illuminated by lamps suspended from its rugged roof, but by day the "darkness visible" that reigns through the passage renders it always solemn and sometimes embarrassing. Being the only frequented road to and from the towns of Pozzuoli, Baiæ, Cuma, and other places, there is seldom a lack of passengers; and their voices, as they cry to each other in the dark, and the noise of their horses' tread, and the wheels of their wagons, carriages, and gigs, echoing through the grotto and the deep vaults which in many places branch off from it laterally, produce to the ear of the stranger an effect that is almost terrific. Soon after leaving the grotto of Posilippo, one comes to Pozzuoli. Here the cathedral, once a temple consecrated to Augustus, exhibits large square stones joined together without cement, and some remains of Corinthian columns, all of which appear to have belonged to the ancient edifice. In the principal piazza stands a pedestal of white marble found in 1693, on which are represented figures in basso-relievo, personifying the fourteen cities of Asia Minor that were, during one night, destroyed by an earthquake, in the reign of Tiberius, and rebuilt by that emperor. In the same piazza is an antique statue, bearing the name of Q. Flavio Maesio Egnatio Lolliano; and not far distant is the temple dedicated to the Sun, under the name of Jupiter Serapis, a magnificent edifice erected during the sixth century of Rome, but partly thrown down and completely buried by an earthquake, till the year 1750 of the Chris tian era, when it was fortunately discovered by a peasant, who espied the top of one of the columns a few inches above ground; in consequence of which an excavation was begun, and the temple displayed to view, almost entire; indeed, had those parts which were thrown down by the earthquake been restored to their proper places, this building would have exhibited the most perfect and one of the noblest vestiges of antiquity yet discovered; but, alas, the kings of Spain and Naples, instead of restoring, or even leaving things in the state wherein they were found, have taken away columns, statues, all, in short, that they deemed worth removal; neither have they excavated sufficiently, as the front of the principal entrance does not appear to be yet unburied; enough, however, meets the eye to form one of the most interesting objects imaginable. This temple is a hundred and thirty-four feet long, by a hundred and fifteen feet wide, its form being quadrangular. Its pavement consists of beautiful marbles, with which the whole edifice appears to have been lined: three of its columns alone remain standing, and these have been robbed of their capitals: each shaft is one solid piece of cipollino. Four flights of marble steps led to the middle part of the temple, which part was sixty-five feet in diameter, and of a circular form; and near the site of one of the flights of steps are two rings of Corinthian brass, to which the victims destined for slaughter were probably fastened; the receptacles for their blood and ashes still remain, as do the bathing-rooms for the priests, which are nearly perfect. The quantity of water in and about this temple, added to the circumstance of there being within its walls upward of thirty small apartments, several of which resemble baths, induce a belief that the sick and infirm resorted hither to bathe in consecrated water, which the priests provided, no doubt obtaining thereby a considerable revenue. Decidedly the most interesting spots in the neighborhood of Naples are the ancient cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. HERCULANEUM was situated about five miles from Naples: and the present descent into this entombed city is at Resina. This city, according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, was founded by Hercules. The Alexandrian chronicle mentions it as having been built sixty years before the siege of Troy; Pliny and Florus speak of it as a great and flourishing city; and some authors conjecture that it was the Capua whose luxuries ruined Hannibal's army. Dion Cassius gives the following account of its destruction, which happened on the twenty-fourth of August, in the year seventy; nine. "An incredible quantity of ashes, carried by the wind, filled air, earth, and sea; suffocating men, cattle, birds, and fishes, and burying two entire cities, namely, Herculaneum and Pompeii, while their inhabitants were seated in the theatres." The people of Herculaneum, however, must have found time to escape; as very few skeletons, and very little portable wealth, have been discovered in those parts already excavated. Some quarters of the city are buried sixty-eight feet deep in ashes and lava; others above a hundred. This seems, from Dion Cassius, to have been the first great eruption of Vesuvius that the Romans witnessed, though there un doubtedly were volcanoes in the adjoining country, from ages immemorial. The last named author says, that the ashes and dust ejected by Vesuvius darkened the sun at Rome; and were carried by the wind to Egypt: and Giuliani asserts, that during the eruption of 1631, the ashes were carried to Constantinople in such quantities as to terrify the Turks. The spot where Herculaneum stood was not ascertained till the beginning of the last century; but, about the year 1713, a peasant, while sinking a well at Portici, found several pieces of ancient mosaic, which happened to be at that time sought for by the Prince d'Elbeuf, who was building a house in the neighborhood. The prince, wanting these fragments of marble to compose a stucco in imitation of that used by the ancients, purchased of the peasant a right to search for them; on doing which, he was recompensed with a statue of Hercules, and another of Cleopatra: this success encouraged him to proceed with ardor, when the architrave of a marble gate, seven Grecian statues, resembling vestals, and a circular temple, encompassed by twenty-four columns of oriental alabaster on the outside, the same number within, and likewise embellished by statues, were the reward of his labor: in short, the produce of these excavations became considerable enough to attract the attention of the Neapolitan government: in consequence of which, the Prince d'Elbeuf was commanded to desist; and all researches were given up, till the year 1736, when Don Carlos, on becoming king of Naples, wished to build a palace at Portici; and purchased, of the Prince d'Elbeuf, his lately-erected house, together with the ground whence he had taken so many valuable antiquities. The king now made an excavation eighty feet deep, and discovered buried in the earth an entire city; together with the bed of a river which ran through it, and even part of the water; he also discovered the temple of Jupiter, containing a statue reputed to be gold; and afterward laid open the theatre, directly over which the peasant's well was found to have been sunk. The inscriptions on the doors of this theatre, fragments of bronze horses gilt, and of the car to which they belonged (decorations probably of the grand entrance), together with a considerable number of statues, columns, and pictures, were now brought to light: but, nevertheless, in the year 1765, not more than fifty laborers were employed in making these valuable excavations; in 1769, the number was reduced to ten; and, in 1776, to three or four. Resina (anciently Retina) and Portici being built immediately over Herculaneum, the workmen could not venture to excavate as they would have done had the surface of the earth been less encumbered; consequently the plans of Herculaneum and its edifices are not accurate; it is, however, ascertained that the streets were wide, straight, paved with lava, and bordered with raised footways; that the buildings are composed of tufo and other volcanic substances; the interior walls adorned with frescoes, or stained with a deep and beautiful red color; the architecture Grecian, and, generally speaking, uniform. The rooms in private houses were small, and either paved with mosaics, or bricks three feet long, and six inches thick. It does not appear that the generality of the people had glazed windows; though some excellent plate glass has been found in Herculaneum; but almost every window seems to have been provided with wooden shutters, pierced so as to admit light and air. The most considerable edifice yet discovered is a forum, or chalcidicum. This building seems to have been a rectangular court, two hundred and twenty-eight feet long, and encompassed with a portico supported by forty-two columns: it was paved with marble, and adorned with paintings. The portico of entrance was composed of five arcades, ornamented with equestrain statues of marble; two of which, the celebrated Balbi, have been already described. Opposite to the entrance, and elevated upon three steps, was a statue of the emperor Vespasian; and on each side a figure in a curule chair; in the wall were niches adorned with paintings, and bronze statues of Nero and Germanicus; there likewise were other statues in the portico. This forum was connected, by means of a colonnade, with two temples, in form rectangular, and one of them a hundred and fifty feet long; the interior part being ornamented with columns, frescoes, and inscriptions in bronze; and near these edifices was an open theatre, capable of containing ten thousand spectators, and the only building now discoverable; all the other excavations having been filled up. By a passage close to the peasant's well, we descended into this theatre. The front of the stage seems to have been decorated with columns, statues, &c., all of which are taken away, two inscriptions excepted. The proscenium was found entire, and is a hundred and thirty feet long. Part of the stage, and the base of one of the columns of flowered alabaster, with which it was adorned, were likewise discovered; and in front of the stage, according to De la Lande, were bronze statues of the Muses. Fragments also were found of bronze horses, supposed to have decorated the top of the wall which terminated the seats. All, however, which we were able to discern was the stage, the orchestra, the consular seats, and proscenium; together with the corridors or lobbies, some parts of which exhibit beautiful arabesques, and stucco stained with the dark red color already mentioned; we likewise saw the impression |