left of the Appian road. Its modern name is lago di Castello. The Emissario, if its antiquity is sufficiently ascertained, must be one of the most remarkable objects which have been saved from the ravages of time. It is said to have been erected three hundred and ninety-seven years befor the Christian æra, and is still in perfect preservation.

"This truly interesting monument of antiquity was constructed, as is well known, during the celebrated siege of Veji, for the emission of the superiluous waters of this lake whica had risen to an astonishing height, when the country was afflicted with an uncommon want of rain, which occasioned a failure of alfost all the lesser streams. The oracle of

Vor was soon

Delps and those of Etruria having also deare that Veii could not be taken till the waters of the lake were carried off into the jelas, and then confined into rivulets; the terminated, and Veii was taken. "This 'Em-sario' presents an arch of onsiderable height, seven feet in diameter, mposed of large square stones. It forms he cutrance of a channel which conveys the fater under the hill on which Castel Gandolfo

ands, about three hundred feet above the

end of the lake.

This channel is a mile and a half in ch, and terminates in the fields near Al, where is a mill for grinding corn, and he water afterwards runs into the Tiber, at a face called Aque salvie.' There are somemes five feet of water, and at others only : by placing a lighted taper on a board, nd lefting it swim through the arch, the eye an tolow the stream to a very considerable istance, and the board floats along the chan! it makes its appearance at the mill.” The present town of Albano, situated Pur the lake, derives its name, though its ite is different, from the ancient city of Alba, a name closely connected with the rigin of Rome:

Albanique patres, atque altæ monia Romæ.'

Among the numerous villas erected in he neighbourhood of Albano by the Romans, the most conspicuous was that of Pompey, of which considerable vestiges e still in being. The remains of anaity near Albano in all directions are y numerous. In a vineyard about a le distant from the northern gate are tiges of walls, which appear to have en built during the time of the repubor during the reign of the first Cæsars. x rooms with beautiful mosaic pavents were discovered here some years

The small town of Palazzolo, on the Est of the lake, and at the foot of the

Alban mountain, is supposed to present the site of the ancient Alba Longa. It is marked by some insignificant ruins.

Laricia, on the Appian road, about a mile from Albano, is the Aricia of antiquity, the seat of an Italian fable, beautifully described by Virgil, Æn. vii. 761 -792.

"Ibat et Hippolyti proles pulcherrima bello Virbius, insignein quem mater Aricia misit," &c.

This town appears to be distinguished by the beauty of its situation; and contains a fine modern palace, possessed by the family of Chigi..

The small lake of Nemi, about four miles in circumference, succeeds that of Albano at a short distance, lying also on the left of the Appian way. Gensano, said to be corrupted from Cynthianum, Diana, celebrated in this territory, which preserves the memory of the worship of was peculiarly consecrated to that goddess.

considerable, is annually performed an exer"In the principal street, which is not incise entitled il Saraceno. This takes place follows a race of Barbary horses, which is preon the anniversary of their tutelar saint, and viously exhibited in the avenue before the by pales, ornamented with branches of trees; palace. A long space of ground is enclosed Moor in armour, with a sprig of laurel in his at one extremity is a figure representing a hand, and a silver star on his forehead. The magistrates place themselves on a scaffold erected for the purpose, and adorned with crimson damask fringed with gold. They sit as judges of the game.

Young men on horseback, attended each. by a running footman holding their lance, enter the lists, and, after making their obeisance to the magistrates and spectators, run full speed at the Saracen's head; and he whose lance strikes the star, or comes nearest to it, gains the prize, which is a silver knife, fork, and spoon, tied with red ribbands. This game was introduced by the Saracens, and is practised in other parts of Italy: it gives some idea of the warlike amusements of the Arabs, as described in the history of Granada, and other works translated from their language; but the traces of their magthe Sicilian festivals." nificence and chivalry are still more visible

The name of Nemi has descended from Nemus Aricinum, a grove of great celebrity, dedicated to Diana, in a situation of singular beauty. Naval combats were exhibited by the emperor Claudius on the lake; at the bottom of which, in the fifteenth century, a Roman vessel was dis

Civita Lavinia is the ancient Lanuvium, of which Milo was dictator. "The town is very interesting, every thing bearing marks of the most remote antiquity. Many beautiful fragments of ornamental sculpture in stone and marble, lie scattered about in the streets; and in most of the walls are stuck pieces of cornices or columns."

Velitræ is the last-mentioned town in this route, lying on the modern road to Naples, twenty-six miles distant from Rome. It is celebrated for the birth, or at least the education, of Augustus; but appears to be more distinguished by its modern palaces, than its remains of ancient edifices. The Pontine marshes are in its vicinity.

2. Towns and objects on the coast. At the mouth of the Tiber are situated Porto and Ostia; the former on its right, the latter on its left bank. These places retain some traces, though not very considerable, of their former maritime importance. The remains of the ancient Claudian port are visible under water on a calm day. The magnitude of this work may be estimated from the descriptions of Juvenal and Suetonius.

Torre di San Lorenzo, about seven miles to the south of Ostia, is conjectured to represent Laurentum, the city of Latinus. Of the villa of the younger Pliny, situated near this town, it does not appear that any remains are extant. Heyne, in his third Excursus on the seventh book of the Æneid, controverts the claims of San Lorenzo to the honours of ancient Laurentum; he concurs with Cluverius and Fabretti in fixing it at Torre di Paterno. Lavinium, the first seat of the supposed monarchy of Eneas in Italy, is supposed to have stood on a little eminence at the source of the river Numicus, about three miles from the sea.

The vicinity of Antium is still interesting. The ancient name is preserved in the present Porto d'Anzo; while the adjacent maritime town of Nettuno gives testimony to the temple and worship of the deity of the sea, by which this place

was celebrated. Antium was the capital of the Volscians, and was not reduced, till after many contests, under the power of Rome. Under the empire it was distinguished by the splendour of its buildings. Among its public edifices, the temples of Neptune, Esculapius, and Fortune, were eminent. To the latter Horace alludes in the well-known ode which he addresses to the mutable goddess :

"O Diva, gratum quæ regis Antium!”

Some of the master-pieces of sculpture, particularly the Belvedere Apollo, were discovered among the ruins of this city.

Monte Circello, a bold eminence, projecting into the sea, and connected with the continent by a low and narrow neck of land, is the ancient Ea, or island of Circe. It is not improbable that, in remote ages, it may have been actually separated from the shore. Classic superstition points out the tomb of Elpenor with as much exactness, as in Palestine religious superstition assigns the situation of every remarkable event connected with the origin of Christianity.

3. Tusculum, with the surrounding country. No name can be dearer than this, to the admirers of ancient genius and learning. It was to this favourite retreat that Cicero withdrew from the business and turbulence of Rome, to enjoy the elegant pursuits and calm satisfactions of literature and philosophy, in secret study, or in the society of friends of taste and attainments similar to his own. From some remains of antiquity which have been there discovered, it is conjectured, though rather precariously, that the mo nastery of Grotta Ferrata presents the exact site of Cicero's villa. The modern name of Tusculum is Frascati. cient city was on an eminence, at the foot of which the present town is built. The nominal cardinal of York is bishop of this diocese, in which he usually resides.

The an

Lucullus possessed a splendid villa in the vicinity of Tusculum. "Considerable vestiges of porticos, grottos, and other buildings, in which inscriptions with the name of Lucullus have been found, occur frequently between Marino and Monte Porzio, above Frascati; but it is impossible to distinguish how much of these buildings belonged to Lucullus, or to discover how many other dwellings were erected on the ruins of his villas, or near them, during the course of so many centuries."

The monastery of Grotta Ferrata is remarkable for the use of the Greek ritual.

"The service is performed in Greek; and the Missal and book of Psalms, printed in that language with accents, are read and sung by the monks according to the modern pronunciation. They are chiefly Calabrians of respectable families; their hospitality is great; and on the 8th of September, the day of the Madonna, when a fair is held under the elms before the abbey, they entertain some of the first nobility of Rome with great propriety. lu the court of the monastery are then erected shops and booths, where linen, shoes, fans, and trinkets are sold: little arbours are form ed of branches of trees (in which art the people of Frascati excel), and others, of a larger dimension, for dinner-parties in the meadow: horses, oxen, and indeed cattle of all descriptions, are brought hither to be sold; and the meadow is filled with company of all ranks, whose various dresses, with the picturesque appearance of the place in general, compose a scene of the most agreeable and cheerful nature. Music is always introduced on these occasions, and at night the lamps, placed on the different tables where the people are assembled in convivial parties, sparkle between the trees, and give an appearance of festivity which is truly delightful. Between ten and eleven in the morning of the great day (for most of the people assemble on the eve), high-mass is sung in Latin, as well as Greek, by the regular father abbot of the monastery with a mitre and crosier, which he has the right of wearing on this occasion; his dress, and those of the other officiating priests, are magnificent. The abbey is in the diocese of cardinal York, as bishop of Frascati.”

4. The description of the Alban mountain we present entire.

MONTE CAVO, MONS ALBANUS. Ascending from this place to the summit f Monte Cavo, anciently Mons Albanus, at the distance of little more than a mile, the traveller follows a most difficult path over rocks, whence the views are surprisingly extensive and beautiful; the lake of Albano appearing at his feet. Above La Rocca are the ruins of some Gothic buildings, and the peasants suppose them to have been once a fortress; which is highly probable, from the many advantages of the situation. The road now opens into a large plain nearly enclosed by a circular chain of mountains, amongst which the most remarkable is Mount Algidum. This place bears the name of the plains of Hannibal, as it is imagined to be the spot whence that general pointed out to his army the city of Roine, and promised to his officers, for the ensuing evening, a supper in the capitol: others place it lower.

"From this plain we ascend a most enchanting road shaded by a variety of trees,

and particularly by oaks and laurels. It leads winding up to the summit of the mountain, This road is of the time of the republic, and near the summit is in perfect preservation: it commences round that part of the hill nearest supported on each side by a pavement about Albano, and is composed of large flat stones, a foot higher it is broad enough for the pasof it are seen engraved the two letters V. and sage of a modern carriage: in many parts N., which antiquaries interpret Viu Numinis (the road of the deity).

"Hither the Roman conquerors used to come a few days after their triumph, to offer up a sacrifice of thanks in the temple of Jupiter Latialis; and those who, after having gained a victory, could not obtain from the senate the decree which entitled them to the

honour of a triumph, often made one at their own expence in this place, followed by their army, with a pomp equal to that of Rome.

"This temple of Jupiter was the object of general veneration in the first times of the republic the different states of Latium sent annually hither deputies to renew their league of amity, and offer up a sacrifice to Jupiter. On a stated day they met in this place, and each deputy partook of the victim. The Romans considered it as the chief object of their devotion after the capitol: and prodigies supposed to happen here were expiated with the most rigorous superstition. That singular appearances should strengthen their belief in such wonders is not astonishing, when we consider the volcanic nature of this celebrated mountain. The Alban lake was the crater of a volcano; and the accounts given by Livy, and other historians, of its having rained stones, and other similar phenomena, on Mount Albano, are as easy to be explained by naturalists, as the death of Acis and other mythological events, the scene of which was the neighbourhood of Mount Etna. Arriving at the summit of Monte Cavo, it is impossible not to experience sensations at once awful and delightful; the recollection of the important events which led the masters of the world to offer up at this place their homage to the Deity, is assisted by the great quantity of laurels still growing here.

"It is a small plain belonging to an order of friars called Passionisti, who subsist well on the charity of the circumjacent towns and villages. Their dress is black, with a large red cross on their breast, and they are under the protection of cardinal York, who assisted them in building a new church in the year 1784. Their convent is a building of considerable size, and opposite to it is a stone. table shaded by two fine chesnut-trees; this is supposed to have been the place of the altar of Jupiter, as it is in the centre of the plain, and great part of a circular wall of some extent is yet visible, and was, no doubt, that of the ancient temple. On the ground were seen several fragments of cornices of good sculpture; and, when we were on the hill,

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the masons were employed in making a shell for holy water out of part of an antique altar. There are two moments in which this spot is more peculiarly interesting. One, on a clear day, when the eye can enjoy the most extensive and the sublimest view that is known in the papal dominions. It takes in a vast tract of country, and a large portion of the Mediterranean, with the various objects which render this scene one of the noblest in the world. It almost extends to the Adriatic, and comprehends part of the Neapolitan territory, with a long chain of the Appenines.

"The other moment, though not so beautiful, has in it something extraordinary and awful that is truly deserving of observation. It is, however, frequently a great disappointment to many travellers. A mist covers the whole of the prospect below, and the circular plain alone is visible to the person who has ascended the hill in search of the

view. It has then the appearance of an island in the midst of an immense lake, or of an edilice seated on the clouds. This mist scarcely ever extends its influence to a great distance. It appears, when seen from Albano, or any other town on the borders of the Jake, in the form of a cloud which cuts across the upper part of the mountain, and is an indication of future rain. This gives rise to

the expression, Monte cavo ha i capello piocera :- The mountain has put on his hat-it will rain: an expression which, probably, comes from the ancient Romans, as there is a mountain in France corruptedly called Mont Pita, from Mons Pileatus, the Roman name given to it on account of its frequently appearing with this cloud across or above the sumunit.

"An excursion to Monte Cavo is not only pleasing to the painter and antiquary, but atfords specimens of many curious volcanic productions to the mineralogist.

“The feria Latine were annual meetings of the states of Latium with the Romans, Hernici, and Volscians, established by Tarquin the Proud, who was desirous, by this arrangement, to make himself master of these several nations, and was too good a politician not to understand the use of festivals and banquets.

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Forty-seven cities partook of this feast, and each contributed its portion, by sending lambs, cheeses, milk, or other provisions. The common victim was an ox, a portion of which was given to the deputy of each town, the Romans presiding at the sacrifice.

"Only two communities of the Volscians, the Antiates and the Echetrani, consented to join this assembly.

"The name of feria, which properly implies holidays, has remained to public meetings of a dillerent nature, called by the Italians fiere, and by us fairs.

"As there was not space sufficient for so numerous a company on the summit of Mount Albano, it is probable these feria were held in the spacious plain above described, under

the name of the fields of Hannibal, although the bull night be sacrificed at the temple of Jupiter Latialis, and the forty-seven deputies might partake of it there. The plain is about three iniles in circumference, and produces excellent pasturage the mountains encircling it are covered with trees, and the oaks are some of the finest in this country.

"On the side of the Alban mountain stood a temple of Juno Moneta, erected by Caius Cicereius, in consequence of a vow he made in Corsica, where he gained a considerable victory in the year of Rome 578, destroying 7000 of the enemy, and taking 1700 prisoners. This temple was completed in 383, and was afterwards supposed miraculously to turn from the east to the north. It was not large, but appears to have been held in great veneration."

5. Præneste. This town, now called Palestrina, is distinguished by its antiquity, and by various circumstances of its history. The salubrity of its air, and the beauty of its situation, rendered it a favourite residence of the wealthy Romans. One of its most remarkable edifices was the temple of the goddess Fortuna, said to have occupied nearly the whole of the ground on which the present town of Palestrina stands, erected by Sylla on the scene of his greatest victory, in honour of the goddess by whose protection and regard he considered himself as peculiarly distinguished. The finest building of the modern city, is the castle or palace of its prince.

"The chief object of curiosity is the pa lace of the prince, in the highest part of the city, to which there is an ascent by an exce lent coach-road to the right, by the Capucia convent, without entering the narrow street. Before it is a level space of considerable length, which formed the highest platform of the temple of Fortune.

"Two flights of steps lead to an amphi theatre, or semicircular staircase, in excellent preservation, which is the same that led to the sanctuary of the temple, on the foundation of which the palace is built: in the middle of the semicircle is a well; each step is about a foot and a half high (like the an cient steps of the capitol which led to the church of Ara Cali, at Rome). Another short flight conducts to the hall of entrance, where are seen four elegant bronze cannons, a double staircase, and a recess, closed by iron grates, which contains the celebrated antique pavement, of which Piiny speaks in the following terms:

"The fine mosaic of small stones, placed by Sylla as a pavement in the temple of Fortune at Præneste, was the first thing of the kind seen in Italy.

"There does not seem to be the smallest room to doubt of this being the genuine mo