No. II. — Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Stabice. 123 



passage, where the event is rather incidentally brought in as 

 an example of the Emperor^'s clemency than recorded as a fact 

 in history. The number of persons who perished was so great, 

 that Titus used his utmost endeavours to yield them relief; 

 and especially devoted the properties of such persons as had 

 no legal heirs preserved, to the aid of other survivors. This 

 intimates a calamity of great extent. 



I have now discussed, (and I hope not unsatisfactorily,) all 

 the classical authorities which can throw light on this curious 

 subject. I must now shortly detail the facts regarding the 

 discovery and present condition of the cities, whose original 

 state and memorable catastrophe we have already considered. 



It is remarkable enough that Herculaneum was discovered 

 at a depth of 68 feet below ground before Pompeii, which in 

 some places was but just covered with loose ashes. The for- 

 mer city was in fact brought to light by mere accident, which, 

 trifling as it is, is curious. In 1713, the Prince d'Elbeuf 

 from France, having married at Naples, resolved to settle in 

 the vicinity of Portici. He had with him a Frenchman, who 

 made statues for adorning his villa from a composition of 

 powdered marble, of which he got fragments from the country 

 people. The objects discovered by one man in digging a 

 well at his house were so remarkable as engaged the prince to 

 prosecute the excavation. The well, as it appears, came right 

 down upon the theatre ; and statues of Hercules and Cleopa- 

 tra were speedily discovered. The inscription on this theatre 

 was the following : 



C.A.P.P.R.O.C.E.T.H.E.R.C.V.L.E.N.S.E. 

 S.D.D. 



Which, I presume, may be thus interpreted : 



CAPRE^ PROCHYTA ET HERCVLENSE (oppidum) 

 SIMVL DEDERVNT. 



Whence it would appear that the theatre had not been the 

 property of the Herculanians alone, but built conjunctly with 

 the aid of the two islands now known by the names of Capri 

 and Procida. To detail the objects successively discovered in 

 this extraordinary city, would be quite beyond the scope of 



